Episode Details

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer may have thought defining Islamophobia would be simple, but the Labour Party has had to think again. Fiyaz Mughal, a veteran campaigner against anti-Muslim hatred, says the term is “useless.” Why? Because Islam is a faith, not a race. Trying to mash the two together is, in his words, “a fudge” that’s set to give lawyers and politicians a migraine. So why the panic? Look to the ballot box. Labour’s desperate to keep Muslim voters onside, especially in an upcoming by-election. But as Mughal says, “Labour are caught like rabbits in the headlights.” They promised the moon in opposition. Now they’re stuck—caught between angry activists and the cold glare of legal reality. Ministers are terrified of a row before polling day. If Labour loses, Mughal reckons, “that definition is dead on arrival.” Even if they win, he predicts it’ll be quietly binned. “Somewhere along the line, a minister will say, just drop this, it’s too much headache.”

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