ISTANBUL
Muslim communities in the West must invest in future leaders across politics, business and media to counter the growing threat of Islamophobia, two prominent British Muslim politicians told Anadolu.
Muslims are “good citizens who believe in humanity, all of humanity, and want to contribute positively to their communities,” said Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s former first minister.
But, he warned, they are increasingly under attack.
“I’m afraid I've never seen Muslims under attack as much now than in my whole life … they’re under attack in the West. I'm afraid they're under attack in the East,” said Yousaf, now a member of the Scottish Parliament.
“That’s why it’s really important we have Muslims in leadership roles — not just in politics … but in the media, in business, in the public sector, in the civic society,” said Yousaf, who made history in 2023 as the first Muslim to lead Scotland before stepping down from the role later the next year.
Naz Shah, a British lawmaker with the Labour party serving her third term in Parliament, echoed Yousaf’s call for greater Muslim representation.
Credit: facebook.com/NazShahMP
“It's very important to have Muslim voices in Parliament, because we have to represent our communities. And we have millions of Muslims across the UK,” she told Anadolu.
The two were in Istanbul to attend a global donor forum focused on Gaza — the besieged Palestinian enclave devastated by Israel’s military campaign since Oct. 7, 2023, which has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians.
Islamophobia deepens Europe-wide
Islamophobia is surging in Europe, especially since the Gaza war began, according to Marion Lalisse, the European Commission’s coordinator on combating anti-Muslim hatred.
“In particular, anti-Muslim hate crime has increased, for instance, by 140% in Germany,” Lalisse said over the weekend during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, an event in the Turkish resort province.
Yousaf shared a similar view: “I think the situation has got worse, not better.”
He blamed governments across the West for failing to challenge anti-Muslim sentiment over the past two decades. “What they've done is they've mainstreamed it, they’ve legitimized it. Because of that, we're now seeing the rise of the far right in France, Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Netherlands, United States. That rise in the far right is driven by anti-Muslim hatred.”
Shah said the British Conservative Party, which was in government for 14 years before losing to Labour in last year’s elections, made no effort to address the issue.
“There was no appetite to define Islamophobia,” she said. “There was no appetite, as far as I’m concerned, to tackle Islamophobia.”
However, Shah said the UK had since seen a “marked change.” Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve is now leading a review to formally define Islamophobia under the Labour government.
“What we have to do is first understand Islamophobia,” she said. Until “understand it and how it impacts on community, you can’t address it.”
‘We’re not asking for special treatment’
Shah emphasized the importance of building alliances across society.
“We have a shared interest, and that shared interest is the betterment of society. It’s the betterment of humanity,” she said. “That is something that is shared much more widely than hatred and division.”
Yousaf agreed, urging Muslims to unite and take a long-term view: “For the next 20 years, how are we going to improve the situation, not just for Muslims, but for humanity more generally?”
Both politicians insisted Muslims are not seeking preferential treatment.
“We’re just asking for a level playing field. We’re asking for equality,” Shah said. “You do not have to be a Muslim to understand Islamophobia, you don’t have to be a person of color to understand racism … It’s not just the responsibility of Muslims to fight Islamophobia.”
Credit: facebook.com/NazShahMP
‘Politics helped Muslim minorities’
Yousaf said engagement in politics has empowered Muslims and inspired the next generation.
“Many Muslims are involved in politics in the UK — and that’s good because, first of all, it inspires the next generation,” he said, citing lawmakers Sayeeda Warsi, Shah, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan as key examples.
He said the UK could serve as a model for other European countries in terms of diversity in leadership: “You should aim in your national parliament to represent the breadth of your society, which includes, of course, in most European countries, Muslims also.”
“We have to coordinate our efforts, support each other, invest in our people to be leaders in politics, in business, and media in particular.”
In a world grappling with war, famine, displacement and climate change, Shah said it is vital Muslims step into political spaces: “We have to be very, very clear that society, including parliaments, are there for the people, not the other way around.”
Double standards on Gaza and Ukraine
Yousaf said the disparate global responses to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine highlight deep-rooted bias.
“I’m a big supporter of Ukraine,” he said. “But I do question why, after over 50,000 people in Gaza have been killed … Western governments have not been (there) to support the children that have been slaughtered.”
“The only conclusion I can come to is because they’re not blonde-haired or blue-eyed — and because they’re Muslim, and therefore Muslim blood, Palestinian blood, Arab blood — I’m afraid — is cheap.”
Shah said these double standards were evident during last year’s UK election campaign.
“It’s very, very blatant,” she said.
“It is right that we support Ukraine. It is also right that we support Palestine … We cannot let this carry on.”
Erosion of international law and Trump’s return
Yousaf said the failure to enforce international law in Gaza is dangerous.
“We’re at the most critical juncture for international law,” he warned. “We have to, as the international community, demand the enforcing of international law, otherwise the whole rules-based order collapses completely — and that’s anarchy for everybody.”
He said global institutions like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC) have appeared “powerless to stop Israel,” referring to the lack of tangible action to curb Tel Aviv’s offensive on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza,
On the return of President Donald Trump to the White House, Yousaf urged Muslims to organize and prepare.
“We have somebody there who, I’m afraid, sympathizes with those who are attacking Muslims — like Elon Musk, one of his biggest backers,” he said, noting that the tech billionaire and close Trump ally “regularly amplifies disinformation about Muslims.”
Still, Yousaf saw an opportunity in the next US election.
“Who is the Muslim community investing in … to make sure that in four years’ time, in the US election, they have a candidate there who understands the fears of the Muslim community?” he asked.
“If we don’t organize, mobilize, work in a unified way, then we’re going to have Trump 2.0 who’s going to make things even worse for Muslims — not just in the United States, but we’ll have the same right across the Western world.”
