Britain’s Muslim women under attack

Muslim women face violent verbal and physical attacks based on their religion daily, but only a few stories make headlines or reach the attention of the public. The research group at the University of Birmingham partnered with the Tell MAMA organisation to compile a report on anti-Muslim hate incidents British women endure and the detrimental effects it can have on their lives.

The report was presented last week during Parliament’s Women in Democracy week and was hosted by MP John Hemming, the Faith Matters organisation and Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks).

The researchers conducted interviews with 20 British Muslim women between the ages of 16 and 52. 19 of the women described themselves as visually identifiable, wearing either a hijab or a niqab; they were Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Arab, Somali or White British.

Bringing the women’s stories to the forefront humanizes the issue, shedding light on the appalling situations they face and the unwavering scars left on their lives.

Dr. Chris Allen of the University of Birmingham explained that the report does not seek to talk on behalf of women, but provide a platform to express their voices and change the narrative of what is regularly seen on the media.

The incidents occurred in ordinary public-settings, such as the train, school area, parking lot, universities, etc. They included verbal and physical abuse: being sworn at, spat on a London tube train, and even one having eggs thrown on her face.

According to the report, sadly 59 percent of those experiencing discrimination did not report it to the police because they felt little would be done.

Women are targeted more often than men on their religion because of their visibility. They experienced a distinct recognition of them being Muslim, hearing racial slurs of “terrorist” or one woman finding pigs' heads outside her house.

Allen warns of how problematic it can be to focus on the amount of victims over the root of the problem:

It’s as if there’s a magic number and if we pass that threshold, the issue will be taken seriously.”

Each attack on Muslim females is unacceptable and is a cause for concern. The harassments not only affect the women, but also their families, friends and communities as a whole. Their integration is damaged because they feel insecure in their own neighbourhoods, question their identities and place in British society.

The speakers asked for people to not just focus on the level of the crime, because the seriousness of an event may not be correlated to the impact on the victim. Even if not experiencing the hate first hand, Muslim women can feel vulnerable and just as anxious as a victim.

Julie Siddiqi, the Executive Director of the Islamic Society of Britain, said the testimonies of the women help bring the issue “from being a theory to something more real”. She also suggested the report be used as a starting point to build alliances, working with other communities that have been demoralized.

The Director of Tell MAMA, Fiyaz Mughal, agreed with the need to build allies. His organization has partnered with LGBT and anti-Semitism groups before because of their common mission in promoting civil rights. Mughal added that it is important to communicate with as many people as possible, across the private and public sector.

Dr. Arshad Isakjee of Birmingham University stressed, “there are no hierarchies when it comes to hate.” Bullying and attacks based on religion, sex, race, etc. are all equally intolerable issues that need to be addressed.

Siddiqi believes hatred comes from ignorance and is optimistic that this unawareness of other cultures can be solved with education.

Hayyan Bhabha, the Secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Islamophobia, expressed the importance of working with legislators to improve the content of the school curriculum. Lawmakers are public figures who can influence legislation and garner the support of citizens. Bhabha advised persuading politicians to push for a curriculum that includes the positive contributions of Muslims in order to lessen hostile misconceptions.

Allen said tackling anti-Muslim hate was about upholding British values:

We all have the right to not be victims of hate, bigotry, to live without fear.”

Nilay Tuncok