HUST and Birmingham work on plans for joint research institute

Twenty years on from the first major report on Islamophobia, a new report involving University of Birmingham research recommends that all parts of society call out prejudice and discrimination experienced by and suffered by Muslims. The report, produced by the Runnymede Trust with contributions from the University of Birmingham and a number of other UK universities, finds that Muslims face huge disadvantages in the jobs market, despite more Muslims going to university than ever - including more Muslim women graduates than men. It calls on the government to adopt a new definition of Islamophobia as "anti-Muslim racism", and recommends that society take more responsibility to call out and report hateful rhetoric and prejudice. The new report 'Islamophobia: Still A Challenge For Us All' f eatures contributions from 23 academics and officially launched in London today. Speakers include Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, who is also a contributor. Dr Chris Allen, University of Birmingham and contributor to the report said: 'Having worked with and supported numerous Muslim civic society organisations over the past decade and a half, it is they that have been at the forefront of the drive towards challenging Islamophobia. 'Trying to do so in public and political spaces where the shadow of terror atrocities linger long and where growing anti-Muslim sentiment has been on the increase, has made the task even greater for them.