A presentation on Islamophobia was hosted by MEND (Muslim Engagement & Development)  on Wednesday evening. The presentation was given by Abla Klaa, BME student campaigns coordinator at the Union.

In the presentation, Klaa pointed to research from Lancaster University which revealed that “for every 21 negative mentions of Muslims in the media, there’s only 1 positive representation.” The presentation also revealed how a “survey on popular attitudes towards muslims shows that 61% of Britons feel Islam is incompatible with the culture.”

On their website, MEND, a non-profit organisation, have stated that their mission is to enhance ‘the active engagement of British Muslim communities in our national life, particularly in the fields of politics and the media’. They established Islamophobia Awareness Month as part of this aim.

Abla Klaa stated that “as part of Islamophobia Awareness Month, we hosted the exhibition and a presentation talk to highlight the growing concern of Islamophobia and the impact the tabloid press has on perceptions of Muslims in Britain.

By addressing anti-Muslim hatred as a collective and empowering the community to engage with our media and politicians, our hope is that we can move Britain in the direction of a more tolerable and fairer society”

Shamima Noor