London: A British Sikh organisation campaigning against a “flawed” definition of Islamophobia adopted by the Labour Party a few years ago being made legal has received a boost as the government admitted the proposal would not be in line with the UK’s Equality Act.
The Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) had written to Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and the government Faith Minister Lord Wajid Khan earlier this month to caution that the proposed definition would jeopardise even a factual discussion of the history of the Indian subcontinent.
Back in 2018, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims had defined Islamophobia as a “type of racism” that targets expressions of Muslimness.
“As you have mentioned, the definition proposed by the APPG is not in line with the Equality Act 2010, which defines race in terms of colour, nationality and national or ethnic origins,” reads Lords Khan’s reply to the NSO released this week.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Faith, Communities and Resettlement in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government goes on to admit that defining Islamophobia is a “complex issue” and something ministers are approaching in a “more holistic” way.
“We want to ensure that any definition comprehensively reflects multiple perspectives and implications for different communities. This government is actively considering our approach to tackling Islamophobia through a more holistic lens, and will provide further information on this in due course,” he said.
The minister concurs with NSO’s letter that freedom of speech including the freedom to discuss religion should not be impacted by any new laws to clamp down on hateful speech that is motivated by hostility towards individuals based on race or religion.
In its letter, the NSO had warned that the adoption of a “contested definition” into law would have serious implications on “free speech, not least the ability to discuss historical truths”. It also feared that “seminal moments” in Sikh history would be “censored” and considered “racist”.
“If the government chooses to incorporate this definition into law, then discussing the history of the Indian subcontinent, and the persecution of religious minorities across the world today, in countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria will be absurdly equated to ‘racism’. This would be counterproductive, cause disquiet and perversely persecute truth tellers,” the NSO noted.
Its appeal followed a question addressed to Rayner in the House of Commons about the steps being taken by the government to tackle Islamophobia, in the wake of extremist clashes and riots across UK cities last month following three schoolgirls being stabbed to death in Southport, near Liverpool.
“The recent violent disorder exposed deep weaknesses in our society and, as you have mentioned, much of the violence was rooted in anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant hatred… The government will never tolerate those who seek to sow divisions and wreak intimidation across our communities, and we remain absolutely committed to protecting the right of individuals to freely practice their religion at their chosen place of worship,” Lord Khan added in his reply to NSO.
