[2] She is the UK's first MP to wear a hijab[3][4] and is a member of Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East.

[9][10] In response to allegations that the ex-Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman was behind her political career, Begum told Eastlondonlines "It is grossly insulting, as well as being rooted in racism and misogyny, to assume that I have no agency of my own and that I must be a 'proxy' or 'stooge' for a man I have not spoken to for six years".

In November 2019, the British press reported that Begum had shared a social media post in 2017 that referred to Saudi Arabia's "Zionist masters".

[12][13] In response, Begum unshared the post and said“I didn’t make those comments and I shared the article because I was concerned with the treatment of pilgrims who were being harassed in the Mecca Grand Mosque.

[19] In January 2020, Begum told the Eastern Eye about being elected to Parliament that she has had to endure a series of racist, Islamophobic and misogynistic attacks and set out what she saw as the many barriers facing BAME women in public life.

"[21] In April 2020, in an article published by Left Foot Forward, Begum raised concerns about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-income families and black, Asian and minority ethnic people.

"[26] The same month, Begum tabled an Early Day Motion in Parliament[27] highlighting a surge in racist attacks and Islamophobia in Britain and abroad,[28] and wrote about her experiences "as someone who has first-hand experience of the rise in Islamophobia over the past decades" saying that "I know that every single day people of Muslim backgrounds like me face discrimination and prejudice.

[30] On 7 October 2023, Begum posed with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign at their stand at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

As the PSC had planned to protest outside the Israeli embassy following the start of the 2023 Gaza-Israel conflict the previous day, Begum attracted criticism from the media and faced calls for suspension from the party whip.