ALL. promote T .... The war on terror "Paki". has upset that because there has been any lessening of attacks on asylum seekers but because Islamaphobia has
Stance
Multiculturalism then was the compromise position - and one that has been interpreted in different ways in different situa
Certainly young people today have more access to positive role models from black history and more questioning of whether everything done in the name of the British Empire was done for altruistic reasons than thirty ten on. from the older, traditional leaders of their own communities
While the majority of Muslim organisations in Britain have been vocal in their opposition to the war in Iraq, some have been concerned to distance themselves from more radical youth in the hope of staying friends with the New Labour establishment.
At the same time, politicians have exploited these divides time and again, looking to
"respectable" leaders at the expense of the more radical.
Joday Islamaphobia is a key aspect of racism in Britain as a result of the 'war on terror' launched after September 11, whereas in the 60s and 70s the term of abuse used was generally
In both cases those hurling abuse and bottles cared not at all about whether their targets were of the group they were attacking -and in some cases got it wrong
This targeting of the Muslim community and the growth of the anti-war movement in response to the new imperialism has changed anti-racist discourse in this country.
In the previous period, there had been an attempt to divide the more settled black community from asylum seekers and other migrants against whom the sharpest of government attacks were targeted
The war on terror has upset that balance, not because there has been any lessening of attacks on asylum seekers and refugees but because Islamaphobia has grown in imporIn the same way as racism is a product of • • material circumstances, so to is a culture of
Trevor Phillips' mouthings about British democracy might have seemed pretty unconvincing when he first came out with them, but given that the weeks that have fol lowed have been followed by so many graphic images of torture in Iraq, they are definitely not worth the paper they are writ