Darren Millar AM: Can I join you and others in this Chamber in
condemning utterly Islamophobia of any kind and religious
intolerance of any kind? Because it is pervasive, unfortunately, in
our society, and it's happening; we see it, and it's completely
unacceptable. I think the one issue that we do need to reflect on
with this particular definition is that, of course, it's not been
widely adopted as yet, and I think there is...Request free trial
AM: Can I join you and others in this
Chamber in condemning utterly Islamophobia of any kind and
religious intolerance of any kind? Because it is pervasive,
unfortunately, in our society, and it's happening; we see
it, and it's completely unacceptable. I think the one issue
that we do need to reflect on with this particular
definition is that, of course, it's not been widely adopted
as yet, and I think there is contention over whether
another working definition might be a better definition for
public sector bodies and Governments to be able to work to.
Can I put on record that we do not yet have a position as
Welsh Conservatives on this issue, but we are actively
considering the all-party group's proposal? I'm not saying
that we're going to reject it or accept it at this time,
but I do think that it needs further thought, simply
because of the number of voices, the chorus of voices, that
there have been raising concerns about the potential
implications of the application of this as a working
definition. And I say that because, of course, we all know
that the working definition of anti-semitism that was
put forward by the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance has been widely adopted without issue, apart from,
of course, the at the time, which
simply took a longer time to be able to adopt it. So, do
you have any concerns? What would your response be to those
who have raised concerns about the potential implications
for their working practices should this particular
definition be adopted? Because, as I understand it, there
were over 40 individuals who co-signed the letter,
including academics, writers, campaigners against religious
intolerance, Muslims themselves, who wrote to the Home
Secretary to say that this particular definition—whilst
they condemned Islamophobia of any kind, this particular
definition was unfit for purpose, and that its hasty
adoption could lead to an aggravation of community
tensions, not a reduction in them.
AM (Deputy Minister
and Chief Whip): I thank
for raising your
support and the fact that your group is going to
consider this definition. I did say in response to the
question that we are working on this with colleagues in
the Scottish Government, because I think this is
something where we are taking responsibility. But we,
very fortunately, have got a faith communities forum
here in Wales, and it's good that today, this morning,
we had representation from not just Muslims—we had
Sikh, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Bahá’í, Catholic Church,
Church in Wales, Churches Together; we had everyone
around the table, chaired by the First Minister and
myself, where we were discussing these issues. And we
had discussion about hate crime, and hate crime is
racist, but it's also crime that is reflected in terms
of faith and religion, and, of course, unlawful under
the Equality Act 2010.
So, we do need to look at this definition of
Islamophobia. We have to be very clear that we are
addressing this, as we are very clear in the way that
we're addressing anti-semitism. So, it's the Government
that has to stand up and make this point, and I'm
grateful again, as I said, that has given us the
opportunity to respond today. It is something that we are
standing up for and we need to take forward.
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