Following a protest at an interfaith wedding at a Sikh Gurdwara in Leamington in September, concerns were raised about a rise in extremism among young Sikhs in the UK. However, many social commentators took to media outlets and and social media in an attempt to condemn the actions of the protestors without first taking time to understand the issue, and why Sikhs place such sanctity on the Sikh Anand Karaj ceremony.

In September, 55 protestors were arrested at a Gurdwara, as Warwickshire Police sent an armed unit to the Sikh Holy place of worship, in response to an emergency call that they received. The incident prompted national newspaper headlines describing the protesters as “armed thugs” who “stormed” the Gurdwara. However, video evidence painted a different, more peaceful picture of the protest.

In recent times, there has indeed been a rise in British Sikhs discovering their faith. Over the past five or six years, educational resources on Sikhi have become available in English, via the internet. As a result, young British Sikhs are now learning about Sikhi in a way that even their parents’ generation could not. They are discovering that many of the practices, the views and opinions that they previously held about Sikhi were misinformed.

Those Leamington protesters who were described as “armed” were simply carrying their kirpans; mandatory articles of faith for a baptised Sikh. Their protest consisted of them sitting on the floor, chanting God’s name in meditation.  At the time of writing, 50 of those protesters have been cleared of any wrongdoing at all, only one was cautioned, and four remain on bail.

The protest was to prevent an Anand Karaj ceremony taking place between a Hindu groom and Sikh bride. And a fundamental misunderstanding of the Anand Karaj ceremony, even among Sikhs themselves, has contributed hugely to this situation.

One characteristic of Sikhi is that it is opposes empty rituals and ceremonies. The first Guru of the Sikhs, Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, refused to have a Janeu, or a string, tied on them as part of a traditional coming-of-age ceremony. Instead, the Guru, at the age of nine, said: “Make mercy thy cotton, contentment thy thread, continence its knot, truth its twist. That would make a janeu for the soul; if thou have it, O Brahman, then put it on me.”

For a Sikh to undertake any ceremony is a big deal. There are only four ceremonies that a Sikh partakes in: the naming ceremony at one’s birth, the marriage ceremony or Anand Karaj, the Amrit Sanchar  (baptism/initiation) ceremony and the funeral. All other ceremonies are shunned in the Sikh code of conduct. Some Sikhs don’t even acknowledge their own birthdays. The four Sikh ceremonies are all centred around the living Sikh Guru and Holy Scripture, Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

Sikhs believe Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, their Holy Scripture, to be an incarnation of God Himself. We believe the scripture to be a “living” entity that one can form a relationship with. The Anand Karaj is a ceremony that officially acknowledges that relationship; between two Sikhs and their Guru, as they embark upon the next stage of their lives together.

The ceremony itself consists of four shabads, or hymns, being recited whilst the couple circumnavigates Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Those hymns consist of vows to the Guru and acceptance of the Guru’s way. It celebrates that the scripture is the Perfect and True Word of God.

Taking all of this into account, a mixed-faith Anand Karaj runs a very high risk of becoming an empty ritual, and understandably, the Sikh community wants to address this. And it has. In 2014, representatives from over 180 Gurdwaras nationwide, including Leamington, convened in Southall and unanimously agreed that Anand Karaj ceremonies would only be held for Sikhs.

This is a directive that was arrived at by consensus. It was reached by consulting those who are educated in Sikh history and philosophy and who understand and can explain the meaning behind the Anand Karaj ceremony. It is not always easy to reach a unanimous decision as a religious community.

In my personal view, holding an Anand Karaj for a non-Sikh is like holding a Bar Mitzvah for a non-Jew. The Anand Karaj is a religious ceremony whereas the act of getting married is not; it can be done in a town hall. And even those who were protesting in Leamington are openly inviting mixed faith couples to come to the Gurdwara and receive blessings for their marriage from the Guru. Sikhi is indeed inclusive, but it also has principles, which include shunning empty rituals.

By all means, a mixed faith couple could hold a Paath; a reading of the Guru Granth Sahib Ji, and have an Ardaas, or Prayer, to request the Guru’s blessings for their marriage. But to undertake a ceremony like the Anand Karaj, in which one underlines their full commitment to a faith, but not actually commit to that faith, undermines the purpose of the whole ceremony.

The author of the article, Dawinderpal Singh can be contacted via @Dawinderpal. These opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of Faith Matters.

News that the Sikh Gurdwara in the western German city of Essen may have been attacked by young people linked to a local fundamentalist extremist network has shifted focus away from far right groups, who were initially suspected for the attack.

