Written submission from Greater Manchester Mosques Council (HCL0003)

The GMCC

The GMMC (Greater Manchester Mosques Council) incorporates the following Councils of Mosques: Rochdale, Oldham, Bolton, Stockport and Manchester. Collectively, we represent around 150 mosques in the Greater Manchester region and the size of our congregation is estimated to be around 180,000 adherents. We regularly release press statements on issues relating to the mainstream Muslim community. GMCC has continually raised concerns at all levels about the rise of Islamophobia and we welcome this opportunity to make a grass-roots contribution. Following consultation with our members we have put together this submission.

Discussions around Islamophobia generally focus on hate crime. This is a key aspect of experienced Islamophobia, but it does not happen in isolation to other factors. As a starting point, we have referenced the 1997 Runneymede Trust’s definition of Islamophobia because it offers a complete understanding of the bane of Islamophobia and splits it into four elements: Exclusion, Violence, Prejudice and Discrimination.

Little has changed since the Runnymede Trust defined Islamophobia.

Some in society argue that Islamophobia is a Muslim invention designed to stifle criticism of Islam. The consequence of this is that despite the reams of research reaching back decades, Muslims have not been afforded the same opportunity of protection under the law as other communities. Meanwhile, our congregation face hatred and abuse on a daily basis. They simultaneously hear the charged rhetoric of politicians and read newspaper headlines filled with anti-Muslim vitriol. Which other community has had to face such sustained abuse from so many quarters for so long?

Recently, an attempt has been made by the APPG to formally define Islamophobia. The proposed definition, in our opinion, does not completely fulfil the needs of the Muslim communities. This is one of the key reasons we determined to respond more formally to the Government and put forward what we consider to be the salient issues of the day.

Towards Defining Islamophobia

Britain is unique in its diversity and in its long-held values of being an open, caring and welcoming society. Therefore, the debate on what to call or label this form of bigotry has felt incongruous. First and foremost, we would consider it vital to analyse the problem of Islamophobia and define it before proceeding onto policies and strategies.

This debate has gone on for too long and at times been hijacked by so called “liberals” and “freedom protectors”, the argument being that any definition would infringe on freedoms; these “individuals” however seem to be very sensitive only to their own freedom of speech but not that of others. This argument has been used before for most of the other advances of rights and protection - whether it be for race or other religions. Criticism should be allowed as part of any society and in Islam, criticism and challenge is welcome BUT bigotry should not be part of society at any level. There needs to be some consistency not just in acceptability or non-acceptability but also in rights afforded to others. Sikhs are classed as a race as are Jews, yet arguably Muslims are Semites too and closer to the Jewish faith and race yet they have no protection under race.

Hence, we feel that before any such definition is adopted, its academic acceptability and legislative conformity must be key, so that laws can be created to ensure that any prosecutions are not adversely compromised by the definition and vice versa.

This is an area that has been long overdue, as speaking to the police and prosecutors, one is made aware of the protection offered under present religious law legislation is limited and that the test on the evidence threshold is very high in comparison to Race or Anti-Semitism legal protection laws.

We also need to ask the following questions to understand and create the Islamophobia definition: What is it? How does it manifest itself? How does it impact Muslims and the wider community? Who are the perpetrators? What other factors impact on this?

In addition: How can we challenge Islamophobia, preventatively or by way of prosecution? How and what do we do to raise awareness and education? What and how do we support the victims? How do we educate the offenders or rehabilitate them?

The definition of Islamophobia by the All Parliamentary Group on Islamophobia has recently developed a workable definition. This is:

“Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”.

We feel that a definition more aligned to Anti-Semitism would be more appropriate as Islamophobia is arguably closer to Anti-Semitism, although there is a cross over into racism as individuals are targeted by their race too. An example is the well-established fact that certain areas and countries have a high proportion of Muslims e.g. Middle-East, Bangladesh, Pakistan. We also need to take account that those who are not Muslim can also be targeted in an Islamophobic manner - the first bigotry target after 9/11 in the USA was a Sikh gentleman, who was mistaken as a Muslim due to his dress and appearance. Gurdwaras have been attacked under the mistaken belief that they are mosques due to some design and cultural similarities.

