Gendered Islamophobia

Muslims in the UK face increasing levels of online, verbal, and physical abuse and discrimination. Muslim women are disproportionately likely to face such abuse and experience it in ways that are specifically gendered and often linked to their race and/or ethnic identity, as well as their perceived inability to retaliate. Such abuse and harassment occurs in everyday situations, including in shops and on public transport. It can also come from within their communities, where patriarchal networks can challenge women who seek greater autonomy, and perpetrators of abuse rely on customs and traditions to justify their behaviour. This freedom-restricting harassment, both from direct experience and the fear of experiencing it, leads to self- censorship and a withdrawal from participation in public life. It has a deeply damaging impact on individual lives and a corrosive effect on community cohesion. (Conclusion, Paragraph 35)

The role of the media and public figures should not be understated. Persistent stereotyping of Muslim women as oppressed, a symbol of extremism or just fundamentally ‘different’, has a normalising effect, increasing the risk of discrimination, harassment and abuse. It leads to false assumptions about aspirations and capabilities and prevents Muslim women and girls from being able to fully participate in society. (Conclusion, Paragraph 36)

There needs to be a cultural shift in how Muslim women are portrayed in the media and online. Inaccurate representations and false media narratives should be challenged robustly, including by press regulators and Ofcom. (Conclusion, Paragraph 37)

Media organisations should seek to include more Muslim women’s voices to provide diverse perspectives and to challenge the pervasive and harmful stereotypes that are damaging British values of tolerance and respect of those with different faiths and beliefs. Diversity off screen as well as on screen is just as important to ensure that coproduction and inclusion occurs at all levels. (Recommendation, Paragraph 38) 49 Recording and reporting

The significant underreporting of hate incidents against Muslim women is a concern, and a barrier to it being tackled. Reasons for underreporting are various but include a lack of awareness of and confidence in the process. It is essential that the Government has data that accurately reflects the true scale of abuse, including whether victims are targeted due to their faith, ethnicity, or gender or a combination of both. Improved reporting and recording will allow trends to be identified and targeted interventions to be put in place. We welcome the Government’s commitment to defining anti Muslim hatred and await the outcome of the independent review. We would hope to see a true reflection of the intersectional needs of Muslim women to ensure that reporting, recording and trust in institutions is improved. (Conclusion, Paragraph 55)

The Government should take steps to ensure that police officers are appropriately trained on how to recognise, record, and respond effectively to hate crimes perpetrated against Muslim women. The Government should work with the police to ensure that both the police and victims of hate crime know that they can express their own perception as to what has motivated a hate crime, and that hate crimes can be recorded as motivated by more than one protected characteristic. The Crown Prosecution Service should track intersectional factors in hate crime prosecution and develop specific guidance on gendered anti-Muslim hate offences. (Recommendation, Paragraph 56)

The Government should collect and publish data on the religion, ethnicity and sex of victims of both religiously and racially aggravated hate crimes to help policymakers understand the extent of anti-Muslim hate crimes and the role gender plays in such offences. The Government should work with police to improve rates of data collection on ethnicity. (Recommendation, Paragraph 57)

We welcome the Government’s introduction of a new fund to support a third-party reporting mechanism for victims of anti-Muslim hatred. Such mechanisms can play a vital role in enabling individuals to report hate crimes, particularly in cases where mistrust of the police or other frontline services may discourage direct reporting. It is essential that these mechanisms are inclusive and accessible to all segments of the Muslim community, ensuring that no group is left behind. (Conclusion, Paragraph 58)

Given reforms to the provision of local services, including the proposed abolition of police and crime commissioners, we recommend regional mayors take a lead role in working with community organisations to raise awareness of the reporting service, to build trust in its effectiveness, to 50 ensure that the service reaches all Muslim communities in their areas and to work with local police in developing appropriate responses to spikes in reporting. The reporting service should collect data that can be disaggregated by religion, gender and visibility markers such as whether the victim was wearing a hijab. (Recommendation, Paragraph 59)

Implementing the recommendations set out in the Law Commission’s Hate Crime Laws: Final Report could improve the ability of the police and Crown Prosecution Service to tackle hate crime, including intersectional hate crime. Such reforms would also signal support to communities affected by intersectional hate crime and encourage broader initiatives to combat it. It is therefore disappointing that, despite the Law Commission’s report being published in 2021, its recommendations have not yet been adopted. While the current Government made a commitment to review the recommendations in November 2024, a year later there has been no further update. (Conclusion, Paragraph 67)

The Government should implement the Law Commission’s recommendations on improving hate crime legislation in the next Session of this Parliament. (Recommendation, Paragraph 68) Discrimination in public life

Muslim women face barriers in accessing employment, recruitment and career progression and face microaggressions and discrimination in the workplace. While it would be wrong to suggest that discrimination is the sole explanation, its prevalence needs to be addressed. (Conclusion, Paragraph 81)

We welcome the Government’s commitment to introducing section 14 of the Equality Act 2010 and the protection it will offer to groups with two protected characteristics. Given that Muslim women may be discriminated against on the basis of their sex, ethnicity and religion, we recommend the Government consider the merits of expanding the scope of section 14 of the Equality Act to include more than two characteristics. (Recommendation, Paragraph 82

To tackle discrimination at point of recruitment and progression, the Government should encourage employers to use name-blind job applications to allow candidates to be shortlisted on the basis of merit. (Recommendation, Paragraph 83)

Visible and relatable role models can be a valuable source of inspiration and provide demonstrable evidence that a career choice is accessible yet in many cases such role models are lacking for Muslim women. The Government and major employers should do more to highlight the 51 achievements of Muslim women in key industries to help encourage more Muslim women into employment, an outcome which would benefit both the economy and society. (Recommendation, Paragraph 84)

