Exclusive Interview with R.A.H.M.A.

SMYLe: We haven't heard of RAHMA in Swansea before, when was this organisation formed and what purpose does it serve?

RAHMA: RAHMA is a fairly new organisation, formed as a result of the shocking findings of the Islamic Human Rights Commission's report into hostility and religious discrimination against British Muslims. We at RAHMA believe in, and are committed to, a just and tolerant multi-cultural and multi-faith Britain. In order to achieve this, the kinds of unacceptable behaviour highlighted in the report targeting ethnic minority communities identifiable by their faith and made vulnerable by current legislation, or lack thereof, need to be challenged whenever they occur and ultimately eradicated from civilised society. In order to meet this challenge, some Muslim brothers and sisters established RAHMA to assist the Muslim community in Swansea in opposing incidents of hate, violence, discrimination, which are motivated by Islamophobia, in an organised manner. We also aim to bring to the attention of policy makers, service providers, the police and racial equality organisations, the very real problem of Islamophobia and victimisation of the Muslim community within the UK.

SMYLe: Is there an ultimate goal other than simply making policy makers and those with an interest in race equality aware of the extent of anti-Muslim prejudice in British society and the consequent discrimination, harassment and attacks stemming from that?

RAHMA: Absolutely. We are not seeking merely to inform people about the problem. In the long term we want to Islamophobia recognised in this country in exactly the same way as anti-Semitism. There is a feeling amongst many Muslims that Muslim are the new 'Jews' of Europe in terms of the prejudice and harassment they face. After the suffering of European Jews prior to and during the Second World War we heard 'Never Again!' loudly resonating throughout Europe. The images we saw during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, of emaciated Muslim men peering from behind the barbed wire fences of concentration camps, showed us how hollow those words were. The Jews had to endure a Holocaust to receive the kind of protection, which is now taken for granted, must Muslims endure the same before our right to live and practice our faith is respected and protected?

SMYLe: The shortened form of the organisation's name spells 'RAHMA', was the choice of name for the organisation deliberate?

RAHMA: Yes indeed. We wanted to choose a name, which spelt out our objectives but also one, which established us clearly in people's minds as a Muslim organisation. RAHMA in Arabic refers to the concept of compassion and mercy, the Prophet Muhammad (Peace & Blessings of Allah be upon him) was sent as 'a mercy to Mankind and all that exists' and racism is a completely alien concept in Islam.

SMYLe: Swansea already has a racial equality council. Is there any need for an organisation that may duplicate what the Swansea Bay Racial Equality Council (SBREC) already does?

RAHMA: The SBREC is a specialist organisation and covers a wide spectrum of racial equality work. The SBREC fulfils a valuable function and we fully endorse the organisation and the excellent work it carries out. We will support all organisations that oppose racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism and work towards the eradication of these prejudiced states of mind from society, but our primary focus in RAHMA is to protect the Muslim community by being a strong voice against Islamophobia. RAHMA was established because there is a loophole in the current legislation, which needs to be urgently redressed. Current racial equality legislation gives much needed protection to Jewish, Sikh and even Rastafarian faith communities but excludes the Muslim community (Britain's second largest faith community) and leaves us vulnerable, something which far-right groups such as the British National Party (BNP) are taking full advantage of. Our main objective is to highlight the very real problem of Muslim demonisation and victimisation, and the absence of adequate protection for Muslims under British law. We are specifically an advocacy group for the defence of the rights and protection of Muslims and therefore an organisation performing a function distinct form the work of SBREC. SBREC has to work against racism in the broadest sense, whereas we are focused on the Muslim community who, we believe, are the biggest victims of racism and religious intolerance in the country.

SMYLe: It was recently announced that the Home secretary, David Blunkett MP, intends to outlaw incitement to religious hatred, is this an encouraging sign?

RAHMA: It is certainly a step in the right direction but any legislation, which would make incitement to religious hatred a criminal offence, must not be hurriedly rushed through in a knee-jerk reaction to the current situation in the UK. Freedom of speech is something we value very highly in this country and any legislation should be carefully drafted so that legitimate religious, political and philosophical debate is not stifled or suppressed. One action that the Home Secretary could carry out immediately is extending the current protection afforded to other religious communities under the Race Relations Act 1976 to include Muslims.

SMYLe: The organisation has only recently been established, so what sort of work have you managed to carry out so far?

RAHMA: We have circulated a number of important reports relating to issues of discrimination ad religiously motivated crime affecting British Muslims to key policy and decision makers in the City & County of Swansea, as well as local race equality and crime prevention organisations. Those reports include:
(i) 'The Oldham Riots' - Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC)
(ii) ' Anti-Muslim Discrimination and Hostility in the UK' - IHRC
(iii) 'Islamophobia - A Challenge For Us All' - The Runnymede Trust
(iv) ' Religious Discrimination in the United Kingdom' - Derby University
(v) 'UK Today: The Anti-Muslim Backlash in the Wake of 11th September 2001' - IHRC

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