Islamophobia in the UK, London Bombing - Literature review Example

? ISLAMOPHOBIA IN THE UK POST 7/7 LONDON BOMBING: AN IRRATIONAL PANIC by of School 11 October 2013 Introduction According to BBC News, explosions rocked central London on the morning of 7 July 2005, when bombs went off in different sections of the local transport system (n.d.). The assault was carried out by four suicide bombers and they left at least 52 people dead and over 770 others injured according to official sources. The attacks were carried out barely at the end of the rush hour that characterizes the city transport system during a typical morning. Of the bombs that were detonated, one went off on Piccadilly train number 331, which was plying the King’s Cross- Russell Square route. The bomb had been set up by a suicide bomber, who was later identified as 19 year old Germaine Lindsay adjacent to the rear doors of the train’s front carriage (BBC News, n.d.). At least 26 people died in the blast and another 340 were reported injured. Almost simultaneously, the second bomb was detonated minutes later on Circle line train number 204. The train was heading towards Aldgate from the Liverpool Street Station. Just like the first bomb, it had been set up within one of the train’s carriages by the bomber, who was identified as Shehzad Tanweer, a 24 year old man from Leeds (BBC News, n.d.). This attack resulted in the death of at least 7 people, while more than 171 were left nursing injuries. A third bomb was detonated on Circle train number 216 killing 6 people and leaving 163 other people injured. The bomb had been set up by a bomber identified as Mohammad Sidique Khan, a 30 year old man (BBC News, n.d.). The train had just departed for Paddington from the Edgware Road Station when the explosive went off from the second carriage of the train. The fourth of the bombs went off approximately one hour after the first three sets of explosions. Set up by a bomber identified as 18 year old Hasib Hussain, the bomb shattered a number 30 double-decker bus, which was heading towards Hackney from Marble Arch (BBC News, n.d.). It went off at the Tavistock Square- Upper Worburn place junction. This final blast left 13 people dead and over 110 others badly wounded. The attacks seemed to have been well executed and coordinated. The effects of the attacks were devastating to British citizens, but one particular group suffered a more adverse social consequence; the British Muslims. As a result of the attackers having been Muslims and having justified their actions by using teachings and principles of the religion of Islam, the entire Islamic community in the UK was seemingly victimized. The media played the characterization of Islam that the attackers alluded to against the British Muslims. This perspective served to marginalize Muslims living in Britain, as they turned into victims of not only the indiscriminate terrorist attacks in London that morning, but also the ardent sections of the media that heedlessly forced this skewed outlook of Muslim communities (Shibli, 2010). Islamophobia in the UK after the 7/7 Bombings As stated by Cole, islamophobia is a term that can be used to refer to a deplorable form of racism; usually directed towards Muslims (2011). When the term was first coined in 1991 following the Gulf War, it was accompanied by anti-Muslim racism and a spate of hate crimes towards the Islamic community in many parts of the world (Cole, 2011). Similar to other forms of racism that are not colour-coded, islamophobia is not only pegged on the skin colour of the targeted individuals. It is however based more commonly on prejudicial perspectives about symbols that seemingly represent the Islamic religion. The reference of the British Muslims after the 77/7 bombings as “the terrorists within”, is an example of this discriminatory and derogatory attitude about Muslims. Their disposition in this case is judged not by the colour of their skins, but rather the large beards and characteristic scarves that are emblems of their culture (Cole, 2011). According to Allen, islamophobia generalizes all manner of dissertations, dialect, and exploits, hence making the suggestion that they are all informed by a similar philosophy; that is, the fear of Islam both as a religion and a way of life (2011). There is however a need to make a distinction between various deliberations surrounding Islam such as: academic consultations regarding the associations between Islam and the contemporary society; discussions among the public that are centred on the concept of whether Islam as a religion acknowledges the norm of separation of the state and the church; uproars from the public that decry Islam as a retrograde religion and one that supports and encourages violence; the varieties of hate speech that one comes across on the internet in forums such as newspapers and social media; a case in point being the late Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh’s speech in which he steadily referred to Muslims as “goat fuckers” (Allen, 2011). Allen further asserts that while all these forms of speech or discourse are informed by a similar and related principle, and they contribute towards the perpetuation of each other, they cannot all be equated and regarded as analogous demonstrations of the philosophy behind islamophobia (2011). While they differ in the degree of severity, the reasoning behind the propelling of such ideas is underlined by a common factor, an irrational fear of people associated with the religion of Islam. These forms of discourse are further pushed by an illogical generalization that seems to put all Muslims under a blanket that seemingly drives the notion that they are all violent, backward or subscribe to the exact same values and ideologies, which is not the case in any culture of the world. There is glaring evidence of the growth of islamophobia in the UK following the 7/7 bombing in London, which still continues to be felt in the present day. Williams reported in early October that two male students of Islamic descent had been isolated from the rest of their school mates for close to one month, after they declined to shave off their beards for religious