I have been visiting Britain almost annually for more than 40 years, and I own a home in London where my family was raised. However, during my current stay, I find it almost unrecognisable due to the significant changes that have taken place.
The most concerning of these are the rising levels of hatred, racism and the rejection of various communities, particularly Arabs and Muslims. This hostility is evident in the increase of racist and anti-Islamic acts of violence.
Regrettably, anti-Muslim sentiment in Britain has escalated to dangerous levels, transforming Islamophobia from a fringe issue to a pervasive reality within British society. Britain is increasingly becoming a challenging environment for Muslims, with society leaning towards a strict secularism reminiscent of the current situation in France.
The situation has deteriorated further, especially after the tragic killing of three girls at a children’s party in Southport, northwest England, last week. The far right exploited this incident, spreading misinformation and falsely claiming that the attacker was a Muslim to incite anti-Muslim protests. Although police confirmed that the suspect was born in Britain and that the attack was not classified as terrorism, the false claims have nonetheless deepened societal divisions.
Racism is a pervasive issue not only in Britain but across Europe, driven by various factors, including economic pressures that have led many Europeans to believe that reducing immigration would alleviate their concerns.
Racial discrimination against Muslims in the West has escalated recently, to the extent that Islamic practices like wearing the hijab and growing a beard are now often misinterpreted as symbols of terrorism and extremism, viewed as threats by much of the Western population.
Racism is not merely an irrational hatred toward a particular group; it is a deliberate ideology aimed at justifying oppression, crime, and domination against specific communities, thereby denying them their natural rights.
Islam, particularly after the September 11 attacks, has increasingly been perceived as a primary threat to the Western way of life. This perception has been further fuelled by terrorist attacks on European soil, which have propagated the notion that the enemy could be internal. Consequently, discrimination against Muslims has surged, leading to heinous acts of racism, such as the shooting of Muslims inside a mosque in Zurich in December 2016.
Over the years, numerous incidents have been fuelled by an inferior perception of Muslims, rooted in hatred and racism. Among these were the burning of a Quran by Rasmus Paludan, leader of the far-right Hard Line party, during protests near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January 2023, and the tearing up of a Quran by Edwin Wagenfeld, leader of the extremist anti-Islamic movement ‘Pegida’ in the Netherlands, in the city of The Hague.
Several European countries, including France, the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, Denmark, Norway, and Spain, have witnessed various acts of intolerance in this regard. These include the burning and tearing of Qurans, attacks on and vandalism of mosques and Islamic centres, the creation of caricatures offensive to Islam, the broadcasting of messages inciting violence against Muslims, and physical assaults on veiled women, including attempts to forcibly remove their hijab.
In my view, there are multiple approaches to addressing the increasing hatred and racism directed at Islam and Muslims in Britain and throughout Europe.
Foremost among these is the importance of accurately and thoroughly representing Islam within Western societies. This can be achieved by renewing religious discourse and disseminating it in multiple international languages across various media platforms.
Furthermore, the active participation of scholars, intellectuals and prominent Islamic figures in global summits and forums focused on interfaith and intercultural dialogue is essential. Equally important is the need for Europeans to move beyond widespread stereotypes about Muslims and refrain from attributing extremism or negative perceptions to the entire Muslim community.
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