Police have suggested that the two suspects arrested have links to a local Salafist group and that further arrests will be made in the coming days.

The attack has shaken the small Sikh community in the city and particularly at a time when Germany is seeing a resurgency in far right activity, partly caused by the refugee crisis. However, this attack may also highlight criminal activity that on many occassions, is linked to extremist groups and also helps in providing resources for their criminal actions.

The bomb exploded at a temple belonging to the Sikh Gurdwara Nanaksar congregation wounding three people – one of them, a Sikh priest, seriously. Hundreds of guests use the facility and on the day of the bombing, a Sikh wedding had taken place.

Commenting on the news, the Director of Faith Matters, Fiyaz Mughal OBE, stated:

This is another twist and turn in the cycle of violence that extremism and terrorism create. On this occassion, it seems that young people have resorted to what seems to be an act of terrorism against a community that has no link to any of the geo-political issues which drive Jihadist narratives. These young men also seemed to have turned against a community that is tiny and which no doubt will feel an even greater sense of insecurity because of what has happened to it. It is truly sickening since attacking a Gurdwara sends a message to all those who use the temple. It is a neon sign saying – we deny your right to worship peacefully and to exist. It really is sickening.

“Bet you don’t have other people reporting to you,” is the usual Twitter commentary that some people say, who do not know about our values. Or the alternative is,

“What about Christians and Christianophobia? What do you do about that, bet you don’t do anything?”

We just highlighted a brief response to a piece in the Spectator which was an opinion article by Margaret Thatcher’s biographer, Charles Moore. The article was peppered with, well….opinions and whilst we disagreed with his opinions, Moore nonetheless raised the issue of hate incidents against Sikhs. This is something that we both agree upon.

Ideally, we believe that there should be a hate crime monitoring flag for all faiths and with Sikhs for example, able to be categorised as a separate flag for recording and monitoring within police forces. It also needs to be recognised that some Sikhs are targeted since people see them as being Muslim and hence there is an element of anti-Muslim bigotry associated with the hate incidents. This reflects on the motivation and the belief of the perpetrator. Yet, it also resonable to assume that Sikhs are seen in the eyes of some perpetrators, as being ‘the other.’ These are just some of the motivations that may be at play regarding hate incidents against Sikhs.

Following on from this, it is irrelevant whether the number of hate incidents against Sikhs is small in number. That is the assumption that is made and may well be true. Some suggest that there may be anything between 1-200 cases nationally, but this is a guestimate and further re-enforces the need for hate crime reporting flags for a variety of faiths.

Interestingly, over the last year, we have had 3 cases of Sikhs who were perceived to be Muslim and who suffered a hate incident. Whilst our focus is on supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate, our service is also based on the ethos of assisting individuals who may have suffered hate incidents and crimes and we assisted the individuals in their respective cases. We will not turn away individuals who approach us with evidence of having suffered a hate incident and these cases in particular, were moving since the Sikh victims felt a sense of empathy with Muslim communities, yet they also wanted recognition that they had been targeted and felt that a part of their identity had been abused.

Over the last year, we also supported calls for the investigation into a case of a Christian convert who had converted from Islam, who had been attacked. He suggested that he had been targeted because of his conversion and we publicly made clear through various press sources, that such hate incidents needed to be tagged as a hate incident based on his new faith. So much for not dealing with Christianophobia!

Finally, we have come across articles that push the line that Muslims are getting some form of ‘special treatment’ because they ‘shout about Islamophobia’. Let us make clear that none of us enjoy the threats, abuse and intimidation that we receive and we have lost count of these that have been targeted at our project and staff for simply trying to help victims of anti-Muslim hatred.

Nor do we enjoy the online intimidation and harassment, which also includes scurrilous comments and articles based on opinion or conjecture. We have chosen to do this work to try and help victims of hate, prejudice and intolerance and this year, we will be publishing a clearer and more accurate picture of the state of anti-Muslim prejudice in the United  Kingdom. With well over 1000 cases in 2015 to Tell MAMA, if anyone can hand on heart think that anti-Muslim prejudice or Islamophobia does not warrant support and action, then there is much work to be done in the future. Some people may come to this view from a genuine lack of awareness, others from a mendacious position which means that we will not see eye to eye. Only the future will tell.

The post Sikhs Are Not Forgotten & Should Be in Hate Crime Work appeared first on TELL MAMA.

