Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing calls to abandon plans for an official UK government definition of "Islamophobia," amid concerns that it could restrict free speech and hinder whistleblowers from exposing wrongdoing.
Critics are arguing that such a definition could result in unwarranted accusations of racism against whistleblowers, particularly amid the “grooming gangs” scandal, where groups of predominantly Pakistani-heritage men were revealed to be sexually abusing mainly white children.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick voiced his opposition to the proposal, stating, “The Government should drop its plans for such a deeply flawed definition of Islamophobia.”
“Throughout the grooming gang scandal the false label of Islamophobia was used to silence people,” he added. “It appears the Government has learnt nothing and is determined to press ahead with a definition that will have a chilling effect on freedom of speech.”
According to a report by The Telegraph, sources at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said that officials are considering whether to introduce a formal definiton of the term Islamophobia. While not legally binding, organizations would be encouraged to adopt it.
The Labour Party has already endorsed the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims' definition for internal purposes. This definition has sparked controversy, particularly for a clause suggesting that referring to someone of Muslim background as a "sex groomer" might constitute Islamophobia.
Tell Mama founder Fiyza Mughal, whose group allows people to report instances of “anti-Muslim hate,” agreed that the definition of Islamophobia adopted by the Labour Party is a “smokescreen” that would “curtail free speech.”
“Any definition needs to have a number of caveats attached which protect the right of individuals to question religion, to question certain behaviours attached to cultural elements and the right to have free speech defended in relation to blasphemy,” he explained, according to The Telegraph. “Bad behaviour wherever it is, in whichever religious group, needs to be called out. This does not mean that all Muslim or all Pakistani men are bad. But when there is a concentration of issues within a certain group, we must hold the line in defence of our core values.”