We feel the definition below based around the Anti-Semitism definition would be better suited in modern Britain:

“Islamophobia is a certain perception of Muslims, which may be expressed as hatred toward Muslims. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of Islamophobia are directed toward Muslim or non-Muslim individuals and/or their property, toward Muslim community institutions and religious facilities.”

In addition, such manifestations could also target Muslims collectively. Islamophobia frequently charges Muslims with conspiring to harm humanity, local cultures, swamping local communities and it is often used to blame Muslims “why things go wrong.” It is expressed in speech, writing, visual forms and action, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.

Contemporary examples of Islamophobia in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere could, taking into account the overall context, include, but are not limited to:

• Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Muslims in the name of a radical ideology or an extremist view of religion.
• Calling for, aiding, or justifying the deportation/expulsion of Muslims.
• Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about Muslims as such or the power of Muslims as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world being overrun by Muslims or of Muslims controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions.

• Accusing Muslims as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Muslim person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Muslims
• Accusing Muslim citizens of being more loyal to Religion or other states, or to the alleged priorities of Muslims worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations.

However, criticism of Islam similar to that leveled against any other country or religion cannot be regarded as Islamophobic. Islamophobic acts are criminal when they are so defined by law. Similarly, criticism of countries referred to as Muslim countries without any Islamophobic manifestation cannot be regarded as Islamophobic e.g. Criticising Saudi Arabia’s alleged actions in Yemen. Criminal acts are Islamophobic when the targets of attacks, whether they are people or property – such as buildings, schools, places of worship and cemeteries – are selected because they are, or are perceived to be, Muslim or linked to Muslims.

Islamophobic discrimination is the denial to Muslims of opportunities or services available to others and is illegal in many countries.

Extent of Islamophobia

There are no areas or sections of Britain and its establishments that are not open to question on Muslim representation. For example, reports in policing as far back as the Stephen Lawrence Enquiry talked about this being a priority to make our key institution fit for purpose of a representative force. Sadly, evidence shows there is very slow progress. Our current Prime Minister as Home Secretary in 2016 highlighted this as a BAME issue and that it needed to be tackled. In 2018 Chief Officer Gareth Wilson who leads on Diversity acknowledged that institutional racism still exists in the service. This is indicative of all sectors of industry and Muslims are the most discriminated minority. We could look at Parliament equally and see the lack of representation although during the last election we saw significant improvement by the number of women and individuals of diverse background who entered parliament as MPs.

The pre and post Brexit era has also seen a polarising of hate aimed at not just immigrants but specifically created a toxic environment of focus on Muslims.

We are not immune to Islamophobia in Manchester, the unprovoked knife attack on a prominent Muslim outside a Mosque, arson attack of a Mosque, Other attacks on Mosques in the area from graffiti to offensive items being sent or left on the premises. We have seen suspicious articles sent to Mosques and thankfully there has been an arrest on this matter. We have seen abuse and attacks to Muslims pre and post the Manchester Bomb attack.

In this submission we have strived to stay away from Counter Terrorism and its related matters. The Counter Terrorism impact on Muslims is disproportionate, even as we take into account the threats faced from Al Qaeda and Daesh. The Muslim community is stigmatised and targeted as a whole rather than by intelligence-led methods. A simple example could be to look back at the impact of Ports Stops or S7 stops. These have recently showed a marked improvement although a look beyond the most recent data shows how focused this policy was on Muslims.

Whilst it is worthy of note that some politicians and media outlets may be responsible for this form of bigotry, there are equally individuals in both areas that have challenged hate and bigotry towards Muslims. Nevertheless, it is puzzling how in a country where tolerance and equality are at the heart of its core beliefs, Muslims are treated as second class citizens. Whilst progress has been made on many areas of diversity, it is questionable if the same willingness and stomach exists for politicians and Media to tackle Islamophobic bigotry.

The research into Islamophobia has consistently shown that most of the perpetrators are Far Right activists or sympathisers and are usually white males. Research has also shown that the perpetrators look to synergy with politicians and the media and it could arguably be said they feed of their feelings and comments. Even Anders Brevik - the Norwegian terrorist mentions the part played by not just politicians, the media but also prominent Far Right activists from around the world which influenced his actions and beliefs. They seem to be emboldened by these individuals and arguably you could argue groomed just as in the case of so called Far Right Muslim individuals who rely on the bread and butter nourishment from individuals who mirror their views.

