Outgoing Muslim Council of Britain chief Zara Mohammed criticises lack of presidency contact

When Zara Mohammed grew to become the primary feminine chief of one of many largest consultant our bodies for British Muslims in 2021, she already had so much on her plate: rising Islamophobia, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a authorities refusing to have interaction with the group.

The then 29-year-old couldn’t have imagined three years later, she can be going through one of many largest challenges of her profession – rioting throughout England and Northern Eire, typically explicitly concentrating on Muslims, and nonetheless no authorities contact.

The violent unrest, triggered by false rumours that the Southport knife attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker, noticed bricks hurled at mosques and Islamophobic chants on the streets.

Many Muslims and folks of color felt afraid to go away their properties.

“It was so visceral. We have been watching on our screens: individuals breaking doorways down, stopping vehicles, attacking taxi drivers, smashing home windows, smashing mosques,” she informed the BBC. “The form of evil we noticed was actually terrifying and I felt like, am I even making a distinction?”

As Ms Mohammed ends her time as basic secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain – on Saturday, Dr Wajid Akhter was elected as her substitute – she spoke to the BBC concerning the difficulties she has confronted.

Specifically, she described the “unbelievable tidal wave of Islamophobia” within the UK, which she mentioned was made tougher to deal with because of the ongoing coverage of presidency non-engagement.

“It was the Southport riots for us that made it actually fairly alarming. The justification was there, the urgency, the need of engagement was there, British Muslims have been below assault, mosques have been below assault and the most important umbrella Muslim organisation wasn’t being talked to,” she mentioned.

Strains within the relationship between successive governments and the MCB started over a decade in the past. Ties have been severed with the MCB in 2009 below then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown, after the group’s deputy chief signed a declaration advocating assaults on the Royal Navy if it tried to cease arms for Hamas. Hamas’s army wing had been proscribed as a terror group within the UK eight years earlier.

The deputy secretary later resigned and Ms Mohammed mentioned the MCB made clear such actions didn’t mirror the organisation, resulting in a quick interval of re-engagement.

Nevertheless, below consecutive governments, that engagement was damaged once more. In 2018, when requested about Islamophobia within the Conservative Social gathering, then House Secretary Sajid Javid mentioned the federal government didn’t have interaction with MCB as “too lots of their members have had beneficial feedback on extremists and that is not acceptable” – claims the MCB vehemently denied on the time.

For Ms Mohammed, there have been hopes that engagement can be renewed when Labour entered authorities final 12 months as she described “robust” and “constructive” relationships with Labour MPs. Nevertheless, the coverage of non-engagement has continued with none clarification.

She mentioned this was having a “horrible impression” on communities who “don’t really feel Islamophobia is being taken critically”. “Not less than have a dialog about it, however to not say something and never inform us why? Certainly what occurred 14 years in the past can’t be the justification.

“What’s the challenge now? We’re not unlawful, we’re not proscribed. We don’t harbour any extremist views. Now we have a broad-based demographic of British Muslims,” she added.

A spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Native Authorities (MHCLG) confirmed there had been no change to the coverage of non-engagement with MCB however didn’t element why.

“All types of non secular and racial hatred have completely no place in our society,” the spokesperson mentioned. “The federal government engages frequently with religion communities to assist foster robust working relationships and we’re exploring a extra built-in and cohesive method to tackling racial and non secular hatred, together with Islamophobia.”

Numerous authorities departments have interaction with religion organisations to debate related points and coverage, together with on the Covid-19 pandemic and tackling hate crime.

The rise in Islamophobia has personally affected Ms Mohammed, who faces frequent abuse on-line. She was additionally the sufferer of a hate incident on the London Underground by a person who used offensive language.

“I’ve positively received extra of a concern of my private safety than I’ve ever had earlier than,” she mentioned. “There’s been an onslaught of far-right, thuggish, anti-Islam, fairly disgusting, actually terrible graphic content material that is posted on my account.”

Nationwide monitoring group Inform Mama UK recorded 4,971 incidents of anti-Muslim hate within the 12 months after the Hamas assaults on Israel – the best complete in 14 years – with Muslim girls notably weak.

Challenged on whether or not the MCB had carried out sufficient to assist communities, notably with out authorities engagement, Ms Mohammed mentioned the organisation had carried out “lots of group constructing ” and “political advocacy” to deal with anti-Muslim hate, together with interfaith initiatives, an Islamophobia occasion in Parliament and a Go to My Mosque initiative.

Nevertheless, she mentioned this had not modified mainstream narratives round British Muslims. “There was such a normalisation of Islamophobic rhetoric with out it being challenged or condemned.”

“Let’s imagine we’re making a distinction however then what’s being seen in nationwide discourse doesn’t appear to translate,” she added.

Ms Mohammed recognised this as a part of a broader pattern of hostility directed at Muslim politicians and leaders, drawing consideration to former Conservative MP Lee Anderson saying “Islamists” had “received management” of the mayor of London.

Sadiq Khan condemned the remarks as “pouring gasoline on the hearth of anti-Muslim hatred”.

As extra Muslim professionals and politicians reached new heights, like Humza Yousaf changing into Scottish first minister and Sir Sadiq being knighted, they “confronted disgusting ranges of Islamophobia which others haven’t ever confronted”, mentioned Ms Mohammed.

A BBC Lady’s Hour interview with Ms Mohammed was additionally accused of being “strikingly hostile” with greater than 100 politicians, writers and different distinguished figures criticising Ms Mohammed’s “mistreatment” on the present. The BBC mentioned it promised to “mirror on” the issues raised following the interview.

These ongoing challenges has left Ms Mohammed in two minds about her legacy.

“You are consistently firefighting. Did we make British Muslims’ lives higher? On one hand, sure, as a result of we raised these points, we took them to a nationwide platform. However with Islamophobia, we’re nonetheless having the identical dialog.

“We nonetheless have not been in a position to break by, whether or not it is authorities engagement, Islamophobia, social mobility,” she added.

“My happiest achievements are that I’ve visited over 300 organizations throughout the nation,” she mentioned.

“Whether or not it was Swansea, Newport, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, I actually made positive wherever I went I met the ladies’s teams, and I all the time reassured them that that they had a voice on the desk and a pacesetter.”

The Conservative Social gathering didn’t reply to a request for remark.