Our Response to Bedfordshire Police’s Retraction of Support for Islamophobia Awareness Month

mend would like to advise that Islamophobia Awareness Month has been running in the UK  since 2012 and was launched by Muslim and non-Muslim organisations together and it predates the emergence of Da’esh (sometimes referred to as IS).  Islamophobia Awareness Month plays a vital role in highlighting the many positive contributions of British Muslims alongside exhibiting the scale of Islamophobia in the UK.

mend and IAM totally abhor the murderous cult of Da’esh and their actions have no place in Islam.

It makes no sense that the IAM campaign logo be dropped by a police force because it purports to resemble a symbol of Da’esh. The use of the finger as part of the logo is a common symbol for the letter “I” which represents Islamophobia. We would not consider removing symbols such as the crucifix or St George’s cross from use in national campaigns simply because they are frequently abused by far right and Neo Nazi movements.

We are disappointed that a campaign supported by thousands of British Muslims is being sullied in this way. We would strongly urge Bedfordshire Police to reconsider.