Episode Overview

Podcast: New Books Network - Radio ReOrient
Episode Title: Countering Islamophobia with the Runnymede Trust, with Shabna Begum
Date: December 19, 2025
Host(s): Dr. Claudia Radovan, Dr. Amina Esat Das
Guest: Dr. Shabna Begum (CEO, Runnymede Trust)
Discussion Panel: Chella Ward, Saeed Khan, Hiza Miya Ward
Theme:
A candid discussion on the work of the Runnymede Trust in challenging Islamophobia in the UK, the evolution of the public and political conversation around Islamophobia, the complexities of defining the term, and the need to address its systemic and structural dimensions both locally and globally.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Dr. Shabna Begum and the Runnymede Trust

• [04:38] Dr. Begum explains her background: a former secondary school teacher for 23 years, transitioned to academia via a late PhD, and joined Runnymede Trust in 2021.
• Runnymede Trust: UK’s leading race-equality and civil-rights think tank, founded 1968, pivotal in shaping discourse around racial justice and Islamophobia.

2. History of Runnymede’s Work on Islamophobia

• [07:38] Dr. Begum:
  • 1997: Runnymede pioneers the term "Islamophobia" in the UK, focusing on problematic media representation and belonging for Muslims.
  • 2017: Shift after 9/11 and 7/7 bombings; Muslims cast as security threats. Runnymede advocates for an official definition of Islamophobia amid increasing securitization.
  • 2024: Recent report shifts from definition to lived experience, emphasizing connection between events like Gaza and increased Islamophobia in the UK.

“By 2017...we are operating in a very, very different climate now. So...we have a Muslim community that has been subjected to surveillance and is now kind of subjected to the narratives where we are securitized and seen as extremists and terrorists and deeply violent.” (Begum, 09:19)

3. Debates Over Definitions & Political Implications

• [13:13] Dr. Begum:
  • Ongoing governmental reluctance to accept or operationalize a definition of Islamophobia.
  • Shift toward using "anti-Muslim hatred/hostility," narrowing the focus to overt acts and excluding systemic, structural issues.
  • The danger in endless definitional debates: “...it's an abdication of my responsibility, of our responsibility. If we don't engage and go forward in the conversation...almost 30 years of debating what's the definition. And I don't think we've got time for that anymore.” (Begum, 15:21)
• [16:54] Claudia Radovan: Definitions debates risk distracting from real, structural problems and offer a loophole for governments to avoid deeper accountability.

4. Far-Right Mobilization and Interrelated Racisms

• [18:49] Dr. Begum:
  • 2024 Southport riots: trigger (incorrectly) attributed to Muslim asylum seeker, reflecting how migration, Islamophobia, and racism intertwine.
  • Attacks targeted not only Muslims and their institutions, but also asylum seekers and people of color generally.

“And so for us at Runnymede Trust, we have always spoken on these different forms of racism and the need for solidarity...We see Islamophobia as a form of racism.” (Begum, 21:10)

• Urgency for solidarity across communities impacted by race-based violence.

5. Islamophobia as a Global and Structural Challenge

• [23:40] Dr. Begum:
  • Runnymede Trust traditionally UK-focused but increasingly making global connections (e.g., reparations, climate justice, colonial legacy).
  • The "clash of civilizations" and global anti-Muslim currents post-9/11 impact British Muslims.
  • “Making sure that we make visible those links between the local to the domestic and then to the global is really an important part of our work.” (Begum, 25:46)

6. Individual & Community Action Against Islamophobia

• [28:05] Dr. Begum:
  • Islamophobia is normalized in UK discourse, even for Muslims themselves.
  • Individuals must “check ourselves” for internalized narratives and challenge normalized Islamophobia in personal, communal, and public life.
  • Move conversations forward beyond definitions to practical protection and solidarity.

“I think there is a real responsibility on all of us to check ourselves because actually it's really easy to absorb these things because we, it's such a monotonous diet of it.” (Begum, 29:02)

Panel Discussion Highlights

7. Reframing the Definition Debate

• [32:54] Chella Ward:
  • Government’s redefinition efforts (moving to “anti-Muslim sentiment”) risk erasing the systemic and structural nature of Islamophobia.
  • Definitions aren’t made by committees, but by how communities actually use and experience these terms.

"Islamophobia, you know, like it or lump it...is the term that Muslim communities have been using now for decades to describe the structural oppression that they face." (Ward, 35:24)

8. State and Structural Responsibility

• [38:55] Claudia Radovan:
  • Redefining as “hatred” lets the state off the hook, shifting it to a matter of individual prejudice instead of institutional complicity.
  • “How can a state hate somebody? Hating is something humans do. That’s the big danger here...” (Ward, 40:25)

9. Solidarity, Community Definition, and Moving Forward

• Across the episode, the panel and Dr. Begum urge a focus on solidarity, community empowerment, and pragmatic steps to counter Islamophobia, rather than stagnant definitions:

  “...it will be Muslims, insha’Allah, who define Islamophobia.” (Ward, 35:44) “...the Muslim community is not one community. We have many, very, very many different kind of actors and assets within the ecosystem...it's really important that we move the conversation forward and we don't go...are not just tied to the definition.” (Begum, 30:52)

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• [07:38] Dr. Begum: “...that term Islamophobia was, is kind of, we're credited with really socializing that term here in the UK...”
• [09:19] Dr. Begum: “...we are operating in a very, very different climate now...a Muslim community that has been subjected to surveillance and is now kind of subjected to the narratives where we are securitized...”
• [15:21] Dr. Begum: “...almost 30 years of debating what's the definition. And I don't think we've got time for that anymore.”
• [18:49] Dr. Begum: “...the riots that started in Southport in 2024 were based on this idea that the perpetrator...was someone of asylum status who was potentially a Muslim...He was neither in the end. But that was the trigger.”
• [21:10] Dr. Begum: “...we see Islamophobia as a form of racism...there is a logic here that actually all of our communities experience racism and there needs to be solidarity...”
• [29:02] Dr. Begum: “...it's really important that we all, each of us are checking ourselves...it's really easy to absorb these things because...it's such a monotonous diet of it.”

Suggested Episode Flow & Timestamps

• [02:59] Introduction, purpose of episode, guest background
• [04:38-07:38] Dr. Begum’s career path, Runnymede’s legacy, early thinking on Islamophobia
• [07:38-12:04] Evolution of Islamophobia discourse and Runnymede’s reports (1997, 2017, 2024)
• [13:13-16:54] The politics of definitions—APPG, government stances, and why definitions matter
• [16:54-22:51] Media, law, the far right, and intersecting racisms—Southport riots case
• [23:40-27:14] Structural and global dimensions; local action, global context
• [28:05-31:33] Individual roles, internalization, and everyday resistance
• [32:49-40:25] Panel wrap-up: community agency vs. state control, solidarity over semantics

Summary Tone & Takeaway

The episode maintains a serious, urgent, but community-grounded tone. Dr. Begum and the hosts underscore the critical need to “move the conversation forward,” center lived experiences, and avoid bureaucratic busywork that distracts from challenging the normalization and institutionalization of Islamophobia. The panel calls for an unwavering, solidaristic approach—rooted in community agency and structural critique—toward both defining and defeating Islamophobia in the UK and beyond.