Published On:Tuesday, 25 October 2016
Posted by ARAB GAZETTE. weekly newspaper issued on Sunday morning - London, UNITED KINGDOMمؤسسة الوطن العربى الإعلامية - لندن ، المملكة المتحدة . WA MEDIA FOUNDATION - LONDON, UK
Impact of Brexit on future of three million British Muslims
ARAB GAZETTE - London ..
It
is obviously a legitimate question to ask how the U.K.’s leaving the
European Union (EU) will affect three million British Muslims when the
population of Muslims in Europe is relatively insignificant.
According to a research by the Pew Research Centre (PRC), even with a steady increase, there will be only 8 percent Muslims in Europe by 2030. Therefore, on the surface Brexit should have very little impact on Muslims.
Brexit debates hardly mentioned the EU as a “Muslim” issue and there was no overt mention of the words “Islam” and “Muslims” by Brexit campaigners. However, if we look deep into the matter, we will find three important factors emerging that bring Muslims at the forefront of the problem.
The first thing to look at is the statistics of abuse, insults and attacks British Muslims are facing after Brexit. The level of Islamophobic attacks rose sharply after the referendum results, with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) reporting a hundred anti-Muslim hate crimes during the weekend after the referendum alone.
There has been a sharp increase of verbal and physical abuse against Muslims online and on the streets, including prominent politicians and journalists being asked to “go home”. A large number of the abused are Muslim women, particularly those who wear the hijab. According to a report by Tell MAMA, an organization that measures anti-Muslim attacks, “Women were more likely to be attacked or abused while travelling on public transport to town and city centers or when shopping.”
It is true that there have been several attacks on eastern Europeans with Polish centers vandalized and even a Polish individual was killed in a racist incident, yet the number of abuses Muslims have received is much higher compared to eastern Europeans.
Secondly, the debate over immigration often ends with bringing up the “Muslim problem”. Nigel Farage’s poster of refugees with the heading “breaking point” just before the referendum is an illustration of how the Brexit campaign covertly attacked Muslims. As much as the Tory Brexit leaders distanced themselves from the charismatic former UKIP leader, it has no doubt influenced a large number of people to unleash their hatred towards Muslims.
The third reason to believe that Brexit is likely to exacerbate attacks on an already alienated British Muslim community is the bizarre fear mongering of the likelihood of Turkey joining the EU by all sections of the Brexit campaigners.
Brexit has divided the nation, but its immediate aftermath has already shown signs of a worrying future for the ethnic minorities. While it will be hugely unfair to suggest that 52 percent of the population who voted to leave are racists, there is a genuine cause for concern due to the political direction of post-Brexit Britain.
Compared to many countries in the West, Britain is still one of the best countries for Muslims to practice their religion and manifest their faith in public. How long they will be able to maintain this freedom remains uncertain, as the country has entered into unchartered territories after the Brexit vote.
Early signs are not too encouraging and the political situation also gives a bleak picture of what is to come. The only encouraging sign so far is that politicians from all sides, including UKIP have strongly condemned racist attacks on ethnic minorities after the referendum.
According to a research by the Pew Research Centre (PRC), even with a steady increase, there will be only 8 percent Muslims in Europe by 2030. Therefore, on the surface Brexit should have very little impact on Muslims.
Brexit debates hardly mentioned the EU as a “Muslim” issue and there was no overt mention of the words “Islam” and “Muslims” by Brexit campaigners. However, if we look deep into the matter, we will find three important factors emerging that bring Muslims at the forefront of the problem.
The first thing to look at is the statistics of abuse, insults and attacks British Muslims are facing after Brexit. The level of Islamophobic attacks rose sharply after the referendum results, with the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) reporting a hundred anti-Muslim hate crimes during the weekend after the referendum alone.
There has been a sharp increase of verbal and physical abuse against Muslims online and on the streets, including prominent politicians and journalists being asked to “go home”. A large number of the abused are Muslim women, particularly those who wear the hijab. According to a report by Tell MAMA, an organization that measures anti-Muslim attacks, “Women were more likely to be attacked or abused while travelling on public transport to town and city centers or when shopping.”
It is true that there have been several attacks on eastern Europeans with Polish centers vandalized and even a Polish individual was killed in a racist incident, yet the number of abuses Muslims have received is much higher compared to eastern Europeans.
Secondly, the debate over immigration often ends with bringing up the “Muslim problem”. Nigel Farage’s poster of refugees with the heading “breaking point” just before the referendum is an illustration of how the Brexit campaign covertly attacked Muslims. As much as the Tory Brexit leaders distanced themselves from the charismatic former UKIP leader, it has no doubt influenced a large number of people to unleash their hatred towards Muslims.
The third reason to believe that Brexit is likely to exacerbate attacks on an already alienated British Muslim community is the bizarre fear mongering of the likelihood of Turkey joining the EU by all sections of the Brexit campaigners.
Brexit has divided the nation, but its immediate aftermath has already shown signs of a worrying future for the ethnic minorities. While it will be hugely unfair to suggest that 52 percent of the population who voted to leave are racists, there is a genuine cause for concern due to the political direction of post-Brexit Britain.
Compared to many countries in the West, Britain is still one of the best countries for Muslims to practice their religion and manifest their faith in public. How long they will be able to maintain this freedom remains uncertain, as the country has entered into unchartered territories after the Brexit vote.
Early signs are not too encouraging and the political situation also gives a bleak picture of what is to come. The only encouraging sign so far is that politicians from all sides, including UKIP have strongly condemned racist attacks on ethnic minorities after the referendum.
