Still from video by Caroline Wyatt, who interviewed Muslim women to ask them about their experiences.
Islamophobic attacks have soared in Britain, rising by 70% from last year. Most of these attacks are against women, particularly women wearing the Niqab or Hijab.
Many western critics of Islam and Islamic cultures center their criticisms on the rights of women, portraying the entire faith and adherents to it as inherently misogynistic, and contrasting their own cultures as more tolerant and accepting. These attacks sharply question those stereotypes, as women who look and seem different from mainstream Britons are the principal targets.
British police say the increase is simply due to better counting, but non-profit organizations like Tell MAMA see the attacks as a new and growing challenge to the safety and security of women in England.
From the article:
Fiyaz Mughal, director of the organisation, said: “We realised that at a street level Muslim women who were visible, and wore the Hijab or the headscarf, were suffering more targeted abuse.
“We also realised quite early on that women who wear Niqab, the face veil, suffered more aggressive incidents – there was something about the face veil that in a way brought out the worst in the perpetrator.”
This issue isn’t one that faces Great Britain alone; America, France, and other nations regarded as safe havens of liberal tolerance and pluralism have seen dramatic increases in violence against Muslims and high-profile Islamophobia. Leading political figures speak about perceived threats and the Islamic State makes frequent appearances in stump speeches by US presidential candidates.
The complete article has video interviews with Muslim women and more details on the violence and the charities responding.
What can the West in general, and British society in specific, do to create the more tolerant culture we wish to live in and offer the world? Why do you think so many people are using violence against Muslim women in England?