Tuesday 05-11-2019 - 10:18

November marks Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM), a month long campaign to challenge the stereotypes about Islam and Muslims and bring an awareness of anti-Muslim hate crime.

In 2018, the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims defined Islamophobia as “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of muslimness or perceived muslimness”. This definition has been widely adopted across political parties and national student organisations such as the National Union of Students, of which The Union is affiliated. 

On year on, Islamophobia continues to be a social problem. Latest statistics show that Muslim hate crimes account for the most hate crimes reported based on religion, and these kinds of hate crimes have increased since the EU Referendum 2017. Looking specifically at students, the National Union of Students found Muslim students were fairly or very worried about hate crimes at their place of study and that this was more intense for students who wear Islamic garments. 79 per cent of those who had experienced abuse believed that this was motivated by the perpetrator’s prejudice relating to their Muslim identity. 

Recognising and raising awareness of islamophobia can only be effective if we also call out the root causes of islamophobia within our communities. One factor that contributes to this rise in islamophobia is the Government’s failed Prevent duty, which has severely limited the engagement Muslims have in student life and change making. Prevent - a strand under the government’s counter terrorism strategy – has mandated Universities and other public bodies report individuals they think are at risk of radicalisation. However, the consequences of this is that whether it is organising events or being part of our democracy, Prevent has made Muslim students censor themselves or limit the contributions they can make on the fear of being reported under the duty. This means having less safer spaces to speak frankly about the issues that Muslim students and communities have in Britain and how we tackle them.

My mantra has always been that ‘actions speak louder than words’. That is why we made The Union’s Advice Centre an independent hate crime reporting centre. Later this month, we will also be launching or BAME Ambassador Scheme, which is a project that will look at the experience of black and Asian students across the whole university, from curriculum to support services. And finally, we will be encouraging as many Muslim students as possible to register to vote in the upcoming General Election to make their voice a formidable force to be listened to in the halls of Westminster.

Students who are interested in learning more about Islam or would like to meeting other Muslim student should check out The Union’s Islamic Society.