Islamophobia: a growing concern for the Muslim community worldwide

A recent survey revealed that Muslims worldwide experience anti-Muslim bigotry at their workplace. The survey, published lately and commissioned by Hyphen, showed that 70% of the working Muslims face indiscrimination. Hyphen, a recently opened digital publication, talks on matters crucial to Muslims in the UK and Europe.

Almost 44 percent of the anti-Muslim behavior in the workplace included dealings with clients, customers, and other individuals, 42% at office-related social gatherings, and 42% while getting promotions.

Islamophobia: a growing concern for the Muslim community worldwide

This data was compiled by interviewing almost 1,503 British Muslims between April and May 2022. The survey further showed that Black Muslims experienced more anti-Muslim discord than other ethnicities of the Muslims. As 37% of all Muslims faced discriminatory incidents during recruitment phases, the number rose to 58 percent for Black Muslims.

Hope is alive

The Muslims living in the UK have also experienced the after-effects of the economic crisis. Almost 54% of survey participants said that managing essential household expenditures is more challenging than five years ago.

Regardless of the increasing anti-Muslim narrative and bias, including the economic crunch, Muslims in the UK are still hopeful and look forward to contributing to societal development. More than 50% of the survey participants believed that they experienced a change in their lives, and 68% said that the Muslims have been participating in a more significant number over the past five years. In contrast, 53% felt that Muslims in the UK had gained more acceptance.

Besides, more than half of the individuals believed that they had better opportunities for growth in the UK. In contrast, 58% noted that the Muslim youth in the UK has more inspirational individuals to take motivation.

Hate crimes in the UK

Hate crimes in the UK have been on a surge for the past couple of years, and Muslims have been facing the brunt of the anti-Muslim bias. The official count from the government bodies shows an increase up to two times in the last five years.

Before we jump on to other nations going through extreme anti-Muslim discourse worldwide, let’s first understand what Islamophobia is.

What is Islamophobia?

Islamophobia is a prejudice, aversion, hostility, or hatred towards Muslims and encompasses any distinction, exclusion, restriction, discrimination, or preference against Muslims that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment, or exercise of an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

The term Islamophobia showed up across the political landscape and media in the last ten years, and it is now categorized as a form of racism for all the right reasons.

All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) in Britain defined Islamophobia as, « Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness. »

According to « A Working Definition of Islamophobia: A Briefing Paper by Imran Awan and Irene Zempi, »

« A fear, prejudice, and hatred of Muslims or non-Muslim individuals that lead to provocation, hostility, and intolerance using threatening, harassment, abuse, incitement, and intimidation of Muslims and nonMuslims, both in the online and offline world. Motivated by institutional, ideological, political and religious hostility that transcends into structural and cultural racism which targets the symbols and markers of a being a Muslim. »

The UK government claims it is striving hard to end Islamophobia; however, it wanted to bring a new definition and said, « We do not accept the need for a definitive definition. » This argument brings a counter-argument that exactly what the government is fighting for if it is not clear on the definition of the issue before anything else.

The advocates of this definition have tried to address how Islamophobic sentiments have increased. According to Dr. Katy Sian, a Sociology Lecturer at the University of York, « [It] moves it away from individual biases and prejudices to a more critical and analytical understanding. By showing its links with racism, it shows Islamophobia’s structural nature. »

Denmark authorities to address Islamophobic discourse.

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance has officially directed Denmark to discuss anti-Muslim discourse and discrimination against minorities. The commission emphasized Danish officials to launch a national action plan against racism to counter the bias against Muslims and other minority groups. This commission is the European human rights official council that addresses the matters concerning the members regarding racism, intolerance, anti-Semitism, and discrimination.

The action plan, as advised, should address issues in education, public awareness, counter-speech advancement, training of educationists and law enforcement personnel, and hiring a team of Muslims and other minorities in these offices.

Among the policies proposed in the report included:

• ECRI recommends that political leaders on all sides, in particular those in government and in line with § 4 of ECRI’s General Policy Recommendation No. 15 on combating hate speech, take a firm and public stance against the expression of racist hate speech and react to any such expression with a solid counter-hate speech message. All political parties in the country should adopt codes of conduct that prohibit racist and other forms of hate speech and call on their members and followers to abstain from using it.
• ECRI recommends that the authorities introduce a national action plan against racism, with a particular emphasis on preventing anti-Muslim racism and discrimination. The action plan should take a holistic approach and include actions in, for example, education, public awareness, promotion of counterspeech, and the training of relevant professionals, such as law enforcement officials and teachers. Efforts to secure a proportion of staff from Muslim and other minority backgrounds in such professions should be among the elements of this action plan.

Liberals looking for a special representative to fight Islamophobia in Canada

The Liberals in Canada initiated their hunt to seek a special representative to fight against growing Islamophobia in the region. The minister for diversity announced this development on the first anniversary of the targeted attack that took the life of a Muslim family in Ontario.

Ahmed Hussein, the minister of diversity, inclusion, and youth of Canada said, “The special representative to combat Islamophobia will be the champion, the expert, the advocate, and the adviser to the government on Islamophobia.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who also participated at the memorial in London, Ont., community, said:

“On this day that we grieve, we also come together in commitment and resolve to make sure that tomorrow and next year, and all the days in the future, are also better. The lives of three generations of the Afzaal family were taken by a brutal, cowardly, and brazen act of terrorist violence.”

In the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), Fatima, a young Muslim activist, lost her house as it was bulldozed as a reaction y the authorities for her protests over offensive comments against Prophet Muhammad by members of India’s right-wing ruling party. Fatima called it an ‘act of vendetta’ by the government officials.

Last Sunday, a large group of policemen and UP officials in Prayagraj city barged into bulldozing Afreen Fatima’s 21-year-old house.

“At around 8:50 pm on Friday, police came, saying they wanted to talk to my father. They asked him to accompany him to the police station. That is it. They did not tell us if it was detention or an arrest. No warrant was shown,” Fatima, 24, told the media.

She continued, “We saw our house crumble down… It was our home for 21 years. We had some amazing and defining moments in that home that shaped who I am.”