Higher Education: Islamophobia

(asked on 17th March 2026) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the compatibility of the Government's definition of anti-Muslim hostility with the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.


Answered by
Josh MacAlister Portrait
Josh MacAlister
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This question was answered on 24th March 2026

As with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which the government adopted in 2016, a clear definition of anti-Muslim hostility is an important step towards combatting the unacceptable hostility that Muslims face.

Where higher education providers adopt this definition, they must do so in a way that is compatible with their duties to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom.

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