UK revisits Islamophobia definition as anti-Muslim hate crimes

UK Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced on Friday the launch of a working group, chaired by a former Tory minister, to review the definition of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia amid rising discrimination against British Muslims. 

In a post on social media platform X, Rayner emphasised that “the rise in anti-Muslim hate crime is unacceptable and has no place in our society.” 

The Labour Party had pledged to introduce a new definition after the previous Conservative government rejected a cross-party proposal in 2019.  

Dominic Grieve, who served as a Conservative MP from 1997 to 2019, has been nominated to lead a 16-member committee tasked with defining anti-Muslim prejudice.  

In a statement, Grieve welcomed “the government’s decision to bring forward this needed work” and expressed hope that the commission would establish principles for defining Islamophobia that align with legal requirements and contribute to positive change in the UK.  

He also acknowledged the complexities in defining Islamophobia while emphasising its reality amid growing concerns over anti-Muslim discrimination. 

“We need to balance addressing the lived experience of those who are victims of it and the right of British Muslims to feel heard and protected as equal citizens of our country, with the unwavering requirement to maintain freedom of thought and expression under law for all,” he added.  

Grieve previously wrote the foreword for a 2018 report on Islamophobia by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, co-chaired by UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting. 

The previous Conservative government, under former Prime Minister Theresa May, argued that the proposed definition had “not been broadly accepted” and required “further careful consideration”.

The Labour government has now revisited the issue amid a rise in reported anti-Muslim hate crimes in England and Wales. 

The UK’s Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) expressed support for the latest development and welcomed Grieve’s appointment to lead the initiative, citing his track record of engagement with British Muslim communities.

“Grieve has consistently demonstrated a principled approach to engaging with Muslim communities and has been a respected voice in discussions about tackling Islamophobia,” the Muslim-led organisation said in a statement on Friday.

Naomi Green, the MCB’s Assistant Secretary General, stressed that “the ultimate test of any definition will be whether it effectively protects British Muslims from the direct hatred and discrimination they may individually face in their daily lives and the more structural racism that has been identified within the justice system, media, politics, and the workforce.”

However, despite backing from leading Muslim voices, several Tories criticised the creation of an Islamophobia definition, arguing that it risks infringing on free speech.  

They have urged the government to use the term “anti-Muslim hatred” instead of “Islamophobia”.

Kevin Hollinrake, the Shadow Communities Secretary, further claimed that adopting a definition for Islamophobia hinders “criticism of Islamist extremism”.

Hollinrake’s comments came even though the UK already had an accepted definition of antisemitism, which was not challenged as a threat to free speech.

In 2016, the UK government formally adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. The definition was widely endorsed by UK political parties, including the Conservative, Labour, and Liberal Democrat parties, and was adopted by universities, local councils, and public institutions across the UK.

UK-based anti-Muslim hate crime watchdog Tell MAMA published a report on 19 February, revealing that anti-Muslim hate had reached record levels nationwide and noting a rise in hate crimes in 2024. 

The monitoring group warned of a “surge in rhetoric that falsely portrays Muslims as terrorists or terrorist sympathisers” following the Southport murders and the riots they sparked, as well as Israel’s war on Gaza. 

According to the report, more than half of last year’s online Islamophobia incidents occurred after the murder of three girls at a dance class in Southport, with most taking place on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Following the attack, misinformation about the assailant’s identity spread online. 

 The perpetrator, later identified as Cardiff-born Axel Rudakubana, was falsely linked to Muslim communities, fuelling far-right rallies across the UK. 

Tell MAMA director Iman Atta has since called for coordinated government action, stating that “anti-Muslim hate continues to be felt by a greater number of British Muslims, both at a street and online level.” She added that “our work and support for victims of anti-Muslim hate is needed now more than ever.” 

Tell MAMA recorded 6,313 cases of anti-Muslim hate in 2024- a 43 percent increase from the previous year- with 5,837 of the reports verified by the group. 

A UK government spokesperson responded to the findings, calling the report “extremely concerning” and stating that the government would “seek to stamp out anti-Muslim hatred and racism wherever it occurs”.