In the wake of the far-right riots, dozens of Muslim organisations have called on the government to "take concrete steps" to address Islamophobia.

Community leaders have urged the government to take "urgent actions" that include launching an independent review, interacting with "elected representatives of Muslim communities," and adopting an updated definition of Islamophobia.

The riots were sparked by misinformation that went viral about the identity of the Southport knifeman, who killed three young girls at a dance class at the end of July.

Misinformation about the attacker's identity was disseminated on social media, which led to mosques being targeted with slogans like "stop the boats" and "we want our country back."

Eighty Muslim organisations and prominent community members have now urged the government to conduct a formal inquiry that will especially examine the role that political narratives, social media, and mainstream media played in inciting violence.

“We want the government to look into why the riots happened. It did not come from nowhere,”  Linsay Taylor, head of community Development and engagement at MEND (Muslim Engagement and Development) said. “We want the government to look into themselves, address social media and all the different facets that led to this.

“A review has to look at all of this and has to come to a real outcome with practical steps we can take. At the end of the day, the riots have happened. We now have to see how we can work to stop it happening again in the future.”

Reporters at a press conference on Wednesday heard that the recent riots have “proven the need to regulate social media” as online misinformation “could cost lives”.

Ms Taylor added: “We have to look at what happened here and how it managed to fuel the flames so horrendously to the point where people were stuck in hotels while they were literally being set alight.”

The administration has also been urged to "properly engage" with members of the Muslim community, according to the open letter.

Community leaders claim there hasn't been any "official or real engagement" despite applauding the government for its handling of the riots, which saw criminals jailed in a matter of days and mosques granted increased security.

The government should "engage with legitimate, democratically elected national representatives of Muslim communities," especially the Muslim Council of Britain, which is an umbrella organisation of over 500 Muslim organisations, according to those who signed the open letter.

The open letter has called for the government to officially adopt the all-party parliamentary group definition of Islamophobia – “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”.

A spokesperson for the Islamophobia Action Group said: “Islamophobia has fueled the recent far-right riots, and the consequences are clear and dangerous. The government must act now by adopting the APPG definition of Islamophobia; investigate far-right activities; and engage directly with Muslim communities and their national representatives. This is a critical moment to address the root causes of hate and to protect our society.”

Source: The Independent