Speeches

Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rehman Chishti on 2015-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent steps the Government has taken to tackle Islamophobia.

Stephen Williams

This Government has done more than any other to tackle anti-Muslim hatred which includes:

  • setting up the first ever cross-government working group on anti-Muslim Hatred;
  • provided start-up funding to the Tell MAMA initiative to record incidents and support victims of anti-Muslim hatred;
  • establishing a UK Srebrenica Memorial Day which recognises the fatal consequences of hatred and division;
  • running social media workshops to build the capacity of community organisations to use social media effectively;
  • holding 8 integration roadshows with communities to find out what more Government can do to integrate communities and tackle anti-Muslim hatred;
  • following the attacks in Paris, the my rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State (Eric Pickles) and my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, the Noble Lord Ahmad wrote on 16 January to mosques across England reassuring them of Government help if they experience anti-Muslim hatred;
  • the Department has also assured faith and community leaders of its support to their commendable efforts to foster mutual understanding and shared respect and is also in close contact with the Police who are reassuring communities and providing protective security advice and guidance.