WE live in anxious times. Coronavirus, Brexit, climate change, a UK Government out of control, the uncertainty of the presidential election in America with a possible second term of chaos with Trump, the horrors of war in Yemen and Syria and the ongoing refugee crisis.

There is much to be concerned about and little reassurance on how any of this will turn out. Citizens of planet Earth look on in horror at mismanagement of emergencies, little future-proof planning, no accountability for those industries intent on wrecking our planet, the rise of the far right and populism, a blind eye turned to violence against minorities and refugees and corruption at the very top levels of government. Dark days indeed.

Suddenly, these worries are no longer at arm’s length. They’re coming to a town near you. But for some, these fears have been on their doorstep for quite some time. If you’re a Muslim in the UK, you have an extra-deep layer of anxiety to contend with, one that worries and gnaws at your sense of security, for your family, your friends and your collective future.

This concern is not some existential woe, and it’s not one you’ll read about very much in the mainstream press as it doesn’t seem to be as shocking to them as it ought, or indeed as scandalous or headline-grabbing as other religious bigotry. Why could that be? You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work it out. However, despite their wilful lack of attention to this growing scandal, the real threat to Muslims is backed up by wide-ranging statistical analysis which records an enormous increase in hate crime, targeted abuse and Islamophobic attitudes across British society, according to organisations such as Tell Mama UK and Hope Not Hate.

Most concerning, this anti-Muslim bigotry is at the very highest level of government in our country. Last week, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) published a detailed report on the extent of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party. It makes for shocking reading. The report reveals the scale of the problem in the Tory Party is at a quite staggering level despite their so-called commitment to root out the perpetrators and deal with them head on.

The lack of accountability and action taken to tackle this growing prejudice is a scandal in itself, with many ministers or councillors who were suspended for blatantly sharing outrageously bigoted views on Muslims let back in to the party at a later date on the quiet.

The MCB has accused the party of “reneging” on their promise to address this “systemic” problem. It’s not the first promise the Tories have broken and it won’t be the last; there’s a pattern here and it’s one of abject moral failure.

The National:

This prejudice is spread across the party hierarchy, with more than 300 examples recorded by the MCB, from grassroots members right up to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who infamously mocked Muslim women wearing burkas for looking like letterboxes and bank robbers. He’s hardly setting a good example, as we used to expect of our leaders. Just like his pal across the Atlantic, Johnson cares little for standards and even less for principles. All can be sacrificed on the altar of success, as far as he is concerned. Remember when President Trump told certain congresswomen to “go back home”?

Well, it’s this kind of bigoted rhetoric that runs through the Tory membership, councillors, MPs, MEPs and advisers like a deep, dark stain. If the boss agrees, then why should they change their ways?

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi describes this Islamophobia in her party as a “poison”. When her colleagues are spouting vicious hatred such as “Muslims don’t deserve human rights”, that they should be “thrown off bridges” or “sterilised”, and even endorsing the views of extremist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (or Tommy Robinson, as he likes to be known), it would seem imperative that the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) answer the MCB’s call to conduct a vigorous investigation into these vile views.

So far, its response has been quite lacklustre, citing “insufficient evidence”. This reaction begs the question, what constitutes evidence of religious bigotry? What does it take for this problem to be realised and dealt with?

Perhaps the EHRC should ask some actual Muslims, living their day-to-day lives in fear in this increasingly hostile environment. Because, the message is loud and clear – you are second-class citizens, you are being watched, you are not valued, you are not safe.

You are not even important enough to have articles written about abuses against you by the ruling party. Hardly a comment in the newspapers about the horrifying extent of Islamophobia in the Tory Party and then a major Labour Party figure, in this case Trevor Phillips, is suspended for his alleged anti-Muslim comments and it makes the front page.

The additional layer of scandal to this suspension is that Phillips is a former head of the EHRC, the very group dragging its heels on Islamophobia in the Tory Party. Quite the headline. But then, so are more than 300 cases in the party of government, depending on your angle.

It’s all about media and cultural agendas. It’s not about real people, it’s not about lived experience, or being scared to practise your chosen religion freely. At least the Labour Party have taken action. Who will speak out about Boris Johnson and his trickle-down Islamophobia?

And who will speak up in support and solidarity for Muslims? We deserve better.