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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/18/uk-muslim-leaders-seek-funding-for-mosque-security
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Give mosques more funds for security, Lady Warsi says | Give mosques more funds for security, Lady Warsi says |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The Conservative peer Sayeeda Warsi has called on ministers to heed demands from Muslim leaders for an increase in funding for mosque security after the New Zealand terrorist attack as she said Islamophobia was the party’s “bigotry blind spot”. | |
| The former Tory party chair said there was overwhelming evidence to support an increase in funding for mosque protection following the Christchurch attacks, which claimed 50 lives. | |
| The Muslim Council of Britain has called for increased funding for Muslim places of worship amid a rise in the number of suspected far-right incidents across England, some of which are thought to have been inspired by the atrocities in New Zealand. | |
| Crisis? What crisis? Senior Tories shrug off Islamophobia warning | Crisis? What crisis? Senior Tories shrug off Islamophobia warning |
| Lady Warsi made the comments as a row continued over the Conservatives’ record on tackling Islamophobia. Earlier this month, Warsi repeated calls for an internal inquiry and suggested the most senior figures in the party – including Theresa May – needed to take the problem more seriously. | |
| “My concern with the party and the government is Islamophobia – it’s our bigotry blind spot,” she told the Guardian. | “My concern with the party and the government is Islamophobia – it’s our bigotry blind spot,” she told the Guardian. |
| Responding to claims that mosques were disproportionately funded, Warsi said: “That’s not an opinion, that’s a fact. There are two different pots of funds: there’s a fund specifically for the protection of synagogues and then a fund of about £2.4m for the protection of all other other religious institutions. | Responding to claims that mosques were disproportionately funded, Warsi said: “That’s not an opinion, that’s a fact. There are two different pots of funds: there’s a fund specifically for the protection of synagogues and then a fund of about £2.4m for the protection of all other other religious institutions. |
| “The government has to go back and recognise that is there a need right now – and there’s overwhelming evidence that there’s clearly a need – and therefore how quickly is it going to respond to that.” | “The government has to go back and recognise that is there a need right now – and there’s overwhelming evidence that there’s clearly a need – and therefore how quickly is it going to respond to that.” |
| But she added: “I’m really cautious about making comparisons. Each form of hate is unique and specific and has its own challenges. It was quite right for government to respond when they identified a form of hate with antisemitism and made sure places of worship were protected.” | But she added: “I’m really cautious about making comparisons. Each form of hate is unique and specific and has its own challenges. It was quite right for government to respond when they identified a form of hate with antisemitism and made sure places of worship were protected.” |
| Warsi said a change the government should make – to show it has learned from the attacks in New Zealand – is to adopt a formal definition of Islamophobia. A definition put forward by the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims had been adopted by the Lib Dems, was being considered by the Labour party and was backed by councils, academics, 850 Muslim organisations and about 70 parliamentarians, she said. | Warsi said a change the government should make – to show it has learned from the attacks in New Zealand – is to adopt a formal definition of Islamophobia. A definition put forward by the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims had been adopted by the Lib Dems, was being considered by the Labour party and was backed by councils, academics, 850 Muslim organisations and about 70 parliamentarians, she said. |
| “Whether it’s in relation to the protection of mosques, whether it’s in relation to engagement with British Muslim communities, whether it’s in relation to acknowledging the level of hate either within the party or within government policymaking, whether its the way we use the language of British Muslim communities, it is our bigotry blind spot. | “Whether it’s in relation to the protection of mosques, whether it’s in relation to engagement with British Muslim communities, whether it’s in relation to acknowledging the level of hate either within the party or within government policymaking, whether its the way we use the language of British Muslim communities, it is our bigotry blind spot. |
| “It comes back down to the fact that we fail to see it and recognise it as a specific form of racism that it is, directed at British Muslim communities, and we therefore fail to make adequate policy and respond.” | “It comes back down to the fact that we fail to see it and recognise it as a specific form of racism that it is, directed at British Muslim communities, and we therefore fail to make adequate policy and respond.” |
| Harun Khan, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, will be writing to May raising the “palpable sense of fear” felt by Muslim communities after the attack in Christchurch, and warning of the risk of copycat attacks in the UK. | |
| The government increased security funding for Jewish institutions after the rise in antisemitic attacks, pledging £14m to support the security at about 400 synagogues and 150 Jewish schools, equivalent to more than £25k per institution. | |
| Khan called on the government to demonstrate equivalent support to Muslim communities. | Khan called on the government to demonstrate equivalent support to Muslim communities. |
| The security minister, Ben Wallace, said: “The funding for protective security tacks with the threat. As the threat changes that funding will change with it. | The security minister, Ben Wallace, said: “The funding for protective security tacks with the threat. As the threat changes that funding will change with it. |
| “In response to increased threat, we will increase and seek to change the funding around that, and that is why we do have the places of worship scheme. We will absolutely be looking at seeing whether that needs to be increased over the short and longer term.” | “In response to increased threat, we will increase and seek to change the funding around that, and that is why we do have the places of worship scheme. We will absolutely be looking at seeing whether that needs to be increased over the short and longer term.” |
| The debate over mosque security follows a wave of suspected far-right activity across England during the weekend. | The debate over mosque security follows a wave of suspected far-right activity across England during the weekend. |
| UK security and counter-terrorism | UK security and counter-terrorism |
| Islam | Islam |
| Religion | Religion |
| Islamophobia | Islamophobia |
| Counter-terrorism policy | Counter-terrorism policy |
| The far right | The far right |
| Antisemitism | Antisemitism |
| news | news |
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