Position Paper: Approaching a Definition of Islamophobia

In November 2018, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims released a landmark report titled Islamophobia Defined: The Inquiry into a Working Definition of Islamophobia. The report proposed the following definition: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” Despite the Labour Party adopting the definition in March 2019, the government has recently distanced itself from the definition, noting that it is “reviewing our approach and considering various options for how best to tackle Islamophobia and all forms of hatred.”

This position paper argues that the APPG definition of Islamophobia offers a holistic framework that transcends hate crime, making it essential to combatting anti-Muslim racism and discrimination across all spheres of political, economic, social, and public life in the UK. By employing a human rights-based approach, the paper urges the government to adopt the APPG definition, along with the explanatory guidelines produced by the Coalition Against Islamophobia (CAI), as a crucial foundation for effectively addressing Islamophobia in all its forms.

Read the full paper: