Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray has issued a statement identifying racism as a significant public health challenge, and a key cause of health inequalities.
Echoing the First Minister and other Scottish Government ministers’ comments on racism in the wake of recent violence in other parts of the United Kingdom, the Health Secretary has outlined various measures, including asking health boards to develop and deliver their own anti-racism plans.
Mr Gray said: “These changes can’t come fast enough. Racism already has a life-threatening effect on minority ethnic communities across the UK. That has been the case for generations.
“The only way we can make a difference now is to actively work against racism. This work is just one step in the right direction. There is no place in Scotland for hatred or racism of any kind.”
Earlier in the week, the Scottish Government’s 2024/25 Programme for Government included plans to embed anti-racism across the public sector.
Joint statement with STUC condemning recent disorder and racism
The First Minister and STUC General Secretary have issued a joint statement expressing solidarity with communities affected by recent disorder and racism in parts of the UK.
The joint statement follows First Minister John Swinney’s first biannual meeting with the Scottish Trades Union Congress, which took place yesterday.
The First Minister said: “Trade unions have a long and proud history of supporting those facing oppression at home and around the world and bringing communities together.
“The Scottish Government and STUC are aligned in our support of communities across the UK that have faced violence and intimidation instigated by far-right groups.
“Scotland is a diverse, multi-cultural society and this diversity strengthens us as a nation. There is no place in Scotland for hatred of any kind, and each of us has a responsibility to confront racism and religious prejudice, including Islamophobia, wherever and whenever it appears.
“I am grateful to Police Scotland for their ongoing efforts to keep communities safe and provide reassurance.”
STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “Alongside the Scottish Government, we jointly condemn the recent, inexcusable violence and disorder perpetuated by the far-right across the UK.
“Scotland is not immune and we cannot become complacent. We must do all we can to oppose the far-right, including reaching out to our faith and migrant communities to offer solidarity, support and the reassurance that they enrich the social and cultural fabric of our nation. Scotland is their home. We stand with them.
“We’re pleased the First Minister recognises the role of our movement in opposing fascism and racism. That work continues.
“We won’t cower to hatred and prejudice. We will work with the Scottish Government to ensure inclusivity, respect and tolerance triumphs over persecution and ignorance and will oppose, across every village and town, those who wish to divide us.”
Police Scotland is closely monitoring the violent protests which have occurred in parts of the UK over recent days.
Police Scotland wishes to reassure communities that there is no intelligence indicating similar incidents are likely in Scotland. We continue to liaise with a range of partners to maintain this level of reassurance.
Assistant Chief Constable Catriona Paton, Policing Together, said: “We understand that these recent events may cause concern, that is why we have focused our efforts on increasing policing visibility and engagement across the country as our primary commitment remains the safety and wellbeing of all our communities and our officers and in building trust and confidence.
“We continue to closely monitor the events in England. Police Scotland is dedicated to upholding human rights and will not tolerate violence or discrimination against any group.
“ We wish to thank the Scottish people for their support and while we believe there is no cause for alarm, we encourage anyone with concerns or information to report them to us.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel has visited Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium to see the valuable work that football clubs, the police and sport bodies are doing to prevent antisocial behaviour and increase fans’ enjoyment of the game after disorder at matches last season.
The Home Office is working closely with the police and football bodies to ensure the matchday enjoyment of the majority of fans and families is not ruined by the selfishness of a few who invaded football pitches, threw flares, and abused players and fans at matches in England and Wales last season.
The Home Secretary met officials from the Premier League and Brentford Football Club, which came top of a recent Premier League survey for matchday fan experience, and saw the new safe standing areas within the Gtech Community Stadium for fans, toured the control room and spoke with the security team about the valuable work they do to ensure match days are positive experiences for spectators.
She also spoke with staff members who work on programmes such as Premier League Kicks, which has been working in local communities to inspire thousands of young people. Premier League Kicks started in 2006 – with Brentford one of 4 pilot clubs – and has a long history of using the power of football and the value of sports participation to help youngsters in some of the country’s most high-need areas.
