Why The EDL Is Islamophobic

According to the Oxford Dictionary, Islamophobia means to have a ‘a hatred or fear of Islam or Muslims, especially as a political force.’ In this article, we’ll examine both aspects (hatred and fear) the English Defence League (EDL) and its affiliates have.

Fear plays a great role in the EDL’s agenda.

We need not go far into the EDL’s very own Mission Statement to know that the EDL view Islam, and Muslims, as a threat. The Mission Statement reads for example, ‘This is why the EDL will continue to work to protect the inalienable rights of all people to protest against radical Islam’s encroachment into the lives of non-Muslims’, ‘Sharia is most definitely a threat to our democracy’,‘…sharia is already creeping into our lives’ and ‘We believe that the demand for sharia is global…it is time for the whole world to unite against a truly Global Jihad’.

But how much of this is the truth?

We have seen studies that state that it is nearly an impossibility for Sharia law to overtake UK law. Also, looking at the threat of ‘militant Islam’, a study by the Arizona State University's Center for Strategic Communication showed us that extremists don’t actually want to dominate the world (as the EDL tries to make us believe), rather they want to protect themselves from occupation and want to defend themselves i.e. from foreign occupation. This may also explain the reason why some bombers were arrested for plotting against an EDL rally because they felt threatened they were being targeted.

Nevertheless, we know that many of the statements in the Mission Statement are mindless fear-mongering opinionated statements that carry no weight, such as the EDL believing that ‘sharia is already creeping into our lives’ and that the belief that the ‘demand for sharia is global’.

Information from these sources are also promoted through cheap homemade videos claiming Islam will ‘take over Europe’ when they have been found to be inaccurate by even the Guardian. These have been promoted on the EDL website various times.

Some may argue that ‘it’s not Islamophobia to tell the truth’, but this is a rather opinionated one. What can actually be defined as truth? As we know, opinions are not always right and studies are proving the EDL wrong.

Nevertheless, this fear is creating hate too. And likewise, the hate aspect of the definition of the word ‘Islamophobia’ can certainly be reflected by the attitude many parts of the EDL have, like the views of this supporter.

The EDL for one, claims to be against ‘radical’ or ‘militant’ Islam yet fails to even make a distinction between the minority and the majority.

With a lack of differentiation, the EDL just seem to be attacking the whole faith of Islam, and many supporters do this publicly on a regular basis, even Divisions.

So how can the EDL claim that it ‘promotes the understanding of Islam’ in its Mission Statement? It seems that this statement is merely in there to make the EDL look good.

Protests also show us that there is a lack of differentiation being made, and that Islam and Muslims are being hatefully targeted. Chants such as “Allah is a pa*do”, “Who the f*ck is Allah?” and “Let’s go kill a Muslim” add more salt to the wound. We have also witnessed threats to burn down mosques and threats with violence before protests have even begun.

Even the EDL leader Tommy Robinson threatened the whole British Muslim community at a protest in Tower Hamlets on the 3rd September 2011.

We have also witnessed physical assault on minority members, such as the 23-year-old who fractured an innocent Muslim mans jaw at a protest in Dagenham who happened to be walking by. And we have also seen a large amount of physical and verbal harassment upon innocent Muslim women by EDL supporters, as a helpline study showed us. The study showed us that right-wing supporters and sympathisers were involved in one-third (33%) of the cases.

Clearly, the fear that the EDL is promoting has turned many very hateful towards Islam and Muslims in general. Moreover, we have witnessed extremist behaviour throughout the EDL network and it goes to show that the group is indeed Islamophobic in terms of both influencing and promoting fear and hate through targeting innocent minority communities (the EDL hijacked a protest by the Sikh community too).

If the EDL were not Islamophobic as they claim to be, then they would be putting extra effort in what they do, and not allowing these things to happen. But the EDL remains an Islamophobic organisation with a discriminative agenda, and it also has connections with the Islamophobia network working in Europe and the U.S. who are renowned in being hateful against Islam and Muslims.

Further reading:

1. University Study Proves EDL Wrong
2. Dissecting The EDL Mission Statement