Now is an extremely difficult time to be a Muslim member of the Labour Party, let alone a Muslim on Labour’s National Executive Committee.

I’m devastated by the killing of all civilians in the Middle East, whether they are Israelis, Palestinians or foreign nationals, whether they are Muslim, Jewish, Christian, people of faith or none.

I am appalled by the terror being inflicted on Israeli hostages at the hands of Hamas, as well as Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank at the hands of Israeli soldiers and settlers.

Every human life is sacred and should be protected from violence. These are basic principles that we should expect from all our politicians.

Gaza is on the brink of a human catastrophe.

Over 6,000 Palestinians have been killed and millions are struggling to survive due to Israel’s blockade of water, food, fuel and medicine. The targeting of civilians and denial of necessities for human life to a civilian population are war crimes.

The former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett and Israeli ambassador to Britain Tzipi Hotovely refuse to regard any Palestinian, even children, as innocent.

Prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu has referred to Palestinians as “children of darkness”.

These statements should alarm us all. Yet, in recent weeks we have seen both the prime minister and leader of the opposition in the UK declare their full support for Israel’s war.

Many Muslims in Britain sympathise with the plight of Palestinians who have lived under illegal Israeli occupation since 1967. But when Muslims speak out, we come under vicious attack.

We are told that caring about Palestinian lives means we don’t care about Israeli ones. We are told that calling for an end to Israel’s 56-year illegal occupation means we are supporters of Hamas.

It is clear that, in the minds of much of our political and media class, Palestinian lives don’t matter.

At this dangerous moment we need political leaders with cool heads, honest brokers respected across divides, leaders who seek solutions rather than headlines.

It disappoints me to say that Keir Starmer has failed this test.

Not only has he supported Israel’s war; he has also made a series of statements that are seen by many to justify Israel’s crimes.

First he appeared to defend Israel’s ‘right’ to deny Palestinians access to water, food, fuel and medicine. This position was defended by the shadow attorney general and shadow foreign secretary.

Then, after acknowledging the concern this had caused in the Muslim community, he rolled back on these comments.

But rather than apologising, he claimed he’d simply never said them, even though it was televised and a matter of public record.

In short, Starmer is gaslighting Muslims on an epic scale.

But it doesn’t stop there. A diktat was sent to MPs, councillors and local parties telling them not to attend demonstrations in support of Palestinian human rights. Attending, it said, would risk putting them in proximity to people who undermine the Labour Party.

Many Labour members were infuriated and a number of councillors and local party officers, many of whom are Muslims, have resigned their positions. This has resulted in Labour losing its majority on Oxford Council.

You’d think this would be a matter of regret for the leadership, right? Wrong.

A pro-Starmer NEC member waved “good riddance” to a Muslim Oxford councillor, also an NHS doctor who worked through the pandemic, describing her as “barely Labour” and a “hack”.

And an unnamed party official allegedly responded to Muslims resigning by telling Jewish News political editor Lee Harpin that Labour was “shaking off the fleas”.

What a dehumanising way to talk about Muslim members!

It saddens me to say this but it increasingly feels like Labour is not a safe space for Muslims. No other community would accept this sort of rhetoric briefed against them again and again.

To make matters worse, Starmer’s attempts to engage in dialogue with Muslims in recent weeks have only caused more hurt in our communities.

The South Wales Islamic Centre felt compelled to issue a statement expressing their dismay at Starmer’s social media posts following an impromptu visit which they say “gravely misrepresented our congregants.”

This is what happens when you view the Muslim community as a PR opportunity, rather than intelligent citizens with legitimate concerns.

Is Labour institutionally Islamophobic? I think so.

For too long, many Muslim members and voters have felt they are treated as voting fodder.

Some 59% of Muslims, according to the Muslim Census survey results released today, intend to either not vote at all or vote for an independent candidate at the next election – 71% said they voted for Labour in 2019.

It appears Labour has been giving Israel carte blanche to act with impunity, condemning thousands of Palestinians, who are overwhelmingly Muslim, to death.

We are reminded of Tony Blair’s illegal war against Iraq, which resulted in the death of over a million Iraqis, who were also predominantly Muslim. Labour risks burning the trust that had slowly been rebuilt.

Over 250 Muslim Labour Councillors have written to Starmer in an unprecedented letter organised by the Labour Muslim Network calling for an immediate ceasefire. Muslim MPs have demanded an urgent meeting with Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner. It’s clear that things are coming to a head.

What will it take for Labour to put things right?

Starmer should apologise, retract his comments and stop the gaslighting.

He should withdraw the diktat banning members showing solidarity with dying Palestinians.

He should demand an immediate ceasefire, to stop the loss of more civilian lives. Labour voters overwhelmingly support this, with only 8% opposed.

He needs to show that a government he leads will seek a solution to the conflict based on compassion and justice and the commitment to the recognition of a Palestinian state.

And we need an independent inquiry into the Islamophobia scarring Labour.

Only then can Starmer seek to unite our country’s diverse communities while leading Labour to victory.