Our petition for Middlesex University to adopt the APPG definition of Islamophobia.

Middlesex University and the Student Union must adopt a definition of Islamophobia in order to uphold its principles on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. According to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims, “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”

The gross mischaracterisation of Muslims and Islam as a religious identity has led to 1 in 3 Muslim students suffering discrimination and abuse on campus, as found by a 2018 NUS survey. Anti-Muslim hatred in the UK has risen by nearly a fifth to record levels over the past year, in conjunction with the increase of far-right hate marches targeting UK citizens and foreign nationals of colour alike. 

Anti-Muslim discrimination and prejudice goes far beyond physical and verbal violence. It has been systematically implemented in educational institutions, most notably through the problematic and sweeping application of the Prevent duty, which disproportionately targets Muslims with counter-radicalisation measures. Official guidance on Prevent authorises the influence of ‘gut feeling’ and personal biases within the Prevent referral process. A 2023 report by Amnesty International notes that the high prevalence of pre-existing negative attitudes toward Muslims in the UK have allowed for Islamophobic stereotypes to play a major role in determining who may potentially be ‘at risk’ of radicalisation. 

This contributes to a larger narrative of structural racism hindering the academic success of primarily Muslim students who are most often also students of colour. 

Due to political rhetoric by government officials conflating legitimate political discussion with terrorism, there has been a current upsurge of an overall eagerness to discipline students and staff who openly stand in solidarity with Palestine. In 2024 the Runnymede Trust reported that “the idea of who is deemed an extremist has expanded to include a wide range of individuals and organisations that express non-violent political dissent.” As a result, universities across the country have been suspending, expelling, arresting, and even seeking to deport students for exercising their right to freedom of expression against one of the worst ethnic cleansings in modern history. 

We therefore call on the University and the Student Union to: 

• Introduce the APPG working definition of Islamophobia as an official Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy to protect Muslim, Arab, or otherwise racialised Black and Asian students and staff on University grounds;

• Educate staff in recognising concrete manifestations of Islamophobia and its root causes;

• Train staff on handling reports of anti-Muslim sentiment and signposting appropriate avenues of support (i.e. CAGE, MEND, and IRU);

• Understand the patterns of inequality linking the government’s anti-immigration policies and its support of the genocide in Palestine to the rise of Islamophobic hatred in the UK;

• Provide a platform (e.g. untracked anonymous surveys, support networks) for consulting students affected by anti-Muslim racism on and off campus;

• Defend student rights to exercise free speech on campus through active, deliberate engagement and dialogue with students and student groups.

Undersigned Student Groups:

Middlesex Palestine Solidarity Society

Middlesex LGBTQIA+ Society 

Middlesex Kpop Society 

Middlesex Filipino Society

Middlesex Japan Society

Middlesex Women’s Basketball Team

Middlesex Games Society 

Middlesex Islamic Society (ISoc)

Middlesex Ahl al-Bayt Society (ABSoc)

Middlesex Computer Science Academic Society