PNN – Under the pretext of redefining Islamophobia and confronting discrimination against the Muslim community, the British government has proposed the formation of a council, which observers consider to be merely a political maneuver to curb criticism and an attempt to manage public opinion.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the Daily Telegraph wrote in a report that English Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is going to establish a special council to redefine the concept of Islamophobia. This council will officially seek to determine the border between “freedom of expression” and “discrimination against Muslims”.
The declared goal of this plan is to fight Islamophobia in the society and create an official definition for it. But critics say that this move is actually an attempt to calm the atmosphere of public opinion, without offering practical solutions to the real problems of Muslims.
In recent years, England has faced a significant increase in crimes related to Islamophobia. According to the report of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, verbal and physical attacks against Muslims in this country have greatly increased and Islamophobia has reached the stage of hatred of Muslims.
Read more:
A report published last year found that more than half of British Muslims face discrimination at work or in their daily lives. Meanwhile, anti-Islamic groups, especially in cyberspace, have played a prominent role in promoting hatred against Muslims.
Critics say that the new plan of the British government is more of a political maneuver. According to Iman Shafiq, director of one of the human rights organizations in London, this action is only a show to attract the opinion of the Muslim community and will not have an effect on reducing real discrimination. He told: The government has so far failed to provide effective solutions to deal with Islamophobia, and this plan will probably have a similar fate.
According to reports, the members of the new council that the British government will form to redefine Islamophobia will include politicians, academics and experts who have different approaches to this problem. This is while the criticisms regarding the presence of some controversial figures in this council, including those who have been known to express anti-Islamic opinions, have raised concerns.
From this point of view, although the plan of the British government seems to be a positive action, it is accompanied by many ambiguities and doubts. It is still not clear on what criteria the decisions of this council will be made and whether it will benefit the Muslim community or not.
Critics say that this plan is more of a political maneuver than a real measure to deal with discrimination against Muslims. In a situation where the number of Islamophobia in England is still increasing, they believe that the government should reduce discrimination and promote social coexistence with practical and real measures, rather than using this issue as a tool to gain public support.
According to Muslim experts in the UK, effectively dealing with Islamophobia is not only for the benefit of the Muslim community, but also necessary for the whole of British society because hatred, in any form, weakens the foundations of national solidarity and creates an atmosphere of mistrust and violence in society.