UN Day to Combat Islamophobia – Edinburgh

MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development), came together with Stand Up to Racism and other community organisations and MSPs Foysol Choudhury and Daniel Johnson to mark UN’s International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

International Day to Combat Islamophobia was established by the United Nations in 2021 and is held each year on 15th March. When passing the resolution to establish the campaign, the UN called for ‘global dialogue on the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace, based on respect for human rights and for the diversity of religions and belief’. On the occasion, UN Secretary-General António Guterres also highlighted an important reminder of tolerance from the Quran, “As the Holy Quran reminds us: nations and tribes were created to know one another. Diversity is a richness, not a threat,”

Unfortunately, findings in a report conducted by the Cross-Party Group on Tackling Islamophobia at the Scottish Parliament found that Scotland is not immune from this issue, with over 83% of Scottish Muslims highlighting that they have experienced Islamophobia in Scotland and 76% of Muslims stating that they have experienced verbal abuse, simply because they are Muslim, according to the report conducted in conjunction with Newcastle University.

Scotland often prides itself on being a diverse and inclusive country, with a government and political parties which are actively engaged in tackling the issue of hate in Scotland. This has included the adoption of the APPG definition of Islamophobia by the main political parties at Holyrood. But it is clear from the statistics mentioned in the report that so much more still needs to be done to bring an end to hate and to bring an end to Islamophobia.

Jawad Khursheed chair of MEND in Scotland said;

“Islamophobia is unfortunately still a daily occurrence for many Muslims in Scotland, with many afraid to leave their homes due to the level of abuse they face on our streets. We all need to work together to tackle the issue.”