If you have experienced or witnessed behaviour that you believe may be Islamophobic or anti-Muslim, you may find it helpful to refer to established definitions. While the University does not endorse a single definition, we draw attention to the UK Government's non-statutory working definition of anti-Muslim hostility and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims' working definition of Islamophobiaas resources that may help in understanding and describing such experiences.
For more information, please see the University’s statement on Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hostility.
Examples of Islamophobic or anti-Muslim incidents may include:
- verbal abuse, such as name-calling or offensive jokes
- harassment
- bullying or intimidation
- physical assaults, such as hitting, punching, pushing or spitting
- threats of violence
- hoax calls, abusive phone calls, text messages, emails or hate mail
- online abuse, including on social media
- displaying, sharing or circulating discriminatory literature, symbols or posters
- criminal damage or harm to personal property
- graffiti
- arson
- malicious complaints motivated by anti-Muslim prejudice
Information about hate crime legislation in Scotland is available from the Scottish Government: Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act: Factsheet.