This blog is a part of my body of research that seeks to analyse civil society's and academia's understanding of national security models from an academic perspective with a focus on Canada, Israel and the UK.
Showing posts with label Islamophobia and UK. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Islamophobia and UK. Show all posts
"Salma Yaqoob, head of the Stop the War coalition in Birmingham, and Jahan Mahmood, a former government counter-extremism adviser talk about how Muslims in Birmingham are feeling about Islamopobia and integration."
Baroness Warsi has issued her first criticism of government policy towards Muslims since resigning from the cabinet. Photograph: Paul Cooper/Rex Features
Lady Warsi has delivered a blistering critique of the government’s approach towards Britain’s Muslims, warning that failure to engage properly with communities across the UK has created a climate of suspicion and undermined the fight against extremism.
In her first major intervention on the relationship between Muslims and the rest of society since she resigned from the cabinet five months ago, Warsi says the coalition’s policy of non-engagement has caused deep unease and resentment towards the government.
Writing in the Observer, Warsi warns that the government’s stance is counterproductive at a time of heightened national security. This month has seenwarnings from MI5 that an attack on the UK is “highly likely” in the wake of theCharlie Hebdo massacre in Paris on 8 January.
In a series of stinging judgments, Warsi, a former chairwoman of the Tory party and the first Muslim to serve in the cabinet, claims that:
■ The government in which she served has come “to view ever-increasing numbers of Muslim organisations or individual Muslim activists with suspicion”.
■ David Cameron rejected requests for other faiths, including Muslims, to be given an equivalent to the annual meeting he has with the Jewish leadership – a meeting of Jewish groups and figures that the prime minister hosts.
■ Former colleagues in government have failed to show proper concern for the “worries and fear” felt by Britain’s 3 million-strong Muslim community in the current febrile atmosphere.
Warsi also condemns the lack of ministerial engagement with a cross-government working group combating anti-Muslim hatred, in which she was involved. Chief whip Michael Gove is singled out for particular criticism for his behaviour during the Birmingham schools Trojan horse affair, when Warsi claims he flatly rejected formal requests from the working group to become involved.
Warsi reveals that there were deep splits within the cabinet over its non-engagement policy. Justice secretary Chris Grayling is cited as one senior figure who believed non-engagement was counterproductive in tackling extremism. She states that the government’s decision to deal with only a very small number of British Muslims meant that community-based engagement – seen by many counter-terrorism experts as the most effective way to tackle radicalisation and
extremism – fell by the wayside.
The government’s response to the dangers of extremists was reduced, she writes, to a “dangerously narrow engagement… a dozen people for a community of over 3 million”.
Warsi decided to speak out after communities secretary Eric Pickles wrote last Monday to more than 1,000 Islamic leaders calling on British Muslims to “explain and demonstrate how faith in Islam can be part of British identity”.
Pickles also said that he was proud of the way British Muslims had responded to the Paris terror attacks, but the letter was condemned by sections of the Muslim community. Pickles was accused of treating Muslims as in some way “apart” from the rest of British society. Warsi says this reaction graphically illustrated the gulf that has grown between the coalition government and Muslims.
She says: “The reality is if you haven’t cultivated a friendship, if you haven’t fostered trust, then a letter out of the blue to a mosque… with whom government has refused to engage creates a climate where even the most benign of correspondence can become toxic.”
Warsi resigned as a senior Foreign Office minister in August last year, citing the government’s “morally indefensible” policy on Gaza. Her decision was seen as a heavy blow to Downing Street while bolstering her following among British Muslims, although she has waited until now to publicly share her frustrations over the government’s domestic approach to extremism.
“We needed to bring more people into the fold rather than increasingly adopt positions which pushed groups and individuals out to the fringe,” she says.
The government’s strategy towards the Muslim community meant links that might have helped combat extremism and tackle radicalisation have fallen away. Recently, the former head of MI5, Baroness Manningham-Buller, expressed doubts about plans to harden counter-terrorism laws warning that counter-radicalisation had to be led by moderate Muslims.
Warsi says: “We will all fight extremism better if we all feel like we are all in the same team.”
