Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism
Encyclopedia
The Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism (FAIR) is a London
-based Muslim
advocacy
group which campaigns against discrimination
in the form of Islamophobia
or racism
. It was established in 2001 as an independent charitable organization
with the aim of monitoring media coverage of Islam
and Muslims, and challenging examples of Islamophobia through dialogue with media organizations. Since its inception, it has produced numerous publications relating to Islamophobia in the United Kingdom
.
FAIR was active in campaigning for passing of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006
which outlawed the incitement towards religious hatred in Britain. They issued a memorandum
in 2002 entitled "The Religious Offences Bill: A Response" to the House of Lords
Select Committee in which they raised a number of publications by the far-right British National Party
inciting hatred against Islam and the Muslim community in Britain, stating that this exposed a loophole in British law wherein some communities were protected from incitement to hatred whilst others were not. In 2003, FAIR reported 29 incidents of assault or attacks against Muslims for that year, though they believe many went unreported. This included attacks on Muslim women and people wearing traditional Muslim clothes, as well as vandalism of mosque
s and Islamic centers. Also reported were desecration of Muslim graves.
In 2004, the FAIR carried out a survey in association with the Muslim College and the Al-Khoei Foundation which found that since the September 11 attacks, 80 percent of Muslims surveyed reported being subjected to Islamophobia; 68 percent believed they had been treated and perceived differently; and 32 percent reported being discriminated against at airports in the United Kingdom. FAIR have also co-organised events and demonstrations alongside the Muslim Council of Britain
(MCB) and the National Assembly of Black People.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
-based Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
advocacy
Advocacy
Advocacy is a political process by an individual or a large group which normally aims to influence public-policy and resource allocation decisions within political, economic, and social systems and institutions; it may be motivated from moral, ethical or faith principles or simply to protect an...
group which campaigns against discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
in the form of Islamophobia
Islamophobia
Islamophobia describes prejudice against, hatred or irrational fear of Islam or MuslimsThe term dates back to the late 1980s or early 1990s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States....
or racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
. It was established in 2001 as an independent charitable organization
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
with the aim of monitoring media coverage of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and Muslims, and challenging examples of Islamophobia through dialogue with media organizations. Since its inception, it has produced numerous publications relating to Islamophobia in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Aims and activities
According to the group's mission statement, it was set up "for the purpose of raising awareness of and combating Islamophobia and racism, monitoring specific incidents of Islamophobia and racism, working towards eliminating religious and racial discrimination, campaigning and lobbying on issues relevant to Muslim and other multi-ethnic communities in Britain."FAIR was active in campaigning for passing of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006
Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006
The Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which creates an offence in England and Wales of inciting hatred against a person on the grounds of their religion...
which outlawed the incitement towards religious hatred in Britain. They issued a memorandum
Memorandum
A memorandum is from the Latin verbal phrase memorandum est, the gerundive form of the verb memoro, "to mention, call to mind, recount, relate", which means "It must be remembered ..."...
in 2002 entitled "The Religious Offences Bill: A Response" to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
Select Committee in which they raised a number of publications by the far-right British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
inciting hatred against Islam and the Muslim community in Britain, stating that this exposed a loophole in British law wherein some communities were protected from incitement to hatred whilst others were not. In 2003, FAIR reported 29 incidents of assault or attacks against Muslims for that year, though they believe many went unreported. This included attacks on Muslim women and people wearing traditional Muslim clothes, as well as vandalism of mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
s and Islamic centers. Also reported were desecration of Muslim graves.
In 2004, the FAIR carried out a survey in association with the Muslim College and the Al-Khoei Foundation which found that since the September 11 attacks, 80 percent of Muslims surveyed reported being subjected to Islamophobia; 68 percent believed they had been treated and perceived differently; and 32 percent reported being discriminated against at airports in the United Kingdom. FAIR have also co-organised events and demonstrations alongside the Muslim Council of Britain
Muslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
(MCB) and the National Assembly of Black People.
Publications
- Counter-Terrorism Powers: Reconciling Security and Liberty in an Open Society: Discussion Paper- A Muslim Response. (2004), London
- A Response to the Government Consultation Paper, 'Towards Equality and Diversity: Implementing the Employment and Race Directives. (2002) London.
External links
- Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism (fairuk.org) official website.