This little snap-shot shows the extent to which Islamophobia is still prevalent in British society, sadly it seems embedded and the rhetoric of recent times shows it is unlikely to tackled as a priority. These examples also give us an insight into the wide-ranging impact on Muslims daily, from social exclusion, discrimination, prejudice and violence using the Runneymede model outlined above. Each of these areas have multi corroboration reports and research over decades to show that this is not changing at the level of acceptability. Children are being born into this country whose parents, brothers and sisters faced similar challenges to them - surely this is not progress.

A victim, offender and location profile of Hate Crime gives us some important points of interest. The victims are predominately female or children and in terms of locations attacked they are often Islamic institutions (Mosques) or businesses or industries that have a high proportion of Muslims, these can include Taxis and fast food outlets. The appearance of victims also shows the more outwardly “Muslim or Islamic” individual is the more likely to be subject to hate crime.

The offender profile would tend to suggest white male with high proportion of links or sympathies with Far-Right extremism or ideologies.

The location tends to be public spaces, streets, transport and for children schools or grounds. The night industry locations such as Taxi ranks and fast foods would appear to be vulnerable.

There are always exceptions and attacks are not confined to the above profiles; the case of Ukrainian Pavlo Lapshyn who murdered Mohammed Saleem illustrates this, both victim and offender were outside these parameters. The Murder of Muhsin Muhammed also shows that victims can be outside the so-called parameters of the profiles.

The number of attacks on Mosques is truly shocking, there is no parallel to how the Muslim communities’ places of worship have been targeted, sadly the dead are not spared either, there have been instances of desecration of Muslim graves and cemeteries.

The words of John Denham and Kofi Anan were very encouraging but have been found to be hollow as little has changed since 2001 and 2004 when these were made. See Appendix II for a list of relevant quotes around the extent and nature of Islamophobia.

GMCC would like to make comment on important historic milestones relating to Islamophobia. We have included the full range of areas impacted by Islamophobia or Institutional Islamophobia and not just through the lens of Hate crime. This will give a truer picture of the daily lives of our Muslim Citizens, the challenges they face and how little has changed from the 70s or 80s. See Table 1 in Appendix 1 for a full breakdown.

The Role of Politicians

All the evidence from the various reports and articles backed by anecdotal evidence shows that politics and politicians have a massive impact on not Islamophobic bigots but also the growing industry across the world. 

When we talk of politics, we should not confine our focus on just Far Right parties such as the BNP and UKIP, but also fringe movements such as EDL and Britain First. These have all had a major impact on the growth on Islamophobia and bigotry - their primary focus is the hatred of Muslims and Islam. Their focused Islamophobia is seen as being acceptable to mainstream politicians and media who don’t seem inclined to challenge their rhetoric of erroneous and non-evidenced scare mongering - claims such as Britain being taken over by Muslims who make up just 3 million of the UK’s 64 million population. This makes Muslims just 4.68% of the population and reality shows that they are the most discriminated and underrepresented in all the institutions yet the Far Right claim this 4.6% is taking over the 95.6%! Apart from the empirical impossibility it is visibly debunked. Yet some main stream politicians not only buy into this but actively support and encourage this argument instead of challenging it.

“No go areas”, “Muslims patrols”, “Sharia Law” are also favourite topics of such groups – again there is no factual evidence but by some mainstream politicians buying into this rhetoric, it is reinforced in the eyes of the Far Right or extremists.

Incompatibility of Muslims with Britain, that Muslims are regarded as the “other” and the ‘Them’ and not part of the ‘Us’ mind-set is another major area that has been encouraged by mainstream politicians and leads to a reinforced belief that Muslims are a threat to us. Yet British Muslims contribute daily in every way to their country from the economy, medicine, Armed Services, Police…. these are rarely highlighted by mainstream media or some politicians. The contribution of Muslims during the two World Wars has only now been realised and it is these facts that need to more prominently vocalised to debunk the rhetoric of the Far Right.

Politics and politicians need to have a sound and alternative narrative that stands up to scrutiny and must actively go on the offensive instead of appeasing the small vocal group who appear to shout the loudest.

It is highly probable anti-Muslim hate crime will worsen given the climate of fear and division created by events inside the UK and externally. We talk about matters such as the debate in the UK on Brexit, Immigration, Terrorism, Them and Us, Sex Grooming, Growth of Far-Right Extremism as just a number of issues that have an impact on this bigotry, externally we look at the organisation and synergy of the Far Right from USA to Europe and even further afield in places such as India, China and Myanmar.