She voices her frustration at the refusal by the coalition to establish a Muslim equivalent of the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC) which arranges for community figures to share their views directly with the prime minister.
“I’ve argued for a long time that the prime minister should hold a similar event with Britain’s other major faith communities, but sadly this has not been forthcoming,” she says.
She also criticises the attitude of government ministers towards the cross-government anti-Muslim hatred working group, set up in 2012 to ensure Islamophobia receives the same support as previous campaigns to tackle antisemitism, anti-black racism and homophobia.
Saleem Kidwai says it is time we took the plight of muslims in Wales seriously
Saleem Kidwai
As the year draws to a close, and we become embedded in the festive season ahead, I wished to share some reflections with you.
We often hear the cliché of “these turbulent times” – but this last year has particularly come to trouble my heart, with its steady stream of tragic and devastating events: the brutal conflicts tearing apart communities in Iraq, Syria, Gaza and the Central African Republic; the rise of poverty in the UK which has seen one million people use food banks this year alone; increasing xenophobia and racism, from Michael Brown in the USA, to the growth of the far-right in the UK, and the scores of migrants losing their lives in the Mediterranean as they seek to escape difficult circumstances.
The need for faith is so critical to anchor the hearts and spirits of our communities. More than ever I feel the necessity for faith communities to work together to counter narratives of hate and division, to fight against the ravages of poverty and conflict, and to replace them with the warm comfort and steady hand of friendship, protection and unwavering goodness. We believe that our beloved Jesus, Muhammad, Moses and Abraham Peace be upon them, came to humanity with a unifying message of love, justice, compassion and mercy. They not only came with a message that spoke directly to the souls of there companions, but with a movement that sought to tackle the root causes of injustice in their society, that protected the most vulnerable and which welcomed the strangers.
While the discourse around the radicalisation of a few Welsh Muslim youth is leading headlines, I am concerned that by focusing on a few who have been led down the path of violent extremism we are neglecting the vast majority of young Muslims who are struggling to find their bearings.
The sense of betrayal felt by Muslim youth in general is receiving very little attention. This is one segment of the British population that continues to find itself under suspicion and maligned through guilt by association in the wider society.
Welsh-Muslim youth who thought themselves like any other Welsh person got a rude awakening post-9/11 -- a sort of cultural shock that they were not like any other Welsh person. Overnight, they were the other, the enemy.
This was traumatic in itself, but exposure to wholesale Islamophobia has added another layer of ongoing betrayal. The impact of this backlash against Welsh-born Muslims was devastating. Many experienced racism for the first time and felt rejected by their fellow Welshmen. Even worse, they feel like they are seen and considered to be a threat by institutions meant to protect them. Racial and religious profiling has become acceptable when directed toward Muslim youth.
Welsh-Muslim youth are being forced into defensive posturing, apologizing and are under suspicion. They are expected to prove their loyalty to United Kingdom -- a burden not placed on other youth, and they do this by remaining silent in the face of Islamophobia, a form of self-imposed censorship on free expression about geopolitical issues. This has placed serious stress on these young minds. To have to constantly defend one’s faith, to continuously be called upon to condemn the actions of criminals and terrorists is emotional torture no one should be subjected to.
Even the schools are not paying attention to the second-hand trauma their Muslim students are experiencing as a result of witnessing the devastation in the countries their parents hail from and their extended families still reside. Is there any attempt to respond to their grief, anger and emotional pain? Do we not call in grief counselors to help students deal with natural disasters, shootings and accidents?
It is obvious in the absence of such supports, many will internalize this pain and resentment and it may come out in unhealthy ways. Few with no family support may turn to drugs and alcohol, others may act out, while some may turn to the Internet to find answers and become targets for violent extremism.
Very few resources, if any, have been applied to understanding and listening to the youth themselves. We have made little effort to provide safe spaces for them to express their grief and confusion and receive counselling. Why? Are we willing to validate their pain and embrace their anguish and express the same outrage over the suffering of Palestinian, Iraqi and Rohingya children that we do over the suffering of British and American children? Do we have a response when they ask that while Muslims continue to condemn violence committed by Muslims, fellow Welsh man turn a blind eye to violence being committed against Muslims?
