Last week, I hosted Turkish delegates to Parliament to discuss the key issues facing our two countries. 

We held a roundtable discussion with the Turkish ambassador and a cross-party delegation of Turkish MPs from the Human Rights Commission of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. They represented the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party, the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). 

I also invited British MPs to join and I was pleased with the turnout of my colleagues who came to share their thoughts. Our conversation centred on Islamophobia here in the UK and around the globe and we had great discussions about the ways to tackle Islamophobia and its damaging effects. 

Between last October and February, Tell MAMA recorded a 335% increase in anti-Muslim hate cases from the year before. With Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate at worrying levels, it shows just how important it is to have these conversations about Islamophobia. I hope that through continued action, these figures can be significantly reduced in the coming months. 

I am grateful to the Turkish delegation for travelling to have these discussions and all those who participated and shared their valuable insights!

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