Aberdeenshire Council councillors vote not to adopt the definition of Islamophobia
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Aberdeenshire Council has voted not to adopt the definition of Islamophobia but will note it in a bid to address racism and discrimination in the region.
The matter was considered back in June but it was deferred so officers could consider any negative consequences of adopting the term.
But the move led Westhill and District SNP councillor Fatima Joji to tweet her disappointment, claiming it was a “complete cop-out” and “stalling tactic”.
The UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims’ definition has been adopted by all parties in the Scottish Parliament and councils including Moray and West Lothian.
It states: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”
Aberdeenshire Council was asked to support the definition of Islamophobia through an open letter submitted by MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development).
Councillors were urged to adopt the definition to show Muslims in the region that the council acknowledges the hardships they face.
The move would also assure them that combating Islamophobia is a “priority” for the local authority.
Council officers argued the term was needed to tackle the rise in recorded violence, abuse and discrimination against Muslims throughout the UK.
But concerns about the definition were raised by the National Secular Society (NSS).
They believed it may have negative consequences for freedom of expression and “conflates the issues of race and religion”.
NSS chief executive officer, Stephen Evans, said that the term Islamophobia “may be a counterproductive way of addressing anti-Muslim bigotry and hatred”.
He added: “We believe the vague and unworkable definition should be rejected on the basis of its potential to chill free speech around Islam.”
The local authority’s business services committee discussed adopting the definition last week.
Conservative councillor David Keating proposed that the council simply note the term instead.
The Inverurie and District member said he found the definition to be “inhibiting free speech” and “extremely vague”.
Mr Keating’s motion added that the council would: “absolutely condemn all discrimination against racial belief and agree to address any anti-Muslim bias or prejudice identified in the region”.
He said: “We need to take action because I don’t believe there will be anyone in this room who doesn’t find anti-Muslim behaviour abhorrent.”
However SNP councillor Gwyneth Petrie moved an amendment urging the committee to adopt the definition.
She said: “It’s not about stopping free speech, it’s about stopping hate speech.
“It’s about protecting our communities who suffer, have suffered and continue to suffer from Islamophobia.
“What we need to do here is show solidarity with our Muslim communities and do that as a council and ensure that it’s a definition that we work with to ensure they feel protected.”
The matter went to a vote but resulted in a tie.
Committee chairman, council leader and councillor Mark Findlater had the final say and opted to back the motion.
Councillor Joji, who is not a member of the committee, watched the debate online.
She believes that the reasons given not to adopt the definition were “not acceptable”.
The SNP member said: “The message this sends out is the wrong one.
“They may have tried to justify the decision but actions speak louder than words.
“There were concerns about freedom of speech but lawyers were consulted on this to make sure it didn’t infringe on that.
“The definition of Islamophobia is aimed at stopping hate speech, even people who aren’t Muslim are targets of this.”
