British MP, Naz Shah has harshly criticized the government for failing to address the rising issue of Islamophobia. In the opening of a parliamentary debate on Thursday, Labour MP Naz Shah said several members of parliament have repeatedly requested a debate on Islamophobia for the past several years, but the calls “have fallen on deaf ears” by the government. She said though PM Rishi Sunak says he is with Muslims on the issue but practically no steps have been taken. The government has utterly failed to introduce any policy to counter Islamophobia incidents in the UK.

“I assure all those listening to this debate who might not really understand the issue that when Muslim communities speak up on the issue of Islamophobia, we are not looking for preferential treatment. In fact, quite the opposite. We are asking for equal treatment, free of discrimination, injustice and hatred,” Shah stressed. According to the latest statistics, Labour’s Shah said there has been a 600% rise in Islamophobic incidents in the UK, including both verbal and physical abuse, as well as vandalism, “such as the dumping of a pig’s head at a proposed site of a mosque in Barnoldswick.”

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)