Labour has appointed former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve to lead a review into creating a new definition of Islamophobia.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner launched a new working group tasked with understanding and defining hate crime targeted against Muslims.
Labour have promised a new definition, after the last Tory government rejected a cross-party proposal in 2019.
Critics warned the current definition is too broad and could curb free speech.
Grieve, who served as Tory MP from 1997 to 2019, said he hoped the review would “help support positive change in our country”.
Grieve 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 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.”
Any proposed definition will be non-statutory but will guide the government and others on discrimination against Muslims.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims proposed a new definition of Islamophobia in 2019.
The government, led by former Prime Minister Theresa May, said the suggested definition had “not been broadly accepted” and the matter needed “further careful consideration”.
The issue has been picked up by the Labour government following a rise in reported incidents of anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales.
Anti-Muslim hate in the UK surged to record levels last year, according to Tell Mama – which tracks Islamophobia.
Tell Mama confirmed almost 6,000 reports of anti-Muslim incidents – more than double the number two years ago.
Men were targeted more than women for the first time since the body was founded in 2012.
In its report, the organisation said there had been a “surge in rhetoric that falsely portrays Muslims as terrorists or terrorist sympathisers” following the Israel-Gaza conflict and Southport murders.
The new working group led by Grieve will provide “guidance to government and other bodies to support further action on tackling religiously motivated hate”.
Announcing the new review, Rayner said: “The rise in anti-Muslim hate crime is unacceptable and has no place in our society.
“That’s why we’ve committed to defining Anti-Muslim Hatred/Islamophobia, as a crucial step forward in tackling it and creating a society where everyone feels safe and welcome.”
This article was originally published at www.bbc.com
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