Intra-Faith Islamophobia

Islam like most religions and beliefs has many off shoots or strands and is not immune to disagreement. The main differences are the four theological interpretations - this being a look at some four interpretations of religious theology, yet all four are deemed to be equally sound and have historically survived. Then we have the Sunni and Shia sub sections that again are a difference in opinion about the lineage of the Prophet Muhammed (on whom be peace). Following this, other breaks appeared with claims to linkage to Islam and its theologies, the Ahmadiyya group are one of these.

It is the right of each person to choose their own path and be allowed to practice their own faith. It is fundamentally wrong to abuse or persecute anyone for their beliefs. However religious theology can be complicated and prescriptive, some strands are not acknowledged by main stream Muslim scholars and they must be allowed to voice this debate and it should not be shut down. This debate and challenge of course must be done in an appropriate way through dialogue; it cannot be shut down by individuals who have politicised this debate for their own ends.

The community finds it worrying that whilst Islamophobia against the vast majority if not all is not challenged nor really prioritised, the so-called mistreatment of smaller sects and their legitimacy is imposed on Muslims. We have not seen this debate on any other faiths, be they Abrahamic faiths that have different strands or non-Abrahamic strands that also have major differences of theology. We seem to have a higher bar for Muslims and this and this once again separates them the Muslim community from the rest of society, ‘They’ and NOT ‘Us’.

The Qur’an is prescriptive as to what underpins the Islamic faith but equally, we have no hold or right on anyone having different views than those of the vast majority of theologians. Equally when we talk of freedoms, it is equally right that Muslims be allowed to practice their faith that includes these parameters. Other parameters cannot and should not be forced on any community.

Concluding Remarks

We would like to thank the committee for allowing us to submit evidence relating to Islamophobia and have outlined several areas relating to our community’s experience of this heinous hate crime. Our hope is that this will finally lead to Islamophobia being prioritised and dealt with once and for all. After all, Muslims ought to have the same protection as other communities.

The growth of Islamophobia could arguably be linked to the growth of far-right ideology across the world, however it has long been down played by politicians, media and the police. The Far Right has learnt to work and coordinate their actions and strategies, from PEGIDA, Golden Dawn to the EDL being just examples.

Whilst this submission focuses on the areas outlined within the remit of this submission, the media (and social media) needs to be afforded a separate section. The growth of social media is a very important tool not just for bigots but for mainstream to actively challenge hate. ‘Fake news’ has proliferated. In this new battlefield, bigots have enjoyed unrivalled freedom to spread hate whilst social media companies have taken little action to stop its spread.

The narrative of ‘Them and Us’, which incorporates multiple strands, must be challenged. These strands have been woven into a strategy which is sometimes supported by mainstream media and politicians e.g. Hijab, Niqab, Sex Grooming, Sharia law, Muslim-no-go areas and the incompatibility of Islam and Western culture. In this way, the Far-Right has steered the growth and the permissibility of Islamophobia in everyday life and that has to stop.

Fundamentally, Muslims do not share the same equalities as other groups. This is evidenced in many reports highlighting the level of unemployment, discrimination, violence and prejudice Muslims face, which are intolerably higher than other groups. Muslims have the potential to make great contributions to the nation, but face barriers to doing so. Evidence includes:

• Research carried out by Bristol University demonstrated that Muslim men are 75% and Muslim women 65% less likely to get job opportunities as white or non-Muslim counter parts.
• Having the ‘Muhammed’ means you are 300% less likely to get job opportunities.
• Insurance premiums are higher for Muslims with that name.
• A 2013/2014 CJS report highlighted that treatment by the CJS or sections of the police disproportionality depends upon ethnicity.

Each day, Muslims face multiple forms of deprivation and experience a continual breaching of British Values of fair play and tolerance.

Beyond this consultation exercise, we look forward to a more inclusive and equal Britain where Muslims enjoy the same rights as others. In fact, we ask for no special treatment or favour, we just ask for equality.

We hope that this debate is not another false dawn on the will to finally acknowledge the extent of Islamophobia and thus to finally eradicate it. We cannot allow a section of our community to treated differently on a daily basis and must put an end to hate and bigotry.