“Bet you don’t have other people reporting to you,” is the usual Twitter commentary that some people say, who do not know about our values. Or the alternative is,

“What about Christians and Christianophobia? What do you do about that, bet you don’t do anything?”

We just highlighted a brief response to a piece in the Spectator which was an opinion article by Margaret Thatcher’s biographer, Charles Moore. The article was peppered with, well….opinions and whilst we disagreed with his opinions, Moore nonetheless raised the issue of hate incidents against Sikhs. This is something that we both agree upon.

Ideally, we believe that there should be a hate crime monitoring flag for all faiths and with Sikhs for example, able to be categorised as a separate flag for recording and monitoring within police forces. It also needs to be recognised that some Sikhs are targeted since people see them as being Muslim and hence there is an element of anti-Muslim bigotry associated with the hate incidents. This reflects on the motivation and the belief of the perpetrator. Yet, it also reasonable to assume that Sikhs are seen in the eyes of some perpetrators, as being ‘the other.’ These are just some of the motivations that may be at play regarding hate incidents against Sikhs.

Following on from this, it is irrelevant whether the number of hate incidents against Sikhs is small in number. That is the assumption that is made and may well be true. Some suggest that there may be anything between 1-200 cases nationally, but this is a guestimate and further re-enforces the need for hate crime reporting flags for a variety of faiths.

Interestingly, over the last year, we have had 3 cases of Sikhs who were perceived to be Muslim and who suffered a hate incident. Whilst our focus is on supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate, our service is also based on the ethos of assisting individuals who may have suffered hate incidents and crimes and we assisted the individuals in their respective cases. We will not turn away individuals who approach us with evidence of having suffered a hate incident and these cases in particular, were moving since the Sikh victims felt a sense of empathy with Muslim communities, yet they also wanted recognition that they had been targeted and felt that a part of their identity had been abused.

Over the last year, we also supported calls for the investigation into a case of a Christian convert who had converted from Islam, who had been attacked. He suggested that he had been targeted because of his conversion and we publicly made clear through various press sources, that such hate incidents needed to be tagged as a hate incident based on his new faith. So much for not dealing with Christianophobia!

Finally, we have come across articles that push the line that Muslims are getting some form of ‘special treatment’ because they ‘shout about Islamophobia’. Let us make clear that none of us enjoy the threats, abuse and intimidation that we receive and we have lost count of these that have been targeted at our project and staff for simply trying to help victims of anti-Muslim hatred.

Nor do we enjoy the on-line intimidation and harassment, which also includes scurrilous comments and articles based on opinion or conjecture. We have chosen to do this work to try and help victims of hate, prejudice and intolerance and this year, we will be publishing a clearer and more accurate picture of the state of anti-Muslim prejudice in the United  Kingdom. With well over 1000 cases in 2015 to Tell MAMA, if anyone can hand on heart think that anti-Muslim prejudice or Islamophobia does not warrant support and action, then there is much work to be done in the future. Some people may come to this view from a genuine lack of awareness, others from a mendacious position which means that we will not see eye to eye. Only the future will tell.

The post Sikhs Are Not Forgotten & Should Not Be in Hate Crime Work appeared first on TELL MAMA.

“Bet you don’t have other people reporting to you,” is the usual Twitter commentary that some people say, who do not know about our values. Or the alternative is,

“What about Christians and Christianophobia? What do you do about that, bet you don’t do anything?”

We just highlighted a brief response to a piece in the Spectator which was an opinion article by Margaret Thatcher’s biographer, Charles Moore. The article was peppered with, well….opinions and whilst we disagreed with his opinions, Moore nonetheless raised the issue of hate incidents against Sikhs. This is something that we both agree upon.

Ideally, we believe that there should be a hate crime monitoring flag for all faiths and with Sikhs for example, able to be categorised as a separate flag for recording and monitoring within police forces. It also needs to be recognised that some Sikhs are targeted since people see them as being Muslim and hence there is an element of anti-Muslim bigotry associated with the hate incidents. This reflects on the motivation and the belief of the perpetrator. Yet, it also resonable to assume that Sikhs are seen in the eyes of some perpetrators, as being ‘the other.’ These are just some of the motivations that may be at play regarding hate incidents against Sikhs.

Following on from this, it is irrelevant whether the number of hate incidents against Sikhs is small in number. That is the assumption that is made and may well be true. Some suggest that there may be anything between 1-200 cases nationally, but this is a guestimate and further re-enforces the need for hate crime reporting flags for a variety of faiths.