The Home Secretary urged football fans across England and Wales to respect others’ enjoyment of the game, and the law, or risk receiving a football banning order (FBO) preventing them from attending home and away matches, including potentially the World Cup in Qatar, if they attack or abuse other fans, staff, players or managers.
Home Secretary, Priti Patel, said: “There is no place for the ugly scenes we saw at some matches in England and Wales last season and it is good to see the positive work being done by clubs like Brentford to ensure our stadia are safe places for families and children to enjoy the beautiful game.
“I am determined not to let a small minority ruin matches for true fans as the football season gets under way and we are working closely with the police and the football authorities to tackle antisocial and criminal behaviour.
“I wholeheartedly support the extra measures all football bodies and clubs are bringing to keep fans safe and would encourage police and the courts to make full use of Football Banning Order legislation which we have recently extended to online abuse and will be shortly bringing in to root out class A drugs at matches.”
FBOs are a preventative behavioural order designed to prevent violence, disorder and harm and are imposed by a court, following an application or on conviction for a football-related offence.
Nearly 1,400 troublemakers have already been targeted by FBOs and banned by the courts.
In the last 12 months the UK government has significantly expanded the scope of FBOs in order to crack down on disorder by:
adding football-related online hate crime to the list of offences for which a FBO can be imposed on conviction so that those who are convicted of online racism and other hate crimes connected to football can be banned from stadia, in the same way that violent offenders are barred from grounds
committing to add football-related class A drugs crimes to the list of offences for which a FBO can be imposed on conviction, sending a strong signal to those who use class A drugs in and around football matches that their behaviour will not be tolerated and that they will no longer be able to attend games
In addition, FBOs have recently been extended to the women’s domestic game, showing that regardless of which games fans are attending, violence and hate will not be tolerated.
Recently the Football Association (FA), Premier League and English Football League (EFL) announced they were introducing new measures and stronger sanctions across the game to tackle the increased antisocial and criminal behaviours seen at football grounds last season and to underline the importance of a safe matchday environment. The football bodies are making it clear such acts are dangerous, illegal and have severe consequences.
From the start of season 2022 to 2023, all offenders will be reported by clubs to the police and prosecution could result in a permanent criminal record, which may affect their employment and education, and could result in a prison sentence. The FA will also be enforcing a tougher charging and sanctioning policy for clubs, which will reinforce these measures.
Furthermore, anyone who enters the pitch, and those carrying or using pyrotechnics or smoke bombs, will now receive an automatic club ban. These bans could also be extended to accompanying parents or guardians of children who take part in these activities.
Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Masters, said: “Everyone should feel safe and able to enjoy a football match. In coming together with clubs and partners across football, we are making clear the type of incidents we saw last season must stop. If we don’t take collective and sustained action, it may only be a matter of time before someone is seriously injured, or worse.
“The new measures introduced at the start of this season are a strong response to a significant increase in fan behaviour issues, but we know it is the minority who have behaved unacceptably and unlawfully.
“Premier League football should be a fantastic experience for everyone and we don’t want matches to be marred by these sorts of events.”
Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries, said: “We are on the side of football fans and understand the passion and emotion that comes with supporting a team.
“As the new season gets into full swing we want to remind people we will not tolerate antisocial behaviour and have strengthened the powers under our football banning order legislation to tackle drug use and hate crimes.
“Together with the work being done by the football authorities, we are helping root out those who seek to disrupt match days so proper fans can enjoy a fantastic football experience.”
WAS THE PLEASANCE RIGHT TO CANCEL SECOND SADOWICZ SHOW?
THE ROW over the cancellation of Jerry Sadowwitz’s show at the EICC shows no sign of abating.
The Pleasance axed the controversial comedian’s second show at the venue following ‘an unprecedented number of complaints’. Pleasance chose not to go into further detail about the nature of the complaints following the cancellation of Saturday’s show.
