IAM 2025: Flipping the Script
by Amina Ahmed, our Communications & Digital Media Volunteer
The Muslims of today are not the downfall of our community — they are its very pillars. They contribute and strengthen the social fabric that holds us all together. Yet, the narratives surrounding Islam are often clouded by misinformation and fear. It is time to flip the script and change the rhetoric.
Muslims make change. They inspire progress, rigour and tolerance, all values that sit at the heart of any thriving community.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims defines Islamophobia as:
“Rooted in racism, Islamophobia targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.”
Islamophobia is hostility, discrimination, or violence directed toward Muslims or those perceived to be Muslim through chosen attire. It is a form of racism that manifests in both overt aggression and subtle, unconscious bias.
But to understand Islamophobia, we must also understand Islam itself. The word ‘Islam’ in Arabic means submission to the will of God, is a concept surrounded in humility, respect, and devotion. Yet, Islamophobia today is more common than many might think. It manifests in everyday life; in the assumptions we make to the very systems we uphold. It is often in those silent stares and quiet reservations that makes one feel overwhelmingly alone. To change this rhetoric, we must first understand our biases, only then can we build trust and make change.
The Unconscious Bias is when one automatically, and rather unknowingly, makes judgements based on prior experiences and personal bias. This is integral to our patterns as individuals and, consequently, to our community. This concept is intertwined with religious attitudes and can manifest in many ways. For example, being cautious when opening your Uber door to find a Black man driving or choosing to cross the road when you see a woman wearing a niqab. These are a few examples of one’s unconscious bias at work — and to experience this alone is something truly bewildering and deeply depersonalising.
Jean Moule has beautifully authored an essay titled ‘Understanding Unconscious Bias and Unintentional Racism,’ highlighting the detrimental and pervasive issue that exists among us today. The section of the essay that I would love to bring your attention to is the one which speaks about decoding and deconstructing our own unconscious bias: ‘it should be with unswerving, unnerving, scrupulous honesty’[1]. This is profoundly important for a myriad of reasons, particularly in relation to the intersection between one’s own thoughts about Muslims and who they truly are. Be unswerving in your questioning of yourself — ask yourself, in total silence and honesty, why it is you think in a certain way, or, more importantly, why you act as you do.
Islamophobia in the everyday is often quiet yet deeply felt. The subtle dismissals, the unspoken sense of being watched, these are its manifestations. The less visible forms of Islamophobia are perhaps the most dangerous: entrenched, corrosive, and woven into the fabric of society.
When you are left to sit alone on a packed train, you can’t help but wonder if it is because of who you are, or what you represent. It lingers, it haunts, it plagues the mind of a Muslim. A visual sign of faith, whether it be a hijab or a thobe, is at its core a symbol of strength. It wraps you in modesty and radiates pride. Be proud and help change the narrative around Muslims and Islam, which is at its core, is about peace and tranquillity.
[1] Moule, J. (2009) ‘Understanding unconscious bias and unintentional racism’, The Phi Delta Kappan, 90(5), pp. 320–326.