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More than half of Muslim Labor Party members do not trust Keir Starmer to address Islamophobia, and nearly the same proportion say they do not trust the party’s complaint process, according to a new poll.
The Labor Muslim Network (LMN) report is the latest sign that the party’s new leadership is losing the trust of ethnic minority members and supporters, even as it struggles to recover from a crisis of anti-Semitism that caused support for Jewish voters. .
The findings echo complaints relayed earlier this year by members of the party’s own network of black and ethnic minority staff that there is a perception of a “hierarchy of racism” within the party, in which some forms of racism are considered more serious than others.
A survey of 422 Muslim members or party sympathizers found that nearly six in 10 (59%) did not feel “well represented by the Labor Party leadership,” and nearly half (44%) did not believe the party would take the lead. front question of Islamophobia seriously.
It found that 55% did not “trust the Labor Party leadership to address Islamophobia effectively” and 48% did not trust the party’s grievance procedure to deal with Islamophobia.
Issues raised included concerns about examples of Islamophobia highlighted in the leaked report on the Labor Party’s governance and legal unity, the party’s approach to the government’s strategy to prevent radicalization, and widespread anxiety about how the party’s approach would shift toward Palestine under the new leadership.
A Labor supporter quoted in the report said: “As in most institutions within the UK, as a Muslim we often feel we are at the bottom of the list when it comes to human rights, being respected and having our best interests heard / defended. It seems that in all UK institutions it has become increasingly acceptable to condemn and even abuse Muslims. “
A Labor source told The Guardian that there was great concern within the party about the way complaints of Islamophobia are handled, without a code of conduct for dealing with Islamophobia comparable to that which has been put in place to deal with anti-Semitism. As a result, high-profile cases, like that of Trevor Phillips, suspended by the party in March on charges of Islamophobia, are still in limbo.
The source said the party had changed its processes around anti-Semitism following media scrutiny: “But such a thing does not exist with Islamophobia. Also, other parties are significantly worse. Conservatives are out of line with Islamophobia as well as anti-Semitism. “
A spokesman for LMN said the findings of its report were deeply disturbing and called on Labor to take “comprehensive action” on the racism experienced by Muslims in the party.
A statement provided by Labor and attributed to Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, did not address the issues raised with the leadership, but said they would work with LMN to implement their recommendations.
It read: “We thank the Labor Muslim Network for this important report, as well as for its work to ensure that our Muslim members are represented, included and heard. Islamophobia has no place in our party or in society and we are committed to eradicating it. “
