London, March 10 The UK has adopted a new definition of "anti-Muslim hostility" and will appoint a special representative to support the government's action to combat hate crimes targeting the community.
UK Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed presented the definition alongside a social cohesion strategy in the House of Commons in London on Monday.
He told MPs that the new definition will be non-statutory, meaning it will not have legal backing, and is designed to address "unacceptable prejudice, discrimination, and hatred directed at Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim".
"This definition safeguards our fundamental right to freedom of speech – about religion in general or any religion in particular – and ensures that concerns raised in the public interest are protected," Reed told Parliament.
"We are committed to appointing an anti-Muslim hostility tsar, who can advise and be a critical friend to the government in carrying out the work that we need to do.
"We will engage widely with local government, schools, universities, broadcasters, the NHS [National Health Service] and others to agree on how we can best utilise this definition to support the Muslim community," he said.
The definition, which had been opposed by some British Hindu and Sikh groups due to concerns that it could stifle legitimate free speech, has been dubbed a "working tool" for the government and organisations to better "understand, measure, prevent, and address" such hostility.
The full definition reads: "Anti-Muslim hostility is intentionally engaging in, assisting, or encouraging criminal acts – including acts of violence, vandalism, harassment, or intimidation, whether physical, verbal, written, or electronically communicated – that are directed at Muslims because of their religion or at those who are perceived to be Muslim, including where that perception is based on assumptions about ethnicity, race, or appearance.
"It also includes the prejudicial stereotyping of Muslims, or people perceived to be Muslim, including because of their ethnic or racial backgrounds or their appearance, and treating them as a collective group defined by fixed and negative characteristics, with the intention of encouraging hatred against them, irrespective of their actual opinions, beliefs, or actions as individuals.
"It also involves unlawful discrimination where the relevant conduct – including the creation or use of practices and biases within institutions – is intended to disadvantage Muslims in public and economic life."
The Commons heard that over 40 per cent of all recorded religious hate crimes target British Muslims, which the minister described as being "wildly out of proportion with the number of Muslims" in the UK.
The Hindu Council UK was among the organisations to caution against "unintended consequences" of definitions of this nature, which tend to be enforced not through courts but through institutional policies.
The Network of Sikh Organisations (NSO) had also previously expressed concerns over the "extremely vague" nature of the definition.
On the legal front, discrimination of an individual due to their religion or belief is already unlawful under the UK's Equality Act.