Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of alleged reports of (a) violence and (b) discrimination targeted at Muslim women in India; and what representations he has made to his Indian counterpart on this.
Answered by Vicky Ford
We condemn any instances of discrimination because of religion or belief, regardless of the country or faith involved. We look to India to uphold all freedoms and rights guaranteed in its strong constitution and by the international instruments to which India is a party. Where we have concerns, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at ministerial level. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia and Human Rights, last discussed human rights in India during his visit in July 2021.
We engage with India on a range of human rights matters, working with Union and State Governments and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to build capacity and promote human rights for all. The British High Commission (BHC) in Delhi regularly assesses human rights across India. Our officials in India work closely with Indian civil society and non-governmental organisations to promote gender equality and tackle gender-based violence. We have worked with the Madhya Pradesh Police's Gender Resource Centre to train a core group of officers on tackling crimes against women. We also regularly meet religious representatives and have run projects supporting minority rights. The BHC supports a UK-India Interfaith Leadership Programme for emerging Indian faith leaders, including Muslims, to build expertise on leading modern inclusive communities and promote values of tolerance and multi-culturalism. The UK will host an international Ministerial conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2022 to energise collective efforts on this agenda. We also work with the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe, G7 and other multilateral fora to promote our objectives.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what her Department’s policy is for (a) describing and (b) communicating incidences of racism targeting expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
This Government remains committed to stamping out anti-Muslim hatred and all forms of religious prejudice. It is unacceptable for anyone to feel unsafe while practicing their religion and we continue to take a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Muslim hatred. The adoption of a definition of Islamophobia by the Government remains under consideration.
In 2020-21 DLUHC provided £1.8million in funding for the Faith, Race and Hate Crime Grant Scheme which supported established community groups and civil society organisations to run short projects that champion the Government's commitment to building a diverse and tolerant society for all faiths and races.
The Government’s new Hate Crime Strategy will be published shortly and will build on the successes of the previous Action Plan in tackling all forms of hate crime.
Asked by: Baroness Cox (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether British Muslim women have the rights set out in paragraph nine of Resolution 2253 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, published on 22 January 2019, specifically in relation (1) to obtaining the protection of legal marriage, and (2) to discriminatory practices in relation to religious divorce.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
The law has long made provision for couples, including Muslim couples, to marry in their place of worship in a way that gives them legal rights and protections. The Government shares the concern that some people may nonetheless marry in a way that does not give them these legal rights and protections, without appreciating the consequences.
We continue to explore limited reform and non-legislative options in this area with the greatest of care. This work will be informed by the forthcoming reports from the Law Commission on weddings, and from the Nuffield Foundation on religious weddings.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of people in Afghanistan who are not Muslim; and what plans they have, if any, to offer such individuals asylum.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
British Embassy officials in Kabul regularly meet with representatives from religious minority groups to hear their concerns. We continue to stress that the human rights of all Afghans should be protected. We also continue to make public condemnations about targeted killings and violence against minorities, calling for transparent investigations. The UK is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all, and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the world. Only a negotiated and inclusive settlement will bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan. We continue to make clear to all sides that any political settlement must protect the progress made in the country, including protection for women and minority groups.
The UK has a proud record of providing protection for people who need it, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach - that is the fastest route to safety.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the safety of minority Sikh, Hindu and Hazara Muslim communities in Afghanistan.
Answered by Nigel Adams
UK Ministers and officials frequently raise the protection of religious minorities with Afghan counterparts. Most recently, on 2 June the Minister of State for South Asia, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, spoke to Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar to offer condolences for the attack on 8 May on a school in a predominantly Hazara area of Kabul. British Embassy officials in Kabul regularly meet with representatives from religious minority groups to hear their concerns. We continue to make public condemnations about targeted killings, and violence against minorities and human rights advocates, calling for transparent investigations. Only a negotiated and inclusive settlement will bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan. We continue to make clear to all sides that any political settlement must protect the progress made in the country, including protection for women and minority groups.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide in 2021.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
2021 marks 26 years since the Srebrenica genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which saw more than 8,000 mostly Muslim men and boys murdered, and over 20,000 women and children forcibly expelled from their homes. The UK remembers all victims and pays its respects to the survivors. The UK continues to fight for justice and an end to impunity: this year Radovan Karadzic, convicted in part for his role in the Srebrenica genocide, was transferred to the UK to serve his life sentence. HMG's commemorative activities include a video message from the Foreign Secretary, to be shown online as part of Remembering Srebrenica's programme of events, and a statement commemorating the anniversary. The FCDO hopes to host Remembering Srebrenica's in-person commemoration when COVID-19 restrictions allow. The British Embassy in Sarajevo, alongside its project funding for the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, will join commemorations in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered night clinics for the vaccination of Muslims during Ramadan.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government and NHS England and NHS Improvement have been working closely with local vaccination providers and system partners to put arrangements in place to help support Muslims to receive their vaccination, particularly if they are invited during Ramadan.
