A stellar panel of speakers is lined up to present papers at the annual Islamophobia Conference this weekend.

Among the luminaries are the acclaimed anti-Zionist historian, Prof. Ilan Pappé, former Bristol University academic Prof. David Miller, decolonial thinker Prof. Ramon Grosfoguel and Imam Dawud Walid from the USA.

Tickets sold out very quickly for this year’s event for which the theme is the crackdown on Muslims participating in the public sphere.

The genocide in Gaza has brought into specific relief the forces that have mobilized in many Western countries to stifle and squash any expressions of solidarity with the Palestinians as well as any appeals to humanitarian measures and adherence to international law.

Such forces have manifested themselves through political and legal/judicial means, but have also occurred in social/cultural and academic spaces. While not always explicitly singling out or targeting Muslim voices, the objective appears to be focused on Muslims.

In countries like the US, UK, France and Germany, pre-existing sentiments of Islamophobia have gained new and bolder currency, with suppressions of free speech, press and the right to assemble and protest coming from both the public and private sectors. Selective outrage accompanies selective enforcement of laws and regulations under the guise of maintaining order, security and protecting allegedly unsafe communities. The net result is the chilling effect on Muslims being full and equal participants in the public sphere, restricting not only what they profess and practice, but also for their mere presence in society.

This conference will explore the various restrictions placed on Muslims to suppress their voice and presence in the public sphere. It will examine both state policy, like the UK Gove Initiative on Extremism, censorship efforts in France and Germany, the CAA laws and prohibition of Muslim schools in India, as well actions taken by civil society, including “doxxing” and social media bans based on content. Finally, this conference will assess potential prescriptions for Muslims to reclaim and reassert their civil rights and civil liberties in societies that claim such principles as cardinal values to liberal democracy.

The Islamophobia conference has become a staple in IHRC’s event calendar since it was inaugurated in 2014 to discuss key issues with regard to structural and institutionalised Islamophobia. The project began as part of a Decolonial International Network (DIN), Europe wide project. Each conference has been co-organised with Scotland Against Criminalising Communities (SACC). Every year there has been a conference held in London, and in most years a parallel event in Edinburgh.

Prof. Saeed Khan has written the background paper for the 2024 conference. With civil and political spaces shrinking world-wide, Muslims as political agents find themselves pushed to the margins and disappeared from all forms of social engagement.

Other speakers:

Malia Bouattia
Tasneem Chopra
Laurens de Rooij
Sadek Hamid
Richard Haley
Sandew Hira
Seyfeddin Kara
Anne Norton
Stephen Sizer
Imam Dawud Walid
Asa Winstanley

Dates and times:

Saturday 14 December (online only)
Watch LIVE on YouTube, Facebook, and IHRC.TV
Time: 11.30am to 4pm GMT

Sunday 15 December (online and in-person)
Venue: P21 Gallery (21 Chalton St, London NW1 1JD)
Time: 10.30am to 4:45pm GMT

Tickets are sold out but you can join the conversation by watching LIVE on YouTube, Facebook, and IHRC.TV

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For more information or comment please contact the Press Office on (+44) 208 904 0222  or (+44) 7958 522196 or email media@ihrc.org