Scotland needs urgent education reforms to combat 'scourge of Islamophobia', report says

An understanding of Islamophobia should be integrated into the curriculum and all teacher training, while all educational institutions should create safe spaces for discussion, prayer and reflection and adopt dress-code policies in schools that are sensitive to the needs of Muslims. These are the recommendation of a report submitted following the country’s first public inquiry into Islamophobia two years ago.

The recommendations are included in an update on progress produced for the new Scottish Parliament Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Challenging Racial and Religious Prejudice.

With initial research finding 75 per cent of Muslims said Islamophobia was a regular or everyday issue in Scottish society, the new report has highlighted areas which it says need immediate reform.

The report also calls on the Scottish Government to fund and support organisations and initiatives that promote social cohesion and integration, particularly for Muslim women. The Scottish media is encouraged to consult regularly with the Muslim community to promote understanding and prevent misrepresentation.

In June 2021, the public inquiry found 78 per cent of Muslim respondents believed Islamophobia in Scotland was getting worse. Described as a “landmark” study, it tackled the idea of Scottish exceptionalism, highlighting how prevalent and deep-rooted Islamophobia is here.

The update for the CPG is authored by Professor Peter Hopkins of Newcastle University, who has been researching issues of racism and Islamophobia in Scotland for more than two decades. The research was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council.

Teaching union NASUWT said it would continue to work with the CPG “to increase awareness and visibility of the Islamophobia public inquiry recommendations and to maintain pressure on government to translate the recommendations into action”.Omar Afzal from the Scottish Association of Mosques said: “The report was a landmark moment for Muslim communities as it smashed the illusion of Scottish exceptionalism – the idea that Islamophobia exists, but it’s not as pervasive here. It also highlighted how prevalent and deep-rooted Islamophobia is; its systemic nature, and how it manifests itself and impacts life choices, particularly for young Muslims and Muslim women.

“We are now more than two years on from the publication of the report and this year, the publication of a new hate crime strategy too. Our focus must go back to actioning the report recommendations, particularly those which can make an immediate impact. Only then can we truly begin to tackle Islamophobia head on."

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who launched the initial inquiry into Islamophobia as former chair of the CPG, said: “Many of our fellow Scottish citizens face racism and intolerance on a daily basis and are scared to leave their homes.

“And right now, with the tragic escalation of violence in the Middle East, families in Scotland are living in fear of rising anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. We must stand with Jewish, Muslim and all communities against hate, and as politicians we have a duty to come together on a cross-party basis to address the recommendations in this report and seek to make Scotland a more tolerant nation.

“As with so many changes in society, that work starts in our classrooms.”