RSI gives evidence to Women and Equalities Committee on gendered Islamophobia

8th April 2025

In this submission, Rights & Security International encourages the Women and Equalities Committee to:

1. 1. Recommend that the government scrap its counter-extremism strategy, Prevent, due to the strategys Islamophobic impacts including those gendered impacts we outline in this submission;
   2. Continue using the term Islamophobia, rather than using less comprehensive phrases such as anti-Muslim hatred. Using the latter phrasing in law and policy could leave significant gaps in thinking about protection from everyday discrimination and other harms;
   3. Ensure that the government deploys available legislation, such as the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998, to protect Muslims and people perceived as Muslim from Islamophobia; and
   4. Recommend that the government consider the impact of its policies and legislation particularly those related to counter-terrorism and counter-extremism on Muslims, and particularly intersectional impacts with gender.

• Rights & Security International’s submission to the Women and Equalities Committee’s call for evidence on ‘Gendered Islamophobia’