Anas Sarwar: 'Islamophobia in Scotland should shame us all'

The first public inquiry into Islamophobia in Scotland has found that racism against Muslims has escalated.

Verbal and physical assaults have intensified, especially on public transport, with more participants in Glasgow experiencing abuse.

Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who leads the group of MSPs behind the report, said the results "should shame us all".

Several recommendations have been made for the Scottish government to act upon.

The inquiry was set up in 2018 by a cross-party group of MSPs charged with tackling islamophobia after levels of hatred increased.

The report, produced by Newcastle University professor Peter Hopkins, calls for the integration of an understanding of Islamophobia into Scotland's education curriculum. It also wants to see the recruiting of more police officers from diverse communities.

It asks that all political parties in Scotland adopt a "no tolerance" approach to Islamophobia.

The report suggests that the Scottish government funds and supports initiatives to educate people about the damage Islamophobia does to society.

And it calls on the Scottish government to instigate a full independent review.

Mr Sarwar started the group after he was allegedly subjected to racist comments by a Labour councillor.

He wrote to the first minister outlining a series of proposals to tackle "everyday racism and Islamophobia" across Scotland.

He also called for a review of the legal framework surrounding racist and Islamophobic abuse on social media.

Responding to the report, Mr Sarwar said: "We pride ourselves on being a welcome and tolerant country, but it's clear how much more work we have to do.

"There are people in Scotland who feel scared to leave their homes for fear of verbal of physical attack, are withdrawing from public services with devastating knock-on consequences on their health and education and feel they are outsiders in their own country.

"This should shame us all."

He said it was clear that efforts had to be redoubled to challenge and overcome hatred and prejudice.

And he added: "The fight against hate is a fight for all of us."

The review was told by its participants that the abuse takes place most commonly in the street.

Public spaces such as shops or restaurants and public transport were also hotspots, then at work and places of education to a lesser extent.

Muslim women were more likely to encounter Islamophobia than men.

Report author Prof Hopkins has been researching issues of racism and Islamophobia in Scotland for 20 years.

He said: "The evidence submitted to this inquiry makes it clear that Scotland has a very serious set of issues to address in relation to everyday Islamophobia and racism.

"Inquiry evidence included numerous references to verbal and physical abuse, attacks in and around mosques and religious buildings, and experiences of threatening behaviour on public transport.

"Almost four fifths of respondents were fearful of experiencing Islamophobia and this had real consequences for how they lived their lives.

"Islamophobia permeates all domains of Scottish society; it is not only restricted to one context. It threatens education, limits employment prospects, and impacts everyday issues including health, wellbeing and housing.

"It is time to address the issue of Scotland's Islamophobia rather than denying its existence."

He added: "The recommendations make it clear that all sectors, agencies and departments need to make long-term changes to eradicate Islamophobia from Scottish society."

A Scottish government spokeswoman said: "We are committed to tackling hate crime and prejudice, including Islamophobia in all its forms and we will carefully consider this inquiry's recommendations.

"New hate crime laws ensure our police and courts will have the powers they need so those who would deliberately target others due to their religion or other characteristics can be prosecuted.

"Later this year we will report on the progress of our Tackling Prejudice and Building Connected Communities Action Plan, which was published in 2017 and included actions on raising awareness of hate crime and encourage reporting."

She said the government would develop a new hate crime strategy later this year in consultation with stakeholders.

"As part of this, we will consider the need to define Islamophobia, including consideration of the UK's All-Party Parliamentary Group's definition," she added.