Hindu organizations have expressed their apprehensions regarding the establishment of an Islamophobia Council in the United Kingdom, asserting that the council’s focus should not be limited to Islamophobia but should also encompass hatred directed at all religions.
As reported by the Times of India, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner plans to create a 16-member council tasked with formulating an official government definition of anti-Muslim discrimination and providing guidance to ministers on effective measures to combat it.
British Hindus fear that a newly defined concept of Islamophobia may inhibit legitimate critiques of Islam, potentially leading to de facto blasphemy laws and restrictions on free speech, as noted in the report.
Former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve, who contributed the foreword to the 2018 APPG report on British Muslims that presented a definition of Islamophobia adopted by the Labour Party, is expected to chair the new advisory council.
The report indicates that Insight UK, a group representing the British Hindu diaspora, has issued a statement advocating for the council to be broadened to include all faiths and to be renamed the “religious hate crime prevention council.”
They emphasized the necessity for the council to address all manifestations of religious hatred, including the rising incidents of anti-Hindu and anti-Sikh hate crimes, as highlighted in the report.
The emphasis on safeguarding one religious group at the expense of others overlooks the historical injustices, threats, and discrimination experienced by Hindus and various other communities, as stated by Dipen Rajyaguru, director of diversity and equality at Hindu Council UK.
The Hindu Council UK has consistently advocated for the acknowledgment of ‘Hindumisia’, a term that more accurately reflects the animosity directed towards Hindus.
Rajyaguru remarked that the term “Hindutva,” which signifies Hindu identity or the core of Hinduism, has often been mischaracterized and misused to associate it with Hindu extremism.
He expressed concern regarding the manipulation of language to tarnish an entire religious identity, describing it as profoundly concerning.
Additionally, he voiced apprehensions about the potential suppression of free speech.
“The establishment of a definition of Islamophobia that equates critiques of religious beliefs with racial hatred poses a perilous precedent. It could pave the way for de facto blasphemy laws, hindering legitimate discourse on religion, ideology, and policy,” he stated.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government responded, stating, “This government will not introduce any blasphemy laws. We are resolutely dedicated to addressing all forms of hatred and division, including the unacceptable increase in anti-Muslim sentiment. Any new definition of Islamophobia must be carefully evaluated, ensuring that the enduring right to freedom of speech for British citizens is upheld.”
