Islamophobia is not acceptable

11:43

We will not stand for it!





Unfortunately over the recent months i have seen a surge in islamophobia and sadly the women seem to be a target. Islamophobic incidents have increase by 70% and 60% of the victims are female. It's pretty evident why this is the case, you can tell a mile off a woman is wearing a headscarf and that automatically makes people aware of her faith. This makes muslim women a very easy target. Thanks to the media we have been portrayed as subdued and oppressed beings, this not only undermines our very existence but it gives those who blindly follow the media a view that muslim women are weak. Hence them being targets of hate crimes, bullying and unacceptable behaviour.

It is also thanks to the medias ridiculous portrayal of muslims and the stereotypes that innocent people are suffering. I myself have had a few very minor experiences of islamophobia whilst being out and about but thank God i have not experienced anything serious. Women have had their hijab ripped off, have been asked to get off seats on the train, have been pushed into roads, have even been pushed on a train track and there are probably so many more incidents that we just haven't heard about.  Is this being done to deter women from wearing a headscarf? Is it to punish these innocent women for the crimes of a minority group? or is this the governments tac tic of dividing and ruling society? Whatever it is it must stop! There is no place for this behaviour in Britain!

I take pride in knowing that Britain is a diverse country and to live it in is a pleasure, however there are some ignorant and mindless people out there who are simply ruining this peaceful and diverse society we live in. First of all the media are to blame, they are brain washing the mindless common folk and should take some responsibility for the consequences of their biased headlines and publishing. Secondly, there are those who stand by and take no action whatsoever when they witness these awful incidents, if you see an injustice please stand up and do something, whether it be shouting across for people to stop or by calling the police, don't just stand there and watch. Lastly, to all the sisters who have been victimised please please report whatever has happened. Stand up for yourselves. There are helplines that can be called to report these incidents- which i will attach some details for at the bottom of this post. Also get on social media and make these incidents be known to everyone, we live in a world where things go viral online, use this to your advantage- if you have been a victim- tweet it, Facebook it, and tell everyone so the world can be aware that this is not on and we will not sit there quietly and take this abuse.

It is now upon us muslim women to make sure we are not victimised any further, the first step is to report any instances of islamophobia immediately. Do not be deterred by going out in your hijab, as anything that is done for the sake of Allah (swt) will always benefit you. Another bit of advice i would give is be vigilant, unfortunately we are being targeted, so keep an eye on your surroundings as this could be the thing to save you. Little things like standing back at the platform rather then near the yellow line, sticking to well lit areas and not travelling alone (if possible) are all safeguards that we can take.

A message to the general public who may read this, please do not just stand and watch, call the police if you witness an attack and intervene if it is safe to do so. The women walking around on the streets who wear a headscarf are not terrorists, they are just ordinary human beings like you are and they also deserve to be able to walk freely without the fear of being attacked or verbally abused. Islam teaches peace, kindness and humility.

Do not let the media and the stereotypes and biased headlines ruin what was once a society that lived in harmony. Britain prides itself on being diverse therefore someone being attacked due to their faith is against British values. It is happening too much now and must be stopped. Why should we allow ignorant and racist people ruin a great country?!

What to do if you have been a victim of islamophobia:

Contact and submit a report on  Tellmama.org (0800-456-1226) This is an organisation that supports victims of Anti-muslim hate and is a public service which also measures and monitors anti muslim anti muslim incidents.

Contact Muslim Womens Helpline- mwnhelpline.co.uk (0800 999 5786) This is again an organisation that can provide support and help to any women who have been victims of racism and islamophobia amongst other things.

Report it to your local police station.

I hope this post can encourage everyone to report attacks, encourage bystanders to take action and highlight to everyone that this is NOT acceptable.


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15 comments

  1. I always say If only we have a better media.... Great post & thanks for sharing!!!

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  2. This is some very important information you have shared with us. Thanks for being thoughtful.

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  3. I was really surprised to see a commercial on french television against islamophobia ! I was so happy honestly, you should watch the video of the two german boys who made people think that they were taking passages from the quran but it was actually a bible I don't remember the title butyou should search for it !

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  4. Very relevant and useful information you've presented. May Allah protect us all.

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  5. A great post showing issues that a lot of Muslim women go through. It's so sad to see how the media portray us but even sadder to see how people react!

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  6. A great post showing issues that a lot of Muslim women go through. It's so sad to see how the media portray us but even sadder to see how people react!

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  8. JazakAllah sofia for highlighting this issue,you are correct that women are most commonlly affected, just recently i have seen a shocking video where a muslim women is pushed against a metro and she get bounced back, btw that man got arrested and is under trial.
    May Allah protect us all and help us spread the true face of Islam

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  9. It's good to have your friends who support you and make you feel belonging to them, if you were a victory Islamophobia. It's simple but effective.

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  10. Times are certainly changing. The media has a lot to answer for.

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  11. Fortunately I am in Nz and they isnt much racism or prejudice here. hopefully it will stay the same
    www.hinasworld.com

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  12. We have the opportunity to use social media to our advantage, Alhamdulillah. And learn to say no to oppression of any kind to our Islamic culture.

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  13. The media have a lot to answer for. They make the situation worse with their bias reporting.

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  14. Thank you for an excellent piece! I agree that reporting is crucial in order to create a record of these incidents to demonstrate that they are not just one off incidents. They are nearly always directly related to how things have been reported in the media and how that riles up the far right. Reporting these incidents isn't easy but Tell Mama is brilliant - may Allah keep us all safe inshaAllah.

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  15. Islamphobia - sad to read this....very sad....Where the religion teaches peace....we get to hear these....

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