Islamophobic Hatred Against Muslims In The UK, Once Known As ‘Multicultural And Ethnic Hotpot’, On The Rise
By
Asad Mirza, New Age Islam
26 February 2024
Mainstream British Politicians Are Claiming
That British Muslims Are Subverting British Democracy And Are A Security Threat
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Last week
two unrelated incidents once again showed how easy it is, to form a narrative
against Islam in the UK. Just 20 years back described as a ‘multicultural and
ethnic hotpot’ under the labour-era. The UK is once again witnessing the
increasing calls against islamophobia under the conservative rule.
The massive
rallies against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza after 7 October, last year, were
responsible for increasing threats of Islamophobia in the UK. According to
TellMAMA, a public service organisation which measures and monitors anti-Muslim
incidents, reported on 23 February of a more than threefold increase in the
number of anti-Muslim incidents between 7 October 2023 and 7 February, compared
with the same period the year before, with Muslim women disproportionately
targeted. Similarly, there was a six-fold rise in anti-Semitic incidents seen
in the last three months of 2023 compared with the equivalent period the year
before, with a spike immediately after Hamas’s attack and before Israel had
launched its military response.
What is
shocking, though, is that instead of sending a clear message that these forms
of racism are completely unacceptable, some politicians have sought to make
political capital out of the week’s events by further stoking tensions.
Particularly,
the Conservative politicians have intervened in the most immature manner. The
former home secretary Suella Braverman claimed that “the Islamists, the
extremists and the anti-Semites are in charge” of Britain. The former prime
minister Liz Truss took part in an interview with the disgraced Trump
strategist Steve Bannon and failed to challenge him when he called the
far-right activist Tommy Robinson “a hero”. Lee Anderson MP, deputy chair of
the Conservative party until he resigned last month, said on GB News that the
Labour London mayor, Sadiq Khan, had “given the capital away (to) Islamists”,
whom he referred to as Khan’s “mates”.
But first
came the remarks by House of Commons speaker and Labour leader Keir Starmer,
which led to an explosion of Islamophobic hatred against Muslims protesting
against Israel's war on Gaza
We would
not be subverting the context by saying that over the last few months a
troubling narrative has steadily been gathering strength in British politics.
This narrative asserts that radical Islamists are taking over the streets in
Britain, using muscle to intimidate politicians, and are destroying the
authority of the parliament. As a result, democracy itself is under threat.
Further,
the narrative that British Muslims are corrupting the British political system
went viral and gained strength in just 24 hours. This shows the already
prejudiced mindset of the most British politicians.
Robert
Jenrick, a former cabinet minister, speaking in the Commons on 22 February,
said that Britain has “allowed our streets to be dominated by Islamist
extremists”. He spoke of “a pattern of Islamist extremists intimidating those
they disagree with, backed by the prospect of violence". Penny Mordaunt,
leader of the House of Commons, proclaimed that she “could not agree more”.
On 22
February, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fanned the flames, warning that “we should
never let extremists intimidate us into changing the way in which parliament
works”. However, neither Sunak nor Jenrick took the trouble to substantiate
their statements.
Contextually,
this latest episode arose in the wake of Wednesday’s (21 February) chaotic
events at Westminster after the Scottish National Party (SNP) tabled a Commons
motion supporting a ceasefire in Gaza. And instead of being framed in a
Constitutional narrative, it was used to unleash Islamophobic rhetoric.
The motion
was acutely embarrassing for Labour leader Keir Starmer, many of whose MPs are
deeply opposed to his support for the war. This explains why both the SNP and
the Conservatives tore into Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle when he
over-ruled the advice of his Commons clerks and defied parliamentary convention
to allow a Labour Party amendment which got Starmer off the hook.
Amidst
furious calls for him to quit, Speaker Hoyle went on the record to say that
when making his controversial decision he had been “very, very concerned” about
the safety of MPs, their families and members of their staff. He also made
clear that he had been influenced in his decision-making by Starmer’s own
concern about threats to his MPs.
The
Speaker, however, did not explain exactly who it was that threatened the safety
of Labour MPs - but obviously the finger was pointed towards Muslims.
No evidence
has been provided, so far, neither from the Speaker, who set the media storm in
motion, nor from Starmer, who briefed him. Apparently the speaker didn’t asked
Starmer’s for evidence supporting the allegations. If such threats have been
made, as Starmer and Speaker Hoyle claim, then law should be allowed to
investigate them.
Meanwhile,
mainstream British politicians are claiming that British Muslims are subverting
British democracy and are a security threat. In the backdrop of this serious
and inflammatory claim, the Speaker of the House of Commons and the leader of
the Labour Party, both have a duty to substantiate their claims.
Majorly,
the Conservative party members, ostensibly keeping an eye on the upcoming
parliamentary elections, orchestrated this Islamophobic campaign. Having lost
the faith of most voters after the abysmal performance of the British economy
post-Brexit, they don’t have any major plank to mount their electoral campaign,
added by divisions within the Conservative ranks.
In this
backdrop creating a storm over Islamophobia helps them the most, to influence
the voters. Despite the fact that under various Conservatives-led governments
in the last six years, the Prevent strategy has been allowed to fail along the
wayside, as the Conservatives would love to raise the Islamophobic bogey to
influence the voters.
But the
recent episode has also exposed the Labour leadership, which continues to
support the Israeli aggression in Palestine. In this backdrop the LibDems might
rise again from the ashes and could become a major partner of any future
government, taking over later this year.
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Asad Mirza is a Delhi-based senior political and
international affairs commentator
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-west/islamophobic-hatred-uk-multicultural-ethnic/d/131798