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Report: British Labour Muslims wary of party’s approach to Palestine 

November 14, 2020 at 2:43 pm

A newly released report by the Labour Muslim Network (LMN) have revealed that more than half of Muslim members of the Labour party do not trust Keir Starmer to tackle Islamophobia.

The report according to The Guardian newspaper shows that the party’s new leadership is losing the trust of minority ethnic members and supporters. It pointed out that there was general anxiety over how the party’s approach to Palestine would change under the new leadership.

The findings spoke of a perception of a “hierarchy of racism” within the party, wherein some forms of racism are regarded as more serious than others. This was a reference to the stern stance taken by the party on allegations of antisemitism which contrasts with its indifference toward Islamophobia. Almost half – 44% – did not believe the party takes the issue of Islamophobia seriously.

The report further found that 55% did not “trust the leadership of the Labour party to tackle Islamophobia effectively” and 48% did not have confidence in the party’s complaints procedure to deal with Islamophobia.

A spokesperson for the network said the findings of its report were a cause of grave  concern and called on Labour to take “comprehensive action” on the racism experienced by Muslims in the party.

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