Elham Asaad Buaras
A cross-party group of British MPs has, on March 15, seized the newly UN-designated International Day to Combat Islamophobia (IDCI) to urge the Conservative government to enact their working definition to combat it.
“In the UK, we have witnessed the murders of three grandfathers in Islamophobic terror attacks, including the attack in Finsbury Park in 2017. According to Home Office statistics, in the last five years Muslims have faced over 15,000 hate crime incidents, more than any other religious group,” said a spokesman for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims.
In a statement to The Muslim News the group, which defined Islamophobia as a ‘type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness’ said, “On this occasion, we call on the UK Government to adopt the APPG definition of Islamophobia and work with Muslim organisations and communities to develop a comprehensive strategy to combat the rising levels of Islamophobia.”
Yasmin Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton Southeast and APPG on British Muslims member, slammed the Tories for not only being the only political party in the UK to reject the APPG definition of Islamophobia but abandoning a four-year-old pledge to develop an alternative. “A party that cannot even define Islamophobia can hardly be trusted to tackle it,” she said.
The UN held a special ceremony on March 10 to mark the inaugural IDCI in the General Assembly Hall, where speakers emphasised the need for concrete action in the face of escalating anti-Muslim prejudice and violence.
The commemoration of IDCI, co-convened by Pakistan, follows the unanimous passage of a resolution by the
Assembly last year designating March 15 as IDCI. The date was chosen to mark the fourth anniversary of the Christchurch mosques shooting, in New Zealand, which left 51 Muslim worshippers —including men, women, and children—dead and 40 others injured.
Brenton Harrison Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian alt-right white supremacist, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the first such sentence in New Zealand’s judicial history.
Tarrant recorded his beliefs in a manifesto titled ‘The Great Replacement’, a reference to the Great Replacement and white genocide conspiracy theories. It expresses several anti-Muslim sentiments and white supremacist rhetoric and calls for all non-European immigrants in Europe, whom he claims are “invading his land,” to be removed.
In the manifesto, he names British fascist leader Oswald Mosley as one of his political heroes and calls for the assassination of London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Tarrant also invoked the Battle of Tours, the defeat of a Muslim army in 732, and the Siege of Vienna in 1683.
According to the manifesto, his aim was “to take revenge on the invaders for the hundreds of thousands of deaths caused by foreign invaders in European lands throughout history… the enslavement of millions of Europeans taken from their lands by the Islamic slavers, and the thousands of European lives lost to terror attacks throughout European lands.”
Dr Hamimah Tuyan, the widow of the fifty-first victim of the Christchurch terror attack, told The Muslim News that although Tarrant had acted alone “he was motivated by an ideology that has spread around the globe, in fact gaining support from politicians—crooks who stoke fear of and ignorance about immigrants, even making excuses for the activities of right-wing groups.”
Dr Afzal Khan, Labour MP for Manchester Gorton, and APPG member on British Muslims co-hosted an event in Parliament with the Muslim Council of Britain, Runnymede Trust, and Amnesty International UK to commemorate IDCI, where parliamentarians, ambassadors, and community leaders could “come together to talk about this important issue.”
Speaking to The Muslim News, Khan said, “It was great to see so many people from different nationalities, faiths, and political ideologies come together to discuss the importance of tackling Islamophobia and all hatred. Hatred has no place in our society, and together we can stamp it out.”
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Angela Rayner, who was also present at the event voiced her support for the IDCI. “It is incredibly important and timely that we are able to be here today to not only tackle Islamophobia but also talk about how faiths from around the world come together to talk about peace.”
According to UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, the world’s two billion Muslims represent “humanity in all its magnificent diversity”. Nonetheless, they frequently encounter discrimination and prejudice just because of their religion.
In addition, Muslim women may experience “triple discrimination” on account of their religion, race, and gender. Although Islamophobia is not new, he said it is “a sad reality of our times” that is only increasing and spreading.
In honour of the inaugural IDCI, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called “attention to people around the world who are harassed, detained, imprisoned or even killed for identifying, practising, converting to Islam, or being perceived as Muslim. As the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief told the Human Rights Council in 2021, “institutional suspicion of Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims has escalated to epidemic proportions.”
He vowed the US will “advocate for individuals’ ability to live in accordance with the dictates of their consciences and speak out on behalf of those who have been denied the ability to do so. As Muslims worldwide prepare for their holy month of Ramadan, a time of fasting and caring for communities, let us, here in the United States and abroad, work to combat this hatred.”
“Since the tragedy of 9/11, animosity and institutional suspicion of Muslims and Islam across the world have only escalated to epidemic proportions.”
“A narrative has been developed and peddled that associates Muslim communities and their religion with violence and danger,” said Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
“This Islamophobic narrative is not just confined to extremist, marginal propaganda, but regrettably has found acceptance by sections of mainstream media, academia, policymakers, and state machinery,” said Zardari, who also chairs the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers.
Csaba Krösi, President of the UN General Assembly, remarked that xenophobia, or the fear of foreigners, is the basis of Islamophobia and that it manifests itself in hate speech, travel restrictions, bullying, and other forms of discrimination.
He urged countries to uphold freedom of religion or belief, which is guaranteed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“All of us carry a responsibility to challenge Islamophobia or any similar phenomenon, to call out injustice and condemn discrimination based on religion or belief—or the lack of them,” he added.
Krösi said education is key to learning why these phobias exist, and it can be “transformative” in changing how people understand each other.
The growing hate that Muslims face is not an isolated development, Guterres told attendees. “It is an inexorable part of the resurgence of ethnonationalism, neo-Nazi white supremacist ideologies, and violence targeting vulnerable populations including Muslims, Jews, some minority Christian communities, and others,” he said.
“Discrimination diminishes us all. And it is incumbent on all of us to stand up against it. We must never be bystanders to bigotry.”
Stressing that “we must strengthen our defences,” Guterres highlighted UN measures such as a Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites. He also called for ramping up political, cultural, and economic investments in social cohesion.
“And we must confront bigotry wherever and whenever it rears its ugly head, this includes working to tackle the hate that spreads like wildfire across the internet,” he added.
To this end, the UN is working with governments, regulators, technology companies, and the media “to set up guardrails, and enforce them.”
Other policies already launched include a Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, and the Our Common Agenda report, which outlines a framework for a more inclusive and secure “digital future” for all people.
Photo: UN Secretary-General António Guterres (Credit: Jean Marc Ferré/UN)
