November is Islamophobia Awareness Month, and events will be taking place across the country to draw attention to the rise in Islamophobic hate crime, the targeting of Muslim communities by governments & the media, and the positive contribution made by Muslim communities.
Stand Up To Racism is supporting #IAM2020 as a partner both nationally, and through local groups putting on events with Muslim organisations such as MEND to bring communities together to discuss the impact of Islamophobia.
In 2019/20, where the perceived religion of the victim was recorded, half (50%) of religious hate crime offences were targeted against Muslims (3,089 offences)
Islamophobia has been a key plank of Government racism, through the discriminatory and counterproductive Prevent agenda, and outbursts such as Boris Johnson’s on the niqab contributing to the continuing rise in hate crime against Muslims.
The Government has also disgracefully attempted to blame Muslim communities for the rise in COVID cases to distrace from its own disastrous failings.
This pattern has been repeated across Europe and North America. In France Macron has made an appalling attack on the Muslim population, painting Muslims as “extremists” and threatening to dissolve over 50 charities – including the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) for being “enemies of the Republic”.
Donald Trump constantly used Islamophobia and anti refugee and migrant racism throughout his presidency, from the ‘Muslim Ban’ in his first year to tweeting comments such as “Islam hates us”.
#IAM2020 is a chance to bring together communities, campaigns and anti-racists to discuss these issues and how we can unite to challenge Islamophobia.
Contact your local Stand Up To Racism group for details of online events in your area, or visit http://islamophobia-awareness.org/ for more details on #IAM2020
