Middlesex University and the Student Union must adopt a definition of Islamophobia in order to uphold its principles on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion. 1 in 3 Muslim students suffer discrimination and abuse on campus, as found by a 2018 NUS survey. Amid the increase of violent far-right national sentiment and calls to ban protests for Palestine, anti-Muslim hatred in the UK has risen by nearly a fifth to record levels over the past year.

In 2024 the Runnymede Trust reported that “the idea of who is deemed an extremist has expanded to include a wide range of individuals and organisations that express non-violent political dissent.” As a result, universities across the country have been punishing students and staff who openly stand in solidarity with Palestine due to political rhetoric conflating legitimate political discussion with terrorism.

The APPG definition of Islamophobia defines it as “a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” Only 21 out of 166 British universities currently uphold this definition, and Middlesex is not one of them. Anti-Muslim discrimination and prejudice goes far beyond physical and verbal violence, as it also plays a role in hindering the academic success of students that choose to exercise their right to freedom of expression on campus.

We call on the University and Student Union to:

• Introduce the APPG working definition of Islamophobia as an official Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy to protect Muslim, Arab, or otherwise racialised Black and Asian students and staff on University grounds;

• Educate staff in recognising concrete manifestations of Islamophobia and its root causes;
• Train staff on handling reports of anti-Muslim sentiment and signposting appropriate avenues of support (i.e. CAGE, MEND, and IRU);
• Understand the patterns of inequality linking the government’s anti-immigration policies and its support of the genocide in Palestine to the rise of Islamophobic hatred in the UK;
• Provide a platform (e.g. untracked anonymous surveys, support networks, working groups) for consulting students affected by anti-Muslim racism on and off campus;
• Defend student rights to exercise free speech on campus through active, deliberate engagement and dialogue with students and student groups.

Undersigned Student Groups:
Palestine Solidarity Society, LGBTQIA+ Society, Kpop Society, Filipino Society, Japan Society, Women’s Basketball Team, Games Society, Islamic Society (ISoc), Ahl al-Bayt Society (ABSoc), Computer Science Academic Society

APPG report on the definition of Islamophobia:

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/599c3d2febbd1a90cffdd8a9/t/5bfd1ea3352f531a6170ceee/1543315109493/Islamophobia+Defined.pdf

Runnymede Trust report:

https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/61488f992b58e687f1108c7c/67507138f93ab16b069b3375_Runnymede_Islamophobia%20Report_Final_11_compressed-compressed.pdf