Perth and Kinross councillors look set to make a commitment to tackle racism when they meet on Wednesday.
Two separate motions are being tabled calling on Perth and Kinross Council to adopt definitions of both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
The motions state adopting definitions of both terms are “essential” to tackling both anti-Semitic and Islamophobic behaviour in a “targeted and effective manner”.
Liberal Democrat Perth City Centre councillor – and PKC’s equalities lead – Peter Barrett is tabling both motions.
He is calling for the council to work with partners and stakeholders to challenge racism against both the Jewish and Muslim community.
Cllr Barrett has teamed up with Carse of Gowrie SNP councillor Ken Harvey to table a motion on anti-Semitism and Perth City North SNP councillor Ian Massie to table one on Islamophobia.
‘Islamophobia is rooted in racism’
The first motion calls on councillors to adopt the The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.
“Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
The second calls for PKC to adopt the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims’ definition of Islamophobia: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”
PKC is being asked to adopt this alongside the explanatory guidelines put forward by the Coalition Against Islamophobia.
83 per cent have experienced Islamophobia
The motion highlights a public inquiry by the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group (CPG) on tackling Islamophobia which found 83 per cent of Muslims in Scotland have experienced Islamophobia directly.
The motions call on councillors to urgently address anti-Semitism and Islamophobia as being “one of the principal barriers to the participation of Jewish people/Muslims in public, economic, political, and social spheres of life”.
Cllr Barrett told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “There has been all-party support for the adoption of these definitions in both the Scottish Parliament and Westminster.”
He said the “first step” in tackling both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia was understanding the definition of each term and “how it is manifested in our communities”.
Conversation