November is Islamophobia Awareness Month, writes Lorraine Tapper

An illustration publicising Islamophobia Awareness Month. Text: creating futures free of islamophobia

November is Islamophobia Awareness Month. It was founded in 2012 by Muslim Engagement and Development in collaboration with other British organisations. This month there will be a celebration of the positive contributions made to British society by Muslims and attempts to raise awareness of Islamophobia.

According to Race Equality Matters, ‘Islamophobia refers to the unfounded fear or prejudice towards Islam and those who practise it. This form of discrimination can range from direct acts of hatred to more subtle, ingrained prejudices that can be just as damaging.’

This year’s theme is Seeds of Change aiming to encourage residents to consider how small actions can lead to significant change.

Muslims represent 32 percent of the community in Newham. According to the Council there are 60,000 Muslims living in the Borough, but the numbers may be much higher with many people not recorded.

With the rise in Muslim hate crimes, this is a great opportunity to learn about Muslim neighbours and to gain some insight into Muslim culture.

Newham Council has organised a range of free cultural events for the month. These include:

A month long display at Green Street Library.
A month long art exhibition at Maryland Primary School.
Three sessions of street photography in different locations in the Borough.

To register and for more information visit https://www. newhamiam.org

In addition to the events held by Newham Council, on Friday 15 November Newham Community Cinema (NCC IAM 2024) will be showing a film called Phantom Parrot with a question and answer session. The film focuses on an activist who refuses to reveal his passwords at border control. Free tickets can be booked at: phantomparrot-screening.eventbrite.co.uk raceequalitymatters.com

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