Healing the present

As waves of immigrants arrived on British shores, often in northern towns such as Liverpool and Manchester, they were frequently met with suspicion and hostility. As refugees fleeing poverty, famine, and political strife, and as economic immigrants coming to work in menial jobs, they were viewed by many as an unwelcome, alien presence. Such attitudes in Britain towards this group have had a long history stretching back to the Middle Ages.

The group were viewed as a particular threat to the established social order after a period of mass immigration. Relative newcomers were often significantly poorer than the rest of British society and held on to a different belief to the rest of the predominantly Protestant Christian country. For decades, this group consistently had more children per family than those who had lived in the UK for generations. Manchester was targeted with a deadly bomb attack for political motives by some identified as being from this group. It all intensified British fears of an “invasion.” 

The media played a significant role in stoking negative sentiment. Newspapers depicted the incomers as violent and prone to criminality. The language references used reinforced the notion they were an inferior race. This dehumanisation made it easier to justify their marginalisation and mistreatment.

Violence against the group was not uncommon. Riots targeting their  communities broke out in several cities, and people from that group were frequently scapegoated for societal ills such as poverty and disease. They faced significant barriers in education, housing, and public life. The establishment often did little to counter these prejudices, and in some cases, actively promoted and reinforced them.

The group in question is the Irish. The hostility remained for many years, whether called anti-Irish sentiment or the much less known and less-used term Hibernophobia.

Today Britain is grappling with negative attitudes towards another group, the Muslims – whether this is called anti-Muslim sentiment/racism/hatred or Islamophobia. Just as the Irish were once cast as the ultimate ‘other’ Muslims in Britain today face a similar perception. Like with the Irish, the roots of this perception are complex, encompassing cultural differences, economic competition and fears of terrorism. However, such attitudes are fuelled by the same dynamics that underpinned anti-Irish sentiment: fear, unfamiliarity, and the cynical exploitation of those emotions within certain political and media spheres.

In recent years, there has been a troubling rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric and violence. Sensationalist and misleading language used to describe Muslims in some quarters of the media echoes the dehumanising language once used against the Irish. Muslims are often portrayed as a monolithic group, defined solely by their religion and associated with criminality, extremism and violence. This portrayal ignores the rich diversity within Muslim communities and reduces individuals to stereotypes that justify exclusion and suspicion.

The consequences of this prejudice are severe. Muslims in Britain today face discrimination in education, housing and employment,  much as the Irish did a century ago. Hate crimes against Muslims have surged, with women who cover their hair particularly vulnerable to attacks. Mosques have been vandalised, and entire communities live in fear of being targeted simply because of their faith.

The recent anti-Muslim riots in some parts of the country are a stark reminder of how quickly negative sentiment can escalate into violence. These riots, sparked by a toxic combination of misinformation, fear, and the deliberate incitement of hatred, mirror the anti-Irish violence of the past. They serve as a wake-up call to the dangers of allowing prejudices to fester unchecked.

The history of anti-Irish sentiment in Britain shows us that negative attitudes, no matter how deeply rooted, can be overcome. However, it also shows that this process requires time, effort, and a collective commitment to change by British society. 

Change starts with our leadership: it is not enough to merely condemn isolated incidents of hate; we need structural change. Such change must start with a concerted effort to tackle the misinformation and stereotypes that drive these prejudices, replacing this with a positive narrative about the strengths of a multi-cultural and multi-faith society. 

Firstly, the government must focus on integration, not marginalisation. Integration has too often been treated as a one-sided demand placed on minority communities, with little thought given to the barriers they face. We need policies that promote the positive contribution, visibility and inclusion of all communities in British life. Schools, workplaces, and public institutions must be equipped to foster genuine cross-cultural understanding and reflection, and this must be backed by government investment in social cohesion initiatives. 

Secondly, the government must hold the media accountable. Sensationalist headlines and irresponsible reporting have real-world consequences. Just as it allowed anti-Irish slurs to flourish unchecked, media today can all too often get away with denigrating Muslims. The government must implement stronger regulations around how the media reports on minority communities, ensuring the narrative is nuanced and accurate, rather than reductionist and inflammatory.

Thirdly, political leadership must be bold and unambiguous in recognising anti-Muslim sentiment and confronting it. Time and again, we’ve seen politicians exploit fear and prejudice for political gain. This must stop. The government must unequivocally reject the politics of division. Our leaders must acknowledge the positives of our diverse society, and challenge narratives that cast any community as outsiders. 

The Irish living in Britain are now fully socially accepted as part of the social fabric – but this did not happen by accident. It took time, effort, and leadership. The same commitment is needed now for Muslims.