Islamophobia Issues, Challenges, and Action

Abstract

This report is actually a comprehensive and highly informative two-part report put out by the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia, which was established by the Runneymede Trust in the United Kingdom in 1996. In 1999, Dr. Richard Stone (vice chair of the Runneymede Trust) was appointed chair of the commission. The first part details the issues and challenges Muslims face in Britain, while the second part focuses on the actions taken to deal with and combat Islamophobia. As a report, its applicability is limited to the socioeconomic and political conditions prevailing in Britain and, in particular, that country’s urban areas. However, the substantial issues raised (namely, a broader discussion of the concept of Islamophobia; the relationship of Islamophobia to racism; and whether racism as a concept ought to include intolerance, bias, stereotyping, and discrimination on the basis of religion) have a greater resonance. The backdrop to the report consists of the events of 9/11 and the growing intolerance displayed in the media, governmental institutions, and society at large toward Muslims, both individually and collectively. Centrally, the report asks how a secular society like Britain can provide a safe space, one that is free of discrimination, disrespect, and intolerance, in which Muslims can observe and practice their faith. In addition, the authors also ask two vitally important questions: “Why is the anti-racist movement so reluctant to address prejudice, hate, and discrimination based on religion?” and concomitantly: “Should Islamophobia be defined as a form of racism, in much the same [way] that anti-Semitism clearly is, and should the full force of race relations legislation be brought to bear to defeat it?” ...