About Islamophobia Awareness Month
As we come to the end of Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM), your Union Affairs Officer – Adam Michael – reflects on what the campaign means to him, to our student body, and why it's important.
About Islamophobia Awareness Month
"Islamophobia Awareness Month is an annual campaign that takes place every November at Bristol SU. This has been happening for several years; but since 2021, we’ve tried to ensure a sense of continuity coming from the campaign. We wanted to avoid falling into the trap of talking about Islamophobia once a year without any progress attempted to be made.
"This year’s IAM was centred around “Islam in the West”, aiming to have the not-always-easy conversations surrounding misconceptions and concepts in Islam that form the root of Islamophobia. We want to reconcile these differences, choosing to live with them empathetically – rather than apathetically.
"IAM in 2023 was built on the groundwork laid in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, I led IAM as a University of Bristol Islamic Society (ISoc) member and although we only scratched the surface, it was very important in order to comprehend the issue. “What does Islamophobia mean to you?” was the theme that we had chosen that year. This was followed in 2022, in my first year as Union Affairs Officer, with the selected theme “Has there been progress?”. We discussed what progress would look like, looking to the future with hope. Now, in 2023, we decided to go deeper into the heart of Islamophobia, trying to address the root causes of it."
What IAM Means to Me
"Islamophobia Awareness Month is very close to my heart, having closely worked on it for the past four years since 2020. Having come from a time when Muslim students felt very discriminated against, I’ve always viewed IAM as being an important avenue for Muslim students to campaign against islamophobia, seize the narrative surrounding Muslim students, and call upon non-Muslims (especially those in influential positions at the University) to support the fight against islamophobia and protect Muslim students. As a Muslim myself, it is very important in the Islamic faith to protect and defend other Muslims, so the IAM campaign resonates with me (and many others) as an opportunity to put this into action."
What Have We Been Up To This Month?
"This year at the SU we maintained the flagship event for IAM, the IAM Public Forum. A decent number of students turned up for the event. More importantly, the conversation this year went a lot deeper than it has in previous years. Dilara, the Multifaith Network Chair, and Faris “KA”, the Chair of the Student Council; chaired the event ensuring that everyone received a fair opportunity to speak their minds on a very sensitive issue. The discussion was cordial but touched upon the styles clash between Islam and the West, and attempted to reconcile the differences while pointing out that there are some strong similarities as well.
"We also had an Ask a Muslim Instagram Takeover on the SU Instagram account, where Muslim student leaders, including committee members of ISoc, the Multifaith Network Chair, and myself, answered questions on the SU Instagram story sent in by non-Muslim students.
"Last but not least, we held a talk in collaboration with the SU’s Sustainability Month campaign. We invited two Muslims from the public who have done a lot of work surrounding environmental sustainability to the talk, which was discourse-led. In doing so, we enabled students to ask questions and engage in discussions with the speakers. The aim of this event was firstly to raise awareness surrounding a core tenet in Islam: Sustainability. Being a teaching in the Qur’an, and an issue that is close to the hearts of people in the West, this event also aimed at highlighting a large similarity between Islam and the West, hoping to show that we aren’t inherently different."
Why All Students Should Get Involved
"This question has always been mentioned in IAM events, especially the Public Forum. Islamophobia cannot be overcome without the collective will of people from all backgrounds; not only Muslims. Muslims already all know what islamophobia is, and why it is a threat to Muslim students on campus. Without engagement and continued support from non-Muslims, a community – and ultimately a university – that is free from islamophobia, is not achievable. IAM in the past 3 years saw a positive engagement from non-Muslims, and a challenge moving forward will be maintaining this.
"If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me right here:su-union-affairs@bristol.ac.uk"
