Labour MSP Sets Out Plan To Tackle Racism And Islamophobia: Jeremy Corbyn Attacks Islamophobia

18 February 2018

EsinIslam And Agencies

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar has written to the First Minister outlining a series of proposals to tackle "everyday racism and Islamophobia" across Scotland.

Mr Sarwar wants the Scottish Government to take action on black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) representation in the public sector workforce.

He also called for a review of the legal framework surrounding racist and Islamophobic abuse on social media.

The MSP spoke out last month about being subjected to racist comments during the Scottish Labour leadership contest.

He recently launched the Cross Party Group (CPG) on Tackling Islamophobia, supported by MSPs from every political party and over 50 organisations.

In his letter to Nicola Sturgeon, Mr Sarwar said his proposals were about "challenging a culture that impacts on workplaces, colleges, university campuses and playgrounds across the country".

He called on the government to put in place a requirement for at least one BAME candidate - where at least one has applied - to be shortlisted for an interview for a public sector job.

His proposals also include a regular audit of the diversity of Scotland's workforce, the ability for public sector workers to report abuse anonymously, and a programme of equality and diversity training to be rolled out across the public sector.

On social media, he called for a review "to ensure that the correct legal framework exists for the police to take action and that the appropriate legal framework is then enforced appropriately and correctly".

Police Scotland should also establish a formal relationship with the organisation Tell MAMA, which works on tackling anti-Muslim hatred, he said.

Mr Sarwar, one of only four BAME MSPs to have ever sat at Holyrood, said: "I want to repeat what I have said in every conversation, in every piece of communication, and in every media comment - this isn't about one individual or one party or organisation.

"It's about challenging a culture that impacts on workplaces, colleges, university campuses and playgrounds across the country.

"What I have set out are steps that I believe the Scottish Government should take to challenge the consequences of everyday racism and Islamophobia.

"This would demonstrate to the public how seriously we - as a Parliament and a country - take this issue and help us to tackle this culture head-on."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "As stated in Parliament, the First Minister is committed to working constructively with the proposed cross-party group on tackling Islamophobia.

"We will consider the points raised by Mr Sarwar when we receive the letter and reply to him in due course.

"Everyday racism, Islamophobia or any form of prejudice and bigotry is completely unacceptable, and it is wrong for MSPs, or anyone in our society, to be the subject or victim of it.

"We are resolved to do everything that it takes to ensure that Scotland is a place where there is zero tolerance of racism in any form."

Jeremy Corbyn attacks Islamophobia during mosque visit

Labour leader highlights Islamophobia as 'real problem in our society' during open day

Muslim women are facing routine racist abuse on the streets of the UK, Jeremy Corbyn has said while visiting mosques participating in a nationwide open day to build bridges across communities.

"Islamophobia is a real problem in our society, as is other forms of racism like antisemitism and racism against people of Afro-Caribbean heritage," the Labour leader said at the Finsbury Park mosque in north London.

"I've held meetings with Muslim women who have told me horrific stories of routine racist abuse on our streets. If women are abused because they are wearing a headscarf, then it is a wrong against them and it is a wrong against all of us."

Finsbury Park mosque was among more than 200 Muslim places of worship to take part in Visit My Mosque day, organised by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). From Inverness to Cornwall, mosques invited people of other faiths and no faith to witness prayers, ask questions, read the Qur'an, take part in hijab and henna demonstrations and eat traditional food in an effort to debunk myths about Islam.

For the Finsbury Park mosque and nearby Muslim Welfare Centre, it was the first set-piece open day since a terror attack last June, in which Darren Osborne drove his van into a group of people leaving prayers, killing one person and injuring 12 others. Osborne was jailed for a minimum of 43 years earlier this month for the attack, which the judge said was motivated by an "ideology of hate towards Muslims".

Mohammed Mahmoud, the imam of the Muslim Welfare Centre who was hailed as a hero after the attack for urging people in the crowd not to harm Osborne and delivering him to the police, said the attack "realised people's fears and left the community in shock".

Mahmoud, who gave evidence at Osborne's trial, said "any person would have done what I did. The effect [of the attack] on me is irrelevant compared to the victims and the bereaved."

He added: "The rise of extremist rightwing groups is a very serious threat not just to Muslims but to all minorities, and in fact to all Britons, and to the interwoven fabric that holds this country together. The way to combat this is to have open and frank dialogue; barring and banning can only breed further hate and division."

Although the Muslim Welfare Centre had been holding open days for more than 30 years, the coordinated nationwide initiative was important because "most people have a negative perception of what a mosque is without ever going inside one", he said.

Research recently conducted on behalf of the MCB found that 90% of Britons have never visited a mosque, and one in four said they did not know any Muslims. Almost three-quarters have never been into another faith's place of worship.

"This is not good for social cohesion. In a time of increasing intolerance and rising misunderstanding of faith communities, we should all be opening our doors to others," said Harun Khan, the secretary general of the MCB.

Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary and a north London MP, held a private meeting on Sunday with women from the Finsbury Park mosque to discuss their concerns about rising abuse and attacks. "Muslim women are particularly vulnerable," she said.

Fatima, a volunteer at the mosque who declined to give her full name, said it was a "scary time" for Muslim women.

"Politicians talk about the lack of integration, but women are frightened to leave their homes. Many women feel marginalised and judged, and ostracised because of their faith," she said.

Visitors to the mosque - once associated with the radical cleric Abu Hamza but now a model of community relations - were given red roses, copies of the Qur'an and headscarves as gifts.

For David, 72, who described himself as an atheist, it was his first time inside a mosque. "I wanted to educate myself. It has changed my views. I thought none of them wanted to integrate, but they're not like that at all. And the food is good."

 

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