FAIR gathered a number of experts together to write a detailed response to the Government’s consultation paper ‘Towards Equality and Diversity – Implementing the Employment and Race Directives’

Main points of address:

• Anomalies in current anti-discrimination legislation
  For example, whilst the protection and provisions of the RRAA 2000 are extended to some religious minority communities, like Jews and Sikhs, they are not extended to Muslims.
   
• The Socio-Economic status of the Muslim Community in Britain. 
  One of the points highlighted was that as a result of unfair legislation, the defining experience of large numbers of Muslims in Britain today is of social exclusion, the involuntary marginalisation of Muslims from mainstream social, economic and political institutions.
   
• The Scope of the Proposed Legislation
  After the proposed implementation, unlike Sikhs and Jews, Muslims will still not be protected from discrimination in the following areas:
  (a) Social protection (including social security and health care);
  (b) Education;
  (c) Goods and services available to the public (including housing);
  (d) Social advantages (e.g., housing benefit, student maintenance grants and loans, bus passes for senior citizens, etc.).
   
• Legislative Procedure for Implementation of Directives
• Substance of Legislation
• Interim Institutional Arrangements
• Policy Initiatives and Institutional Changes
• Research and Monitoring
• Supplementary Measures
• Public Representations of Muslims – the Media and Education

Download 'Towards Equality & Diversity' Submission