Press Release: Leicester City Council unanimously passes a motion condemning Islamophobia

MEND has over the past months tirelessly campaigned for Leicester City Council to take concrete actions in tackling Islamophobia and can report that last Thursday, 14 June 2018, the council has unanimously passed a motion against Islamophobia.

The motion was in response to the horrific case of Islamophobia in September 2017, in which Paul Moore ran over Zaynab Hussein and then proceeded to drive off and target a young Muslim child further along the same road. He then drove back to where he attacked Mrs Hussein, where she still lay on the ground, and proceeded to run over her again as she lay helpless on the ground.

On 1 March 2018, Moore was found guilty for the attempted murder of Mrs Zaynab Hussein, the attempt to cause grievous bodily harm of a young Muslim girl and dangerous driving.

The new motion, championed by Councillors Vijay Riyait and Sue Waddington, reads:

“Hate doesn’t spare or choose who it damages. One thing it certainly does – it destroys lives – of those who are its victims, and also, in some ways of those who perpetrate it. The communities of all faiths and beliefs have been victims of hate or race related crimes in one way or another.

The recent incident in Leicester where Paul Moore was convicted of the attempted murder of a Muslim woman, Zaynab Hussein for simply wearing the Hijab highlighted the unacceptable rise of Islamophobia, has compelled us to bring this motion to show our revulsion of such acts of hate and show that the racists will never divide us.

Leicester City Council, therefore, resolves to –

1. Affirm its commitment to total social harmony.
2. Protect the rights of all our communities that make up our wonderful city of Leicester.
3. Redouble our efforts to ensure fairness for all and work to eliminate hate from our communities.
4. Encourage those who encounter hate crime to come forward and report it to the Police and/or the Council.
5. Support further opportunities for people to come together and celebrate the diversity of the City.
6. Remind all other organisations and institutions of the part they have to play in supporting community cohesion and combating hate crime.
7. With partners prepare and consult upon an action plan to combat hate crime and promote community cohesion, which will include challenging Islamophobia and prejudice in all its forms and promoting positive images of groups vulnerable to stigmatisation by mainstream media.

We pledge our solidarity with the people of Leicester and will work with all who are able to support and help us in maintaining Leicester as a safe and secure place for everyone to live in and thrive in.”

Councillor Riyait responded by saying: “I was very pleased that the motion on Hate Crime to Leicester City Council proposed by myself and Cllr Waddington was unanimously accepted.  The motion condemned the abhorrent Islamophobic attack on Zaynab Hussein in Leicester. It also committed the City Council to work with partners to develop a hate crime plan to tackle Islamophobia and other forms of racism and hate.  Leicester is a beacon of multiculturalism, where people accept and embrace differences but councillors tonight committed themselves not to be complacent or silent on issues such as Islamophobia”.

The Chair of MEND’s Leicester Working Group, Shockat Adam Patel, said: “MEND Leicester and I congratulate Leicester Council on passing this historic motion on Islamophobia. A motion which goes beyond words and demands a plan of action to tackle this and other forms of hate in our City, we look forward to working with the council in eradicating the evil of hate from our beautiful City of Leicester”.