United Kingdom
UK teacher’s union votes to challenge Ofsted’s stance on banning hijabs in schools
A motion at the National Education Union’s annual conference has said that Ofsted’s stance on banning hijabs in schools risks community cohesion, with delegates commenting its ‘muscular liberalism’ is Islamophobic and racist.
Communities rally in support of Muslim community on ‘Punish a Muslim Day’, but some warn this is not enough
Events were held in cities around the UK to express solidarity with the Muslim community on ‘Punish a Muslim Day’. However, given the institutional and structural nature of Islamophobia, it has been warned one day of support is not enough.
‘Love a Muslim Day’ campaign goes viral after ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ letters, but its impact is criticised for perpetuating cycle of intolerance towards Muslims
The ‘Love a Muslim Day’ campaign encourages people to do nice things for Muslims and people in need, and has received mass support on social media. However, the reality of this supposed positive impact has been questioned and dismissed as complicit in a cycle which perpetuates intolerance towards Muslims in Western society.
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) urges U.S. Muslim community to increase security measures following ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ campaign in UK
While the ‘Punish a Muslim Day’ campaign appears to exclusively target British Muslims, CAIR has received concerns from American Muslims who wonder whether their families and communities might be similarly targeted, part of a trend of growing anxiety in the U.S. Muslim community about Islamophobia. CAIR has urged the community to increase security measures in response.
Report finds some individuals have been referred to Prevent by National Health Service staff for watching Arabic TV or going on pilgrimage to Mecca
The report, entitled ‘Counter-terrorism in the NHS’, found that a number of NHS staff are unaware of how to implement the Prevent initiative, corresponding with findings by the BMJ, and adds to already well-established concerns about the counter-terrorism programme.