National Islamophobia Awareness Month 2014

EDM number 473 in 2014-15, proposed by Greg Mulholland on 05/11/2014.
Categorised under the topics of Crime, Religion and faith communities and Religious discrimination.

That this House expresses its full support for National Islamophobia Awareness Month in November 2014; is deeply concerned at October 2014 figures from the Metropolitan Police that anti-Muslim hate crime had risen 65 per cent in the previous 12 months; notes that these are only figures for London and is concerned at the wider possible picture around the country; further notes Teesside University's research published in June 2014 that the majority of victims tend to be women; stands with the British Muslim community in total opposition to such attacks, particularly from extremist individuals and far-right groups; commends the work of the Tell MAMA project run by the Faith Matters charity to monitor anti-Muslim hatred; further notes recent comments from the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, that we are seeing an upsurge in racist, anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic comments; strongly condemns all such comments and acts, whether occurring online or physically; warns against demonisation of minority communities that may perpetrate such attitudes, such as sweeping generalisations of an incredibly diverse community or assigning collective blame because of the actions of some individuals; strongly commends grassroots organisations, mosques, scholars and university Islamic societies positively engaging and empowering young British Muslims; urges better monitoring of religiously aggravated hate crime with only 24 out of 43 police forces in England and Wales currently doing this; and calls for strengthening the cross-government Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group and supporting the Muslim Council of Britain in its work as the democratic voice of the 2.8 million-strong British Muslim community.

This motion has been signed by a total of 32 MPs.