Tomorrow Muslims in London will be taking to the polls to vote for the next Mayor.

After years of the bumbling buffoon that is Boris Johnson, you’d think we would have some better candidates to look forward to – instead the frontrunners are Sadiq Khan (Labour) & Zac Goldsmith (Conservatives).

Zac’s campaign has been straight out of Lynton Crosby’s handbook – focus on key areas (in this case, the outer ring of London) & have simple messaging with Islamophobic undertones.

Sadiq’s campaign has been about distancing himself from Corbyn (and Muslims), going out of his way to show he’s a good, moderate Muslim and prove he’s tough on other Muslims (who seem to have an extremism problem that only he can solve).

Both campaigns have treated the Muslim community as a political football – to kick about in the hope of scoring more points and prove they’ve got what it takes to deal with us.

It has been disrespectful, patronising and worrying – but what’s worse is that we saw all of this coming.

Muslims are such passive participants in mainstream politics that we have no real say in what happens. Muslims have never used their money or manpower in an organised way to make sure our voices are heard – which is why we are so often ignored.

And in these increasingly Islamophobic times – where we are the victims of draconian legislation – we are always being spoken about but never really being spoken to (unless you count the ‘yes men’ who Cameron regularly engages with).

We have never really been shown respect because no one has ever had to work for our vote.

If anything, to be seen to be courting the Muslim vote could actually harm a politician’s chances of progressing up the ladder!

Every election it’s the same – Muslims don’t get involved except to vote on polling day and we feel we have no real choice.

How many more years will this continue?

Most Muslims voting for Sadiq are doing so because they feel they have no other choice – they think that voting for him is the only way to stop Zac.

They’re right, of course, but you wouldn’t be in this position if you were more engaged in politics.

After polling day we need more Muslim to join political parties, fund them, and hold the new Mayor to account.

If Muslims don’t start engaging with mainstream politics in a more organised way then we will face the same issues in future elections & be denied that respect and dignity that is afforded to other British citizens.

We shouldn’t be in this position of having to choose the least worst candidate – we should have politicians treating us as equal citizens and listening to what we have to say about issues that affect us all.

Don’t let tomorrow’s polling day to be the same as others in the past – don’t let it be the end of the community’s political engagement.

Let it be the start of our long-term, organised political engagement.