Dr Radiven together with Iqbal Centre curated Islamophobia exhibition
Dr Claudia Radiven together with members of the Iqbal Centre and the Muslim Staff Network at the University of Leeds curated an exhibition in Parkinson Court on the theme of 'Seeds of Change' for Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM) on 19 November 2024.
Below is Dr Claudia Radiven's blog on this event and the importance of IAM.
Islamophobia in images: Show, don't tell
by Dr Claudia Radiven
Islamophobia Awareness Month allows many of us within the University to bring attention to a global phenomenon that affects communities from all over the world, from France, China, India, America and Bosnia to name a few. We are mostly enabled to do this work through policies of academic freedom, through funding from Equality and Inclusion Unit, as well as University objectives that focus on decolonising curriculums and acknowledging the inequalities faced by our student cohorts.
This year, there were opportunities to highlight global Islamophobia and how it impacts issues such as citizenship, scholasticide and everyday existence. Furthermore, to demonstrate how there is a family resemblance between different instances of Islamophobia wherever it occurs. In this way, we can observe systems of oppression that impact voting rights, education, access to healthcare, employment and freedom of movement. It is important to recognise how Islamophobia is more than individual actions from individual racists, but rather we can observe numerous examples where Islamophobia has come down from the state, to be enacted by the state, often through state policies. The lack of recognition of this is possibly why a universally accepted definition of Islamophobia has remained elusive despite one being drawn up.
The Islamophobia definition by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Muslims highlights specifically ‘types of racism that target expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness’. The reason for defining it this way has been for several reasons. Perhaps most prominently, is the fact that whilst Muslims are not a race, they are racialised, with many Islamophobic incidents being persecuted on the basis of assumptions and stereotypes. Additionally, defining it as a type of racism would ensure it is already covered by existing legislation that prosecutes racist acts. However, despite this, many institutions have still declined to adopt the definition.
Whilst other definitions have been adopted that cover specific prejudices, as well as acknowledgement of the responsibility to defend those with other protected characteristics, what we see is an exceptionalism of Islamophobia. This becomes particularly prominent when viewed in context to global events. There is a hesitance to accept that specific events being committed against Muslims globally are being carried out because these victims are Muslims. This is despite rhetoric that makes it clear of this intention. This is the same type of rhetoric highlighted in anti-immigration speeches, in conversations about security efforts, as well as by politicians globally who want to continue to position Muslims as dangerous and suspect.
This year, the Iqbal Centre for Critical Muslim Studies presented an exhibition on the theme of Global Islamophobia. Within the confines of the academy, we frequently present talks and lectures but this year there was a move to ‘show’ rather than simply ‘tell’.
Photographs from friends, journalists and colleagues from all over the world contributed to a vibrant display that showed first-hand the terrible consequences and conclusions of Islamophobia, particularly at the hands of state actors.
This visual demonstration showed how, for Muslims in some parts of the world today, safely existing is a struggle. These photographs showed the lived experience of Muslims where they are at risk of being shelled, having their homes burnt down, facing extreme violence from police and military or risk loss of life entirely. There were also displays including photographs and statistics dedicated to the rising far-right violence that has made a fierce return since the riots of August 2024 that swept the UK.
Figures provided by the Muslim Council of Britain demonstrated the vast inequalities faced by Muslims in the UK in categories such as housing, education, employment and deprivation. To add to this, in terms of hate crimes, Muslims face a huge proportion of the brunt of these figures.
Home Office data ending March 2024 revealed 38% of religious hate crimes recorded by the police were against Muslims, a 5% decrease compared with the previous year. While there was an overall decrease in hate crime, there was a 25% increase in religious hate crimes compared with the previous year.
Increasingly concerning is that these increases do not consider the organised attacks that occurred after the incident in Southport in August 2024. The increased attacks on religious groups have primarily been felt by Muslims and with increasing escalations of the situation in the Middle East, issuing of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court, it seems unlikely these tensions in the UK and elsewhere will subside.
By raising awareness, whether through visual displays like the University saw on 19 November or community engagement, there is a responsibility to prevent Islamophobia from slipping into such a state of exceptionalism that tolerance of it becomes the norm.