The extremist messaging coming through imported ideology of “True Islam” or “Real Islam” has caused a disconnect in many cases between immigrant parents and their Welsh Muslim-born children. Why have the youth been left to fend for themselves through this geopolitical religious maze? It is the responsibility of the Muslim community to provide a counter-narrative to the hate propaganda of the likes of IS and Al-Qaida.
As a society, we have been indifferent to the plight of Welsh Muslim youth far too long, it is time we took notice of their pain. We have to reject any attempts to marginalize Muslims as second-class citizens. Let the lessons learned from the internment of Japanese-Welsh Muslims be a reminder of how the politics of fear can divide our nation and diminish our humanity.
Fortunately, an overwhelming majority of Muslim youth, thanks to their spiritual resiliency, continue to maintain a strong commitment to a secure, just and inclusive Wales.
Never has the need for faith been so critical to anchor the hearts and spirits of our communities. More than ever I feel the necessity for faith communities to work together to counter narratives of hate and division, to fight against the ravages of poverty and conflict, and to replace them with the warm comfort and steady hand of friendship, protection and unwavering goodness.
We believe that our beloved Jesus, Muhammad, Moses and Abraham Peace be upon them, came to humanity with a unifying message of love, justice, compassion and mercy. They not only came with a message that spoke directly to the souls of there companions, but with a movement that sought to tackle the root causes of injustice in their society, that protected the most vulnerable and which welcomed the strangers.
It is faith, I believe, which calls on us to be rooted and active in our societies, to work tirelessly to find solutions to the problems we see around us. I pray that as we approach the end of 2014, we are able to reflect profoundly on the lessons from this year past – and as we enter 2015, we are able to work hand-in-hand, as brothers and sisters, to build a more caring and loving society for the generations to come. I extend my sincerest and warmest greetings to you all for the festive season ahead. May God enrich our souls in this period, and enable us to grow in closeness to Him, and each other with love, understanding, compassion and mercy as the years go on.
In the end Light over darkness will prevail, Truth over falsehood.
Saleem Kidwai is Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales
Some possible reasons for this increasing societal expression of aggression towards women:
1) Rising Islamophobia in UK.
2) The hijab brands you as a Muslim.
3) The hijab brands you as a Female
4)The particular manifestations of sexism in UK.
5)Cowardliness - less possibility of a physical response from Muslims who are women.
6)The intersection of Islamophobia and sexism
7) Street Harassment in the UK
My framing here is that I am a 57 (fifty-seven) years old Black American woman raised in Chicago, IL with over 25 (twenty-five) years experience in the social dynamics in London, England.
I have always felt that street harassment in London, England was significantly more aggressive in London than in say in Chicago. I have also literally in the past complained to a member of the Met (London Police) that as a Chicagoan of a a certain age cross-racial street harassment in Chicago was extremely rare for me.
The number of Muslim women reporting hate crime has risen by up to 10%, according to a UK charity.
TELL MAMA, a national project measuring anti-Muslim incidents, has told Sky News that over the last 18 months they have seen a 5-10% increase.
The number of women wearing the niqab, the face veil, and reporting hate crime has also doubled in the last two years.
Fiyaz Mughal, director of TELL MAMA, says it is not clear whether incidents are rising or reporting of the problem is getting better.
"Over the last two years our data has shown that women suffer more incidents of hate and they also suffer more aggressive incidents of hate," she said.
Video:Targeted For Wearing A Veil
"The veil seems to delegitimise the sense of femininity of that person in the eyes of the perpetrator.
"It seems to become something they become fixated upon rather than the individual, the female behind the veil."
Research has shown that Muslim women are subjected to "opportunistic" verbal or physical attacks, mostly by men, on the street.
Yasmeen Khalid, 21, from Bromsgrove, says she has always faced abuse, but the problem has become worse in recent months.
She says out of 30 different hate crime incidents, she has only ever reported two, and admits wearing a hijab has made her a target.
"By looking, they instantly know I'm Muslim... sometimes people call me a terrorist, sometimes they say 'Paki', sometimes someone has called me 'Taliban' or stuff like that," she said.
"Sometimes I walk off humiliated - I shouldn't be humiliated but I am humiliated.
