Analysis - Pogroms in Britain are the product of Islamophobic propaganda
Salman Sayyid, a professor at the University of Leeds, said that the anti-Muslim protests across Britain were the product of Islamophobic propaganda. However, he said, despite decades of campaigning, Muslims, non-Muslims, people of different races, leftists and all anti-racism pogroms have been silenced by demonstrations.
The anti-Muslim pogroms that swept across many parts of the United Kingdom were largely unexpected. To many, including Muslims in France or Austria, Britain was seen as an island of tolerance—a Muslim-friendly country where communities could practice their faith without interference from an Islamophobic government .
No one could have imagined the scale of violence that a false rumor that a 17-year-old "Muslim refugee" had killed three young girls would cause.
However, the suspect was neither a Muslim nor an immigrant, but a Christian born in Britain. But even if the attacker is a Muslim, can this be a basis for attacking mosques, looting Muslim shops, beating people of other skin colors, chanting slogans insulting the Prophet Muhammad and Islam?
The pogroms against Muslims in Britain are taking place against the backdrop of the ongoing "genocidal" attacks on Gaza. Since October 7, the British authorities have labeled the pro-Palestinian, anti-genocide demonstrations as "hate marches", condemning them as anti-Semitic and continuing to support the genocide of the colonial-racial settler regime through military and diplomatic support.
Far-right extremists and their associates supported Tel Aviv's anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim propaganda. The inhumane treatment of Palestinians and the denigration of pro-Palestinian activists has fueled the rise of violent street Islamophobia witnessed around the world.
It is not difficult to identify the perpetrators of pogroms: they are arsonists , looters and attackers . But if we focus only on those who perpetrate the pogroms, rather than those who support them, we lose sight of the interactions between senior politicians and opinion leaders who have helped create a hostile environment for Muslims and immigrants.
For example, at the height of the pogroms, Robert Jenrick, the candidate for the leadership of the British Progressive Party and a possible future prime minister, said in a television interview that any Muslim shouting "Allahu Akbar" should be arrested immediately.
The new Labor government continues to refuse to cooperate with the Muslim Council of Britain, the largest Muslim representative body. The Labor Party, like most of the British establishment, is able to recognize anti-Semitism even in "invisible" traces, but is reluctant to label attacks on mosques, harassment of hijab-wearing women and violence against Muslims as Islamophobia.
But the hoped-for result of the Islamophobic pogroms in Britain was to destroy them by mobilizing large sections of the population. Despite decades of Islamophobic propaganda, Muslims, non-Muslims, people of different races, leftists, and anyone who rejects racism took to the streets en masse, outnumbering right-wing radicals and silencing their supporters.
Salman Syed is the Chair of the Department of Post-Colonial Intelligence and Rhetoric at the University of Leeds, UK i.
Source: " Anadolu " news agency
