OPINION: Scapegoating Muslims does not make us safer

Time and time again when an attack is perpetrated allegedly by a Muslim, the racist pallbearers come out deviating attention from the victims to project their hate onto Muslims. Standing in solidarity against this violence and the ensuing racist backlash is essential for us to move forwards.

The horrific attack in Manchester saw 22 people killed including young children, leaving 59 others injured. Emergency services have been diligently working round the clock ensuring the protection of the public and tending to those affected by the attack. Many local people and businesses including Muslims have offered free taxi rides, food and shelter. Others have chosen to adopt a different approach.

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• Katie Hopkins tweeted the necessity for a ‘final solution’ in ‘Machester’
• Piers Morgan claimed Muslims ‘must do more’
• Jodie Marsh called for the death penalty and for all mosques to be investigated

Muslims needing ‘to do more’ provokes justifiably many eye-rolls. Muslim communities have been working with the police and they have rolled out community initiatives to mitigate against violence. Muslim organisations including the Muslim Council of Britain, the Muslim Association of Britain, Muslim Engagement and Development Community, the Muslim Women’s Council have all expressed their condolences with the victims of the bombing as well as condemning the violence.

Yet the pernicious narrative of Muslims posing a security threat persists. The onus of fighting terrorism rests with the Muslim community rather than with society as a whole. Influential groups, people and parties in positions of power are doing little to break down those myths placing an already marginalised group at further risk of attack. An Oldham mosque has reported to have been set on fire following the Manchester arena bombing.

The deafening silence from mainstream media and politicians illustrates clearly the types of victims that merit national sympathy and support. The Islamophobic backlash must be taken seriously and it is disappointing to see many in the media and in politics ignore the torrent of abuse directed at Muslims.

As for safety, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy Prevent has done little to alleviate the population’s fears when a poll shows 96% of British people think Prevent is not keeping the population safe.

A report published by the Open Society Justice Initiative, concluded there are “serious indications that Prevent is counterproductive.” The former security official and Prevent strategy’s architect, Sir David Omand, noted: “If the community sees [Prevent] as a problem, then you have a problem.”

Instead of enlisting Muslims communities in the fight against terrorism, Prevent treats all Muslims with suspicion:

• Gavin Robinson MP reported a government official had told him: “It is really a counter-Islamic strategy,” after he probed the exclusion of Northern Ireland from the counter-extremism initiative
• According to former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, converting to Christianity is not a sign of radicalisation but converting to Islam is
• Muslim schoolchildren under the age of 10 have been reported to the police by school teachers for carrying brass pieces, owning toy guns and complaining over a lack of a prayer room

It is clear to see Prevent has not been designed to root out terrorism; it seeks to marginalise Muslims.

In times like these I draw inspiration from the likes of Ken Livingstone, who brought people together in the wake of the 7/7 London bombings without resorting to blaming any one community:

I want to say one thing specifically to the world today. This was not a terrorist attack against the mighty and the powerful. It was not aimed at Presidents or Prime Ministers. It was aimed at ordinary, working-class Londoners, black and white, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Jew, young and old. It was an indiscriminate attempt to slaughter, irrespective of any considerations for age, for class, for religion, or whatever.

It is therefore, imperative for us to come together to stand against terrorism, division and racism.