Islamophobia Isnt Funny – Yorkshire Professionals’ Dinner

On 26th April (2019), MEND Yorkshire team held our annual professionals dinner at the exquisite Aagrah Midpoint in Pudsey. Over 150 individuals from various sectors attended to learn about the menace of Islamophobia, what is currently being done at a national level, and what MEND Yorkshire has been doing in the last couple of years to empower our grassroots and make a difference.

The night was long, but most people persevered until the end, as our main star attraction Tez Ilyas performed to an intimate crowd after the main meal of the night. Not only did he bring a humorous angle to the evening, all of our presentations also hit home important reminders. We had impassioned speeches, emotional calls to action, and a clear message of empowering the Muslim populace not only to tackle Islamophobia but to play an integral role in the development of our society at large. There were very important people within the audience, who not only donated financially to MEND, but lots of intellectual capability and experience was on show which can make a real and lasting difference in our local and wider communities.

The audience did not merely consist of Muslims, but we had representation from the Jewish and Christian faiths too. Raising awareness among the wider community couldn’t be more important than it is today, and we are already planning an event to collaborate with many people from the non-Muslim communities, so please watch this space and attend!

We would like to thank everyone who attended the event, those who donated, those who wished to volunteer, Tez Ilyas, Aagrah staff and service, and all of our volunteers who not only helped deliver the event but are working hard week in – week out to raise awareness about Islamophobia and helping bring our communities on the single platform of humanity.