Interestingly, over the last year, we have had 3 cases of Sikhs who were perceived to be Muslim and who suffered a hate incident. Whilst our focus is on supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate, our service is also based on the ethos of assisting individuals who may have suffered hate incidents and crimes and we assisted the individuals in their respective cases. We will not turn away individuals who approach us with evidence of having suffered a hate incident and these cases in particular, were moving since the Sikh victims felt a sense of empathy with Muslim communities, yet they also wanted recognition that they had been targeted and felt that a part of their identity had been abused.

Over the last year, we also supported calls for the investigation into a case of a Christian convert who had converted from Islam, who had been attacked. He suggested that he had been targeted because of his conversion and we publicly made clear through various press sources, that such hate incidents needed to be tagged as a hate incident based on his new faith. So much for not dealing with Christianophobia!

Finally, we have come across articles that push the line that Muslims are getting some form of ‘special treatment’ because they ‘shout about Islamophobia’. Let us make clear that none of us enjoy the threats, abuse and intimidation that we receive and we have lost count of these that have been targeted at our project and staff for simply trying to help victims of anti-Muslim hatred.

Nor do we enjoy the online intimidation and harassment, which also includes scurrilous comments and articles based on opinion or conjecture. We have chosen to do this work to try and help victims of hate, prejudice and intolerance and this year, we will be publishing a clearer and more accurate picture of the state of anti-Muslim prejudice in the United  Kingdom. With well over 1000 cases in 2015 to Tell MAMA, if anyone can hand on heart think that anti-Muslim prejudice or Islamophobia does not warrant support and action, then there is much work to be done in the future. Some people may come to this view from a genuine lack of awareness, others from a mendacious position which means that we will not see eye to eye. Only the future will tell.

The post Sikhs Are Not Forgotten & Should Be in Hate Crime Work appeared first on TELL MAMA.

“Bet you don’t have other people reporting to you,” is the usual Twitter commentary that some people say, who do not know about our values. Or the alternative is,

“What about Christians and Christianophobia? What do you do about that, bet you don’t do anything?”

We just highlighted a brief response to a piece in the Spectator which was an opinion article by Margaret Thatcher’s biographer, Charles Moore. The article was peppered with, well….opinions and whilst we disagreed with his opinions, Moore nonetheless raised the issue of hate incidents against Sikhs. This is something that we both agree upon.

Ideally, we believe that there should be a hate crime monitoring flag for all faiths and with Sikhs for example, able to be categorised as a separate flag for recording and monitoring within police forces. It also needs to be recognised that some Sikhs are targeted since people see them as being Muslim and hence there is an element of anti-Muslim bigotry associated with the hate incidents. This reflects on the motivation and the belief of the perpetrator. Yet, it also resonable to assume that Sikhs are seen in the eyes of some perpetrators, as being ‘the other.’ These are just some of the motivations that may be at play regarding hate incidents against Sikhs.

Following on from this, it is irrelevant whether the number of hate incidents against Sikhs is small in number. That is the assumption that is made and may well be true. Some suggest that there may be anything between 1-200 cases nationally, but this is a guestimate and further re-enforces the need for hate crime reporting flags for a variety of faiths.

Interestingly, over the last year, we have had 3 cases of Sikhs who were perceived to be Muslim and who suffered a hate incident. Whilst our focus is on supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate, our service is also based on the ethos of assisting individuals who may have suffered hate incidents and crimes and we assisted the individuals in their respective cases. We will not turn away individuals who approach us with evidence of having suffered a hate incident and these cases in particular, were moving since the Sikh victims felt a sense of empathy with Muslim communities, yet they also wanted recognition that they had been targeted and felt that a part of their identity had been abused.

Over the last year, we also supported calls for the investigation into a case of a Christian convert who had converted from Islam, who had been attacked. He suggested that he had been targeted because of his conversion and we publicly made clear through various press sources, that such hate incidents needed to be tagged as a hate incident based on his new faith. So much for not dealing with Christianophobia!

Finally, we have come across articles that push the line that Muslims are getting some form of ‘special treatment’ because they ‘shout about Islamophobia’. Let us make clear that none of us enjoy the threats, abuse and intimidation that we receive and we have lost count of these that have been targeted at our project and staff for simply trying to help victims of anti-Muslim hatred.

