The government has appointed Qari Asim MBE of Leeds Makkah Mosque as an “independent adviser” to provide “expert advice on a definition of Islamophobia,” Leeds Live reported.
“To tackle the alarming rise in anti-Muslim sentiment it is imperative that Islamophobia is defined,” said Asim, a senior Imam at Leeds Makkah Mosque and deputy chair of the government’s Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group.
“I am deeply committed to working across Muslim communities and with relevant stakeholders to formulate a legally robust, comprehensive and workable definition of Islamophobia.”
The appointment follows earlier criticism to the British government for rejecting a definition of Islamophobia created by a cross-party group of MPs.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims defined Islamophobia as: “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”
But the government said the definition was too vague and could undermine efforts to tackle extremism.
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The Leeds Imam will lead a process to build on the definitions of Islamophobia currently being considered.
“I am honored to be entrusted with this role, which will have a far reaching impact in protecting British Muslims and tackling anti-Muslim hatred,” he said.
Qari Asim is also Chair of the government-funded Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board, and Senior Editor of the government-funded Imams Online.
The estimates of 2009 suggested a total of about 2.4 million Muslims over all the UK. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the number of Muslims in Britain could now be around 3 million.
In recent years there has been a significant increase in anti-Muslim hate crime in the UK with 2017 having a record number of Islamophobic attacks.
Tell Mama, a multi-faith monitoring group, recorded over 1,200 reports of Islamophobic incidents, a 26-percent surge from the previous year.
The UK reported last October a 17% increase in hate crimes over the past year, with 94,098 incidents recorded by police, up from about 40,000 reported in 2012.