We are very sad to hear the news that Maz Saleem has died after an illness. She was a remarkable woman. Maz’s father, Mohammed Saleem, was brutally murdered in Birmingham by a neonazi. She and her family suffered a terrible loss but she was not deterred from campaigning against war, racism, fascism, and for Palestine. She became a fearless campaigner against racism and fascism as a result, speaking at meetings up and down the country and organising against Islamophobia. She did many meetings for Stand up to Racism. She worked at the Stop the War Coalition office for some time and was a key figure in organising protests against Donald Trump during his first term. On one occasion she managed to get close to his motorcade in Brussels and make her views known.
Maz was a very warm and engaging woman, and she made many friends and comrades within the movement. She was also kind, volunteering to help feed homeless people at Xmas and engaging in many other activities to aid others. Her political campaigning came from the heart and this was obvious from the way in which she spoke out, determined to do what she could to prevent what happened to her father being repeated, bringing such devastation and sadness to other families.
She will be sadly missed by all who knew her. Our deepest condolences to her family, to all her loved ones, and to all her friends and comrades in the movement. With Muslims under increasing attack and the rise in Islamophobia, the finest tribute to Maz is to continue her work in fighting racism, fascism and war, and remembering her as an inspiration.