We owe it to the communities and individuals to ensure that their potential is not overlooked purely on the basis of their religion or ethnicity, nor can we allow the level of justice to be dependent on the same test.

The skills and potential of Muslims need to be allowed to flourish and rewarded so that our nation can reap the benefits. By discriminating against Muslims, our nation also loses the opportunity in benefitting from their skill and potential. It is a win, win for all to put an end to this hate, bigotry and discrimination.

January 2019

Appendix 1

Table 1 – Timeline relating to Islamophobia

Appendix II

Some quotes of Note:

2001 John DENHAM Home Affairs Minister

Home Office Minister John Denham has promised that the government will act to cut out the "cancer of Islamophobia" in British society. We are making it abundantly clear that nothing in the events of 11 September provide any justification for racists in this country to attack, or discriminate against, or abuse Muslims, he said. “Islamophobia was wrong before 11 September and is wrong today. The real Islam is a religion of peace, tolerance and understanding”.

2004 UN Gen Sec Kofi Anan

“When a new word enters the language, it is often the result of a scientific advance or a diverting fad.  But when the world is compelled to coin a new term to take account of increasingly widespread bigotry, that is a sad and troubling development.  Such is the case with Islamophobia”.

2005 Tuc Report on Social deprivation amongst Pakistani and Bengali Communities Trades Union Congress study says some 69% of the communities live in poverty and, at 43%, they have the lowest employment rate of any ethnic group. The TUC report also found Pakistanis and Bangladeshis were more likely to have a "limiting long-term illness". It also found 63% of children from the two communities suffered from child poverty.

2008 Peter Oborne article in the Independent

We should all feel ashamed about the way we treat Muslims, in the media, in our politics, and on our streets. We do not treat Muslims with the tolerance, decency and fairness that we often like to boast is the British way. We urgently need to change our public culture.

2010 Report of Muslim Hate Crime in London by Essex University 2010

The report provides prima facie and empirical evidence to demonstrate that assailants of Muslims are invariably motivated by a negative view of Muslims they have acquired from either mainstream or extremist nationalist reports or commentaries in the media .

2010 Journalist Peter Oborne writes: "The constant assault on Muslims from certain politicians, and above all in the mainstream media, has created an atmosphere where hate crimes, ranging from casual abuse to arson and even murder, are bound to occur and are even in a sense encouraged by mainstream society.

2014 Independent highlighting Muslims faced the most discrimination in employment of any minority in UK

Muslim men were up to 76 per cent less likely to have a job of any kind compared to white, male British Christians of the same age and with the same qualifications. And Muslim women were up to 65 per cent less likely to be employed than white Christian counterparts.

2015 Guardian British Muslim Suffering backlash of Abuse Following Paris attacks

Teachers unions and anti-racism groups told The Independent they have recorded an increase in Islamophobic incidents in schools with the 400,000 Muslim pupils in British schools increasingly likely to be taunted as “terrorists”, “paedophiles” or “immigrants”. The NASUWT, the teaching union, said the rise of anti-Muslim sentiment is causing “uncertainty and fear” in schools.

The NASUWT, which last year issued guidelines to its members on how to tackle Islamophobia, said anti-Muslim sentiment in wider society was a growing problem for schools which needed to be treated as a “priority”.

2016 Report on Muslims Unemployment by Women’s and Equalities committee

Unemployment rates among Muslims are more than double that of any other community in the UK.

Muslim people are much more likely to be unemployed than any other faith group in the country, a house of Commons committee has warned in a report outlining stark differences in the social and economic experiences of different communities in Britain. 

Commissioned by the Women and Equalities Committee, the report 'Employment Opportunities for Muslims in the UK' raises concerns that not enough is being done to ensure British Muslims are afforded the same employment opportunities as the rest of society.

2017 Report by Tell Mama attacks on Mosques

Between May 2013 and June 2017, 167 mosques in the UK were targeted in anti-Muslim incidents and attacks. 

2018 Guardian article by Ch Supt Dal Babu Retired MPS Officer

It is seven years since Warsi’s “dinner-table test” speech, in which she warned that Islamophobia was becoming normalised in this country. The dangers are still staring us in the face.

Appendix III – Key Infographics

2nd image from The Economist 23 March 2016-Islam in Europe