Nor do we enjoy the online intimidation and harassment, which also includes scurrilous comments and articles based on opinion or conjecture. We have chosen to do this work to try and help victims of hate, prejudice and intolerance and this year, we will be publishing a clearer and more accurate picture of the state of anti-Muslim prejudice in the United  Kingdom. With well over 1000 cases in 2015 to Tell MAMA, if anyone can hand on heart think that anti-Muslim prejudice or Islamophobia does not warrant support and action, then there is much work to be done in the future. Some people may come to this view from a genuine lack of awareness, others from a mendacious position which means that we will not see eye to eye. Only the future will tell.

The post Sikhs Are Not Forgotten & Should Be in Hate Crime Work appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Charles Moore opined recently that the ‘perception’ of Islamophobic hate crimes ‘tends to extend well beyond reality’. His evidence? An FOI revealed that 28 per cent of Islamophobic hate crime victims in London in 2015 were non-Muslim. BBC London covered this story last month.

Moore laments the ‘absurd’ criteria of the Macpherson Report when it comes to defining hate crimes. That report came in the wake of the unprovoked racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. It made 70 recommendations – 67 made changes to the law and practice within two years of publication.

One relevant recommendation made police focus on victim perception when investigating hate crimes. A guidance document commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in 2005 stated that:

A victim of a hate incident does not have to be a member of a minority group or someone who is generally considered to be vulnerable. For example, a heterosexual man who is verbally abused leaving a gay bar may well perceive that it is motivated by homophobia although he himself is not gay. Therefore effectively anyone can be the victim of a hate incident, including people working inside the police service.

A person does not need to be Muslim if they experience or witness something they perceive as Islamophobic. The same is true of any hate directed at protected categories – be it race, sexual orientation, faith or disability. Victim perception defines how police determine hate crimes and incidents.

This is not about inflating figures for financial gain. If anything, the reverse is true. Knowing that non-Muslims suffer Islamophobic abuse suggests a deeper problem. Some look at those who wear Islamic clothing and express their negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims in paroxysms of abuse. Others perceive the religious observance of Sikh men with the same misplaced anger.

This misperception suggests that racialisation extends to non-Muslim communities. In a post-9/11 world, racist violence against assumed Muslims continues to have stark consequences. Not just for victims and their loved ones. But wider faith communities who face such prejudices. This information should strengthen our collective resolve to overcome anti-Muslim hate.

Moore ends with the offensive suggestion that Christianophobia and Sikhophobia crime flags ‘would lead to the arrest of a lot of Muslims’. He writes with a measure of certainty yet offers no evidence.

In contrast, police forces nationwide will now adopt an Islamophobic crime flag in the months ahead. That came from evidence-based lobbying. A point somehow lost on Charles Moore.

The post Why Charles Moore is wrong about the levels of anti-Muslim hate crime appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Charles Moore opined recently that the ‘perception’ of Islamophobic hate crimes ‘tends to extend well beyond reality’. His evidence? An FOI revealed that 28 per cent of Islamophobic hate crime victims in London in 2015 were non-Muslim. BBC London covered this story last month.

Moore laments the ‘absurd’ criteria of the Macpherson Report when it comes to defining hate crimes. That report came in the wake of the unprovoked racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. It made 70 recommendations – 67 made changes to the law and practice within two years of publication.

One relevant recommendation made police focus on victim perception when investigating hate crimes. A guidance document commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in 2005 stated that:

A victim of a hate incident does not have to be a member of a minority group or someone who is generally considered to be vulnerable. For example, a heterosexual man who is verbally abused leaving a gay bar may well perceive that it is motivated by homophobia although he himself is not gay. Therefore effectively anyone can be the victim of a hate incident, including people working inside the police service.

A person does not need to be Muslim if they experience or witness something they perceive as Islamophobic. The same is true of any hate directed at protected categories – be it race, sexual orientation, faith or disability. Victim perception defines how police determine hate crimes and incidents.

This is not about inflating figures for financial gain. If anything, the reverse is true. Knowing that non-Muslims suffer Islamophobic abuse suggests a deeper problem. Some look at those who wear Islamic clothing and express their negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims in paroxysms of abuse. Others perceive the religious observance of Sikh men with the same misplaced anger.

This misperception suggests that racialisation extends to non-Muslim communities. In a post-9/11 world, racist violence against assumed Muslims continues to have stark consequences. Not just for victims and their loved ones. But wider faith communities who face such prejudices. This information should strengthen our collective resolve to overcome anti-Muslim hate.

Moore ends with the offensive suggestion that Christianophobia and Sikhophobia crime flags ‘would lead to the arrest of a lot of Muslims’. He writes with a measure of certainty yet offers no evidence.

