“Hello, I am a Muslim” event launched across Europe, Canada, and Australia to counter fears and prejudices against Muslims

An international event, which aims to counter fears and prejudices against Muslims and promote empathy, has been launched at King’s Cross station in London to run this week. Organised by the Islamic Community Milli Gorus (ICMG), it will see young Muslims promote mutual understanding in public places across various Europe countries, as well as Australia and Canada, by introducing themselves through the “Hello, I am a Muslim” message.

More than five hundred mosques across Europe will take part in the initiative, which takes place as Islamophobia remains a structurally and institutionally ingrained phenomenon throughout the continent.

The ICMG said of the event, “Contacting people individually is the most natural and the best way of promoting understanding and empathy … We have prepared the ‘Hello, I am a Muslim’ events to encourage mutual communication and cooperation between Muslims and non-Muslims”.

While members taking part in the event stopped and engaged with members of the public in London, the event does not seem to have drawn much attention from the media or on social media, although this could be because it is just beginning.

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Sources

Al Jazeera. (2018) ‘UK: ‘Hello, I am Muslim’’. [online] 7 April. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/uk-muslim-180407150905794.html. [Accessed 8 April 2018].