How coronavirus exposed Britain’s deep-rooted Islamophobia
One new virus has infiltrated Britain and uncovered just how pervasive and entrenched another virus is.
It should not come as a surprise to anybody that a country governed by Boris Johnson is overflowing with anti-Muslim sentiments. But that does not make the extent of the problem any less reprehensible.
After all, it was Johnson who likened Muslim women who wear the burqa to ‘letterboxes’ and ‘bank robbers. He is the author of a Spectator article in 2005 which unabashedly declared ‘the problem is Islam. Islam is the problem’. And to add to his deplorable list of damaging anti-Muslim assertions, he once alleged ‘Islamophobia is a natural reaction to Islam.’
It would be erroneous to suggest Johnson single handily invigorated such tendencies in Britain. 43% of Conservative Party members ‘would prefer to not have the country led by a Muslim’, more than a third of Briton’s believe Islam threatens the British way of life, and despite accounting for less than 5% of the UK’s 66 million-strong population, 52% of religious hate crime offences committed in England and Wales between 2017 and 2018 targeted Muslims. This indicates he inherited a country in which a considerable fraction of people hold aggressively Islamophobic views.
But Johnson completes the unfortunate marriage of convenience between a politician with injurious views of Muslims and a country which disturbingly possesses equally as crass attitudes. And these mindsets have been accentuated throughout the global pandemic.
Just a few hours before the Islamic celebration of Eid al-Adha, in which Muslims up and down the country were looking forward to visiting families and friends after several frustrating months of being in lockdown, the government unexpectedly announced local lockdowns in heavily Muslim populated towns and cities.
The fresh measures were announced on Twitter and prohibited large gatherings and celebrations. The Health Secretary Matt Hancock claimed the increased transmission of the virus was as a result of people visiting families and friends without closely following social distancing rules.
This was a claim then echoed by the Conservative MP Craig Whittaker. He told LBC radio there were ‘sections of the community that are not taking the pandemic seriously’. When asked if he was talking about the Muslim community, he replied: ‘Of course.’
It is not the first time Muslims have been targeted on Eid. For Eid al-Fitr in May, adverts were posted online which contained warnings to the Muslim community to stay home and observe the religious festival. This singling out heavily implies that it is largely Muslims overlooking the safety procedures and compounding matters.
But these are deceitful allegations. Covid-19 has hit the country’s ethnic minorities hard, and particularly Muslims. However, the suggestion that it is as a result of negligence and ignorance on their part is misguided. In fact, it entirely ignores the fact a significant portion of Muslims sacrifice their own health and safety by working in front line jobs that place them at greater risk of catching the virus.
And from the outset of the pandemic, from producing protective gear for health workers and donating food to vulnerable communities, to helping families pay for funeral costs and even setting up temporary morgues, Muslims in Britain stepped up their efforts to support those in need during the coronavirus crisis.
Regardless, there is ostensibly a steely determination to lay the blame at the door of Muslims even when there is no concrete evidence to support such accusations. Indeed, when other celebrations and events took place that were symbolic or aroused a similar poignancy to Eid, there was no such apprehension about the lack of social distancing discipline. On the 75th anniversary of VE Day — when the Allied victory in Europe during World War Two took place — streets were overflowing up and down the country with Brits celebrating.
Evidence of diligent social distancing for the VE Day festivities was in short supply, yet any incendiary blame for such actions was not discernible. And this represents a consistent but unsettling trend.
Despite Muslims being incessantly blamed, a simple look at the facts would show that such charges are misleading. Eleanor Roaf, director of public health in Trafford, one of the areas in Greater Manchester most affected by an increase in infections, declared that 80% of the new Covid-19 cases in the area were among white British people. Much of that stemmed from a ‘complacent middle class’ who wrongly believe the disease is ‘not affecting them because it’s about overcrowding in ethnic minority families’, she stated.
Just like during the June heatwave when a multitude of people flocked to Bournemouth beach, and were accused of displaying ‘disgusting’ behaviour. ‘We are trying everything we can — signs, road closures, ticketing, education — you name it, but it doesn’t work. They don’t care’, one member of Dorset council claimed.
The irony is that an attitude of complacency has actually been pervasive throughout. It just happens to be palpable among those seemingly exempt from any denouncement. If the government wanted an example of flagrant contempt for the rules and regulations, then they should look closer to home, and in particular at the government adviser, Dominic Cummings.
Especially as he breached lockdown guidelines by driving more than 250 miles from London to Durham, without stopping, to supposedly obtain childcare for his son. Not to mention Cummings’ 30-mile essential car drive to test his eyesight before driving back to London.
When a figure of importance is indifferent about the measures in place to protect the nation, it is no wonder large swathes of the population either do not take the precautions necessary or do not understand them.
Yet the government is seemingly content with throwing the Muslim community to the wolves, conceivably to shift attention away from their amateurish response to the pandemic, which has contributed to an alarming number of deaths.
It does not help when the government’s policy is also illogical. Can a government that strongly encourages eating out in restaurants whilst concurrently revealing a new strategy for tackling obesity, really expect the nation to operate with a unified and unambiguous objective? Inconsistent messages precipitate inconsistent results. Hence why the country is struggling to escape the lockdown and is experiencing irregular spikes instead.
However, that a country struggling to come to terms with the pandemic readily scapegoats an entire community for the nationwide shortfalls speaks volumes about the views it harbours, but it is not without punishing ramifications. The narrative that the Muslim community was failing to comply with social distancing measures, led to a surge in online anti-Muslim sentiment, according to the monitoring group, Tell Mama. This exacerbates an already disconcerting matter for Muslims, because the same group revealed online Islamophobia was alarmingly high during the lockdown.
The unpalatable element that stands out is that the first four doctors to die on the front lines after contracting coronavirus were Muslim. Yet for all of Alfa Sa’adu, Amged el-Hawrani, Adil El Tayar and Habib Zaidi’s efforts, the country they made immeasurable contributions for still view their community in an unfavourable light.
The compelling two-pronged attack of the coronavirus and Islamophobia is thus making life untenable for Muslims in Britain.