In contrast, police forces nationwide will now adopt an Islamophobic crime flag in the months ahead. That came from evidence-based lobbying. A point somehow lost on Charles Moore.

The post Why Charles Moore is wrong about the levels of anti-Muslim hate crime appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Charles Moore opined recently that the ‘perception’ of Islamophobic hate crimes ‘tends to extend well beyond reality’. His evidence? An FOI revealed that 28 per cent of Islamophobic hate crime victims in London in 2015 were non-Muslim. BBC London covered this story last month.

Moore laments the ‘absurd’ criteria of the Macpherson Report when it comes to defining hate crimes. That report came in the wake of the unprovoked racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. It made 70 recommendations – 67 made changes to the law and practice within two years of publication.

One relevant recommendation made police focus on victim perception when investigating hate crimes. A guidance document commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in 2005 stated that:

A victim of a hate incident does not have to be a member of a minority group or someone who is generally considered to be vulnerable. For example, a heterosexual man who is verbally abused leaving a gay bar may well perceive that it is motivated by homophobia although he himself is not gay. Therefore effectively anyone can be the victim of a hate incident, including people working inside the police service.

A person does not need to be Muslim if they experience or witness something they perceive as Islamophobic. The same is true of any hate directed at protected categories – be it race, sexual orientation, faith or disability. Victim perception defines how police determine hate crimes and incidents.

This is not about inflating figures for financial gain. If anything, the reverse is true. Knowing that non-Muslims suffer Islamophobic abuse suggests a deeper problem. Some look at those who wear Islamic clothing and express their negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims in paroxysms of abuse. Others perceive the religious observance of Sikh men with the same misplaced anger.

This misperception suggests that racialisation extends to non-Muslim communities. In a post-9/11 world, racist violence against assumed Muslims continues to have stark consequences. Not just for victims and their loved ones. But wider faith communities who face such prejudices. This information should strengthen our collective resolve to overcome anti-Muslim hate.

Moore ends with the offensive suggestion that Christianophobia and Sikhophobia crime flags ‘would lead to the arrest of a lot of Muslims’. He writes with a measure of certainty yet offers no evidence.

In contrast, police forces nationwide will now adopt an Islamophobic crime flag in the months ahead. That came from evidence-based lobbying. A point somehow lost on Charles Moore.

The post Why Charles Moore is wrong about the levels of anti-Muslim hate crime appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Charles Moore opined recently that the ‘perception’ of Islamophobic hate crimes ‘tends to extend well beyond reality’. His evidence? An FOI revealed that 28 per cent of Islamophobic hate crime victims in London in 2015 were non-Muslim. BBC London covered this story last month.

Moore laments the ‘absurd’ criteria of the Macpherson Report when it comes to defining hate crimes. That report came in the wake of the unprovoked racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. It made 70 recommendations – 67 made changes to the law and practice within two years of publication.

One relevant recommendation made police focus on victim perception when investigating hate crimes. A guidance document commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in 2005 stated that:

A victim of a hate incident does not have to be a member of a minority group or someone who is generally considered to be vulnerable. For example, a heterosexual man who is verbally abused leaving a gay bar may well perceive that it is motivated by homophobia although he himself is not gay. Therefore effectively anyone can be the victim of a hate incident, including people working inside the police service.

A person does not need to be Muslim if they experience or witness something they perceive as Islamophobic. The same is true of any hate directed at protected categories – be it race, sexual orientation, faith or disability. Victim perception defines how police determine hate crimes and incidents.

This is not about inflating figures for financial gain. If anything, the reverse is true. Knowing that non-Muslims suffer Islamophobic abuse suggests a deeper problem. Some look at those who wear Islamic clothing and express their negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims in paroxysms of abuse. Others perceive the religious observance of Sikh men with the same misplaced anger.

This misperception suggests that racialisation extends to non-Muslim communities. In a post-9/11 world, racist violence against assumed Muslims continues to have stark consequences. Not just for victims and their loved ones. But wider faith communities who face such prejudices. This information should strengthen our collective resolve to overcome anti-Muslim hate.

Moore ends with the offensive suggestion that Christianophobia and Sikhophobia crime flags ‘would lead to the arrest of a lot of Muslims’. He writes with a measure of certainty yet offers no evidence.

In contrast, police forces nationwide will now adopt an Islamophobic crime flag in the months ahead. That came from evidence-based lobbying. A point somehow lost on Charles Moore.

The post Why Charles Moore is wrong about the levels of anti-Muslim hate crime appeared first on TELL MAMA.