To mark International Women’s Day and the UN’s International Day to Combat Islamophobia, I had the privilege of hosting an event in Parliament to screen the a preview of HIJABI, a film spotlighting the Islamophobia faced by British Muslim women. The film screening was followed by a panel discussion with the women interviewed on the film, the BAFTA award winning filmmaker, Samir Mehanovic and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood MP.
Islamophobic hate crime in Britain has surged, rising by 335% since October with over 65% of victims being Muslim women. In HIJABI five Muslim women tell their stories and share their collective action against Islamophobia. The film features Zamzam Ibrahim, climate justice activist; Adama Juldeh Munu, award-winning journalist, producer and essayist; Asma Shuweikh, columnist, activist and public speaker; Amna Abdullatif, award-winning national anti-racism campaigner; and Tasnim Nazeer, award-winning journalist and the first hijab-wearing TV reporter in Scotland. Their testimonies are unflinching accounts of the constant fight for dignity and respect in Britain, and together their engaging stories offer insight and hope in the mission to challenge racism and hate crime.
It was great to be joined on the panel by Shabana Mahmood, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, to share her experiences of being a Muslim woman in public life. Unfortunately, events like these need to be held to show the scale and impact of Islamophobia – which the Tories have neglected to tackle over the last 14 years. In fact, the hate crime we see against Muslims is often inspired by the vitriol spouted by politicians. Most recently, we have had Lee Anderson, former Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party, say that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is controlled by Islamists because he’s Muslim, and the former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, claim the entire country is controlled by Islamists.
I hope that by screening films like these and hosting these discussions, we can shine a light on the impact Islamophobia has on British Muslims, and highlight the importance of real action to tackle it.