However in a further statement yesterday, The Pleasance said: “We became immediately aware of content that was considered, among other things, extreme in its racism, sexism, homophobia and misogyny.
“We will not associate with content which attacks people’s dignity and the language used on stage was, in our view, completely unacceptable.
“We received an unprecedented number of complaints that could not be ignored and we had a duty to respond.”
Late last night Sadowicz, a veteran of the Edinburgh Fringe, tweeted:
It seems incredible that any Scottish venue would be unaware of the controversial nature of Jerry Sadowitz’s humour – it’s not as if he’s some unknown new kid on the block!
If Jerry Sadowitz’s brand of humour ‘does not align with the Pleasance values’ why book him in the first place?
The outbreak of Covid-19 saw a dramatic increase and intensification in racist incidents directed towards East and Southeast Asian communities in the UK. Until now, there hasn’t been a dedicated, culturally competent service to support them following such incidents and to accurately record the scale of the problem.
But now that will change, with the launch of On Your Side, a helpline and website offering specialist advisors and new reporting options to anyone from East or Southeast Asian communities who has experienced racism or any form of hate because of an aspect of their identity or perceived identity.
Set up by a coalition of 15 national and community-based groups with expertise in hate crime prevention and supporting East and Southeast Asian communities, it offers a nationwide 24/7 telephone helpline and website providing advice and support from trained staff.
We know there are many barriers stopping people from reporting, but we are offering a safe, trauma-informed service which they can access to talk and seek support. We can listen, advise and help.
Furthermore, it will help build a more accurate understanding of the levels of racism and other forms of hate faced by East and Southeast Asian communities in the UK, giving policy makers, civil society and community groups insights to shape better prevention and justice approaches.
Everyone deserves to feel safe, respected and supported.
The service goes live on 9 August 2022 and can be accessed at www.onyoursideuk.org or by calling free on 0808 801 0393.
Your sincerely,
Andrea Martinez, Director, Kanlungan Filipino Consortium
Andy Fearn, Co-Executive Director, Protection Approaches
Anna Yim, Chief Executive, Chinese Community Centre Birmingham
Hau-Yu Tam, Head of Campaigns, End Violence and Racism Against ESEA Communities
Jabez Lam, Centre Manager, Hackney Chinese Community Services
Kimi Jolly, Executive Director, East and Southeast Asian Scotland
Mariko Hayashi, Executive Director, Southeast and East Asian Centre
Nathan Law Kwun Chung, Chair, Hong Kong Umbrella Community
Quynh Nguyen, Chief Executive, Vietnamese Family Partnership
Rosa Hui, Chief Executive Officer, Chinese Community Wellbeing Society
Rose Simkins, Chief Executive, Stop Hate UK
Shirley Au-Yeung, Chief Executive, Chinese in Wales Association
Simon Cheng, Chair, Hongkongers in Britain
Circle Steele, Chief Executive Officer, Wai Yin Society
Plan4Sport, the organisation leading an independent review into racism in Scottish cricket, has today (Monday 25 July) published its final report.
Global Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) experts, Plan4Sport, were commissioned by Scotland’s national agency for sport, sportscotland, to lead the independent review in December 2021. The review process included almost 1,000 direct engagements from a broad cross-section of all levels of Scottish cricket.
The Plan4Sport Changing The Boundaries report found the governance and leadership practices of Cricket Scotland to be institutionally racist. It confirms 448 examples that demonstrated institutional racism. Reoccurring themes were mapped against 31 indicators of institutional racism, with 29 failing to meet the standard required and only two partially meeting the standard.
As part of the review 68 individual concerns have been referred for further investigation. These relate to 31 allegations of racism against 15 different people, two clubs and one Regional Association. In some instances, multiple concerns have been raised against individuals. Some of these alleged incidents are recent while others were non-recent. These investigations will be concluded in due course.
Other key findings include:
62% of all survey respondents had experienced, seen, or had reported to them incidents of racism, inequalities or discrimination.
