November is Islamophobia Awareness Month

At the beginning of the month, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) marked the start of Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM) 2023. This year, we observe IAM against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Palestine and an exceptionally hostile political environment for British Muslim communities.

This year’s theme is #MuslimStories, it is therefore important for us to share the lived experience of British Muslims. In terms of Islamophobic hate crime alone, per Home Office data, where the perceived religion of the victim was recorded, 2 in 5 of all religious hate crime offences were targeted against Muslims, as of March 2023. As such, 39% of all religiously motivated hate crimes targeted Muslims, making Muslims the most targeted faith group. (Muslim Council of Britain, 2023)

What is Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM)

Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM) is a campaign founded in 2012 by a group of Muslim organisations. It aims to showcase the positive contributions of Muslims as well as raise awareness of Islamophobia in society.

The goal of this year’s campaign is to facilitate connections among individuals from diverse backgrounds, including both Muslims and non-Muslims, using the transformative power of storytelling (Islamophobia Awareness Month, 2023). For more information about the campaign, you can find it on the website here.

Everyone has a story to tell. It can be based on your own experiences or those of someone who you love or admire. If you do wish to share a story with the rest of the student community, please get in touch with us via email at help@bedssu.co.uk.

Key Links 

Report a hate crime via third party reporting centres

Bedford & Luton - the Bedfordshire Community Mediation Service: https://communitymediationservice.com/

Birmingham – Khidmat Centre  

2a Heather Rd, Birmingham, B10 9TE

0121 773 8619

London Bridge – Community Alliance to Combat Hate (CATCH)

https://www.catch-hatecrime.org.uk

Ayelsbury & Milton Keynes – Reading Voluntary Action Hate Crime Network

info@hatecrimenetwork.org.uk

0300 1234 148

National Reporting Centres

Crimestoppers

0800 555111

Tell MAMA

0800 4561226