In a week that saw £52bn wiped off the FTSE 100 in a day and the Russian state being implicated in an assassination on UK soil, it seems strange that the PM’s main concern over the last few days seemed to be Muslim women.
If you read the Prime Minister’s numerous recent pronouncements on the matter, you would be forgiven for thinking that Muslim women are the biggest threat we currently face as a society. He gave his backing to banning the face veil, only worn by 1% of Muslim women, in schools, courts and other institutions. In addition, he has threatened Muslim women, who are here legally, with deportation and separation from their spouse and children if they fail to pass English language tests. As if to underline the absurdity of this policy, the press release the Home Office issued with this edict misspelt the phrase “English Language”.
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for helping migrants learn the local language, which in turn undoubtedly helps with integration.
However, I’d suggest Brits themselves have a long way to go in this - I wonder how we would react if the Spanish Government threatened to deport every British migrant (or expat, as we prefer to call them) living in the Costa Del Sol if they failed to learn Spanish?
Providing English lessons is a key pillar of the work being carried out by the Refugee Taskforce in Scotland which I chair. Our plan is to develop a model of English teaching for every refugee to empower them to participate in their local communities.
However, the Prime Minister’s targeting of Muslim women - the overwhelming majority of whom speak English perfectly well - is completely misguided. To then link this to radicalisation is as dangerous as it is wrong.
Muslim women make a huge contribution to our country, a point well made by Conservative peer Baroness Sayeeda Warsi in response to David Cameron’s remarks.
My mother helped found a women’s aid shelter for BME women who suffered domestic abuse, my older sister is a pharmacist who goes above and beyond the call of duty to ensure her elderly patients get their medicine and my younger sister teaches young Muslims about active citizenship in their communities.
These are just examples from my immediate family - my mother and sisters are by no means the exceptions to the rule.
As an MSP I do some work with incredible local organisations like Crookston Community Group who run a local food project, Muslim women are at the front and centre of this organisation and many others like it across the country.
The Prime Minister’s remarks don’t just demonstrate his lack of awareness of the good work Muslim women do in our communities - what he said was also incredibly ignorant and dangerous.
The suggestion that Muslim women who do not speak good English are somehow “more susceptible to extremism” is not based upon any evidence I have ever seen. Social isolation can be a factor that pushes young Muslims (usually males) towards extremism; however studies show that this refers to isolation caused by poverty, not by a lack of English.
The same studies show that UK foreign policy and gang culture are also big factors that push young men towards radicalisation - but why concentrate on the UK’s close relationship with countries accused of exporting terror, when we can just blame Muslim women instead?
I also struggle to comprehend the obsession middle aged men seem to have with what items of clothing women choose to wear, particularly the face veil which is worn by a minority within a minority. Nobody disagrees that where security is concerned appropriate measures should be taken. However, to demonise those who wish to wear the veil as unwilling to adopt British values is sheer hypocrisy. The values of tolerance, pluralism and multiculturalism are what make this country great.
Unfortunately, the maligning of vulnerable groups has become a feature of the UK Government. By shifting the blame for society’s ills onto migrant women, those who claim benefits or Muslims the UK Government is wilfully ignoring their own failures.
Muslim women are currently the biggest victims of Islamophobia, 60% of all abuse towards Muslims is directed towards Muslim women. If the Prime Minister wants to help Muslim women he should be working with them to help stamp out hatred and abuse aimed their way. Instead his demonisation of Muslim women has undoubtedly made them even more of a target.
I was taught my Islamic knowledge at the hands of Muslim women in our community. If the Prime Minister is serious about tackling extremism he should work with them, not push Muslim women further to the fringes.
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