A lack of any EDI or anti-racist training in place for board, staff, volunteers, players, coaches or umpires.
No consistent mechanism or process for handling racist incidents and people who did raise issues were sidelined or ignored.
A lack of diversity from board level and Hall of Fame right through the coaching workforce within the talent pathway.
Lack of transparency in the selection process in the talent pathway and the absence of a single uniform approach to selection.
Changing The Boundariesincludes three immediate high-level recommendations, with associated sub recommendations, including:
Cricket Scotland is placed in special measures by sportscotland until at least October 2023.
Cricket Scotland to commence an immediate recruitment process for new independent Board members, with appointments made no later than 30 September 2022.
The diversity of Board members should be a minimum of 40% men and 40% women, ensuring that a minimum of 25% of the total Board makeup come from of Black, South-East Asian, or other mixed or multiple ethnic groups.
Action Plan to be developed by Cricket Scotland which addresses the immediate actions and short-term KPIs. The Action Plan should be approved by sportscotland not later than 30 September 2022.
Western District Cricket Union (WDCU) is placed in special measures by Cricket Scotland with immediate effect.
Temporary and immediate suspension of WDCU’s role in managing all disciplinary matters relating to its competitions and clubs. These are to be handed to an alternative organisation to manage.
An urgent, independent review into the overall effectiveness of WDCU’s governance, and its culture of inclusion, as a Regional Association of Cricket Scotland, to be completed by the end of September. This does not include the Western District Junior Cricket Union.
Cricket Scotland addresses the backlog in referrals generated from the review.
All investigations resulting from referrals to be expedited by a third party with the appropriate expertise.
Managing Director of Plan4Sport, Louise Tideswell, said: “We’ve been working on the review since January this year and our view is clear: the governance and leadership practices of Cricket Scotland have been institutionally racist.
“Over the review period we have seen the bravery of so many people coming forward to share their stories which had clearly impacted on their lives. People who have loved cricket and, despite the many knockbacks, continued to try and make progress, umpires who committed so many hours even though promotion never came, and players who saw or heard racism and hostility, but kept coming back to play.
“The reality is that the leadership of the organisation failed to see the problems and, in failing to do so, enabled a culture of racially aggravated micro-aggressions to develop. It didn’t address the lack of diversity at board and staff level and missed the need to develop transparent reporting, investigation and case management processes to address incidents of racism and discrimination.
“But I also want to add that whilst the governance and leadership practices of the organisation have been institutionally racist, the same should not be said for cricket in Scotland. There are many outstanding clubs and individuals delivering local programmes which truly engage with diverse communities.
“We have heard from grassroots players, volunteers and umpires who were passionate about ensuring cricket was open and welcoming to everyone. Plan4Sport sees this as a real opportunity to invest in and build on the good work already taking place through development programmes and club opportunities to truly create a game for everyone.”
Chief Executive of sportscotland, Stewart Harris, said: “We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the review, particularly those who came forward to share their experiences.
“This will have been a very difficult, and in some cases traumatic experience, and we hope this report provides the victims with some degree of assurance that their voices have been heard and that action will be taken.
“We also want to thank Louise Tideswell and the team of experts from Plan4Sport, who have worked tirelessly over the past seven months. They have shown an incredible degree of professionalism, compassion and empathy when speaking to the hundreds of people who contributed to the Changing The Boundaries report.
“The findings in this report are deeply concerning and in some cases shocking. Sport should be a welcoming place for all and it is unacceptable that anyone has suffered racist abuse and discrimination while playing the game they love.
“As the national agency for sport, we will work with and support Cricket Scotland to help change the culture of Scottish cricket and that must now be the focus. There has been some progress in recent months but we need to see more steps being taken to address the issues raised and importantly that includes the referrals.
“We will keep all options on the table as we hold Cricket Scotland to account on all of the recommendations contained within this report.
“Today should also act as a wake-up call for all of Scottish sport. Racism is a societal problem and it is no longer good enough to simply be non-racist, Scottish sport must now be actively anti-racist.”
