Islamophobia Issues, Challenges, and Action A Report by the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia by Hugh Muir and Laura Smith, researchers Robin Richardson, ed. (Stoke on Trent, UK: Trentham Books, 2004. 92 pages.)

Abstract

This report is actually a comprehensive and highly informative two-part
report put out by the Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia,
which was established by the Runneymede Trust in the United Kingdom in
1996. In 1999, Dr. Richard Stone (vice chair of the Runneymede Trust) was
appointed chair of the commission.
The first part details the issues and challenges Muslims face in Britain,
while the second part focuses on the actions taken to deal with and combat
Islamophobia. As a report, its applicability is limited to the socioeconomic
and political conditions prevailing in Britain and, in particular, that country’s
urban areas. However, the substantial issues raised (namely, a broader
discussion of the concept of Islamophobia; the relationship of Islamophobia
to racism; and whether racism as a concept ought to include intolerance,
bias, stereotyping, and discrimination on the basis of religion) have a greater
resonance.
The backdrop to the report consists of the events of 9/11 and the growing
intolerance displayed in the media, governmental institutions, and society
at large toward Muslims, both individually and collectively. Centrally,
the report asks how a secular society like Britain can provide a safe space,
one that is free of discrimination, disrespect, and intolerance, in which
Muslims can observe and practice their faith. In addition, the authors also
ask two vitally important questions: “Why is the anti-racist movement so
reluctant to address prejudice, hate, and discrimination based on religion?”
and concomitantly: “Should Islamophobia be defined as a form of racism, in
much the same [way] that anti-Semitism clearly is, and should the full force
of race relations legislation be brought to bear to defeat it?” ...