Islamophobia Awareness Month

November is Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM) in the UK. The campaign started in 2012 to combat Islamophobia in society and shine a light on the positive contributions made by Muslims.

It is important to be involved in conversations about discrimination and intolerance in our strive to become a fully inclusive and diverse community on and off campus. Here is a quick guide on how to get involved and what you need to know about Islamophobia Awareness Month.  

What is Islamophobia?

Islamophobia is racism, prejudice, or discrimination against Muslim people, or people who may be perceived as Muslim.  

Understanding what Islamophobia is and what it entails is important to combat it. Often when we think of Islamophobia, we think of hate crimes but there is much more to it.  

Islamophobia tends to indiscriminately impact people who visually present as Muslims, which often tends to be Muslim women. 

Is it really a problem in the UK?

Unfortunately, the UK has seen increasing numbers of reported Islamophobic hate crimes, according to Home Office Official Hate Crime Statistics, with 44% of all hate crimes reported being against people perceived as Muslim. This is alarming considering hate crimes are significantly underreported, suggesting the real number is likely much higher.

Below are some other troubling statistics about Islamophobia in the UK, according to the Muslim Council of Britain.

• 31% of young children in the UK believe that Muslims are taking over England.
• 18% believe “Muslim immigration to this country is part of a bigger plan to make Muslims a majority of this country’s population”.
• 43% would be concerned if a mosque was built near them.
• 32% believe there are “no-go areas in Britain where Sharia law dominates, and non-Muslims cannot enter”.
• 58% blame the media for the rampant Islamophobia in the UK.
• 47% would not be willing to accept Muslims as members of their family (the worst figure in Western Europe after Italy (57%).

Islamophobic rhetoric is also widely perpetuated in UK politics and media.

• 59% of articles analysed associated Muslims with negative behaviours.
• 43% of broadcast clips associated Muslims with negative behaviours.
• Previous Prime Minister, Boris Johnson made dehumanising and offensive comments about Muslim women who wear the niqab, referring to them as “letter boxes” and “bank robbers”.
• Andrew Sabisky, former Adviser to the Prime Minister, questioned in a book review whether a growing Muslim population could be countered with violent resistance, using a discredited statistic.

The IAM 2023 Campaign

The IAM campaign for 2023 aims to highlight #MuslimStories, with the goal to facilitate connections among Muslims and non-Muslims using the transformative power of storytelling. 

Inspired by the wider IAM 2023 campaign, we want to invite students on campus, whether Muslim or not to share their stories about themselves or about someone in their lives.

Whether you are Muslim or not, we want to hear your stories of examples of inspiring Muslim role models or making a positive change to tackle Islamophobia in your communities. Tell us about your experience by email.

Get support

For support, you can reach out to the University's Wellbeing team or our Advice Centre. We encourage you to report any hate crimes and/or abusive behaviour or any form of discrimination that you may experience or witness through the RH Be Heard platform. Concerns can be reported named or anonymously.