What is IAM?
IAM began in 2012 to deconstruct and challenge the stereotypes about Islam and Muslims and to create a much-needed workplace voice and counter narrative. This annual campaign aims to work with different organisations across society including Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC), local councils, journalists, local media outlets, councillors, local MPs, mosques, universities, schools, community organisations and others to raise awareness of the pernicious threat of Islamophobia, ways we can tackle it, to heighten engagement and create better reporting; change attitudes and eliminate the very existence of Islamophobia, reconciling it to the annals of history.
IAM’s objectives?
To highlight the positive contribution Muslims make in the UK, such as the Muslim heroes who fought in both world wars, the countless number working in the NHS and the thousands of jobs Muslims contribute to the economy.
Muslims play a key role across the employment spectrum from highly skilled and decorated CEOs to those working tirelessly across the rank and file. However, it is important to spotlight the unfairness, bias and discrimination Muslims must contend with across the employment spectrum, daily, hampering contributions and performance.
We are determined to ensure that Islamophobia is identified early, contained, isolated, and eliminated in the same way as other forms of racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism are. We are promoting a Zero Tolerance policy on Islamophobia. Our work aims to end hostility towards UK Muslims, particularly women and children who are its most vulnerable and, in some cases, silent victims.
The significance of IAM?
IAM is making the difference. It is raising much needed awareness to business-critical people and HR issues. The demography of the workplace is changing and so does the need for moods, attitudes, and behaviours, and we are here to ensure that change. We are helping break down traditional barriers and challenge bias and unfair stereotypes about Muslims; we foster more effective business dialogue that allows Muslims to be better understood, better appreciated, and be seen to be less a threat and more an asset, which is what we are!
IAM also highlights why it is crucial for Muslims to report Islamophobic hate crimes to authorities and the benefits this holds for accurate data to be collected and for policy changes to be enacted accordingly. We are keen to create vertical and horizontal stakeholder engagement.
IAM 2021 – The Theme?
Time for Change! is the theme. This theme encompasses key activities and events looking to focus not only on educating and engaging people of the cancer of Islamophobia, but to create action designed to instil real, long term and sustainable change in behaviours and attitudes to remove Islamophobia from the workplace once and for all. We will need to look at new ways of engaging employers where policies and practices are concerned, ensuring that change cascades from the top down as well as featuring more prominently within the roots of an organisation.
We need your help to achieve our goals. We cannot do this without your support. We need diverse organisations to own, take part, engage, challenge, share proactively and increase awareness of the very existence of Islamophobia in our society and how to begin to get rid of it once and for all.
Follow the link for more information https://www.islamophobia-awareness.org/
