A Muslim organization has launched an Islamophobia awareness campaign this week to remember the Muslims killed in Bosnia.
Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPACUK) launched its annual “Stop Islamophobia Week” (SIW) campaign this week to raise awareness of the discrimination and violence that Muslims face because of their religion.
The campaign which initially began in 2011 will be held on July 8-14 which coincides with the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia where 8000 Muslims were killed 1995.
Campaign organizer Sarah Ayub said to 5 Pillarz: “During this week we are asking people to raise awareness of Islamophobia through social media, visiting their MPs to increase their awareness and gain their support, reporting incidents as Islamophobic separate from race crimes.
“We are also encouraging people to urge their local mosques to talk about Islamophobia and what happened in Bosnia during Friday khutbahs. During SIW we will be releasing a lot of resources and information on Islamophobia in the UK and across the world to raise awareness about Islamophobia and what you can do about it.”
As Islamophobia increases in Europe in light of the Woolwich murder and the attack on the pregnant Muslim woman in France, MPACUK state that the Bosnian massacre has been practically forgotten and the SIW campaign aims to remember the Muslim ummah.
Ms Ayub said: “Every day Muslims face discrimination and hostility. We need to learn the lessons from Srebrenica – the devastating consequences of Islamophobia. Never again will we allow such a thing to happen. We need to take a stand against Islamophobia today.
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“People can support the campaign by liking the SIW Facebook page, also by adding the SIW logo to their pics on Twitter and Facebook via Twibbon to show support. Also by joining in our Twitter storm where we hope to get the campaign trending. Look out for the hashtag via the Facebook page and website.”
Notable figures such as Jody McIntyre, Ken O’Keefe, Yvonne Ridley, the rapper Lowkey, George Galloway, and comedian Humza Arshad, academics like Chris Allen who is a specialist in Islamophobia are also contributing their expertise to the campaign.
