UK anti-Islamophobia body has not met for four years despite hate crime rise

Michael Gove is understood to be drawing up a shortlist of candidates for the anti-Muslim hatred advisory role. Photograph: Duncan Bryceland/Rex/Shutterstock

The government’s Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group (AMHWG) has been “on pause” for more than four years, despite repeated promises from officials and a sharp rise in hate crime.

The Guardian understands members of the AMHWG last officially met in January 2020, before all working groups were adjourned months later because of the pandemic.

With reports showing a 335% increase in UK anti-Muslim hate crimes since Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, members of the AMHWG have expressed their concern over Michael Gove’s inability to restart the group and mitigate occurrences of anti-Muslim hate crime.

The group was set up during David Cameron’s premiership in 2012, with an aim of addressing anti-Muslim hatred, monitoring hate crime and the police forces’ records of it, before looking at initiatives to prevent it.

Officials recall how “supportive” Cameron and his predecessor Theresa May were as prime ministers to this initiative, which they said marked a stark contrast to the last three prime ministers.

It has been noted that May was able to distance her government from Boris Johnson’s Telegraph article in which he compared veiled Muslim women to “letterboxes”, while Sunak has been unable to do the same recently after Lee Anderson said Sadiq Khan is under the control of Islamists.

Akeela Ahmed, chair of the members of the working group, has said: “At this time of heightened fear, anxiety and tensions, government should be doing its utmost to fulfil its statutory obligations and responsibilities towards all communities.

“Yet when it comes to British Muslims, this simply isn’t happening. Since Theresa May’s premiership, the government’s reluctance to address Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred has become increasingly outlandish. Even when condemning the MP Lee Anderson for his remarks about the mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was unable to name either.

“Politicised discussions about terminology have stalled the real work needed to address prejudice, bigotry and discrimination against British Muslims.

“Personally, I use the terms interchangeably as I’m not precious about labels. But we do need to develop a robust definition.”

Questions on what will happen to the group have mounted since 2022 when the government’s last independent adviser on anti-Muslim hatred, Imam Qari Asim, was removed. The post has remained vacant for two years. Senior government officials had given AMHWG members repeated verbal assurances that it would be restarted.

The Guardian understands Gove is now is trying to gather a new shortlist of alternative candidates for the anti-Muslim hatred advisory role, after conflicting reports that No 10 blocked the appointment of Fiyaz Mughal on Friday night, or that Mughal pulled out of the running. It is not clear if the role will remain the same.

Last week the shadow equalities secretary, Anneliese Dodds, asked the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities what the main priorities are that they have identified in collaboration with the AMHWG and whether the group has identified any difficulty in delivery of the recommendations since 2019.

Housing minister Lee Rowley said: “We continue to take a broad approach to religious hatred, which will develop on the work of the previous Antisemitism and Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Groups,” noting their plans to appoint a new independent adviser on anti-Muslim hatred.