Parliamentarians from various political parties, including the ruling Conservatives, have harshly criticised the government for failing to address rising anti-Muslim hatred and ways to tackle such crimes.
In the opening of a parliamentary debate on Thursday, Labour MP Naz Shah said several members of parliament have repeatedly requested a debate on the issue for the past several years, but the calls “have fallen on deaf ears” by the government.
“I assure all those listening to this debate who might not really understand the issue that when Muslim communities speak up on the issue of Islamophobia, we are not looking for preferential treatment. In fact, quite the opposite. We are asking for equal treatment, free of discrimination, injustice and hatred,” Shah stressed.
During the debate, the government was represented by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Felicity Buchan, who insisted that “this government will always stand up for British Muslims.”
“British Muslims are an integral part of our proudly plural, multi-faith (and) multi-ethnic United Kingdom. We have said loud and clear that anti-Muslim hatred has no place in British society, and we will not allow the scourge of religious hatred to manifest itself in any shape or form,” Buchan said.
Shah and some other lawmakers say the government is not treating the communities in an equal and fair manner.
“If, at a time when antisemitism is on a sharp rise, the chancellor can rightfully announce an extra £7 million (about $8.8 million) of funding in the autumn statement to tackle it, why, at a time when Islamophobia is also rising, did he refuse to announce a single penny of extra support for British Muslim communities in the same statement?
“If the government can have a working independent adviser on antisemitism, why, three and a half years after the announcement of an independent adviser on Islamophobia, have they been unable to appoint one or to take the role forward?” he questioned.
The Labour MP later attempted to simplify her point with an analogy.
