November marks Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM). Throughout my time in Parliament, I have campaigned on this issue and marked this period for celebrating the positive contributions of British Muslims, and also raising awareness to the realities of Islamophobia facing them. The IAM campaign was founded by a coalition of Muslim organisations, with this common purpose.
Islamophobia is defined by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Muslims as ‘a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness’. This is one of the most widely accepted definitions of Islamophobia since its launch in 2018 and you can read the report that we worked on HERE.
Unfortunately, this year, IAM is especially prevalent and necessary. We have seen a doubling of Islamophobic hate crime in the last decade. This has been only worsened by the racist riots that took place over the summer and the Islamophobia Response Unit has seen a staggering 365% increase in Islamophobic incidents since October 2023.
Since being elected Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain in 2000, to now representing Manchester Rusholme in Parliament, the fight against Islamophobia has been at the heart of my political career. Yet, we still have a long way to go.
We must take this month as a much-needed opportunity to amplify Muslim voices, confront harmful stereotypes and work for a society free from hate and discrimination.
IAM 2024
I kicked off this IAM by releasing a statement with my thoughts, you can read HERE.
I also sent various letters to ministers and key stakeholders, asking them to support IAM publicly and condemn Islamophobia.
I received a range of responses, reflecting growing recognition across government and Parliament of the need to address this pressing issue. Prime Minister Keir Starmer responded to my letter and also condemned hate crime, reinforcing the importance of standing united against discrimination in all its forms. You can view the letter below.
The Prime Minister also agreed to acknowledge Islamophobia Awareness Month in the chamber before PMQs in a separate letter. Leader of the House Lucy Powell also engaged meaningfully with IAM. In her letter, she reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to protecting the right of individuals to practice their religion freely. Last week, she raised the importance of IAM in Business Questions, a contribution you can view in Hansard here. Faith Minister Lord Wajid Khan and the Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson, also demonstrated their support.
In PMQs, I asked the Prime Minister how he is tackling rising Islamophobia and if he will consider adopting the APPG on British Muslims’ definition for it. I look forward to meeting with him to discuss this matter further. Watch my question to the Prime Minister HERE.
I hosted my first Parliamentary event for this IAM too, with Islamic Relief UK, to raise awareness for Muslim Climate Action Week. It was great to discuss with colleagues the crucial role of faith communities in tackling the climate crisis! You can see more HERE.
I was delighted to join the APPG on Safeguarding in Faith Communities with colleagues too. I look forward to valuable work that will be done, raising awareness and improve policy and practice in relation to safeguarding in faith communities and by encouraging both the opportunity and responsibility of those faith groups and communities in creating safer places for all.
I also visited different schools in the constituency to mark Inter-Faith Week. Inter-Faith Week is an annual celebration of religious diversity and a chance to build good relationships and working partnerships between people of different faiths and beliefs. It was great to see the pupils engaged in different faiths and understanding the importance of mutual respect. It was a great event and you can see more about my visit HERE.
I am looking forward to continuing my work on raising awareness and championing British Muslim voices throughout the remainder of IAM. Follow my social media channels for regular updates: