History made as UK Labour formally adopts definition of Islamophobia

LONDON: The Labour party has formally adopted a definition of Islamophobia, arguing that it is vital to tackling the rise of far-right racism in Britain which is rooted in racism and hatred.

The development will have a far reaching consequences for Muslims in Britain. British Pakistani parliamentarians Sayeeda Warsi, Naz Shah and Afzal Khan worked for many months with other parliamentarians to get the definition adopted. The Liberal Democrats have already adopted the same definition.

The Labour Party said on Wednesday that its national executive committee had adopted the working definition produced by the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims “to help tackle Islamophobia, build a common understanding of its causes and consequences, and express solidarity with Muslim communities”.

The definition reads: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” The definition was produced by the group to build a common understanding of the causes and consequences of Islamophobia. It was decided upon after a six-month consultation with academics, lawyers, elected officials, Muslim organisations, activists, campaigners, and communities.

More than 800 British Muslim organisations, 80 academics and 50 MPs have backed the definition. Speaking to this correspondent, former cabinet minister Baroness Sayeeda Warsi termed it a historic development. “It’s a historic decision and will have a huge impact in Britain and beyond. We have campaigned for many months diligently on reaching out to various stakeholders to get them round to the definition of Islamophobia. The decision by the Labour to adopt the definition of Islamophobia starts to frame the basis upon which Muslim communities will be protected in future. The definition has a massive support of all Muslim organisations.”

Warsi explained that Islamphobia poses grave challenge to Muslims in Britain. The Islamophobia definition makes it clear that liberation movements in Kashmir and Palestine will not be linked with terrorism and extremism and that these movements are legitimate expressions of the right to self-determination.

Afzal Khan MP told The News: “Following the recent events in New Zealand and the suspension of nearly 40 members from the Tory Party over alleged Islamophobia, the need to recognise Islamophobia has never been greater. Today, the Labour Party has adopted the official definition put forward by the APPG on British Muslims. I applaud them for taking this important and positive step and sincerely hope the Conservative Party follows suit. There is no place for racism and discrimination and it must be rooted out in all its forms.

Naz Shah, the Labour MP for Bradford West and a shadow minister for women and equalities, said all political parties should adopt the definition. “This could not be more urgent, while Islamophobia has been rising in our society and across the world, and support for the far right and their extremist white supremacist views is growing,” she said. “Instead of challenging and campaigning against this hate-filled prejudice, many politicians have actively fuelled it, from the Conservatives’ overtly Islamphobic campaign against Sadiq Khan becoming mayor in 2016 to Boris Johnson’s vile comments about Muslim women. We must work together to rid our country of this evil, starting by urging widespread adoption of this definition so we can create deeper understanding and awareness at every level of our society.”

Shokat Ali, Chairman, British Muslim Friends of Labour, said: “I welcome the Labour Party’s adoption of the Islamophobia definition, which all political parties should adopt. Islamophobia has been rising in our society and across the world for a long time. We all must unite together and work to rid our country of this evil. We must urge widespread adoption of this definition so we can create deeper understanding and awareness at every level of our society.”

In April 2018, The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims initiated an inquiry into a working definition of Islamophobia as a catalyst for building a common understanding of the causes and consequences of Islamophobia.