Discrimination against British Muslims is growing

12/16/2004 3:00:00 PM GMT

Source: Reuters

A survey conducted by an Islamic group in the United Kingdom showed that the number of British Muslims who experience discrimination almost doubled in the past four years.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said on Thursday that about 80 percent of the country's 1.8 million Muslims said that they have experienced discrimination because of their religion compared to 45 percent in 2000 and 35 percent in 1999.

The survey also proved that Muslim men are now as likely as women to experience prejudice, marking a significant change which the IHRC blamed on the growing number of police and security checks applied on Muslim men since the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001.

White Muslims in the UK reported more discrimination than any other ethnic group, suggesting that Britons are intolerant of those who convert to Islam.

"What's happened, post 9/11, is that some very deeply rooted prejudices -- things that weren't articulated in the public realm -- have found expression," said Arzu Merali, one of those who conducted the survey.

The survey also showed that 8 percent of the 1,200 Muslims said that they experienced some sort of discrimination on a daily basis. Another 8 percent said that they faced prejudice weekly, 8 percent said it was a monthly problem and 55 percent said they witnessed discrimination "on some occasions".

The report also stated that only 15 percent said they have never experienced discrimination because of their religion.

Previous IHRC surveys showed that gender differences have been somehow pronounced, but now the latest report showed that 80 percent of Muslim females are discriminated against compared to 78 percent of men.

"The anti-terrorism laws are profiling and targeting Muslim men," Merali said. "Our case studies suggest nearly every Muslim man living in an urban area, particularly in London, has either been stopped and searched or knows someone who has."

She noted that in the past, Muslim women were easily identifiable because of their dress and headscarves, but now Muslim men are equally visible.

The IHRC, a research body and lobby group, called upon the British government to do more to improve the image of Islam.

UK Muslims have long complained of an increase in abuse since the September 11 attacks and most of them feel that other Britons view them with suspicion.

The government has pledged to set laws banning incitement to hatred on religious grounds. Currently, there are laws to protect people on the bases of their color, race, gender or ethnic origin.