There remains a lack of up-to-date data on income and employment related to Muslims and other religious groups. Current data based on ethnicity only offers a partial insight into current trends. It is disappointing that this data gap has not been addressed since our predecessor’s report in 2016, which highlighted that a lack of such data hinders policy efficacy in addressing inequality. (Conclusion, Paragraph 85)

The Government should provide the key statistics on income and employment by religious affiliation and gender as well as by ethnic group in order that ongoing intersectional inequalities can be fully understood and addressed. This includes the statistics provided through the Labour Force Survey by the Office for National Statistics. (Recommendation, Paragraph 86) Healthcare

It is deeply saddening that Muslim women working in frontline services such as healthcare settings are having to endure anti-Muslim abuse while performing their duties in helping others. Reports of a lack of support from colleagues and employers are also troubling. Anti-Muslim discrimination, harassment and abuse can have lasting mental health impacts. Yet Muslims can face barriers in accessing mental health services, and with those services often not being equipped to meet their needs. (Conclusion, Paragraph 94

In light of increases in anti-Muslim hate in society, the NHS should review the support available to its Muslim staff and ensure that staff feel protected and able to report abusive and discriminatory behaviours in the knowledge that the necessary action will be taken. (Recommendation, Paragraph 95)

Tackling disparities in women’s healthcare is a key focus of the Women’s Health Strategy. The Government is due to refresh the strategy in the coming months. The Government should ensure that addressing poor outcomes faced by Muslim women, including in the provision of mental health support and pain relief for women, is included in that work. (Recommendation, Paragraph 96)

The Government should set out steps to ensure that the NHS can provide religiously and culturally competent, trauma-informed, and accessible therapy for those in need, including Muslim communities. 52 The Government should also fund local support services tailored to the needs of Muslim communities, particularly those of Muslim women. (Recommendation, Paragraph 97) Tackling anti-Muslim hatred

It is disappointing that the Government has not updated the hate crime action plan, which expired in 2020. The lack of an action plan is a missed opportunity to provide a coherent, cross-departmental strategy on tackling intersectional hate crime. (Conclusion, Paragraph 101)

The Government should publish a new hate crime action plan with a dedicated focus on tackling the intersectional abuse of Muslim women. This plan should include mechanisms on how to increase reporting and guidance on how public services should respond to intersectional abuse, including abuse directed at Muslim women. Affected minority groups, especially those who experience intersectional abuse, including Muslim women, should be consulted on the development of the updated plan. The plan will need to ensure that support mechanisms do not inadvertently reinforce stereotypes about what it means to be a Muslim woman. (Recommendation, Paragraph 102)

The Government should use work around the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy to raise awareness of the abuse of Muslim women in this country. It should complement an updated hate crime action plan. (Recommendation, Paragraph 103)

At present people can stir up religious hatred online in the knowledge that their comments are unlikely to be removed and, except in the most extreme cases, are unlikely to face any consequences for their actions. While some individuals have been prosecuted for posting hate speech, the platforms that facilitate it have faced no consequences, if anything they are likely to have benefitted through increased traffic and advertising revenue generation. This report focuses on anti-Muslim hate but the same arguments can be made for racism, misogyny and anti-semitism. The Government and Ofcom must take a far more robust approach to the regulation of online spaces. (Conclusion, Paragraph 107)

The Government should review whether the existing legislative framework, including the Online Safety Act, is fit for purpose in tackling hateful extremism. The review should specifically consider whether further regulation is required to tackle the posting of and promotion of hateful content, including increased transparency in the use of algorithms and AI and on advertising revenue generation, and potential need for stronger financial penalties to better encourage compliance. The review should also consider whether the existing framework of 53 self-regulation for the mainstream media is adequate in preventing anti-Muslim hate online, including in comments sections to articles. (Recommendation, Paragraph 108)

We welcome Ofcom’s investigation into the adequacy of social media companies’ actions in the removal of hateful content and potential strengthening of the Code of Practice. This work is urgent, yet only one company will be investigated over the next four months and we lack confidence that there will be any significant consequences if failings are found. (Conclusion, Paragraph 109)

In response to the increasing problem of online hate, the Government should review whether Ofcom has the resources and powers it needs to enforce the Online Safety Act effectively. (Recommendation, Paragraph 110)

Schools have a vital role in tackling anti-Muslim abuse. First, through education on Muslim culture and heritage and the positive role Muslim communities have played in shaping the multicultural Britain that exists today, and providing challenge to distorted narratives of Muslimness portrayed on social media, and in parts of mainstream media and politics. Secondly, by fostering social cohesion and creating an inclusive environment where Muslim students feel safe, where they know that anti- Muslim behaviour will be called out and addressed and experiences of harassment can be reported in the knowledge that action will be taken. The high level of anti-Muslim abuse reported to Tell Mama that takes place in educational settings suggests there is still much work to be done. (Conclusion, Paragraph 113)

The Government should ensure that schools have clear policies in place for tackling anti-Muslim hate. This needs to include specific training for teachers on the ways in which gendered Islamophobia manifests in society to ensure that teachers are equipped to provide an inclusive environment for Muslim students and are able to recognise and address anti-Muslim discrimination and abuse. (Recommendation, Paragraph 114) Community programmes

Community programmes such as Muslim Girls Fence are an important means of increasing Muslim women and girls’ participation in social and physical activity and supporting mental health. They allow Muslim women to be their authentic selves without fear of judgement, censorship or harassment. (Conclusion, Paragraph 117)

The Government should increase its support for community-led grassroots initiatives aimed at supporting Muslim women and girls to participate in social activity. (Recommendation, Paragraph 118) 54