In this episode, I am joined by staff member Umar Malik and PhD student Estifa’a Zaid, for a special recording made in Islamophobia Awareness Month. Estifa’a and Umar talk about their experiences of growing up as Muslims in the UK, of coming to normalise Islamophobic behaviour, and of bracing themselves for reprisal attacks after terrorist incidents (so-called ‘Islamist’ or otherwise). They talk about reporting hate crimes, and why people may not choose to report; the targeting of hijab-wearing women; the intersection with racism and the momentum of Black Lives Matter; and the intensifying of Islamophobic and racist experiences after the Brexit vote. They look for improved relations between journalists and Muslim communities as one way of curbing scaremongering and growing understanding.

Resources associated with this podcast:

Please see these excellent Stand-Up to Hate animations.

MEND, Muslim Engagement and Development, https://www.mend.org.uk/about-mend/

Umar Malik’s blog, Islamophobia and Me,

Estifa’a Zaid’s blog about the Syrian Tutoring Programme and Black Lives Matter,

Zain Hussain’s blog on Co-existence and Black Lives Matter,

This current MOOC on FutureLearn: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/an-introduction-to-the-sharia-and-islamic-law

Plus a new free short online course, which starts in January 2021, called Christian Muslim Relations - visit FutureLearn in the new year to find out more and sign up if you're interested"

And the work of Ewan McAndrew and Glaire Anderson in adding Islamic Art to Wikipedia