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For me, the recent civil unrest on our streets targeting Muslims and lawyers ignited far more than anger - it reignited the emotions felt during the racism I suffered in my childhood. Over the past weeks I have felt my stomach turn when leaving my home, the mosque, and the council buildings. I have felt confused, isolated, and scared. The wearing of the headscarf (hijab) makes me a walking target. I feel terrorised. Hate and discrimination is real. Islamophobia is real.
So, practically, what can be done?
“Everyone is equal, but some are more equal than others”- Islamophobia is a term not officially defined by law or policy. Whilst Islam is protected as a religion, Muslims are not defined as a race and are therefore not covered by protections against racial discrimination in the Equality Act 2010. The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) said in 2019 that “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”.
In the short term, those of us working in local authorities need to ensure representation and challenge our biases- encouraging safe spaces and open conversations for employees. As local authorities, we can lead the way on creating safe workplaces and showing empathy towards those who may, like me, be unsettled because of recent events. I thank all those who have reached out to ask if I am ok.
There has been some debate about whether the public sector should adopt the APPG definition of Islamophobia as policy in the way the Labour Party did at the time. The public sector equality duty relies on the provisions of the Equality Act and therefore does not include racial discrimination against Muslims. A right cannot be protected without a universal definition.
Long term, the government may in due course consider an amendment to the Equality Act to tackle the rise of racism.
Hate is born out of ignorance – I was brought up to never hate the haters and that moral values and education would always shine brighter. I remain proud to be British.
As lawyers together, let’s continue to uphold justice and fairness for all.
Aneeka Muneer Sarwar
LLG President
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