London adopts APPG definition of Islamophobia

ANKARA

London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced Friday that City Hall adopted the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims definition of Islamophobia.

Khan encouraged the government and other public bodies to do the same in a bid to tackle "hate crime and the spread of far-right messaging by also signing up to the wording."

City Hall will become the largest public authority to adopt the APPG definition, which is a grouping in the parliament of the United Kingdom that is composed of members from all political parties.

“Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness,” reads the APPG definition of Islamophobia.

"The evil terror attacks in Christchurch last week were attacks on the values that unite us," said Khan.

"By signing up to the APPG definition of Islamophobia we are sending a powerful message of our united determination to end Islamophobia and the spread of far-right rhetoric," he added.

Khan's announcement came after a meeting on Thursday at City Hall with mosque leaders in London in the wake of last week’s terrorist attacks by a white supremacist terrorist in New Zealand in which at least 51 people were killed.

Sadiq told mosque leaders that it is important for the government to follow his lead in adopting the definition.

Khan assured them that municipal authorities have been doing everything for the safety of Muslim worshippers through "increased patrols, engagement and security advice."

The last three years have seen a sharp rise in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crimes in the UK, with a record number of attacks in 2017. In 2018 there were over 1,200 reports of Islamophobic attacks, a 26 percent surge from the previous year.

Islamophobic incidents have risen significantly due to a number of factors such as Brexit and the proliferation of far-right groups manipulating misconceptions on immigration and faith.