Publication of Changing The Boundaries follows an in-depth consultation exercise involving hundreds of people from across all levels of Scottish cricket including grassroots players, staff, national squad players, board members, coaches, regional association management committee members and match officials and club members.
Responding to the Plan4Sport report into institutional racism in Cricket Scotland, Foysol Choudhury MSP said: “I am greatly saddened by the institutional racism within Cricket Scotland that has been uncovered by the Plan4Sport report.
“The extent of the racial and religious discrimination, and the seemingly casual disregard for any notion of good equalities practices within Cricket Scotland, are truly shocking.
“I echo the concerns voiced by the lawyer acting for Majid Haq and Qasim Sheikh this week that the resignation of the entire Cricket Scotland board leaves nobody to account for such a damning indictment of the practices of a national sporting body, but meaningful action to clean up Scottish cricket is what will now matter most to players, staff and fans alike.
“Several incidents highlighted in the report remain open to police investigation and it is right that this happens to find if the law has been broken. What is clear from the report however is how many incidents fell short of illegality but were nonetheless motivated by racial animus. This pernicious underlying racism is a problem across society and must be rooted out wherever it is found.
“Lessons need to be learned. Asian players make a massive contribution to Scottish cricket and they should be welcomed at all levels of the game. I would be happy to facilitate constructive discussions that need to happen to progress the future of our beloved sport here in Scotland.
“We must ensure that remedies are promptly and effectively applied in the wake of this shameful episode. Cricket Scotland must clearly be overhauled, and Sportscotland have started this process. But it is now up to the whole of Scottish civil society to ensure that this is not only followed through in a way that makes a tangible change to people within the sport, but also that the warning signs from Cricket Scotland can be recognised and swiftly dealt in future.
“Together we must ensure that the environment that has been allowed to fester in Cricket Scotland is not present in any of our other national sporting bodies, and ensure that such grotesque failures as these are never again allowed to happen within Scottish sport.”
Ipsos study finds over 4 in 5 adults are concerned about harmful content online
68 per cent want more action from social media firms on racism, homophobia and misogyny on their platforms
Comes as the Online Safety Bill moves to Report Stage in the House of Commons this week
A clear majority of the public want social media companies to do more to protect their users from harmful content, according to new research published today.
Polling by Ipsos shows over four in five (84 per cent) adults in the UK are concerned about seeing harmful content – such as racism, misogyny, homophobia and content that encourages self-harm – with two in five (38 per cent) reporting having seen it in the last month. This comes as the Online Safety Bill moves to Report Stage in Parliament this week.
The government commissioned study found strong public support for the measures contained in the Bill. For instance, seven in ten adults (68 per cent) believe social media companies should do more to protect people online.
Four in five adults (78 per cent) want social media companies to be clear about what sort of content is and isn’t allowed on their platform.
In a stark warning to social media companies, 45 per cent of respondents also said they will leave or reduce the amount of time they spend on their platforms if they see no action.
Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “Online abuse has a devastating impact on people’s lives, and these findings definitively show the public back our plans which will force social media companies to step up in keeping their users safe.
“It is clear people across the UK are worried about this issue, and as our landmark Online Safety Bill reaches the next crucial stage in Parliament we’re a big step closer to holding tech giants to account and making the internet safer for everyone in our country.”
The survey also found that women have high levels of concern about legal but harmful content, with 45 per cent feeling unsafe when talking to people on dating or messaging apps.
Most women (65 per cent) agree there should be limits to the types of content people can post online. Nearly half (47 per cent) of those living in households with at least one child report having seen abusive content in the last month.
The safety of women and girls across the country is a top priority. The measures we’re introducing through the Online Safety Bill will mean tech companies have to tackle illegal content and activity on their services, women will have more control over who can communicate with them and what kind of content they see on major platforms, and they will be better able to report abuse.
In addition, we are continuing to implement our Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) strategy to bring about real and lasting change offline as well as online.
