MEND Statement on launch of ‘British Muslims, Facts & Figures’
Categories: Latest News
Friday April 05 2019
Yesterday, 4th April, MEND and Byline hosted a joint reception celebrating the official launch of MEND’s latest publication ‘British Muslims, Facts & Figures’.
The event was attended by politicians, journalists, academics, and Muslim representatives. Speakers at the event included: Professor Brian Cathcart, founder of the Hacked Off campaign; Peter Jukes and Stephen Colegrave, founders of the Byline Festival and the Byline Times; Dr Omar Khan, Director of the Runnymede Trust; Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West and Shadow Minister of State for Women and Equalities; and Aaqil Ahmed, former Head of Religion at the BBC and Channel 4 and professor at the University of Bristol.
MEND CEO, Dr Shazad Amin commented that “the negative portrayal of Muslim communities in broadcast and published media poses a significant challenge to the active civic, social, economic, and political engagement of British Muslims. Therefore, in combatting these stereotypes and misrepresentations, MEND has produced ‘British Muslims, Facts & Figures’ as a comprehensive resource for journalists, policymakers, and education professionals which explores the history, achievements, and contributions of British Muslim communities, as well as the controversies and challenges that face them. It is hoped that this valuable work will assist in going some way to recalibrating the narratives and representations of Muslims within the public consciousness.”