Over Half Labour Party Muslims Don't Trust Leadership to Tackle Islamophobia, Report Reveals

While the UK Labour Party has become embroiled with allegations of widespread antisemitism in recent years, culminating an Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) investigation, it's Muslim members and supporters have also made complaints about a lack of representation among the new leadership.

Over half of Labour's Muslim members believe the party leadership doesn't take Islamophobia seriously, new research has found.

The survey, organised and conducted by the Labour Muslim Network (LMN), discovered that 55% of respondents say they do not "trust the leadership of the Labour Party to tackle Islamophobia effectively".

🚩 The LMN report into Islamophobia within the Labour Party is now live.

Read it in full ⬇️https://t.co/5PBKMStZqG pic.twitter.com/eVYxMEiKyW

— Labour Muslim Network (@LabourMuslims) November 14, 2020

​A further 59% of Muslim members and supporters say they do not feel "well represented by the leadership of the party" while more than 1 in 4 claims they have had direct experience with Islamophobia in the party.

One-third of Labour's Muslims say they have witnessed Islamophobia in the party first hand and 48% report that they lack confidence in the organisation's ability to deal with the complaints "effectively".

Un a joint statement, Labour Leader Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy Leader Angela Rayner thanked the Labour Muslim Network for the report and "their work to ensure our Muslim members are represented, included and heard"

"Islamophobia has no place in our party or society and we are committed to rooting it out", the statement said.

"We look forward to working with LMN to implement their recommendations and will be meeting with them to discuss the next steps in tackling the scourge of Islamophobia."

The survey, which used a sample of 422 Labour Muslim members and supporters, comes as Sir Keir Starmer's leadership has become embroiled with questions of trust over racism.

Last month, the EHRC released it's report on anti-Semitism in Labour, following a crisis that saw many Jewish voters abandon the party over accusations of institutional racism under former leader Jeremy Corbyn.

During his leadership campaign earlier this year, Keir Starmer accepted a list of 10 pledges set out by the LMN and "on behalf of 3million British Muslims and party members".

I support these pledges and would continue to work with Britain’s Muslim communities if leader of the Labour Party. https://t.co/pSTjcPEj6V

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 15, 2020