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The government has been criticized by its own Islamophobia adviser for refusing to release the evidence behind Matt Hancock’s claim that people were “not respecting social distancing” when he imposed a blockade on 4.6 million people in the north. from England at the beginning of the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha.
Qari Asim, vice chair of a government task force on anti-Muslim hatred, said the health secretary’s statement on Twitter added to the “hate narratives” and “gave the impression that Muslim communities were not social distancing. and they were ignoring government directives. “
Hancock made the comment in a late-night Twitter thread on July 30, when Eid al-Adha kicked off, announcing three hours in advance that strict restrictions would be imposed in Greater Manchester, parts of East Lancashire, West Yorkshire and Leicester starting in the morning. midnight.
He said: “The spread is largely due to households coming together and not respecting social distancing. Then, starting at midnight tonight, people from different households will not be able to gather inside these areas. “
The blockade, imposed 12 weeks ago and largely still in effect, sparked a frenzy on far-right social media as extremists blamed Muslims for spreading the coronavirus.
The timing and form of the announcement was immediately criticized by chiefs of police, MPs from all parties and Muslim leaders who described it as a “blatant scapegoat of Muslims.” Many of the northern cities and towns under lockdown have above-average South Asian populations.
In response to a request for freedom of information, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHSC) confirmed that it had the evidence to support Hancock’s claim, but declined to release it. He said publishing the data would jeopardize “the internal deliberative process as it relates to policy making.”
Asim, a senior adviser to the government, urged ministers to release the data immediately. He said Hancock’s claim “gave the impression that Muslim communities were not socially distancing themselves and were ignoring government guidelines. Therefore, it is correct that the full data is made public to clarify things. “
He added: “We saw an increase in Islamophobia online [in the aftermath of the announcement] and Muslim communities were seen as the cause of another shutdown. Some people definitely felt that the timing of the announcement was very poor. The way it was done showed indifference to a community of faith.
“We do not want to give rise to hate narratives and it is really important that the authorities make sure that these hate narratives are not compatible.”
Hancock’s tweets came just hours after a high-level meeting considered a report from a subgroup of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) that said local closures could lead to a “divided nation” and “be exploited.” by far-right groups ”.
He warned that “inconsistency or perceived injustice in how and where restrictions are imposed could generate social unrest and public disorder.”
Sir Chris Ham, former executive director of the King’s Fund health think tank, said: “The evidence used by ministers when making lockdown decisions should always be made public, especially as these decisions have a major impact on the lives of those affected .
“Transparency is essential to restore public confidence in government decisions, as is already the case with the Sage minutes.”
Wajid Khan, the mayor of the city council of Burnley, one of the locked cities, said that the way Hancock announced the announcement led Muslims to feel “blamed and blamed” and “used, confused and abused.”
He said the government’s failure to release the evidence behind Hancock’s claim “would exacerbate” mistrust “of how decision-making affects those communities.”
“It is in our interest to find out what led to this controversial decision,” he said.
DHSC has been contacted for comment.
