A new ComRes survey on Islamophobia – the fear of the Muslim faith – reveals that people think that the media is most to blame for whipping up a climate of fear of Islam in the UK.
People are twice as likely to say the media is to blame for Islamophobia (29%) than far-right groups (13%), or indeed Muslims themselves either abroad (14%) or in the UK (11%).
Conservative Party Chairman, Sayeeda Warsi, recently said Islamophobia had ‘passed the dinner table test’, becoming a social norm. Indeed, just 1% of people do not think that Islamophobia exists in the UK.
The poll was commissioned by one of the UK’s oldest Muslim groups, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in order to inform its plans to counter the tide of prejudice against Islam and highlight strategies to promote better community relations.
The poll comes on the eve of Britain’s biggest annual Islamic convention which will see 30,000 members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community gathering at a 220-acre site in Hampshire. Foremost on the agenda will be ways to build bridges between communities and spread the word that Islam means peace.
Ahmadiyya Muslims recently launched a ‘Muslims for Loyalty, Freedom & Peace’ campaign with bus adverts, door-to-door pamphleting, fundraising for UK charities, blood donor sessions, inter-faith sessions, peace symposiums and more across the UK.
Now, at the annual convention between July 22-24, community members will reassert their ethos Love for All, Hatred for None, by pledging to counter hatemongers and extremism through a commitment to peace and amity.
Rafiq Hayat, National President Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, said:
“The results of the survey reveal that more needs to be done to refocus media attention on the valuable contributions Muslims make to Britain and rather than excessively focusing on the troublemakers who scream at us through media headlines but have nothing to do with Islam. Their nefarious activities do a disservice to this country and are an affront to our faith.
“The poll shows quite clearly that there needs to be greater positive engagement between the media and Muslims in order to address Islamophobia in the UK.”
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Islamophobia, UK
Conveying the message in todays lingo is engaging the media! So, the paramount question is what role is the Muslim Times playing in this area and how can we enhance it?
To watch Muslim Television Ahmadiyya, go to:
http://www.mta.tv/
It is not a phobia. These Jihadi Muslim are terrorists for real.
Love for all hated for none is the mantra of real Muslims.