Here’s Why We Need an Islamophobia Awareness Month

We are about a third of the way through November, and already Muslims across the globe have been feeling a whirlwind of emotions. 

Last week, the trailer for the new Apple TV film, Hala, was released. Needless to say, it caused an uproar on social media. The majority of us were appalled at how guiltlessly the writers and actors fell into white-saviour complexes, and the way the movie chose to portray a stereotypical narrative of the “oppressed hijabi.”  It’s certainly on our list of popular culture Islamophobia this month. 

Next, and perhaps most importantly, the treatment of Uighur Muslim women in China’s concentration camps have been thrust further into the spotlight — and rightfully so. The genocidal government has been forcing women to sleep with native men whilst their husbands are in prison camps. Ethnic cleansing at its finest, while the world’s powers remain silent. 

In Britain, November marks Islamophobia Awareness Month to “highlight the threat of Islamophobic hate crimes and showcase the positive contributions of British Muslims to society.”

It can seem as though during any month of the year, Muslims face adversity, whether it’s from political parties, online hatred, or trying to go about their daily lives.

In Britain, November marks Islamophobia Awareness Month to “highlight the threat of Islamophobic hate crimes and showcase the positive contributions of British Muslims to society.”

As a young British-Muslim, Islamophobia Awareness Month is more than just a hashtag to share on Twitter to me. It’s about generating awareness for the treatment of Muslims globally. It’s about putting pressure on the perpetrating governments to change their policies. 

For example, the British government rejects the definition of Islamophobia. They have also put off enquiries into Islamophobia within the Convervative party numerous times. Within schools across the country, the PREVENT legislation runs wild, which is based upon the presumption that Muslims are inherently violent and parliament still fails to create anti-terror legislation, the victims of which are disproportionately Muslims. 

Whilst it can often seem frustrating and deeply saddening, as a community, we still need to come together and fight back against these crimes against Muslims through the forms of art, education, and social media. 

On Instagram, a British-Muslim poet, Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan (aka the brown hijabi), is doing a series of videos for Islamophobia Awareness Month. This is the first one, highlighting red herrings. The aim is to “get to grips with one of the most talked about and least understood oppressions of our time: Islamophobia!”

For any of our readers who are wondering how to help, I urge you to research further on the topics discussed within this article (and more), and take these discussions further to the people around you. It is pertinent to keep this important and life-altering conversation continuing every month, not just in November.

from Muslim Girl https://ift.tt/2Q9eQWN