The Online Safety Bill was introduced to Parliament in March and is a major milestone in the government’s mission to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online. The new laws will protect children, tackle illegal content and protect free speech, as well as requiring social media platforms to uphold their stated terms and conditions.
If they don’t, the regulator Ofcom will work with platforms to ensure they comply and will have the power to fine companies up to ten per cent of their annual global turnover – which could reach billions of pounds – to force them to fulfil their responsibilities or even block non-compliant sites.
When the Bill comes into force, firms will be required to identify and implement solutions to protect their users. Firms hosting content that is harmful to children such as pornography, will have to prevent them from accessing it, for example by using age verification.
Social media platforms will also be required to safeguard people’s free speech, and their access to journalism and content that is democratically important. The poll follows the announcement of a series of amendments to the Bill last week to strengthen protections for freedom of speech, including tougher protections to guard against the arbitrary removal of articles from recognised news outlets shared on social media.
Last week the government published the list of legal but harmful content social media companies will need to address under the Online Safety Bill.
The categories consist of types of online abuse and harassment which can fall below the threshold of a criminal offence, but which still cause significant harm to adults online such as misogyny, homophobia and content that encourages self-harm.
This threshold is important to ensure that the online safety framework focuses on content and activity which poses the most significant risk of harm to UK users online.
Free speech within the law can involve the expression of views that some may find offensive, but a line is crossed when disagreement mutates into abuse or harassment, which refuses to tolerate other opinions and seeks to deprive others from exercising their free speech and freedom of association.
Edinburgh hip-hop artist, CTRL, highlights the racism experienced by his grandfather in 1960s Scotland in hotly anticipated single and EP release
Edinburgh hip-hop artist, CTRL, has announced the release of his latest single and hotly anticipated EP, the lyrics of which reveal a deeply honest insight into his backstory and personal life.
From the racism his grandfather endured after arriving in the UK from Sierra Leone, right through to his own present-day struggles – CTRL tackles tough topics and delivers them with finesse.
CTRL, 24, first made a name for himself in the Edinburgh rap and hip-hop scene as a regular DJ in the capital, before founding the record label, New Vision Records, with Paddy Do Rego in 2021.
Solo artist, Chris Thomas, also known as CTRL – a play on his initials and a reference to his determination to control his own future – speaks openly about his past on the single, See it Now, and the EP, Life and Times.
The subject matter covers the many tough decisions CTRL has made, addressing them in the unashamedly open and frank manner his fans have come to admire.
See it Now sees CTRL team up with Jock Begg, a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. The single, produced by Leftmind, is a reflective, progressive track about CTRL conquering problems and becoming who he is today.
I plot the X on my map to grow the riches, Cross all these bridges ‘n’ ditches, which is nothing new, I been problem solvin’ Solve all the problems that I’m involved in (Taken from ‘See It Now’)
Staying true to himself is something that resonates throughout the entire EP, with CTRL’s backstory brought to the fore in the track, Hard to Love.
I unlock the scent of Mr Me Mr Confident I gotta vent, pain harder than it’s evident This relevant from my tone I’m tryna be grown Cos my roots lead back to Sierra Leone I’m the clover of the founder of the diamonds you own Grandad was black and 14 surviving all alone Prone to the racism. Taught that we don’t moan For a long time without a place that he could call home Thank you to the man that rescued his chance It’s eventually birthed CTRL to give you a glance The future I create it, the past is what has made it You can try and save it, maybe you phase it Best I hiatus, go and create this Future arena status Be patient
Commenting ahead of the single release, CTRL hinted that despite baring all in these tracks, there was still more to come, with an album set to be released in Autumn 2022.
‘I take inspiration from what I’ve been through, and as life continues to throw challenges my way, I’ll continue to flip those experiences into something positive and try to find the lesson in each one of them’ he said.
A survey led by the University of Birmingham says people from middle and upper-class occupational groups are more likely to hold prejudiced views of Islam than people from working class occupational groups.
