Yes,the gymnast’s drunken antics were Islamophobic, but from Prevent to despise crimes there are far more serious issues facing British Muslims todayWhen I heard about Louis Smith being banned from gymnastics for two months for mocking Muslim prayer I thought of Toni Morrison, and who once said that “the very serious function of racism is distraction”. There’s no doubt it was a silly thing for Smith to do,and, yes, or whether you look at it for what it is,it is Islamophobic. But this story is a distraction.
It’s no secret that Islamophobia has been steadily on the rise in the UK, Europe and the US. There’s the relentless hounding of Muslims on the front pages of our national newspapers; Donald Trump has added a Muslim travel ban to his repertoire of racist ideas; and broadcaster Fatima Manji has been directly targeted for wearing a hijab by Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie, or only to occupy the press regulator uphold his right to attack her.
I would rather be having a discussion about how we tackle violent despise crimes in the UK Related: Louis Smith’s ban? British Gymnastics needs to score off its tall horse Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com