Muslims demand full legal protection from Islamophobia Pressure builds on party leaders to recognise racism targeting ‘Muslimness’ Dan Sabbagh Sat 1 Dec 2018 13.00 GMT Last modified on Sat 1 Dec 2018 18.00 GMT Share on Facebook Share on Twitter please log in to view this image Pro-Brexit and anti-immigration activists celebrate Britain’s exit from the European Union in London last year. Photograph: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Barcroft Muslim organisations are urging Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and all other party leaders to adopt a newly proposed working definition of Islamophobia in an attempt to put pressure on a reluctant Home Office to follow suit. The Muslim Council of Britain and other Islamic groups want the Conservatives and Labour to take the lead in the aftermath of a week marked by public outrage over the alleged racist bullying of a 15-year-old Syrian refugee in Huddersfield. The definition was set out in a report published by a cross-party group of MPs last week and says: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” Harun Khan, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said his and other groups hoped political leaders would “all understand the importance of listening to communities” and make a “positive response” by adopting the definition. However, a Home Office minister said earlier that the department had no intention of adopting a definition, in response to a question from one of the chairs of the cross-party group, the Conservative MP Anna Soubry. Victoria Atkins told the Commons in March that there were “many definitions of Islamophobia”, but added: “We do not accept the need for a definitive definition, but we know that Islamophobia is clearly recognised and that we have very effective monitoring systems of all race-hate crimes.” Advertisement The inquiry by the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims held sessions in Manchester, London, Birmingham and Sheffield. Members heard about a wide spectrum of Islamophobic experiences, including multiple incidents of physical and verbal abuse. A Muslim woman described how a lit firework was posted through her letterbox in her home in Wales; a student in Sheffield was abused on public transport and “no one intervened to stop it”. Victims described the impact on their mental health of their experiences, which often left them feeling isolated. A newly launched website in support of the definition includes the example of a Muslim mother who was allegedly attacked by three women “for wearing a headscarf” as she walked to a primary school in south London. The plea for politicians to adopt the definition comes after a bruising summer dominated by rows about antisemitism in the Labour party as well as Islamophobia among the Conservatives, following a particularly controversial newspaper column written by the former foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, in which he compared fully veiled women to letterboxes and bank robbers. Labour’s antisemitism row was partly resolved when, after a long period of argument, the party’s national executive committee agreed to adopt a working definition drawn up by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance and all 11 attached examples. Those who worked on the definition of Islamophobia wanted it to capture the reality that, while Muslims are not a race, abuse against them amounts to a form of racism. At the same time it was felt important that the definition did not silence non-racist criticism of Islam. Two of the most influential contributions to the parliamentary group’s work were made by Professor Salman Sayyid of Leeds University and AbdoolKarim Vakil of King’s College London. They said: “Opposition to the term Islamophobia or to attempts at its definition is nothing new. Islamophobia is racism; naming and combating Islamophobia is not about special pleading, it’s about civil rights.”
Here's a thing. I don't think that Islamophobia is the same as racism. Muslims choose to be Muslims (adults do at least, children forced to be so have been abused) so they should be open to criticism for that choice. Criticism of a religious or political ideology must remain valid. Having said that, most of those who are vocal opponents of Islam do seem to be plain racists.
Apologies for using this thread as a therapeutic release valve. Boy in operating theatre now, they are not wasting any time. Just learnt that after the attack he and his mate went back to the club they had been in and raised a mob to hunt down the ****s. 20 volunteers. I’m slightly relieved they didn’t find the bastards as then it could have got very messy with the police (and you need cool and potentially ultra violent heads, like the QPRNot606 posse, for that kind of work) but faith in human nature restored a little.
Yes, we have the boys clothes unwashed in a bag which the police requested. Best chance would have been from the wound itself, but that needed cleaning up quickly. He’s out of theatre and happy with the effects of the anaesthetic which means his ribs don’t hurt. Stuffing his face with the healthy option of fish fingers and beans.
Good news that he's out of theatre. Hopefully on the mend now, although the psychological effects may take a bit longer. Nasty experience. Let's hope the police can get DNA from the clothes.
Hope your son recovers quickly SB, as does his friend. Also hope they nab the tossers who did this and they get whats coming to them
Stan I am so sorry to hear this and completely disgusted by the whole thing.I cannot believe this could happen...and in Leamington (middle England) Spa too. As well as being downright racist and so cowardly 6-2. Disgusting and evil I hope that they can patch your son up and that the other guy too and that they are both okay mentally and physically too. As you say thank heavens that there were no knives involved. I am in complete shock, for you, for your son...and for my country.. I hope they catch the bastards, and throw away the keys
I love Gogglebox. Hugely reassuring window into a variety of people’s homes. They must select very well because they all talk sense no matter what the subject and I’m laughing with them not at them.
