Asked by
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of
the drivers of hate crime against Muslims in Britain, and what
steps they are taking to challenge anti-Muslim prejudice and
anti-Muslim hate crime.
(CB)
In begging leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the
Order Paper, I draw attention to my interests set out in the
register.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Housing,
Communities and Local Government ( of Burnley) (Lab)
My Lords, we are absolutely committed to tackling Islamophobia.
Our Government are only 10 weeks old, but in this time, I have
crossed the country from Southport to Sunderland to Camden to
hear directly from communities, with more meetings planned. I am
deeply saddened by recent horrific scenes and hateful attacks
against Muslims, causing unacceptable fear. We are refreshing our
strategic approach to tackling all forms of hatred, including
Islamophobia, and we will update the House shortly.
(CB)
My Lords, I am publishing a report today called Anti-Muslim Hate:
Concerns and Experiences. I have sent a draft of it to the
Minister and will send a final copy today. Will the Government
formally respond to my report? Key findings included 80% of
Muslims who experienced hate crimes not reporting them and 73%
being very worried about their safety after the riots. What
action will the Government take to increase reporting and improve
the safety of Muslim communities—not just of mosques but of
Muslims walking down the road and Muslims online using social
media?
of Burnley (Lab)
My Lords, the noble Baroness has raised some important questions
regarding hate crimes against Muslims in our country. I am
particularly thankful to her for all the important work she has
done, including leading the Muslim Women's Network UK and
advocating for Muslim communities, and women especially, at the
highest levels. I look forward to meeting her tomorrow.
Anti-Muslim hatred is abhorrent and has no place in our society.
We will continue to take swift action to address anti-Muslim
hatred, and this includes safeguarding Muslim women. MHCLG is
reviewing Dame Sara Khan's advice, and we will provide updates on
social cohesion work in due course.
(Con)
My Lords, you cannot genuinely tackle what you dare not define
and detail. In opposition, Labour adopted the All-Party
Parliamentary Group on British Muslims' definition of
Islamophobia, as did most other political parties, including the
Conservative Party in Scotland. Can the Minister update the House
on whether the Labour Party intends to follow through on that
work now that it is in government, and what work, if any, has
started?
of Burnley (Lab)
I first acknowledge the work that the noble Baroness has done in
this area; in particular, a comprehensive piece of work done by
the APPG on the definition of Islamophobia. A new definition must
be given careful consideration so that it comprehensively
reflects multiple perspectives and considers the potential
implications for different communities. We understand the
strength of feeling on this issue and want to make sure that any
definition comprehensively reflects multiple perspectives. We are
actively engaging and considering our approach to Islamophobia,
including definitions, and we will provide further updates in due
course. I look forward to working and engaging with the noble
Baroness and the APPG.
(LD)
My Lords, the previous Government established the
cross-departmental Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group, of which
little was known about its membership and work. I found out about
it quite by accident a few months ago. Do this Government plan to
re-establish this working group, and will the Minister meet
Muslim Members of this House and another place, and others if
necessary, to consult on its membership and work?
of Burnley (Lab)
I reassure the noble Baroness that I am happy to meet any noble
Lord, in particular about any concerns about religious hatred of
all kinds. In relation to our approach on the definition of
Islamophobia, as I just answered, we will come forward and update
the House and discuss the actions we will take to tackle the
problem of Islamophobia in our country.
The Lord
My Lords, some of the most valuable and effective work that is
being done to improve community relations, and so to counter
religious hate crime and prejudice, is at a local and grass-roots
level; for example, in Walsall we have community iftars,
church-mosque twinnings, multifaith drama groups, and so on. Can
the Minister tell us what the Government are providing in funding
and support for local initiatives and groups of that kind?
of Burnley (Lab)
First, I express my gratitude to the right reverend Prelate for
his question. He makes the point that faith groups play a huge
role in working to promote community cohesion and attacking the
problems that we face in society. Moving forward, we are looking
at having an approach that best supports communities. A lot of
work is now being led by the Deputy Prime Minister; in the next
few days we will see some measures that will take not just a
national but a cross-governmental approach to social cohesion. I
reassure the right reverend Prelate that we are looking at these
challenges at the moment.
(CB)
My Lords, there are no comparative statistics to show that
Muslims suffer more from irrational prejudice than, say, any
member of the Hindu, Sikh or Buddhist faiths. To borrow from
Shakespeare, if a member of those other faiths is cut, do they
not bleed? Will the Minister confirm that the Government will be
even-handed in looking at the needs and concerns of all religions
and those of no faith?
of Burnley (Lab)
I say in response to the noble Lord's important points that all
forms of racial and religious discrimination are completely
unacceptable and have no place in our communities. This
Government will explore a more integrated and cohesive approach
to tackling it. We are committed to protecting the right of
individuals to freely practise their religion and we will not
tolerate religious hatred in any form towards any religion.
(Con)
My Lords, the previous Government committed to spending over £117
million to protect mosques and Muslim schools and community
centres in the UK from anti-Muslim hate attacks over the next
four years. In the light of the unrest we saw this summer, what
discussions has the Minister had with his ministerial colleagues
to ensure that this money is being spent effectively to protect
Muslim communities? In the light of the summer disruption, what
further steps will the Government take to tackle anti-Muslim hate
in the United Kingdom?
of Burnley (Lab)
My Lords, the noble Baroness makes an important point. On the
latter question, the Home Office has announced a rapid response
force—work which involves more security to help support mosques
that are facing direct public and violent disorder against them.
I have visited quite a few mosques and had discussions with
communities. In relation to our £29.4 million pledge to support
mosques, a lot of mosques are taking up these schemes. Their
continuation is important, as it is to tackle any form of
religious hatred we see, including anti-Semitism. Where there are
high levels of religious hate crime, there is existing government
funding to support institutions to protect themselves.
(Lab)
My Lords, does my noble friend agree that the review of the
national curriculum that the Government are planning provides the
opportunity to ensure that schools are places where all ignorance
and prejudice-based behaviour are challenged, and where
anti-racism—in this case, islamophobia—is actively taught, to try
to stop these attitudes developing in our young people?
of Burnley (Lab)
My noble friend makes an important point in recognising that
school has a huge role to play in raising awareness and tackling
discrimination. At a very early age, young people can understand
our British values. I visited Middlesbrough, and that was what
the community was telling me. We should be looking at this more
closely, looking at the national curriculum. That is a discussion
to be had with the community and the Department for Education. We
will take that forward and pass it to the relevant
department.
(Con)
My Lords, in thanking the Minister for sharing his answers,
perhaps I might make a suggestion. My noble friend on the Front
Bench has already articulated the issue of funding. There is
existing architecture from the previous Government—the
Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group. Also, it was the Conservative
Government led by my noble friend that made anti-Muslim hatred a
specific hate crime. There is also an issue of
underreporting.
I hope that the Minister agrees that we must focus on reporting
these crimes and make that issue of education prevalent in the
communities. Linked with that, we must accentuate the positive.
Muslims make an incredible contribution across the piece in the
United Kingdom, even in areas such as cricket, which may be the
litmus test. I recall a particular ministry official saying to me
that when he gets up in the morning, he hears Mishal Husain on
the radio, travels on an Underground run and overseen by , then reports to a Minister
called Tariq Ahmad. Let us accentuate the positive of Islam and
Muslims in Britain alongside what we do in tackling anti-Muslim
hatred.
of Burnley (Lab)
I do not have anything to respond to that with. It was a
fantastic point. I pay tribute to the work that the noble Lord
did as Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief. His points
were very clearly made, and I will take them forward. I
appreciate his comments.
