Another major religious festival goes by this weekend without any acknowledgement from Oldham Council, the Hindu festival Durga Puja, making it blatantly clear after also ignoring the Jewish celebration Yom Kippur that Arooj Shah should not hold the GM portfolio for equalities. The Oldham council leader blatantly operates a biased approach to religious acknowledgement. Her administration not only ignored recent Jewish and Hindu major celebrations but openly publishes posts not just acknowledging Muslim celebrations but promoting Islamic ideas as if they are matters of fact, it is completely unacceptable. Often photographed in her office with pictures of female equality campaigners in the background Arooj who regularly sits alone in female excluded spaces failing to criticise gender apartheid practices also openly snubbed every pride celebration in Greater Manchester. Arooj is not the champion of equalities she has predefined prejudices and biased priorities she is openly discriminative and not fit for office. Oldham Council should either publish a simple greeting for all major religious festivals or as would be preferable keep religion out of politics and deal with real world problems and challenge religions role in creating inequalities and poverty.
