Volunteer Education: Causes and Cures of Islamophobia Workshop

On Friday 19^th and Saturday 20^th February, we presented our Causes and Cures of Islamophobia workshop to our volunteers as part of their ongoing education and training in their journey with MEND.

Here at MEND, we work hard to invest in our volunteers including through educating and training them on Islamophobia. This means that they can, in turn, deliver this same education to their local Muslim communities and empower them to actively engage with stakeholders in their locality and drive necessary change. Our Causes and Cures of Islamophobia workshop is usually the first step in the volunteer’s development allowing them to receive a good overview of the what Islamophobia is, how it looks in practice, factors that cause it, and what we, as a community and as individuals, can do to address it.

Our volunteers in attendance were taken through the cycle of Islamophobia and how media representations of Muslims can escalate to verbal abuse and further escalate to physical attacks. This was supported by stats and studies that showed how Islamophobia manifests itself in the UK and the extent of it.

Following on from this, we spoke about the main causes of Islamophobia and how these factors allow Islamophobia to continue to occur in the UK and allow the perpetrators of it to feel like their Islamophobia is legitimate and accepted in society. From here, we moved to look at the cures of Islamophobia and different steps we can take to ensure that Islamophobia is addressed in our localities. Finally, we spoke about examples of successful change where community action had led to changes that positively contribute to the fight against Islamophobia.

Thanks to our attendees and we hope that you can use our upcoming education and training opportunities to build on this as part of your volunteer progression with MEND.

If you’d like to get involved with MEND and start your own volunteer journey with us, visit: www.mend.org.uk/volunteer