Dawood Ashaari
Nine years after the UK Government adopted a working definition of antisemitism in December 2016, efforts to officially adopt a comparable working definition of Islamophobia have been delayed once again.
While in opposition, Labour endorsed the 2018 definition of Islamophobia produced by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims. That definition was backed by more than 850 Muslim organisations, over 100 academics, upwards of 60 local authorities, and every major political party, including the Scottish Conservatives, with the notable exception of the then-governing Conservative Party.
However, upon its General Election victory in July 2024, Labour u-turned. In March 2025, the Government announced the establishment of an Independent Working Group (IWG), chaired by Dominic Grieve KC and comprising four Muslim members, tasked with recommending a new working definition of Islamophobia or Anti-Muslim Hatred for ministerial consideration.
IWG Recommendations to Ministers
The IWG submitted a report with its recommendations to ministers in early October 2025. However, ministers at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have, to date, refused to publish the report despite calls for transparency and have been privately consulting hand-picked individuals instead.
On December 15, the BBC published a leaked copy of the definition, confirmed as accurate by two members of the working group, Professor Javed Khan and Baroness Shaista Gohir.
Their wording refers to “prejudicial stereotyping and racialisation of Muslims”, encouraging criminal acts “directed at Muslims or those perceived to be Muslims because of their religion, ethnicity or appearance” and “biases within institutions.” However, the wording suggests the phrase Anti-Muslim Hostility rather than Islamophobia, although it is understood that the full report acknowledges the interchangeability between the phrase Anti-Muslim Hostility and Islamophobia.
The Muslim News understands that the Faith Minister, Miatta Fahnbulleh MP, is supportive of the proposals, however the blockage lies with the Secretary of State, Steve Reed MP, amid suggestions that there is reluctance to include the word “racialisation”. In recent weeks there has been a concerted campaign by the likes of the National Secular Society, Policy Exchange, GB News, Sir Trevor Phillips, Lord Toby Young and Shadow Equalities Secretary, Claire Coutinho, urging the Government to drop the definition entirely.
Steve Reed was appointed as the Communities Secretary in September 2025, following the Cabinet reshuffle which saw Angela Rayner resign from the post and Lord Wajid Khan sacked as Faith Minister.
According to the 2021 census, his constituency of Streatham and Croydon North is in the top 100 constituencies by Muslim population with over 12% of his constituents being Muslim.
Community Reaction
The Muslim Council of Britain warned the Government against a watered-down definition and “calls again for transparency and urges the working group’s recommendations report to be published in full immediately”.
Secretary General Dr Wajid Akhter commented that, “stripping out or diluting the concept of racialisation does not protect free speech. It obscures the nature of the harm and weakens the ability of public bodies to understand, address and prevent discrimination.”
The campaign group, Muslim Development and Engagement (MEND), also released a statement, saying, “Community buy-in will depend upon the government’s acknowledgment – enshrined in the definition – that Islamophobia is a tangible and pervasive form of prejudice that permeates our institutions and systems, from education, employment, public places and online spaces.”
Naz Shah MP, tweeted, “Let’s be clear: Islamophobes will oppose a non-legally binding definition of Islamophobia, like Antisemites oppose a non-legally binding definition of Antisemitism.
The UK government adopted the non-legally binding definition of Antisemitism in 2016. It’s high time for similar guidance on anti-Muslim hatred… While Muslims aren’t a single race but a faith community, attacks are often racialised: targeting visible markers like hijabs, beards, mosques, in the same way a turban (worn by Sikhs), or a kippah (worn by Jews).”
Meanwhile, Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor, Professor in the Sociology of Islam at Coventry University’s Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, told The Muslim News, “I don’t have a strong personal stance on what name we give to this phenomenon of enduring discrimination faced by Muslims and those who are perceived to be Muslim. However, I do strongly feel that we need action, from civil society and from government. We need to acknowledge that such unfair treatment exists and that we need to find a common language to challenge and eradicate such unfair treatment for Muslims in all its forms.”
From Definition to Action: Antisemitism Action Plan
On December, 17 the Government published a 16-page Antisemitism Action Plan detailing how it will tackle antisemitism across the three domains of Security, Education and Institutional Action.
The Muslim News understands that the government had originally planned to publish a parallel action plan on Islamophobia/Anti-Muslim Hatred at the same time. That plan has since been placed on hold, amid delays by the Communities Secretary in adopting the working definition of Islamophobia/AMH put forward by the Independent Working Group.
Such a dedicated government action plan for Islamophobia/AMH now been cast into doubt, as the government’s Antisemitism Action Plan states, “Alongside further work on antisemitism, we will set out in the new year a wider action plan to improve social cohesion and to counter extremism across the board. This will address the deeper drivers of hate and prejudice within the UK”.
Front page photo: Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pictured in Westminster amid growing scrutiny over delays to the adoption of a working definition of Islamophobia. (Credit: House of Commons/Flickr CC)