reasons (2013). The two students from the Mount Carmel Roman Catholic High School in Lancashire were accused of contravening the dress code of the institution. Family members of the two students alleged that the boys were being segregated from the rest of the students for up to 6 hours per day, due to their insistence on keeping the beards. It was also noted that the symbolism behind the beard was strongly ascribed to their religious beliefs and matters of their faith. This action was termed as discriminatory towards the Muslim boys. Plymouth Herald recounts the story of a Muslim woman who was verbally assaulted by a man suspected to be white and aged between 40 and 50 (2013). The woman who is also white and British is thought to have grabbed the attacker’s attention due to the fact that she was wearing a headscarf, while walking her son along the Beaumont Park area. The man who assaulted the Muslim woman allegedly told her repeatedly to return to her own country. The incident happened twice within the same week. This raised fears among the police that there were yet many more victims of this kind of assault, who did not come out in the open with their complaints, as a result of the area being within the locale of a mosque (Plymouth Herald, 2013). Owen (2012), reported on the plight of renowned British Muslim journalist Mehdi Hasan, who penned down the attacks, which he was constantly on the receiving end of. He was repeatedly being referred to as a “jihadist”, and a “terrorist” having also been labelled as a “dangerous Muslim shithead” and a “moderate cockroach” among many other insults (Owen, 2012). Those who criticised him quietly spelled out their opinion that Muslims were not entitled to having a rightful position in public life. While Hassan spoke out about this outright chauvinism and prejudice against him and the Islamic community at large, Owen further decries the silence that continues to prevail within non-Muslim quarters even among people who proclaim they are non-prejudicial and progressive (2012). Muslims have been left to single-handedly take the stand against these acts of bigotry that have been common place in Britain for a long time now. Role of the Media in the Growth of Islamophobia in the UK The media has been accused of portraying the British Muslims in a light that fuels islamophobia, after the 7/7 bombings in London. According to Harrison, the secretary general of Britain’s Muslim Council, Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari, feels that the media constantly demonises Muslims in the UK, making it seem like all of them are terrorists (2006). This exploit often results in the general public doing the same. Dr Bari suggested that the fact that the entire Muslim community was being targeted despite its diversity, a situation which he deemed might lead to the entire community becoming downcast and ultimately turning to aggression. He further asserted that this was done by casting all the light on the few extremists and turning a blind eye to the majority of British Muslims who are law abiding, leading to the formation of negative stereotypes against the entire community (Harrison, 2006). Mason also tells of a documentary aired on Channel 4 Television dubbed “Muslims under Siege” that sought to bring to light the impact of British media in propelling islamophobia in the UK (2008). The documentary revealed that in a survey conducted by the Cardiff School of Journalism, it was found out that of the articles carried in British media since the year 2000, 69 per cent were found to cast Muslims as problematic in the society. This perspective was built not only on the issue of terrorism, but also on matters of their cultural practices and beliefs. A further 26 per cent of the articles were found to spread the notion that Muslims were a source of danger to the society at large, faulting their reasoning as being illogical and regressive (Mason, 2008). According to Ahmed, there is a direct correlation between the media’s portrayal of British Muslims and the perspective that the wider British society forms about Muslims (2012). A study that was carried out that analysed the data from opinion polls revealed that with an increase in the anti-Muslim reportage and opinions across the media, there was a steady growth in the negativity against Muslims among non-Muslim British people. This is because, the constant depiction of Muslims as a bad element within the society led to a feeling that they posed a potential threat to the “English way of life”. This feeling can best be demonstrated by revelations that in 2010, an evaluation of this subject revealed that non-Muslims in the UK “felt threatened by Islam”, “believed Islam is negative for Britain”, “felt that Muslims do not engage positively in society” and “agreed that Muslims are terrorists” (Ahmed, 2012). This viewpoint is further supported by Oborne who criticizes what he terms as “the shameful islamophobia”, which he deems to be at the heart of the media in Britain (2008). This is in criticism of an article run in the Sun newspaper, where Muslims were accused of vandalising a house at Windsor. However, the problem with the story is that there was no Muslim involvement in the action and The Sun did not withdraw the declaration that a “Muslim hate mob” carried out the act of vandalism (Oborne, 2008). Role of the Government in the Growth of Islamophobia in the UK Government legislation and policies have in some instances done little to deal with the rise and spread of islamophobia in the UK. They have further fuelled fiery public debates on what constitutes islamophobia, and what rules and laws can be enforced without infringing on the rights of British Muslims to their religion, culture, and beliefs. There appears to be a disconcerting reluctance among British law makers about the creation of awareness on islamophobia, and the protection of British Muslims against this vice. According to Emerson, “a succession of opinion polls have shown many Muslims are uncomfortable with life in the UK, more so than those in mainland Europe” (2009, p.112). It can also be evidenced by the fact that as at February 2013, only 24 MPs out of a possible 650 had