The former UK equality watchdog chief, Trevor Phillips, has been suspended by the Labour Party over allegations of ‘Islamophobia’.
Mr Phillips, ex-chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said in response that Labour was in danger of collapsing into a “brutish, authoritarian cult”.
Labour said it takes complaints about Islamophobia “extremely seriously”. With a Spokesperson saying: “[The complaints] are fully investigated in line with our rules and procedures, and any appropriate disciplinary action is taken.”
He could be expelled from the party for alleged prejudice against Muslims.
Mr Phillips has been suspended pending investigation over remarks, including expressing concerns about Pakistani Muslim men sexually abusing children in northern British towns, according to the Times.
It says the complaint also covers his comments about the failure of some Muslims to wear poppies for Remembrance Sunday and the sympathy shown by some in an opinion poll towards the “motives” of the Charlie Hebdo attackers.
Mr Phillips went on to describe the decision by Labour to adopt the definition of Islamophobia agreed by an all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims as “nonsense”, as Muslims were “not a race”.
My objection is very simple. That definition said…that Islamophobia is rooted in a kind of racism – expressions of hostility towards Muslimness.
First of all, Muslims are not a race. My personal hero was Muhammad Ali, before that Malcolm X.
They became Muslims largely because it is a pan-racial faith. This is not a racial grouping, so describing hostility to them as racial is nonsense.
Philips is also on the board of the new Free Speech Union set up by Toby Young.
Unity News Network (UNN) Staff Writer | To find out more details about our staff, please head to the About Us section on our website.
