Working group launched on Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia definition

The government has set up a new working group to provide a working definition of Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia.

The announcement comes as part of a wider stream of work to tackle unacceptable incidents of anti-Muslim hatred. Incidents of anti-Muslim hate crime are at a record high in England and Wales.

The working group will advise government on how to best understand, quantify and define prejudice, discrimination, and hate crime targeted against Muslims.

The group will be chaired by Dominic Grieve KC, he said: "We know Islamophobia is as challenging to define as its existence is undoubted. We need to balance addressing the lived experience of those who are victims of it and the right of British Muslims to feel heard and protected as equal citizens of our country, with the unwavering requirement to maintain freedom of thought and expression under law for all.

"I welcome the government’s decision to bring forward this needed work and I am hopeful that this commission will come up with principles in defining Islamophobia which are compatible with those requirements and can thus help support positive change in our country."