November 2, 2023 - 2:30pm
Yesterday, Labour took to social media platform X to post a video of party leader Sir Keir Starmer promoting “Islamophobia Awareness Month”, which supposedly comes at a “troubling time for Muslims in Britain”.
In what can only be described as identitarian theatre, Starmer refers to the “devastating rise” in Islamophobia, warning that Britain must not become a place where British Muslims are unable to be their “whole selves”.
The clip revealingly exposes how Labour both views and wishes to interact with the wider British Muslim population ahead of next year’s general election. Instead of inclusively celebrating the traditional triad of family, community and faith which runs deep in British Muslim communities — something which much of the atomised and secularised mainstream could learn from — Labour has decided to nail its colours to the mast of grievance politics.
While this unhelpfully perpetuates the myth of British Muslims as a monolithic bloc, victimised and downtrodden, it is the preferred strategy for a Labour Party which is full to the brim with radical cultural liberals who have no time for the social conservatism which exists among those of faith. Appealing to British Muslims by offering a defence of the conventional two-parent family unit, promoting the institution of marriage, pushing back on radical transgenderism, and presenting a positive view of the role of religion in modern Britain would help Labour reconnect with its own traditional roots. Of course, this would also risk the antagonisation of the party’s progressive Left-wing.
Labour continues to prioritise a political approach of building voter coalitions based on minority grievances and identitarian victimhood — even though this is an incredibly high-risk strategy which is unsustainable in the long-term due to conflicting desires.
Starmer’s concept of “progressive patriotism” could be a celebration of Britain’s relatively successful multiracial, religiously diverse democracy. It could take pride in the fact that more than three in four British Muslims believe that Britain — a land of considerable religious freedoms, economic opportunities, and legal protections — is a good place for their co-religionists to live. Ahead of Remembrance Day, it could commemorate the likes of Punjabi Muslim Subedar Khudadad Khan, the first soldier of Indian origin to receive the Victoria Cross (awarded for his bravery in the Belgian village of Hollobeke during the Great War).
In an era of doom-and-gloom narratives and tribal identity politics, Britain needs a mature social-democratic party that can provide a positive account of its own history and heritage. It should focus on tying together the country’s diversity through a shared national story based on quietly traditional values such as determination, resilience, and courage — as opposed to fanning the flames of grievance. As it stands, the Labour Party is failing miserably in presenting an uplifting vision for integrating diverse communities and bolstering social cohesion.
Dr Rakib Ehsan is a researcher specialising in British ethnic minority socio-political attitudes, with a particular focus on the effects of social integration and intergroup relations.
rakibehsan
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Subscribe“Islamophobia Awareness Month”, Awareness that it’s a BS made up word designed to quell all criticism of a military political ideology masquerading as a religion?
Islamophobia (fear of Islam) is an accurate word to describe people’s feelings in China, Myanmar, Israel, the Sahel and many other conflict areas of the World. it should not be confused with Muslimophobia which would be hateful.
What exactly is the Awareness supposed to promote during the month? I think we all know that there are plenty of people who fear the activities of radical Islamists. What are we supposed to do about it? Celebrate awareness as an aid to the Prevent Program? Condemn awareness on the grounds that it is a minority of Muslims who wish to promote a caliphate, the execution of gays, the death of apostates and the persecution of unbelievers in Britain so we should not worry.
At least they should suggest a clear line:Islamophobia promotion month orIslamophobia suppression month. Awareness seems rather mealy mouthed.
In that case, kafirophobia (fear of non-muslims) would be an accurate word to describe non-muslim people’s feelings in most Muslim majority countries!
This is rather similar to ‘love the sinner, hate the sin’. I find it hard to disentangle the two. Without the one the other wouldn’t exist.
Anyone drawing attention to a grooming gang is de facto Islamophobic, apparently..
Excellent. This “Awareness Month” should, more correctly, be called the “Protect Islam from all Scrutiny and Criticism by Secular Societies” month since the propaganda term “Islamophobia” has exactly this objective. The fact that the term has become common currency in the English language indicates that it is very effective indeed.
Yes, legitimising ‘Islamophobia’ is a fantastic win for the Muslim movement. We are a nation of far too many ‘useful idiots’.
Quran 5:51
“O ye who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians for friends. They are friends one to another. He among you who taketh them for friends is (one) of them. Lo! Allah guideth not wrongdoing folk.”
