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by Soeren Kern • June 8, 2019 at
5:00 am
- The long-running
dispute revolves — most recently — around an effort by the
All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims, a
cross-party formation of around two-dozen MPs in the British
Parliament, to institutionalize the definition of Islamophobia
in racial rather than religious terms.
- The proposed
definition has been opposed by many Britons, including British
Muslims, who warn that it would effectively shield Islam from
scrutiny and valid criticism.
- "We have here a
clash between two very different ways of viewing a society:
broadly individualism and collectivism.... In a collectivist
society the aim is for the rulers to determine how individuals
should behave ... those in power lay down a detailed code and
threaten punishment for non-compliance. And they do not
welcome criticism as a device for mutual learning and holding
power to account." — David Green, The Spectator.
- "We are
concerned that allegations of Islamophobia will be, indeed
already are being, used to effectively shield Islamic beliefs
and even extremists from criticism, and that formalizing this
definition will result in it being employed effectively as something
of a backdoor blasphemy law." — Open letter signed by 40
British academics, writers and public officials to Home
Secretary Sajid Javid.
During a
parliamentary debate on May 16, UK Communities Secretary James Brokenshire
(pictured) rejected the All-Party Parliamentary Group's official
definition of Islamophobia — described as a "backdoor
blasphemy law" — on the grounds that it is too vague and has
"potential consequences for freedom of speech." He said
that the definition is not in conformity with the Equality Act
2010. (Photo by Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)
Days after the British government rejected its
preferred official definition of Islamophobia, the Muslim Council
of Britain, the biggest Islamic organization in Britain, called for
the ruling Conservative Party to be officially investigated for
Islamophobia.
The dispute revolves around an effort by the
All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims, a
cross-party formation of around two-dozen MPs in the British
Parliament, to institutionalize the definition of Islamophobia in
racial rather than religious terms.
The APPG, in a November 2018 report titled,
"Islamophobia Defined," proposed the following
one-sentence definition of Islamophobia:
"Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type
of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived
Muslimness."
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