Background
Action required
Template Letter
Recipients Address
Background
The new president of the National Union of Students, Shaima Dallali, is a black Muslim woman. This, sadly, but unsurprisingly, has resulted in a significant Islamophobic and racist attack from both far-right groups and institutional organisations, such as the UK government. The UK government has declared that it is breaking all links to the NUS as part of this vicious campaign to attack Dallali and the student movement. It is yet another example of the UK government silencing individuals who supports the rights of Muslims both in the UK or abroad. The pretext once again is “antisemitism”, which previously meant someone who hates Jews, but has now come to mean anyone who is critical of Israel or Zionism.
Unfortunately, in this barrage of racism and hatred that Dallali has been forced to endure, the defense from the Labour Party has been poor, with the shadow education minister refusing to speak out against the vile assault on Dallali. Labour’s silence on the issue sends a loud message to the Muslim community – you do not belong in the movement if you support Palestinian liberation or oppose Zionism.
The UK government has pulled up a tweet that Dallali sent ten years ago, as a child, whilst Gaza was being mercilessly bombed. Regardless, Dallali has apologised for the wording of the tweet and agreed to work with Jewish groups to investigate any antisemitism within the student movement. The fact that she has been targeted with such a vicious racist attack under the guise of fighting antisemitism, when this is the best example they can find, shows us the politically motivated nature of the attacks against her, and needs to be challenged.
Action required
- Write to the education secretary and demand that they reengage with the NUS
- Write to the shadow education secretary and demand they speak out against this witch-hunt
- Please forward any responses you might have to us at info@ihrc.org, so that we can continue to develop this campaign further.
- Share this alert and encourage others to take part.
- Please share verified stories and information.
- Keep visiting our website (https://www.ihrc.org.uk/) to see any updates on this case.
Template Letters
To the Education Secretary:
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
Re. Racist campaign against Shaima Dallali
Dear Mr Zahawi,
It has come to my attention that the government has joined in with the vicious and racist attack on the president of the National Union of Students, Shaima Dallali. I am shocked and disappointed to see the UK government participate in racist attacks under the guise of “reverse racism”. It is obvious that these attacks are due to the fact that Shaima Dallali is a black, Muslim woman, who speaks out against the injustices of global racism and colonialism, echoing the views of most of the student movement who democratically elected her to represent them.
Once again, the British Government is showing itself to be on the wrong side of history by supporting such a racist campaign. I demand that the government officially comes out in support of Ms Dallali and the student movement, makes clear that it stands against all forms of racism, and works closely with Ms Dallali and the National Union of Students to achieve these aims.
Yours Sincerely
[Your signature]
[Your name]
To the Shadow Education Secretary:
[Your name]
[Your address]
[Date]
Re. Racist campaign against Shaima Dallali
Dear Miss Phillipson,
It has come to my attention that the government has joined in with the vicious and racist attack on the president of the National Union of Students, Shaima Dallali. I am shocked and disappointed to see the UK government participate in racist attacks under the guise of “reverse racism”. It is obvious that these attacks are due to the fact that Shaima Dallali is a black, Muslim woman, who speaks out against the injustices of global racism and colonialism, echoing the views of most of the student movement who democratically elected her to represent them. Once again, the British Government is showing itself to be on the wrong side of history by supporting such a racist campaign.
It has also been very disappointing to see that the Labour Party has not come out to condemn this vicious attack on a young lady, who as well as being attacked by the government, is also being attacked by the far right, with death threats and racist abuse. I demand that the opposition officially comes out in support of Ms Dallali and the student movement, makes clear that it stands against all forms of racism, and demands that the government works closely with Ms Dallali and the National Union of Students to achieve these aims.
Yours Sincerely
[Your signature]
[Your name]
Addresses
Secretary of Education:
Rt. Honourable Nadhim Zahawi
House of Commons,
London SW1A 0AA
Alternatively, you can message the Department for Education at the link below:
https://form.education.gov.uk/service/Contact_the_Department_for_Education
Shadow Secretary of Education:
Rt. Honourable Bridget Phillipson
106 Newbottle Street,
Houghton le Spring,
UK
Alternatively, you can email her at:
bridget.phillipson.mp@parliament.uk