>> How can you promote your moral guidebook with passages like that ^ and then, once outside the mosque, claim ‘Islamophobia!’?
Yet they do! That takes chutzpah alright, if I may use a Yiddish word.
Keir Starmer is patronising Muslims
Labour is treating the community as permanent victims
He’s patronizing them in the way a diner patronizes a restaurant, because in the modern leftist-progressive welfare state, victimhood is the coin of the realm.
I definitely support this. Not enough people are aware of and sufficiently afraid of radical Islam. Everyone should know the atrocities committed in the name of Islam by Hamas and others so they fully recognize the threat they represent to civil society.
In every part of the world
“Islamophobia Awareness Month”…..seriously?
Everyone needs to be afraid?
It’s what Labour does. They do the same for the ‘working class’. Labour are the self-appointed saviours of those that haven’t asked to be saved.
White university educated class saviour syndrome. The patron always regarded himself as superior to the client. It is the very essence of patronage.
Carried high on the shoulders of a grateful proletariat who wait for him to issue his commands like a latter day messiah.
They are never followers hanging on the words of a working class hero of the people
My Labour MP via Newsletter just informed me ‘International issues’ are one main request for casework: this, an area (despite rapid gentrification) that has very significant poverty, (some hidden, elderly, etc) deprivation, high levels of those on benefits, and many many are being evicted, etc.
It has a very large liberal left, student, and ethnic minority constituency(as well as very very poor areas) and course their concerns have to be addressed, but ultimately an MP is there to address local issues. One could wonder what parts of the constitiency are also not being heard and ask what constitutes ‘international issues’.
Can people please look beyond the “Islamophobia Month” element and concentrate on the superb analysis by this (presumably Muslim) writer.
What he puts forward should be stuffed in Starmer’s face and made to memorise.
Why do people fear Muslims? Well, who else is likely to stab you in the back, or blow himself up next to you? Who else will kill a baby or a pregnant lady and consider himself brave?
When can we have a Gammon Awareness Month please …….
You made me laugh, thank you very much.
Unfortunately Muslims in Britain can both maintain their “social conservatism” and regurgitate the script of the “radical cultural liberals” because the latter is only for the kafirūn. Starmer’s “identitarian theatre” is unlikely to alienate young, professional middle class Muslims (whose idea of “family, community and faith” might shock a great many people who aren’t green-haired, trans Labour activists).
Islamophobia – a word created by fascists and used by cowards to manipulate morons. Curtesy of Mr C Hitchens, deceased.
This should be stamped on the forehead of all Labour Cabinet members and all BBC employees
The Hitch, greatly missed. He correctly identified the word as simply a propaganda term.
I believe this may be a misattribution. The quote was in fact apparently due to one Andrew Cummins.
https://homoeconomicusnet.wordpress.com/2014/05/11/did-christopher-hitchens-say-that-on-islamophobia-or-someone-on-twitter/
Don’t worry. Labour will continue to patronise Muslims only until a more worthy victim group comes along.
Labour have form in dropping groups previously considered oppressed or disadvantaged.
“Labour will continue to patronise… until a more worthy victim group comes along” – If they will have time (look at the rate of replacement of native Englishmen by their fellow citizens of more southern origin)
“Appealing to British Muslims by offering a defence of the conventional two-parent family unit, promoting the institution of marriage, pushing back on radical transgenderism, and presenting a positive view of the role of religion in modern Britain would help Labour reconnect with its own traditional roots. Of course, this would also risk the antagonisation of the party’s progressive Left-wing” – I’m sorry, but I should disagree with the author’s thesis about “antagonisation”. Queers for Palestine and Saint Greta have proven that they have no problem hammering a square peg into a round hole.You can also recall how Scottish lawyers famously expand women’s rights to men with a 9-inch p***s.
The suffix phobia is supposed to be about irrational fear, however there is nothing irrational about fearing islamist terror attacks because they happen far too frequently enabled by the real islamaphobes, who are too frightened to speak out against the unacceptable behaviour of a minority of Muslims for fear of upsetting any of them.
As the article rightly says there is a majority of decent Muslims in this country who are happy to be here and they should be part of the solution to combating fanatical Islam
Excellent article – there is much good in Britain and many shared values, and Muslim opinion and experience is diverse. Focussing on grievance is divisive and doomed to failure.
