IAM 2017 Exhibition at SOAS

During Islamophobia Awareness month, the most prominent event was the Islamophobia Awareness Exhibition, which was placed at many university institutions across London. Universities have always been the main target audience and market for the Central London Working group and by reaching out to various institutions, MEND was able to successfully place this at more universities than previous years.

One such place was SOAS, University of London. Being set up between the 6th November to the 10th November, the exhibition was viewed by many SOAS students, with many finding it helpful in not only raising awareness for the various contributions Muslims have made to society, but also in demonstrating the rising levels of Islamophobia. Not only does the exhibition provide itself as an effective means through which the mainstream narrative is challenged by providing a positive insight into the impact of British Muslims, but it also allows those who may not have had access to official statistics and reports about Islamophobia to be informed about its existence within society today, thus making them more socially conscious and likely to report it.

By placing the exhibitions at prominent universities like SOAS, not only does this demonstrate the progress MEND has made in terms of starting these conversations, but also makes both Muslims and non – Muslims aware to experiences and accounts of Islamophobia. Traditionally universities have always been institutions for social movement and progress, however, discussions surrounding Islamophobia, especially those experiences built into the academic structure are often not addressed within these settings. Placing such an informative exhibition up on campus is no doubt a step in the right direction for reducing Islamophobia in all spheres of society by triggering the necessary conversations around the topic and helping to bring different communities together as opposed to pushing them part.