"Sometimes I speak up, sometimes I just cry, go away somewhere, and cry because I don't know what to do."
Fiyaz Mughal, from the TELL MAMA campaign, says there's "been an enormous shift in the language of anti-Muslim hate. International and national incidents create differences in the way narratives are set."
Shalina Litt, from Birmingham, has been the victim of racist abuse on the street while wearing the hijab or niqab.
"Actually we are mothers, we are daughters, we are sisters," she said.
"I really just hope that any mothers, any daughters etc., can speak to their sons and say actually it's not right and we do need to change how we approach this."
The TELL MAMA project highlights there is still "substantial under reporting" by the Muslim community about hate crime.
Part of their approach involves working with different agencies through community outreach and education.
MDI posted: "Islamophobia Watch An academic conference tackling the alarming rise in Islamophobia in the UK has had to be relocated after the London University College hosting the event gave in to far right Islamophobes threatening to demonstrate outside the venue."
Birkbeck College has withdrawn the go-ahead it originally gave for the conference organised by the Islamic Human Rights Commission citing its inability to arrange sufficient security in time for the event this Saturday. The conference will now be held at an alternative venue.
The turnaround came after calls were made on social media by Britain First, a xenophobic far right group which styles itself as the 'British Resistance', to demonstrate at the event. Britain First is being supported by another extreme right wing group, Casuals United, an alliance of football hooligans from various clubs, formed to tackle what they see as growing Muslim influence in Britain. In recent months the groups have adopted a policy of using bullying tactics to force venues to cancel Muslim-organised events and intimidate Muslim communities.
On Wednesday, IHRC staff who were on a routine site visit were dragged by college officials into an impromptu meeting to discuss the far right calls in which they were surprised to find local council PREVENT officer already in attendance. PREVENT is a key plank of the government's CONTEST strategy which seeks to combat terrorism and is directed almost exclusively at Britain's Muslim community. IHRC sees little reason for a council officer to be involved in a private matter between itself and the college. It seems odd that instead of tackling the immediate threats to a legitimate and peaceful event, the College appeared to be more interested in using the issue as an excuse to involve anti-extremism and radicalisation officials.
In fact during the meeting both parties seemed to be more worried about the prospect of a counter-demonstration by an anarchist and anti-fascist student group. The police involvement has also fallen a long way short of what is required. We find it hard to understand why local police were only in contact with the College about the event and did not see fit to discuss matters with IHRC until after Birkbeck College's decision to cancel.
While IHRC believes that the safety of everyone is paramount it is not justifiable to allow threats and intimidation by a tiny minority to disrupt the normal flow of everyday life. The College has clearly bowed to Islamophobic pressure and may even have Islamophobic motives itself for cancelling the booking without sufficiently exploring other security options. The College even rejected IHRC's offer to arrange its own security for the event.
Birkbeck's last-minute move threw the event into disarray and left IHRC scrambling to find an alternative venue, which will be announced shortly. The conference, which is being supported by 19 Muslim and non-Muslim organisations including Stop the War Coalition and Campaign against Criminalising Communities, is due to feature speeches by leading academics in the fields of race relations, Islamophobia, multiculturalism and securitisation, exploring and suggesting responses to the soaring levels of Islamophobia in the UK.
Islamophobia has become a mainstay of institutions' dealings with Britain's Muslims, stemming from increasingly Islamophobic discourse – created by media and politicians – that perpetuates bigotry towards Muslims. Recent government attacks on religious conservativism in Muslim education under the pretext of tackling extremist influences in schools, the introduction of yet more anti-terror legislation primarily targeting Muslims, the extension of the CONTEST anti-extremism strategy to more areas of Muslim life, and Islamophobic judicial and police responses to incidents all paint a disturbing picture of community under siege.
IHRC chair Massoud Shadjareh said: "It is staggering to think that an Islamophobia conference held in an academic arena can itself become the victim of institutional Islamophobia at so many levels. Thankfully we have managed to arrange another venue and the conference will go ahead."
Update: The conference has full capacity at the new venue so the IHRC is encouraging everyone who is not already registered to take advantage of the live stream which will be shown here.
WordPress.com
