When former Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn was asked in an interview with Middle East Eye last month about the investigation by the British Equality and Human Rights Commission, he said that this committee was "part of the government apparatus" and that its independence had been confiscated by the ruling Conservative Party.
Corbin's response is a serious accusation that the commission is not carrying out the mission for which it was created, which is to protect the rights of minorities in the face of discrimination they are subjected to, but rather to protect the government instead.
With this introduction, the two journalists, Peter Auburn and John Holmwood, started an article in the British Middle East Eye, highlighting the committee's positions on the affairs of the Muslim minority in Britain and trying to verify what was mentioned in Corbin's statements about them.
the beginning
The Commission for Equality and Human Rights was created in 2006 by the government of former Prime Minister Tony Blair as a non-ministerial public body that describes itself as independent of the government, even though its governing texts say it is "working with the government to make progress in the field of equality and human rights."
According to the site, the establishment of the committee came within the plan of the Labor Party to address the issue of inequality by establishing a group of specialized committees that address a range of issues such as gender and the rights of people with special needs, so that all of these committees are later merged into one body, the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.
These steps have been questioned by conservative politicians and informing them, who have often blamed legislation protecting human rights, and held them responsible for standing up to deporting criminals or banning alleged extremists.
The site pointed out that the committee has experienced financial and administrative difficulties in light of the austerity policy pursued by the coalition government, which is controlled by the conservatives led by former Prime Minister David Cameron, despite the commitment of that government to pass the Equality Act of 2010.
Despite the goals for which it was established, the Human Rights Committee does not currently have a black member or an Islamic background, according to the article.
Let down
The authors listed several examples that indicate a long history of the commission's failure to issue issues relating to the Muslim minority in Britain and its neglect of violations committed against it. When former Prime Minister David Cameron announced at the 2011 Munich Security Conference the death of multiculturalism in Britain, he claimed that many British Muslims lived In isolation from the rest of society, they embrace values that run counter to the values that characterize public life in the United Kingdom, and the head of the British Equality and Human Rights Commission Trevor Phillips agreed.
The article pointed out that the failure of the committee to defend the Muslim minority in light of Cameron's speech in Munich was a notable failure, as the 2010 Equality Act provides for the protection of "religion and belief."
Reports also revealed to the committee under the title "a more just Britain" that Muslims represent the less fortunate religious minority in Britain, and other reports attributed this to "skin color" and the misconception that they are cultural and religious strangers from the prevailing culture, and despite these reports, the committee did not move a finger to address The matter did not recommend any measures taken to remedy the situation.
The battle against Islamophobia
The authors pointed out that the efforts of Islamic organizations in Britain aimed at defining feelings of hostility against Muslims or Islamophobia, such as anti-Semitism, were met with vigorous efforts to abort it by several pressure groups, including the Henry Jackson Society and the National Secular Society.
Despite the urgent question of the Committee's position on that issue, which falls within the scope of its responsibilities, the Committee refused to express its opinion on agreeing to an official definition of Islamophobia, and whether it would enhance the treatment of discrimination against Muslims in Britain, which its reports revealed.
The article concluded that the indisputable fact is that with regard to black and Muslim issues in Britain, the Commission for Equality and Human Rights serves the government’s agenda, and has repeatedly failed to demonstrate strength or will to address key issues relating to them that should be on its agenda since the last decade .