The leader and deputy leader of Britain First have been jailed for the religiously aggravated harassment of Muslims, and the group’s Facebook pages have been banned for inciting hatred. Facebook’s actions follow calls from authorities for social media firms to do more to combat hate speech.
Suspicious packages received by four Muslim MPs have been linked to the ‘Punish a Muslim day’ campaign. After the incidents were raised in Parliament, the Home Office said a definitive definition of Islamophobia was not needed as Islamophobia is already clearly recognised and effectively monitored.
The event, run by the Forum for Promoting Peace in Muslim Societies, brought together Muslim and non-Muslim delegates from around the world to discuss the global issues of countering extremism and tackling Islamophobia.
Research has shown that women are typically alienated from mosque leadership and governance in the UK. Muslim advocacy organisations have set up schemes to promote women’s involvement in mosques as a result, and International Women’s Day has prompted discussion of the ways in which women can break religious glass ceilings across all faiths.
Nick Cohen discusses how the British left-wing fail to support, and sometimes undermine, liberal progressive Muslims who are fighting inequalities endorsed by culture and religion in their community. But his argument fails to appreciate the nuances of the current debates surrounding British Muslim communities.
