Shafaqna English- British Muslim groups welcome Labour’s shift on Islamophobia but call for action, while devolution offers hope for marginalised communities.
Muslim organisations have welcomed Labour’s change in rhetoric at this year’s party conference, but warned that concrete steps are needed to address rising Islamophobia in the UK. Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda, they said, could help strengthen Muslim communities’ sense of belonging and safety.
Speaking to The New Arab on the sidelines of the conference, Zia Salik, interim director of Islamic Relief, said Labour had been actively engaging with Muslim communities on Islamophobia.
“I think we’ve had good engagement and I think people are starting to understand the issues,” he said, adding, “but of course, until there is practical implementation we’re not going to see the change that we need to see, which is ultimately the outcomes for British Muslims.”
Salik warned that an increasingly Islamophobic political climate was deepening feelings of exclusion among British Muslims. He pointed to a recent survey of 5,000 British Muslims, commissioned in partnership with Muslim Census and the National Zakat Foundation.
Asked what was driving this sense of alienation, Salik said the survey had identified Islamophobia as the leading concern.
Sources:New Arab