Public Meeting: 7pm Thursday 26 November Committee Room 10 House of Commons SW1A 0AA Nearest Tube: Westminster
Speakers:
Diane Abbott MP
Talha Ahmad, National Council Members, Muslim Council of Britain
Rabbi Lee Wax
Mohammed Kozbar, Vice President Muslim Association of Britain and Chair, Finsbury Park Mosque
Maz Saleem, Daughter of the late Mohammed Saleem
Alex Kenny, NUT National Executive member
Malia Bouattia, NUS Black Students Officer
Piers Telemacque NUS VP Society and Citizenship
Aman Ali, MEND Community Development & Engagement Team
Sabby Dhalu & Weyman Bennett, Stand up to racism organisers
Further speakers TBC
Following the horrific attacks in Paris and Beirut we must urgently challenge racism and Islamophobia unleashed as a result of this. Already there have been numerous violent Islamophobic attacks in Britain since the Paris attacks, mainly on Muslim women. This is on top of concerns about a rise in Islamophobic hate crimes before the Paris attacks occurred.
Another response to such attacks is a clampdown on civil liberties by the state, the latest attempt is in the form of the proposed Extremism Bill. This is mainly directed at the Muslim communities for whom David Cameron has already said obeying the law will not be taken as proof of rejection of ‘extremism’. Moreover the loose definition of “extremism” means all those on the centre-left and left that disagree with government policy could be targeted. The Extremism Bill is in addition to the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act that includes measures such as imposing a legal duty on schools and other education institutions to implement Prevent, leaving innocent young children and their families feeling persecuted.
This public meeting has been called to discuss the concerns of the Muslim population, act against hate crime, the impact of Prevent and the Counter-Terrorism and Security Act, the implications of the forthcoming Extremism Bill and to challenge the narrative used by those like ISIL and Al Qaeda rather than feed it.
