LED by the Labour MSP Anas Sarwar, Holyrood is to set up an inquiry into Islamophobia. However, the evidence on racial hate crime suggests that race crimes are falling and it is unclear why this inquiry is being set up in the first place or why indeed Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has described Sarwar as brave in doing so.

The 2017-8 Scottish hate crime report noted that race hate crimes are on a downward trend and are at the lowest total since consistent figures became available in 2003-4. These figures relate to the reporting of incidents, not proven crimes, and are particularly surprising given the police campaign to encourage the reporting of hate crime.

When we look at the number of people who have actually been convicted of standalone hate crime offences in Scotland, under racially aggravated offences, we find that this has fallen by 30 per cent since 2007-8, a reduction of 894 to 626 cases.

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It is worth further noting that when looking at reported hate crime statistics we are rarely talking about actual physical violence and in the majority of cases are talking about people shouting something abusive. Furthermore, major pieces of research into social attitudes across the UK tell us that British people are becoming increasingly tolerant not increasingly hate filled. The latest study published in February 2019 concluded that despite concerns about Brexit, Britain was one of the least racist countries in Europe.

Nevertheless, Mr Sarwar, using personal examples, extreme cases, like the murder of Jo Cox, and references to far-right organisations (who thankfully remain incredibly small in numbers), has concluded that Islamophobia, hatred and divisions are worse now than they were in the past, further stating that he believes his children will grow up in a more hate-filled world. Where once politicians talked about being swamped by foreigners, today Mr Sarwar talks of fighting against the tide of racism, but he notes with an air of dread, the tide is stronger than we are.

Helped by Ruth Davidson, Anas Sarwar depicts a Scotland seething with racial hatred but their emotional language and use of extreme examples to make their case smacks more of moral panic than the development of a rational approach to racism in Scotland.

What will be the outcome of the inquiry? The moral and political pressure would suggest that the report must find a problem and preferably a growing problem. Despite all other evidence that things are getting better, our new elite appear to need the virtue signalling issue of anti-racism as a moral crutch.

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Indeed, the lead researcher on the inquiry has already described racism and Islamophobia as significant issues for Scottish society, hardly the best starting point for an objective understanding.

But you never know, perhaps the inquiry will say that racism is an exaggerated problem in Scotland and one not assisted by moralising politicians. It may point out that the term Islamophobia is problematic and that we should not confuse racism with the right to criticise and ridicule people’s beliefs and religions. Now that would be brave.