YouSaid · the spoken record

Shabana Mahmood

lines on the record: 56
first: 2024-02-08
most recent: 2024-02-08
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“It is difficult. It's very difficult when you feel a wider sense of responsibility to, you know, your faith community in the broadest sense. At the end of the day, I'm elected by the people of Ladywood. They are my first and foremost concern as a politician, but there is no denying, and I've never sought to resolve from or delegitimize the sense that a broader range of people have a sense of connection to me and to other British Muslims in public life. Whether you want to or not, you end up just having to accept that you have this broader role to play. And it is something that I've accepted. It means a lot to me. And then it's very difficult to find yourself in a position where you're making quite challenging, difficult decisions, and actually it's not enough. You feel like you're letting people down, even though that is absolutely not your own intention. And that's a personal challenge. But my difficulty.”
2024-02-08 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Shabana Mahmood One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I get it. I get it. And I understand why the question is asked, and I don't treat it as if it's coming from naivety or malicious intent in any way. I understand, you know, it's not something that immediately makes sense to people. But I guess what I can, the best way I can describe it is some of these sites, the religious sites in this part of the world, they are central to our origin stories and also how we account for what is the future of the world. These are big places. They matter a huge amount. They loom large in our understanding of our faith, what that means. And that is true also, of course, you know, for the birthplace of Jesus, for example. You can see immediately why that matters so much to Christians. So I guess it's heritage, it's origin stories, it's the strength of faith and spiritual connection to these sites of both historic importance.”
2024-02-08 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Shabana Mahmood One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I think it is the Holy Land. I find myself having to explain this to many of my own friends and colleagues who've known me for a long time who know that these issues are important but maybe don't necessarily understand what sits behind it. And I guess the best I can tell you is for the people of the three Abrahamic faiths, Christianity, Judaism and Islam, this place, this part of the world holds some of our holiest sites, you know, the Alaksa Masjid, that compound is the third holiest site in Islam, things that happen over there feel very close. There's a very deep sense of religious heritage, cultural heritage. People have friends and family in the region, and that is felt very strongly. You know why class though, don't you? No, no, I completely understand why people say to you. They'll say to you.”
2024-02-08 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Shabana Mahmood One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“in that region. I think we lose something very important and very precious and once gone, I think it's very difficult to get back.”
2024-02-08 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Shabana Mahmood One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“Absolutely. And that impacts on the politics of it, both at home for me and also the approach to what's happening abroad. I believe so strongly in the need for communities to stand together. And as somebody of a faith minority and a faith minority that has a sense of personal connection to the events that are unfolding in Gaza, it's really important to me to be able to advocate for what people are feeling, why it means so much to them, why the absolute desperation we all feel to see an end to the fighting is felt so strongly, but also to try and hold communities at home together as well. Because just as British Muslims are feeling a very strong sense of pain at what's unfolding, so do our British Jews. And we are all British citizens together. And I think that if we lose our sense of humanity for what is being suffered by all of the people,”
2024-02-08 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Shabana Mahmood One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source
“I have to say, I feel uncomfortable talking about the personal side of it, if I'm very honest, because there's something a bit morally compromising about talking about personal impact here when the tragedy that's unfolding in Gaza is so stark and so horrendous. And the events of October the 7th as well, this huge loss of life. I sort of feel it's not really about me. I know why you're asking the question. I am a politician and we have to make political decisions and they have a personal impact.”
2024-02-08 · Political Thinking with Nick Robinson · The Shabana Mahmood One · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source