|
Assembly for the
Protection
of Hijab
124 Harrowdene Rd,
London
HA0 2JF
Tel: + 44 (0)
208 908 9109
Mobile:
+44 (0) 7976737926
Fax: +44 (0) 208 3570892
www.prohijab.net
E-mail:
info@prohijab.net
27th September 2004
Report on NAAR Fringe Meeting at Labour
Party Conference:
“The anti-racist agenda for the next government”
The Assembly for the Protection
of Hijab was pleased to
participate in an important fringe meeting at the Labour Party
Conference on 27th September, organised by the National
Assembly Against Racism. The meeting, titled “Racism and
Islamophobia”, was attended by over 60 participants, including trade
unionists, Labour party members, members of the local community and
others.
The meeting, chaired by Milena
Buyum, began with a speech by
Intissar Khreeji, appearing on behalf of Abeer Pharaon who
was unable to attend.
She spoke of the spread of the hijab ban through
Europe and the disturbing rise in Islamophobia, particularly in the UK.
She was followed by Claude Moraes MEP
who spoke of his experiences in the European Parliament, the
worrying growth of fascism and Islamophobia throughout
Europe and the new “normalisation” strategy being employed by
fascists to change their image and make their parties and their views
attractive to mainstream audiences. The following speaker,
Billy Hayes, General Secretary of
the Communications Workers’
Union, spoke of the
efforts being made by his union and others to crack down on racism and
fascism and the crucial role unions in particular should play in this
arena. The next speaker, Ken Livingstone,
mayor of
London,
spoke at length on the efforts needed to target the root causes of
racism and Islamophobia and the real need for dialogue between
different communities. He emphasised the need for co-operation and
dialogue between Muslims and rights campaigners, due to their shared
belief in social justice and equality. The final speaker,
Lee Jasper, secretary of the National
Assembly Against Racism, focussed on the rising inequality in British
society and the need for the government to formulate and implement a
strong policy on fighting racism, islamophobia and inequality at all
levels of society.
All the speakers affirmed the importance of recognising and
fighting Islamophobia in particular and the need for dialogue,
co-operation and comprehensive social policies to deal with this
issue.
The meeting was followed by a reception hosted by Unite
Against Fascism during which speakers and the audience were able to
interact and discuss various issues raised during the meeting.
|
