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We Have Already Mentioned In The Introduction How Recent Legislative Action ...

We have already mentioned in the Introduction how recent legislative action has been prompted by anti-Muslim sentiments has been instituted. In the more recent past there has been studies that highlight generally that ‘receptivity towards anti-Muslim and other xenophobic ideas and sentiments has, and may well continue to, become tolerated'. Particularly worrying is the growth of right-wing groups within society such as the British National Party, the National Front, ‘the White Wolves, the Ku Klux Klan, the Third Way, White Pride, the League of St George and various fluidly defined football hooligan groups'.
There is little research on the issue of whether Islamophobia exists in the police but it seems likely that to some extent there will exist such prejudices that are apparently relatively rife within society. Again this needn't be direct prejudice but perhaps a stereotypical view which isn't premised on justifiable grounds. Whatever the case there is increasing worry over the growth of Islamic fundamentalism in society and the extent to which police behaviour in stop and searches, in particular, has ‘created ‘angry' young people vulnerable to extremism'. This was recently thrown into the spotlight with the seemingly unjustifiable actions of the police in the collapsed prosecution of O'Neil Crooks who was arrested for drug-dealing whilst on a family trip to the theatre. The actions were criticised by the National Black Police Association as alienating members of ethnic communities. Furthermore the Islamic Human Rights Commission has claimed:
‘It has been clear for a very long time that there is an institutional Islamophobia in the implementation of stop and search. We need to get rid of a culture that exists unfortunately it exists in our society as a whole, but it is much more damaging when mixed with the powers the police have'
Anecdotal evidence suggests that similar misperceptions exist over Muslims as do over ethnic minorities, for example research has pointed out that police view certain crimes as predominantly carried out by certain ethnic groups and there have been publicly expressed views by policemen to the effect that ‘the bottom line is that the terrorist threat is from the Muslim world.'. However, the police are using ethnic characteristics such as dress and appearance as proxies for Muslim which belies the fact that there are many white and other ethnic groups who are Muslims. It has been reported that ‘Although figures on conversions to Islam in Western countries are difficult to nail down, it's safe to say that Muslim converts in the U.S. and Europe number in the hundreds of thousands'.


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