LONDON: Seven in 10 Brits think the rise in Islamophobic comments by politicians and others risks fueling hate crime, yet most also have hostile attitudes toward Muslims settling in the country, an Arab News / YouGov poll has found.
The survey, which was commissioned by this newspaper in conjunction with the Council for Arab-British Understanding (CAABU) and polled over 2,000 Brits, brought the country鈥檚 conflicted views into sharp focus.
The 鈥淯K attitudes toward the Arab world鈥� survey found that while 70 percent of respondents believe 鈥渁nti-refugee statements by politicians and others鈥� increase the risk of hate crime in the UK, 55 percent also support 鈥渞acial profiling against Muslims/Arabs for security reasons.鈥�
The survey also revealed that 41 percent of Brits think migrants and refugees coming from the Arab world to Europe are not beneficial to society.
The results found a clear split according to how Brits voted in the referendum to leave the EU. Just 22 percent of 鈥淏rexit鈥� voters believe Arabs who have migrated to the UK have 鈥渕ade an effort鈥� to adapt and integrate into Western society, compared to 55 percent who voted for the UK to remain part of the EU.
Scott Lucas, professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham, pointed to the disparity in Brits鈥� views exposed by the poll, with many raising concern over rising Islamophobia, yet simultaneously holding what could be viewed as Islamophobic views.
Lucas told Arab News: 鈥淭he fact they recognize Islamophobia yet they, themselves, have the same suspicions doesn鈥檛 surprise me.
鈥淥ur society is not immune to government rhetoric; everyone is being influenced by it, even if they are not aware of it.鈥�
 

London鈥檚 Metropolitan Police Service said the volume of hate crime it records as 鈥淚slamophobic attacks鈥� has increased sharply over the last four years. The force recorded 343 incidents in the 12 months to March 2013, and 1,260 in the 12 months to March 2017.
Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), told Arab News: 鈥淚slamophobia is now socially acceptable within society. The government needs to take real action.
鈥淐ertain sections of the (British) media are some of the biggest drivers of Islamophobia in the UK. The government should provide guidance to newspapers and work with press regulators and send experts to give advice to shake things up. The government has a long list of things it has said it would do and hasn鈥檛.鈥�
Versi offered the example of the aftermath of the terror attack at Finsbury Park Mosque in June this year. He said, 鈥淏oth the UK Prime Minster (Theresa May) and the UK Foreign Secretary (Boris Johnson) identified the need to quash Islamophobia at the time, however it is still unclear what actions were taken after making this statement.鈥�
Commenting on the Arab News/YouGov survey, Versi said the idea that many Brits are supporters of Arab racial profiling and dismiss the value of refugees is a subject of concern.
鈥淭his is a broader issue than just Arabs, it鈥檚 a lack of understanding of the value of immigrants in general,鈥� he said.
Versi urged the UK government to create policies that 鈥渢ackle these discriminatory views.鈥�
He expressed concern that the language used by politicians needs to be 鈥渧ery carefully thought through to understand the ramifications they have on how certain communities are viewed.鈥�
He added: 鈥淎 direct link between government rhetoric and Islamophobia is difficult to prove but the atmosphere of hostility that has been created by certain politicians is clear and dangerous. The government needs to take these results very seriously and act on it.鈥�
Shaista Aziz, a British journalist and columnist said 鈥渄ivisive rhetoric can only create hate and not solve hate.鈥�
Aziz, who is the founder of the anti-Islamophobia website 鈥淓veryday Bigotry Project,鈥� said when politicians describe immigrants in hateful terms, 鈥渋t legitimizes and normalizes the demonization of groups of people who are 鈥榦ther鈥�.鈥�
She continued: 鈥淲hile many people say they reject racism, they actually believe in things that could be construed as racism.
鈥淔or example, refugees don鈥檛 have 鈥榗ontribute鈥� anything to society 鈥� they don鈥檛 have to be scientists and doctors 鈥� they should just be respected as human beings.鈥�
She added: 鈥淭hat fact that people say they agree with Arab profiling says it all, doesn鈥檛 it? With the current government narrative around Muslims, this doesn鈥檛 surprise me.
鈥淛ust look at the dominant media headlines and nature of the stories day in, day out. 鈥楳uslim,鈥� 鈥榯errorist,鈥� 鈥榬efugees鈥� are not interchangeable terms,鈥� Aziz said.
On the matter of screening Arabs for security reasons, she said: 鈥淥bviously everyone needs to be kept safe and people need to be screened for security reasons but if it鈥檚 just one group being screened, that鈥檚 problematic. Everyone should be subject to checks, not just Muslims.鈥�
Lucas said that racism in the UK is often cloaked in 鈥渞ational terms, such as those who say 鈥榯he UK can鈥檛 take the strain of more immigrants鈥�.鈥�
He said that problems can arise in UK communities where there is limited contact with multicultural groups.
鈥淚f the communities don鈥檛 have day-to-day contact, they are only subject to images that come from the media, news or shows,鈥� he said. 鈥淵et most of the images shown in the press or media of Muslims are unnatural and they are not depicted doing day-to-day things.鈥�
Aziz urged the British government to take a reality check of the level of bigotry that has been mainstreamed into our politics because 鈥渋t鈥檚 alienating large numbers of British people and causing long-term problems.鈥�
鈥淚f Muslims are continually seen as a problem, it鈥檚 difficult for some Muslims to feel like they belong 鈥� it creates separated groups and foments an 鈥榰s and them鈥� narrative. This can never be a good thing for society,鈥� she said.

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