"My heart didn't start in Scotland, but it found its home here—and my soul found its peace.

Full statement

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In 2011, I did more than just move; I voted with my feet. I brought my family here because I fell in love with a Scotland that dared to dream of a different, fairer course. I am a Muslim and a ‘New Scot’ by choice, and every day I am inspired by the rugged beauty of this land and the unbreakable spirit of its people.
I carry the radical fire of Jimmy Reid, John MacLean, and Mary Barbour. But I also carry the wisdom of my mentors: the late Alex Salmond, who showed us how to lead with a vision of a sovereign nation, and George Galloway, who reminds us that the working class deserves a voice that refuses to be silenced.
My roots are in the pits, steel plants, and shipyards of the North East of England, woven into the fabric of the trade union movement. As an award-winning journalist and war correspondent, I’ve spent my life uncovering the truths the powerful want buried. I’ve stared death in the face—locked up by the Taliban while pursuing a story, and later kidnapped by heavily armed Israeli forces on a humanitarian flotilla bringing food to Gaza. Held as a hostage in K'ziot prison, I went on a 7-day hunger strike for my dignity. I know what it means to fight when the world is looking the other way.
Today, I am standing in the heart of Glasgow Cathcart and Pollok, a constituency steeped in the grit and glory of working-class Glasgow. From the industrial history of the White Cart Water to the defiant spirit of the Pollok Free State, this is a place that knows how to stand its ground. I see a political establishment that has lost its way, and I see communities here being left behind by young, career politicians who have never known a day's struggle in their puff. That is why I am standing for the Workers Party Scotland.
We are the party of peace in a time of warmongering. No to NATO, no to conscription, no to nukes, and a definitive 'no' to the foreign wars that drain our treasury while our own people shiver.
We are the party of common sense and dignity. We will kill the GRR Bill to protect the hard-won rights of women and the safety of our daughters. We will stand as a shield for our pensioners, ensuring those who built this country are never forced to sell their homes just to survive their final years in care.
I am not a career politician; I am a worker, a mother, and a journalist who is tired of waiting for change. I am choosing to be that change. Scotland’s future shouldn't belong to the bureaucrats in Brussels or the bankers in London—it belongs to the workers, the builders, and the dreamers of Cathcart and Pollok who keep this country moving.
Support me and I will be your voice—I have a strong voice, and I ken how to use it. For a Scotland that is sovereign, socialist, and at peace: let's put the power back where it belongs ... with the people.