signed the EDM that sought to have islamophobia recorder by police forces, for a better understanding of its effects and manifestation. This is in deplorable comparison with the 90 MPS who had signed and EDM against turtle farming and 73 others who had signed an EDM seeking the protection of elephants (Moosavi, 2013). As reported by Swinford and Hope, the action by the Birmingham Metropolitan College to ban all its students studying at the institution, visitors to the institution and staff working at the institution from wearing face coverings known in the Islamic culture as Niqabs led to a huge debate among British law makers (2013). Speaking on behalf of Prime Minister David Cameron, Downing Street insisted on his support on the ban of full face coverings to support what was termed as easy identification of all individuals. The Member of Parliament for Totnes, Dr Sarah Wollaston added her voice to the debate stating that the veils were “deeply offensive” and contributed to “making women invisible” within the society; a viewpoint that was backed by Tory MPs on the backbench who voiced their support for the ban on wearing face coverings in schools (Swinford and Hope, 2013). Wollaston also insinuated that the wearing of the veil was a cultural belief that hindered the participation of women in the society (Swinford and Hope, 2013). However, the UK government is also making attempts at curbing islamophobia. As stated by Murray, the government official Baroness Sayeeda Warsi explained that the issue of combating islamophobia has become a priority to the government (2013). Warsi has been credited with spearheading the formation of a working group that is cross-government and aimed at handling the threat that is anti-Muslim hatred in the UK, due to her vigorous campaigns aimed at creating awareness on the bigotry and lack of tolerance in the society directed at Muslims (Muslim Voice, n.d.).Among the government efforts to curb the threat to the well-being of British Muslims was a drive by the government that sought to have British Muslim soldiers visit schools in different parts of the country to neutralize islamophobia, following the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby in broad daylight on a London street (Wright, 2013). The drive is meant to prevent the rise and eventual spread of “radicalization and extremism” (Geller, 2013), which may see an upsurge of hate speech and violence directed towards British Muslims, coupled with alienation and stigmatization. Effects of Islamophobia on the British Muslims The overall effect of islamophobia on British Muslims is that it makes them have a sense of disenfranchisement. They tend to feel out of place and lack a sense of belonging even in their home countries. They feel unaccepted and unwelcomed, not members of their respective societies. British Muslims are always under siege and tend to feel like an enemy of the rest of the society. This leaves most of them feeling marginalised, bitter, and estranged (Sajid, 2005). Additionally, Muslim understanding of moral and social matters is ignored or given little hearing; it is not viewed as a positive asset, but as a negative contribution to the society. While the contributions of Muslims to the society can provide a great understanding into the destabilization that leads to actions such as the 7/7 bombings, the ignorance towards their opinions creates a sense of antagonism between them and the rest of society, which is counterproductive to the achievement of trans-cultural dialogues. The elements of brotherhood and sisterhood that are central to Muslim culture instead are transformed into a sense of subjection, exasperation, and incapability at being a Muslim (Sajid, 2005). Conclusion In order to counter islamophobia, the society at large must understand the differences that cause divisions between people as a form of diversity to be appreciated, rather than used as a basis of stigmatization and victimization. Effective communication coupled with cooperation between different groups of people ensures that members of society can tolerate each other despite differences in religion, race, creed, or culture. As a result of this cooperation, the community becomes better informed. Sources of information such as the media and the government should concentrate on offering solutions to social issues, rather than promoting social stigma and emphasizing the differences between the different groups of people. This will promote better relations at both the local and global level (Zahrai, Petty, Harris, Espinoza and Collier, 2007). Bibliography Ahmed, N. M., 2012. Time to Hold the Media to Account for Islamophobia. [online]. Huffington Post. Available at: [Accessed 11 October 2013]. Allen, C., 2011. Written Submission to theRre-launched All Party Parliamentary Group on Islamophobia. [online] Institute of Applied Social Studies 195(6). Available at: [Accessed 11 October 2013]. BBC News, n.d. 7 July Bombings. [online] Available at: < http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/uk/05/london_blasts/what_happened/html/> [Accessed 11 October 2013]. Cole, M., 2011. Racism and Education in the U.K. and the U.S.: Towards a Socialist Alternative. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Emerson, M. ed., 2009. Ethno-religious Conflict in Europe: Typologies of Radicalization in Europe's Muslim Communities. Brussels: Centre for European Policy Studies. Geller, P., 2013. UK Muslim Soldiers to Visit Schools to Fight 'Islamophobia’. [online] Freedom Outpost. Available at: [Accessed 11 October 2013]. Harrison, D., 2006. Media Contributing to the Rise of Islamophobia. [online] The Telegraph. Available at: [Accessed 10 October 2013]. Mason, B., 2008. Islamophobia in the British Media. [online] World Socialist Website. Available at: [Accessed 10 October 2013]. Moosavi, L., 2013. The Liverpool View: Islamophobia in Contemporary Britain. [online] Available through University of Liverpool website at: < https://news.liv.ac.uk/2013/02/08/the-liverpool-view-islamophobia-in-contemporary-britain/> [Accessed 11 October 2013]. Murray, D., 2013. Forget ‘Islamophobia’. Let’s Tackle Islamism. [online] StandPoint. Available at Read More