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Spiraling Islamophobia Alienating British Muslims: Report
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The report found British Muslims to be among the most economically and socially disadvantaged ethnic groups in
the country
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CAIRO, Nov 22 (IslamOnline.net) – Various forms of Islamophobia and
racial discrimination, on the up swing since the 9/11 attacks, are
alienating the sizable Muslim community in Britain, reported a leading British newspaper Monday, November 22.
Some
80 per cent of the 1.6-million-strong community reported experiencing
acts of discrimination and Islamophobia, said The Independent,
citing a report by the Open Society Institute.
The
report, published Monday to coincide with the launching of the tenth
Islam Awareness Week (IAW), said two thirds of British Muslims
complained of misconceptions while 32 per cent said they had been
discriminated against at British airports because of their religion.
It
also found that British Muslims are among the most economically and
socially disadvantaged ethnic groups in the country, with an
employment rate of 38 per cent.
The
IAW is a pro-active initiative
that seeks to help Muslims and non-Muslims to come together in a
climate of understanding and appreciation.
It
was established by the ISB in 1994 to invite all Muslims to work
together during the week in sharing Islam with the public at large,
providing information regarding its message and way of life, and
clearing misunderstandings in the process.
Unfairly
Policed
The
new report cited a 302 per cent increase in the number of Asian people
stopped and searched under the Terrorism Act, compared with 230 per
cent for black people and 118 per cent for whites.
“The
high number of stop-and-searches, and the gap between the number of
searches and actual arrests, charges and convictions, is leading to a
perception among British Muslims of being unfairly policed, and is
fuelling a strong disaffection and sense of being under siege,”
warned the report.
The
Muslim Council of Britain (MCB)
launched on Saturday, September 25, a 16-page pocket guide setting out
the procedures to follow if a person is arrested, their home searched
or if they are injured during a police operation.
British
Muslims have repeatedly complained of maltreatment by the police and
the stop-and-search
operations for no apparent reason other than being Muslims.
More
than 35,000 Muslims were stopped and searched last year without
reason, with fewer than 50 charged, whereas before the 9/11 attacks
only around 2,000 Muslims were stopped and searched.
Senior
British parliamentarians admitted last August that anti-terrorism laws
are being used
“disproportionately” against Muslims.
Not
Doing Enough
According
to the report, a follow-up to a study conducted by the OSI in 2002,
one in three British Muslims feel the government
is doing too little to protect their rights.
“It
is not going to be possible to achieve integration unless the concerns
of British Muslims are addressed by the Government,” said Sher Khan,
a spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain.
“There
is a real potential for Muslim people to become increasingly isolated
within Britain, which goes completely against the idea of trying to create a more
cohesive society.”
But
he recognized it is as a “two-way process” and that British Muslims
“have got to build bridges and be proactive in terms of integrating
with the rest of society.”
Muslim
organizations have recently embarked on a nationwide anti-terror campaign
to “isolate and stop tolerating those spreading hatred against the
country using the name of Islam.”
British
Home Secretary David Blunkett said Sunday that London will adopt a set of
tighter
anti-terror laws in case Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labor
Party wins the general elections, due next year.
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