SCOTS’ RACE HATE SHAME
Shock Holyrood report reveals four out of five Muslims experience Islamophobia in Scotland
SCOTLAND is blighted by Islamophobia – with four out of five Muslims having experienced race-hate incidents. Most Muslims also believe the problem is getting worse, according to a nationwide probe led by Labour MSP Anas Sarwar. The shocking “state of the nation” inquiry found a third of Muslims believe Islamophobia is an “everyday” issue in their lives. The investigation found racist prejudice is rife in workplaces, schools and on the streets, with some Muslims withdrawing from public services and changing their looks to avoid hate crimes. One Muslim spoke of having a milkshake spat at them, while a man shaved off his beard to make him look less religious.
Sarwar said: “We have already established that Scotland is not immune from Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred and now we know just how widespread it is.” Holyrood’s cross-party group (CPG) on tackling Islamophobia was set up in the wake of rising levels of racism against Muslims. The CPG, working with Newcastle University, launched an inquiry in June that mapped out the extent of Islamophobia in Scotland.
Nearly 500 submissions were made, the overwhelming majority of which came from Muslims.
Key findings include 35.5 per cent of Muslim respondents saying Islamophobia is an everyday issue and 41.3 per cent saying it is a “regular” issue.
Nearly 80 per cent of those who took part said this form of racism is getting worse in Scotland, with 83.4 per cent saying they had experienced Islamophobia.
Three-quarters of Muslim participants reported being verbally abused, with 36.6 per cent saying they had been abused at work.
More than 90 per cent of Muslim respondents said they feared experiencing Islamophobia, while 60.5 per cent said they had altered their behaviour as a result of prejudice.
The findings also provide a wake-up call to the right-wing media – 93.9 per cent of Muslims said they believed newspapers increase Islamophobia.
But it’s the individual testimonies that put a human face on the statistics.
Some
women spoke of their fear of having their hijab pulled off, with one mother saying her teenage daughter is scared to wear one.
The woman said: “She has seen me first-hand being verbally abused, even seen men tower over me as they say insults. Can you imagine how a 13-year-old would deal with that?”
Another woman added: “I fear experiencing verbal and physical abuse, especially in the presence of my child, and I fear for my child’s safety when with me, as I am visibly Muslim due to my hijab.”
A different participant spoke of the personal cost of anti-Muslim abuse, saying: “I even contemplated suicide due to a racist neighbour making our life hell.” Anxiety about using public transport was another theme. One respondent said: “I was spat on one time travelling to England. Never seen it coming, never even seen the guy who did it until I was soaked in his milkshake he spat over me.” Fears about job prospects also came up. One participant said: “I have changed my name to a less Muslimsounding name to help with job searches, which I found has vastly improved responses.”
A male respondent revealed: “I am now not outwardly Muslim in appearance. I do not keep a beard.”
Parents told how they had taken their children out of public education, while others said discrimination had led them to withdraw from toddler groups and public swimming pools.
Sarwar, who chairs the CPG, said: “The early findings following the launch of this public inquiry make for sobering reading.
“There are people in Scotland who feel scared to leave their homes for fear of verbal or physical attack, are withdrawing from public services with devastating knock-on consequences on their health and education, and feel they are outsiders in their own country. This should shame us all.
“These findings will now be used in the next stage of the inquiry, in which we must redouble efforts to challenge and overcome hatred and prejudice.”
Professor Peter Hopkins, of Newcastle University, said: “There is a lot of work to do – across many sectors – in order to address the problem of Islamophobia in contemporary Scotland.”
We must redouble our efforts to overcome prejudice
ANAS SARWAR MSP ON FINDINGS OF INQUIRY