Anti-Muslim hate has increased since 7-10

Isn't this part of the issue though. Many people who are usually not Muslim see it as a war which isn't really any of our business aside from maybe some see our biggest allie in the region as needing support, many just see it as another (horrible as all wars are) war on the news far away from us. Whereas many of the marchers (not all) see it as their war.

I live near Rochdale/ Oldham/ Bury I know very few people who are non Muslims that aren't racist behind closed doors. Why that is could be many things including poverty, poor education, views passed down from families/ socially...

I think recent events in the area such as the grooming scandal which is still ongoing, the threat of remembrance day being interrupted by pro hamas/palastine protests, the cenotaph being vandalised, the Labour candidate coming out with antisemitic comments and it taking months to remove him from Labour have made it more acceptable for views to be made more openly.

Please note I have stated my opinion on what is contributing to more instances of islamophobia locally which is the topic not that these are my opinions.

When our government sends arms to Israel, it is our war.
When a genocide is happening in front of our eyes ( regardless of where it is located), it is our war

I agree with everything @SummerFeverVenice says, nicely summed up.

This has been going on for the last 20 years non-stop really, to a religious group who largely cannot hide. Then those who can feel forced to hide their faith. My white and white passing Muslim friends are very careful about who they tell and it’s heartbreaking.

I am glad you started this thread OP because it adds balance to the talk topic about the conflict in the Middle East. We have had many threads on anti-semitism, which 100% have a place and the fear Jewish communities are feeling is warranted given the steep and unprecedented rise in antisemitic attacks across the U.K.

There has been a similar, albeit smaller but still steep rise in Islamaphobia and anti-Muslim attacks across the U.K.

The war in Gaza, West Bank, and East Jerusalem has caused political upheaval. I do think the speaker of the house was being racist by discarding SNP’s motion when it was their designated day to put forth motions to be voted on and instead putting forth a Labour motion (it’s been billed as an amended SNP motion, but that is hardly the case when the most salient bits have been entirely rewritten.) England has a long history of racism towards Scots and Muslims, so a SNP First Minister who is both Scottish and Muslim and putting forth a motion to protect innocent Muslims (and a few Christians) wasn’t something to be taken seriously.

We have seen these racist double standards applied to Muslim people and populations time after time. This also happens to Jewish people and to Israel at times which can make the issues all the more contentious and often what is valid criticism of Israel and IDF gets rejected as a double standard because that is the bias many Jewish communities are used to living under.

I think what is saddest is that BAE systems has reported record profits from selling British arms to Israel and Ukraine. In my view, the standard of our Government is to prolong any wars as long as possible, so that we can sell arms to make profits. It doesn’t matter if we are selling to the “good guys” or not. Money is the one true standard, money is all.

And this has led from the U.K. abstaining on UNSC ceasefire votes to the U.K. Parliament not even being able to figure out how to vote on a ceasefire motion.

So? What a weird desperate comment.

Indeed. Doesn't help you see them jeering in the streets and celebrating the deaths of the Jewish people.

what is happening in Gaza is not great

Interesting to hear more about The Inter Faith Network, why funding might have been pulled and how it felt on the ground.

Can’t wait to learn how the government will reinvest these funds in another community led group that will tackle the rise in inter faith hate. Or is it a case of they pull the funding and that’s it? Put all their resources into the flawed Prevent programme? The programme that seeks to criminalise and collect data on people with different views, further alienating them from official systems within the UK.

Wouldn’t be much of a surprise from a government that criminalises a 15 year old girl that was groomed and radicalised. I’m feeling very angry about this today. The system failed her. I’m feeling very angry about the racism and sexism behind UK decisions, decisions which don’t even align with those being made by our allies.

If there is ever a war that you consider to be of relevance to you and you feel like the rest of the world has turned away from you, then remember what you wrote in this moment.

Gaza is also thousands of miles away. It's not our war.

It's not just terrorism. There's a lot of antisemitism around as sp many are pathological about Israel and Palestine. They're causing a lot of fear to Jewish communities.

It isn't rubbish

Hate speech is defied as offensive discourse targeting a group or an individual based on inherent characteristics (such as race, religion or gender) and that may threaten social peace.

The poster has suggested that the anti western, anti-semitic and pro terrorist sentiment, which they apparently have seen at the marches, is due to Muslims participating and then suggests that these same things are not seen at pro Israel marches. That is an offensive discourse targeting a group of people based on their religion and can most definitely threaten social peace by othering them in that way. The marches have people from all walks of life and all communities but the poster targeted only one group of people, why so?

He's linking it with the appointment of a person who has had links with the Muslim Council of Britain. The government refuse to engage with the MCB - there were issues with previous leadership, and steps were taken to address these, but the government has refused to re-engage despite that. The Inter Faith Network chose the appointment of that person as a suitable person, approved and supported by people of other faiths, but that wasn't good enough.

My suspicion is that the government would have been quite happy to withdraw funding - in a time where division and the further vilification of certain groups is actually quite politically useful to them and consistent with the expressed views of many party members and voters, it would be quite useful to remove resources from a network trying to build bridges to overcome division and improve communication. And in the process to be able to attribute that blame to one of the very groups they're not that keen on supporting? That's probably seen as another win.

It is socially acceptable enough to hate/distrust/fear Muslims that it is considered entirely reasonable to express these views at dinner parties, work events, while out shopping...

It isn't called out or given the same consequences by a lot of people in the same way as other forms of prejudice. If I hear someone I know say something prejudiced against another group of people, I challenge that. If I encounter someone experiencing racist/faith-based abuse, I would do what I could to help that person. That simply doesn't happen the other way around. It's not got the same social unacceptability. When things are normalised by politicians, the media, etc, they become normalised for the general public.

Humza Yousaf and Sadiq Khan both receive a lot of Islamophobic abuse and Islamophobia colouring people's views of their work.

I am so proud of both of them, and Anas Sarwar, even when I may disagree with policies, for the strength and dignity they show in the face of that.

Muslims and in particular Muslim women, remain under-represented at senior levels in most fields, as do many ethnic, faith and cultural minorities.

What do people think about Michael Gove removing funding for The Inter Faith Network? I don’t have enough knowledge to make an informed comment, but my initial thoughts are suspicion towards the government as to why they have done this. Be interested to hear some informed views.

what is happening in Gaza is not great

’not great’. Are you normally this understated about murder and massacre?

Your comment makes no sense in response to mine. Have you seen the stuff said about Sadiq Khan and ‘Londonstan’? Please don’t dismiss my comment about chronic Islamophobia. My close relatives who wear hijabs experience abuse all the time. Despite there being a Muslim mayor. And no celebs etc speak up against it. There is indifference.

@MissyB1 and all the rest who are calling me "racist". I find it funny but there you go. I clearly said that what is happening in Gaza is not great, just as what happened in Israel AND also what's happening in Sudan. What I'm wondering about is the almighty outrage for only those in Gaza or muslims in the UK. I want to highlight that those are not the only groups suffering. People who identify as Jews are also being targeted as well as if we look further afield, other people in other parts of the world. I mention Sudan because I happen to know people who have been affected.

Also, as in other areas of life where unfairness is called out, why is it that it's mostly like trying to debate a holier than thou crowd? Just because someone has a different take on something, doesn't mean they have somehow become racist.