'Wedding boycott' groom stands for George Galloway's party
THE bridegroom at the centre of Jim Fitzpatrick s wedding boycott will be taking on the Labour party as he fights for a seat on Tower Hamlets council. Bod
THE bridegroom at the centre of Jim Fitzpatrick's wedding boycott will be taking on the Labour party as he fights for a seat on Tower Hamlets council.
Bodrul Islam abandoned Labour after his MP, Jim Fitzpatrick walked away from his Muslim wedding because he and his wife Sheila were refused entry as a couple.
And the 29-year-old Politics graduate is now running within Mr Fitzpatrick's constituency as he fights as a Respect candidate for the Bromley-by-Bow ward.
Mr Islam insists he and his wife Mahbuba Kamali were left "devastated" when the Food and Farming Minister boycotted their wedding at the London Muslim Centre in August last year.
Mr Fitzpatrick later accused the centre which is next to the East London Mosque, of imposing "stricter" segregation rules.
Mr Islam who lives in Bromley-by-Bow said: "I was a big supporter of Jim's. But I felt abused. What was meant to be a private and special day got so much publicity.
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"I thought enough was enough and I just had to retract my Labour leadership."
Mr Islam says he is hoping to use his expertise as Managing Director of training and development company Fox Training Academy to help more East Enders into work.
He added: "The council should be spending its �1bn budget on helping the community and improving social cohesion and getting more people into jobs.
"If in any little way I can do any of the things I want to do, then I think it will be worth it.
"If we as Muslims do not step forward, we are going to be demonised even more.
