British government drops plan to combat anti-Muslim hatred, The Independent says

The British government has dropped work on an official definition of Islamophobia that was promised over three years ago amid mounting concern over inaction on the issue, The Independent said in an article.

Muslims are the most targeted group for religious hate crimes in England and Wales, while a string of scandals have exposed anti-Muslim hatred within the Conservative Party.

Ministers will be questioned on the issue in parliament on Tuesday, which marks the start of Islamophobia Awareness Month.

Labour MP Afzal Khan is to raise a point of order asking why successive prime ministers have not responded to any of his letters concerning the bigotry for two years.

“Their lack of action since 2018, coupled with the damning allegations made by Conservative MP Nusrat Ghani, all show that they simply do not take the issue seriously,” he told The Independent.

In May 2019, the late James Brokenshire – then the communities secretary – said the government would establish a working definition of Islamophobia, adding: “To get a firmer grip on the nature of this bigotry and division we agree there needs to be a formal definition of Islamophobia to help strengthen our efforts.”

Work on the issue stopped after Boris Johnson became prime minister, and current communities secretary Michael Gove opposes the creation of a definition.