‘Islamophobia’ revisited

In its worst manifestation, this has led to the murder of the Ahmadiyya Glaswegian shopkeeper Asad Shah in 2016,53 and the murder of a Sufi Imam in the same year, for ‘purely sectarian reasons’ according to the BBC.54 Protests outside cinemas against the ‘blasphemous’ film The Lady of Heaven, which looked at early Islamic history through a Shia prism, resulted in UK cinemas withdrawing it. [...] Former Head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), Trevor Phillips, said his nomination for the annual controversial and satirical ‘Islamophobe of the year’ award in 2017 ‘put target on [my] back’.70 It is extraordinary to ponder that Phillips was the individual who is largely responsible for the introduction of the word ‘Islamophobia’71 into the lexicon, following the publication of. [...] The document reads, ‘this addendum is intended to acknowledge the range of concerns about the definition’, and goes onto say the party ‘will keep the definition of Islamophobia under review.’84 What this ‘review’ encompasses or how often it will be conducted remains unclear, however the statement indicates a hint of doubt, and brings into question why the definition was endorsed by the Green Party. [...] In a tabled question, Leanne Wood AM asked the Deputy Minister: ‘Will the Welsh Government make a statement on the impact that the UK Government’s rejection of the definition of Islamophobia has had on community cohesion’?90 The Minister confirmed that the Welsh government was in discussion with the Scottish government, ‘with a view to adopting the definition’.91 In a response to a Freedom of Info. [...] The government confirms at least three quarters of local councils in England have adopted; the majority that have not are surprisingly reported to be Conservative-led councils, and this is consistent with the research findings.96 The antisemitism scandal in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership may be a factor in the subsequent adoption of the IHRA definition by Labour-led councils.97.