UK Working Group issues call for evidence in Islamophobia definition review

London: A Working Group on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, launched earlier this year by UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and tasked with delivering a definition of anti-Muslim hatred, referred to as Islamophobia, has issued a public call for evidence.

The online consultation, opened this week and running until July 20, follows widespread concerns over the impact of such a definition on free speech.

The Working Group set up by Rayner’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) says it wants to hear from a “range of organisations and individuals relevant to its work”.

The Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) UK, Free Speech Union and National Secular Society are among those to have warned of serious implications on free speech of a such non-statutory definition.

“We are absolutely committed to defending freedom of speech, and any proposed definition must be compatible with the right to freedom of speech and expression,” a MCHLG spokesperson said.

“The independent working group has been engaging extensively with a wide range of communities and will provide independent, evidence-based advice to ministers,” the spokesperson said.

The independent Working Group, chaired by former attorney-general Dominic Grieve, is said to be in response to the concerning rise in anti-Muslim hate crime, which has reached record levels, the government said.

According to the most recent official statistics quoted, two in five police-recorded religious hate crimes were directed at Muslims, highlighting the “urgent need for a clear and robust framework to address this form of hatred”.

However, groups such as NSO UK believe that such a move is counter-productive to community cohesion.

A collective open letter issued earlier this week cautions: “At a time of rising tensions, deepening mistrust, and urgent social challenges, this move risks fuelling division rather than fostering social cohesion.

“We strongly oppose racism and discrimination in all their forms. We also recognise the many benefits of living in a multiethnic and multifaith society. But adopting an official definition of ‘Islamophobia’ will do little to tackle prejudice and much to exacerbate problems by encouraging censorship, identity-based grievance, and the policing of speech.” Earlier, British Hindu groups had also raised concerns over plans for such a focus on Islamophobia that would not be “comprehensive and inclusive”.

“The selective focus on protecting one religious group over others disregards the historical injustices, threats, and discrimination faced by Hindus and other communities,” said Dipen Rajyaguru, Director of Diversity & Equality at the Hindu Council UK.

Community organisation INSIGHT UK had called on the government to “formulate a better and inclusive plan to combat all religious hate including anti-Hindu hate”.

Back in 2019, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims had proposed a definition of Islamophobia but the then Conservative Party government had shelved it for further consideration over a lack of agreement.

Goan-origin Opposition Tory MP Claire Coutinho is among those accusing the Labour Party government of going about the exercise in the wrong way and trying to do it “behind closed doors”.

“They had a group of experts who weren’t neutral, who had a very radical view on how they should do this definition,” she said, highlighting the July 20 deadline for the online consultation to “keep championing to make sure that those views are made public”.