Sick and tired of awareness months.
Yes, family, community and faith (for those practising) are better than identity politics.
Keir Starmer is supposed to be an intelligent man but yet again, he falls into the trap of identity politics nonsense.
Good article.
Hear hear
Yes indeed he does
All these protests are taking on political Islam as an international movement of fight back against ‘Islam’s oppressors’ largely sponsored by Iran.
I believe this is a significant problem in Britain and Europe’s Muslim communities. But I wouldn’t dispute that Israel is bombing too much and must now risk her troops in a full ground invasion to remove the Hamas militias from the northern section of the Gaza Strip.
Do you think Israel has another option? The words “Second War for Independence” should be taken literally, at least by those people who know about the child roasted alive in the oven.
But if you have any suggestions I’d like to hear
Good article. If only the politically radical Muslims could be sidelined Britain might stand a chance. As it is it almost looks like radical Muslims will determine both internal and foreign policy should Starmer be elected next year. He clearly finds it very hard to say no to such people.
A “mature social democratic party” ? A mature Social Democratic Party (SDP)?
I’d be sort of OK with Islamophobia Awareness month** if there was a ‘Everybody Draw Mohamed’ month following it. That would provide some sort of balance.
** erm… no, actually, it’s too idiotic to come close to supporting it.
I will state the obvious here. If Starmer want to keep the Muslim vote, he needs to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. If he does not, he will not only lose the votes of many Muslims, he will also loose the votes of many decent people (including many Jews) who do not to be complicit in the Gaza massacre.
The IAM is in it’s 11th year. It’s not a Labour party initiative, but hardly a surprise that in such a week a party leader would draw attention to it and with tensons heightened by current events it’s not the simplest road to navigate for anyone at the moment.
Of course predictably the Unherd Commentariat then has a fair smattering of comments that are exactly the sort of Islamophobia the week tries to tackle, conflating all Muslims with terrorists etc. In my workplace unfortunately some staff, and not just white pigmented skin staff, can be prone to this ignorant stereotype and thing nothing of it whilst needlessly upsetting good people.
That said I’m a bit ambivalent on the trend in ‘this week’s Awareness issue is…’ It does feel a bit patronising at times and just generates an immature tussle about who can get their Week in the Calendar, but sometimes behind is an important point not all bad to have been prompted to ponder.
I don’t read the comments here generally as being Islamaphobic. Rather, I consider them rightly sceptical of the tendency to assume that all people of a very broad and diverse faith share common beliefs and values. That’s not true across all the sects of Christianity any more than it is across different strands of Islam.
The reality is that there are fringe extreme groups in all religions and all societies that will claim validity through religious affiliation.
I think the gut feeling on UnHerd is that these days are not really promoting “awareness” or real solutions to problems, but rather encouraging grievance and division – that the pursuit of minority rights beyond the point of ensuring equality before the law equal rights is actually harmful.
Most people can make the distinction between the behaviour of sects, leaders and extremists and the ordinary people of a religion or country. I once visited Iran and found it very friendly and hospitable and no problem at all provided one accepted the local laws. As it should be.
You are trying to be too generous to Muslims.
They don’t respect local laws as shown by recent demonstrations and countless murders they committed in this country and in Europe.
Then add grooming gangs, books burning and film banning.
I have family in Sweden. We are not far behind that country as far as Islamofa**its are concerned.
History of Europe was for centuries history of struggle against Muslim invaders.
Question is why our so called Conservative government allows mass importation of savages into uk?
If saying that Islam and Muslims don’t belong to Europe makes you Islamophobic, so be it.
Again, this is saying they all believe the same things. That’s not true. We’re not supposed to be into collective punishment of groups – better to judge people on their merits if we’re called upon to judge.
Yes. immigrants should respect the host culture of the country they join and accept the existing legal system rather than trying to replace or subvert it.
I tried to reply but it is “awaiting for approval”
So Muslims and their lefty idiots marching in support of terrorist organisation and murder of Jews is ok.
But pointing out that that is a problem is censored.
Unheard, yes how appropriate.
I think you got your post through – and while I don’t entirely agree with it, I’d rather not have censorship. The marching is “not ok”, but perhaps it is better to let the majority of people see that and form their own judgement (again, the majority would agree with you that’s it’s not ok) than try to suppress it.