November marks Islamophobia Awareness month, an important month in the Touchstone calendar. This month shines a light on the Islamophobia experienced by Muslim communities across the UK and the globe and unites many in the fight against it.

Rise in Hate

In recent times, many in diverse Muslim communities, as well as other minority communities, including refugees and asylum seekers, have experienced a general rise of hate, ignorance, fear and division. Only this Summer, we saw the violent manifestation of Islamophobia and anti-migration racism across towns and cities in the UK. This violence had a huge impact on our local communities, including Touchstone staff and service users.

Community, Support, and Solidarity

In response to such violence and hate, it’s vital that communities and organisations unite and work alongside oppressed communities to create spaces of safety, inclusion, compassion, love, and solidarity for Muslims and for all people targeted by hate and prejudice.

We are proud in Touchstone of our anti-hate stance, covering all protected characteristics. We offer mandatory anti-hate training, which draws from and expands upon previous separate training on challenging Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism. We also work hard to ensure our services are inclusive to all who experience oppression and marginalisation.

This Islamophobia Awareness Month, and always, we are proud to unite with organisations and communities up and down the country, and across the globe, standing against anti-Muslim hatred and providing safe spaces for Muslim communities to access support.

More Information

  • For more information, on Islamophobia Awareness Month, please visit: Islamophobia Awareness Month’s official website.
  • If you have experienced anti-Muslim hate, Tell MAMA is an independent, confidential support service for those who have experienced anti-Muslim hate, prejudice or discrimination in the UK. To find out more about their support, please visit: https://tellmamauk.org/.
  • If you have experienced any form of hate crime, Stop Hate UK provide a confidential reporting service: https://www.stophateuk.org/.