Although Islamists represent a small percentage of the Muslim immigrants, fear of Islam (Islamophobia) still seems to be endemic in the British society. The last report produced by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI, 2010) showed that racist attacks against ethnic minorities are triple in comparison to 2003. The consequences were unemployment, poverty, precarious housing and crimes against British minorities.
Muslims, among other groups, were found to be negatively presented in the media, with a higher incidence in the tabloid press. The political debate in the country was not free of some racist and xenophobic elements, highlighting the election of two British National Party candidates to the European Parliament. Anti-terrorist measures caused Muslims a feeling of being stigmatized and marginalized, especially the young ones who had often been stopped. Moreover, about 2 million people confessed being ill treated by the police, without any other reason than being Muslim.
What has led to this situation? Although Christianity and Islam have historically been in conflict, prejudices have worsened after the 9/11. It was then when they started being perceived as “strangers” instead of “true British”, arguing that their values were alien.
The mainstream media (with a great power of conviction) have also contributed to this misperception. The report “The British Media and Muslim Representation: The Ideology of Demonization” (conducted for the Islamic Human Rights Commission) analyzed the impact of British media on public opinion about Muslims. TV News Analysis proved that coverage of the 7/7 gave great importance to the debates around asylum and immigration, even though the majority of the suspected bombers were of British origin. Thus, the idea of Muslims as homogeneous and foreigners was being reinforced. The suspects were also presented as normal and integrated people until discovering Islam, when they turned into sinister, extreme people. This way, media were implicitly communicating that Muslims were potential extremists, questioning their loyalty and belonging.
Another study, conducted by the Leveson Inquiry last year, concluded also that Muslims were one of the groups mocked often in the mainstream press.
Despite Baroness Warsi’s wake up calls in 2011 and last January, Islamophobia has been overlooked. It seems that a high part of the population does not still consider this as a priority or a latent problem. Commitment with this cause is rather scarce, and not because of religious reasons precisely. Indeed, Warsi has actively stimulated the interreligious discussion between Christians and Muslims.
Attitudes towards these religions have significantly changed with last generations, where there is an increasing number of marriages between both faiths. Many children feel identified with both, and the coexistence in the United Kingdom has been improved in that sense.
The urgency does not reside, therefore, in interreligious dialogue, but in the correction of the stereotypes and misconceptions, which might give the impression that there is a need of discriminatory policies. In this last aspect, there is still a lot to do. Recognizing the problem will eventually not be a cause for guilt or shame, but a mere matter of justice.
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