Muslim organisations across the UK are calling on political party leaders to adopt the definition of Islamophobia, published earlier this week. Councils of mosques representing 100s of mosques from across the UK, national Muslim organisations, Muslim professional networks, the largest Muslim charities and other Muslim organisations – from secular to religious – have co-signed open letters to all political party leaders urging them to adopt the APPG definition of Islamophobia.
The letter states: “For our communities, it was vital that the definition encapsulated the racialised reality of Islamophobia and its many manifestations over and above mere anti-Muslim hatred. In addition, we believed it was important that the definition provided space for criticism of Islam that did not use the language of racism to target expressions of Muslimness. This definition protects these important principles.”
Harun Khan, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, which helped facilitate the joint call and support of the definition said: “Muslim organisations from different parts of the country and different backgrounds have come together to make a resounding call on our political leaders to adopt this definition. We hope that they all understand the importance of listening to communities, and look forward to their positive response.”
This call comes after over 70 academics publicly endorsed the definition proposed by the APPG at their launch on Tuesday, including some of the most senior respected scholars in the field.
Source: MCB