We have ensured through key messaging from scholarly leaders and the British Islamic Medical Association that it is permissible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine while fasting during Ramadan. We have provided advice and reassurances on questions and concerns around vaccination and Ramadan and we are working closely with local authorities, charities, faith and community groups to ensure these messages are disseminated widely. Effort has been made to promote key messages in faith-based radio stations, TV channels and multi-lingual messages developed by clinical and faith leaders.
We have issued guidance to our local partners on actions they should consider with reference to the needs of their local Muslim population during Ramadan which includes:
- Extending vaccination sites opening hours during twilight hours in places with high Muslim populations;
- Supporting pop-up/roving/temporary vaccination sites in areas with a high Muslim population;
- Allowing greater flexibility in booking schedules for later appointments;
- Outreach into homes to support those who are housebound and for women; and
- Flexibility to vaccinate where needed across Muslim groups, such as vaccinating members of multi-generational households on single visits.
We have been working closely with our system partners to support these actions and many are already being implemented. Additionally, we have also been supporting the organisation of women’s only vaccine clinics.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements are they putting in place for COVID-19 vaccinations for Muslims during Ramadan
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government and NHS England and NHS Improvement have been working closely with local vaccination providers and system partners to put arrangements in place to help support Muslims to receive their vaccination, particularly if they are invited during Ramadan.
We have ensured through key messaging from scholarly leaders and the British Islamic Medical Association that it is permissible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine while fasting during Ramadan. We have provided advice and reassurances on questions and concerns around vaccination and Ramadan and we are working closely with local authorities, charities, faith and community groups to ensure these messages are disseminated widely. Effort has been made to promote key messages in faith-based radio stations, TV channels and multi-lingual messages developed by clinical and faith leaders.
We have issued guidance to our local partners on actions they should consider with reference to the needs of their local Muslim population during Ramadan which includes:
- Extending vaccination sites opening hours during twilight hours in places with high Muslim populations;
- Supporting pop-up/roving/temporary vaccination sites in areas with a high Muslim population;
- Allowing greater flexibility in booking schedules for later appointments;
- Outreach into homes to support those who are housebound and for women; and
- Flexibility to vaccinate where needed across Muslim groups, such as vaccinating members of multi-generational households on single visits.
We have been working closely with our system partners to support these actions and many are already being implemented. Additionally, we have also been supporting the organisation of women’s only vaccine clinics.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department took to mark Islamophobia Awareness month in November 2020.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government notes Islamophobia Awareness Month but takes the view that combatting Islamophobia is not a time-limited task and such thinking and behaviour should be tackled whenever it occurs. For that reason we continue to work closely with Muslim communities to tackle hate against them, including understanding issues and trends. This includes supporting Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) with just over £2.8m distributed over the last five years to monitor, combat and raise awareness of anti-Muslim hatred.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports (1) that Muslim and Christian minorities are being persecuted in India, and (2) that such persecution has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic following accusations that those minorities had spread COVID-19; and what discussions they have had with the government of India about (a) the reported marginalisation of the Dalit community, in particular Dalit sanitation workers, and (b) the level of poverty among religious minority groups in that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK continuously assesses the human rights situation in India. We oppose discrimination against minorities because of caste, religion or belief. I speak regularly to my opposite number in the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi and the Indian High Commissioner in the UK, and raise concerns where we have them.
The British High Commission in New Delhi regularly meets minority representatives and runs projects promoting minority rights. In 2016-18, we funded a project in Uttar Pradesh empowering 400 Dalit human rights defenders to challenge discrimination and violence against Dalit women. Over the last 3 years, we have worked with local NGOs to bring together young people of diverse faiths to work together on social action projects to promote a culture of inter-faith tolerance.