By Dr Hina J. Shahid | Chair, Muslim Doctors Association
When a country starts debating how people pray, dress, or eat, it’s rarely about policy alone—it’s about power. And for Britain’s Muslim communities, this is a story we’ve seen too many times before.
Last week, during a parliamentary debate on non-stun slaughter, Conservative MP Giles Watling argued, “We must not let outdated practices endanger animal welfare in this country.” Framing an entire religious tradition as “outdated” is not just careless; it’s dangerous. It reinforces the tired and offensive narrative that British Muslims—and by extension, Islam—are somehow stuck in the past, a community that needs to be modernised or corrected by external forces.
Let’s be clear: this isn’t just about animal welfare. Halal slaughter in the UK already adheres to strict regulation, and many Muslim scholars actively support practices that prioritise both religious requirements and animal welfare. But debates like this one are rarely about detail. They are about signalling: about sending a message to voters that certain groups don’t fully belong here.
For Muslims, the halal debate cuts deeper than what’s on the plate. It’s about religious freedom, dignity, and equal citizenship. The idea that one’s faith can be publicly questioned, distorted, and used as a political football is exhausting—and harmful.
Research by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims has long highlighted that negative portrayals of Islamic practices in politics and the media are a key driver of rising Islamophobia across the UK. It doesn’t stay on the debate floor; it filters into headlines, social media posts, and, ultimately, into real-world violence and discrimination. Reports from Tell MAMA consistently show a sharp rise in anti-Muslim hate incidents following inflammatory media coverage or political statements about Islam.
And it’s not a stretch to connect these dots: Politicians debate halal meat on a Monday. By Wednesday, a Muslim school pupil is facing Islamophobic slurs in the playground. By Friday, a hijab-wearing woman is being harassed on public transport. This is not theory—it’s documented, repeated, and distressingly predictable.
But beyond headlines and politics, there’s another layer to this debate that’s often ignored: the toll it takes on health. Decades of research tell us that sustained exposure to racism and cultural exclusion is not just psychologically damaging—it leads to real, measurable health consequences. Chronic stress. Anxiety. Depression. Even increased risks of heart disease and other serious health conditions. For Muslim communities already navigating barriers in healthcare access—whether language, cultural disconnects, or unconscious bias from providers—this added burden only deepens existing inequalities.
So what’s the real cost of these debates? It’s not just about slaughterhouses. It’s about trust in British society itself. It’s about whether Muslim families feel like they truly belong here, or whether their belonging is constantly questioned. It’s about whether a child can grow up proud of their heritage without wondering when it’s going to be used against them on the news.
At MDA, we don’t just provide healthcare guidance—we provide a voice for communities that too often feel voiceless in these conversations. We stand firmly for culturally sensitive healthcare, informed by lived experiences, not media headlines. We deliver Islamophobia awareness and cultural safety training for healthcare organisations, helping build environments where people are treated with the dignity they deserve.
Britain’s strength has never come from conformity—it’s come from diversity. If we want to build a truly fair and just society, it’s time to stop using Muslim communities as political scapegoats. The real test of British values isn’t about what we eat—it’s about whether we can live together with fairness, dignity, and respect for each other’s beliefs.
📩 Learn more about our Islamophobia awareness work: [email protected]