In response to the Policy Exchange’s latest report attacking Muslim women who choose to wear the headscarf, the Muslim Council of Britain’s Secretary-General, Zara Mohammed said:
“The Policy Exchange has published yet another report deploying dog-whistle Islamophobia. This time by encroaching on the fundamental religious freedoms of Muslim women and dangerously steering us down a slippery slope reminiscent of France’s controversial approach to policing what Muslim women wear.
“It is no surprise that the calls made in this report are fronted by a man, the MP Khalid Mahmood. In comments released to the media he presumptuously makes sweeping generalisations about Muslim women’s clothing, an area in which he lacks expertise, inadvertently perpetuating harmful gender stereotypes that we should actively challenge.
“This latest report by the Policy Exchange is deeply troubling given how it appears to misrepresent the diversity of Muslim women’s experiences and choices regarding the hijab. This approach risks contributing to the stigmatisation and marginalisation of Muslim women and regulating what they wear.”
As quoted in The Telegraph, 22 September 2023
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Notes to Editors
1. For any media enquiries, please contact: media@mcb.org.uk
2. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is the UK’s largest and most diverse Muslim umbrella organisation with membership spanning national, regional local organisations, mosques, charities and professional networks. It is independent, cross-sectarian and democratic with the leadership team accountable to the membership.
3. See further: