The head of the UK’s leading monitor of Islamophobic attacks has criticised a forthcoming event in Parliament organised by Israel advocacy groups, and due to chaired by Conservative MP Mike Freer.
The invitation-only gathering on November 9 will reportedly examine “BBC Middle East coverage within the framework of Britain’s counter-extremism strategy.” One of the three panellists, however, is a professor who believes “Islam” could “take control of Europe.”
Richard Landes, described as having earned “the reputation in certain circles as a right-wing conspiracy theorist”, has previously stated that “the European democratic civilisation can fall before the Islamic challenge.” He has blogged about “a wave of Muslims raping Norwegian Infidels.”
Responding to news of the event, Fiyaz Mughal, director of the anti-Muslim incident monitoring project Tell MAMA, said that “any speaker who attempts to lump Muslims together in a derogatory manner or who plays to ‘Eurabia’ theories of Islam or Muslims taking over in Europe, should not be provided with the legitimacy of speaking in a meeting arranged in Parliament.”
He added: “Imagine if these comments were made against other communities, would we allow them to be legitimised through events being held in Parliament?”
Freer has failed to respond to requests for comment concerning the event he is set to chair, or the speakers with whom he will be sharing the platform.
Criticism of the Tory MP-chaired event comes shortly after the government’s recent announcement that police in England and Wales will be required to record anti-Muslim hate crimes, a move welcomed by Mughal and Tell MAMA. PM David Cameron last week declared that the government will back British Muslims “to stand against those who spread hate.”
According to Mughal, “views about a Muslim ‘takeover’ or of Islam taking over Europe add and fuel fear and division in communities. We work with victims of anti-Muslim prejudice and in some cases, they have told us specifically that perpetrators have accused Muslims of taking over and of being a threat, whilst they are in fact targeted by the perpetrators.”
The Tell MAMA director said that they “would ask any group to think carefully about the speakers it calls into Parliament lest it provide legitimacy to those who seek to divide.”