The survey, which was carried out in conjunction with YouGov, found that 23.2% of people who come from the social group ABC1 harbour prejudiced views about Islamic beliefs compared with only 18.4% of people questioned from the C2DE group.
However, when asked their views about Muslims, or most other ethnic or religious minority groups, older people, men, working class people and Conservative and Leave voters are consistently more likely to hold prejudiced views.
The survey, presented in a report titled ‘The Dinner Table Prejudice: Islamophobia in Contemporary Britain‘, interviewed a sample of 1667 people between 20th and 21st July 2021 which was weighted by age, gender, social grade, voting record, region and level of education to ensure representativeness.
Weighting was based on the census, Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics estimates, and other large-scale data sources.
Other key notable findings in the survey are:
Muslims are the UK’s second ‘least liked’ group, after Gypsy and Irish Travellers: 25.9% of the British public feel negative towards Muslims (with 9.9% feeling ‘very negative’). This compares with 8.5% for Jewish people, 6.4% for black people, and 8.4% for white people. Only Gypsy and Irish Travellers are viewed more negatively by the British public, with 44.6% of people viewing this group negatively.
More than one in four people, and nearly half of Conservative and Leave voters, hold conspiratorial views about Sharia ‘no-go areas’: 26.5% of the British public agree that ‘there are areas in Britain that operate under Sharia law where non-Muslims are not able to enter’. This increases to 43.4% among Conservative voters and Leave voters. In addition, 36.3% of British people, and a majority of Conservative voters (57.3%) and Leave voters (55.5%), also agree that ‘Islam threatens the British way of life’.
Support for prohibiting all Muslim migration to the UK is 4-6% higher for Muslims than it is for other ethnic and religious groups: 18.1% of people support banning all Muslim migration to the UK (9.5% ‘strongly support’). Overall support for prohibiting Christian Migration is 13.1%, Sikh migration is 11.8% and Jewish migration is 12%.
The British public is almost three times more likely to hold prejudiced views of Islam than they are of other religions: 21.1% of British people wrongly believe Islam teaches its followers that the Qur’an must be read ‘totally literally’. The figure for Islam compares with 7.5% for Judaism and the Hebrew Bible, 3.9% for Sikhism and the Guru Granth Sahib, and 4.8% for Christianity and the Bible
British people are more confident in making judgements about Islam than other non-Christian religions but are much more likely to make incorrect assumptions about it: British people acknowledge their ignorance of most non-Christian religions, with a majority stating they are ‘not sure’ how Jewish (50.8%) and Sikh (62.7%) scriptures are taught. In the case of Islam, however, people feel more confident making a judgement, with only 40.7% being unsure. This is despite the fact that people are much more likely to make the incorrect assumption that Islam is ‘totally’ literalistic.
Dr Stephen H. Jones from the University of Birmingham and lead author of the survey says: “Prejudice towards Islam and Muslims stands out in the UK, not only because it is much more widespread than most forms of racism, but also because prejudice toward Islam is more common among those who are wealthier and well-educated.”
The survey also has made specific recommendations to scale back the rise of Islamophobia:
Government and other public figures should publicly acknowledge and address the lack of public criticism that Islamophobic discourses and practices trigger, and how Islamophobia stands out compared with other forms of racism and prejudice.
Civil society organisations and equality bodies concerned with prejudice and discrimination should acknowledge that systemic miseducation about Islam is common in British society and forms an important element of Islamophobia.
Educators should provide clear guidance clarifying when tropes about the Islamic tradition move from acceptable criticism to become harmful.
Civil society organisations should introduce religious literacy as a component part of any large-scale equality and diversity campaign or policy initiative.
The BBC and other broadcasters should maintain their commitments to religion programming, but with renewed emphasis on combatting intolerance.
Commenting on the recommendations Dr Stephen H. Jones says: “No-one is calling for laws regulating criticism of religion, but we have to recognise that the British public has been systematically miseducated about Islamic tradition and take steps to remedy this.”
