How One Muslim Londoner Uncovered so Much Love

We know this has been a tough year for different communities in the UK, in which hate crime reports have spiked. Violent incidents and online hate speech have affected Muslims, with a recent report showing that women who are clearly identifiable as Muslim are more likely to be targeted.

Nasty incidents can really affect us and it’s easy for us to think that “they’re all out to get us.” YouTuber Nubaid Haroon wanted to see if that really was the case so he decided to carry out a simple experiment right in a busy part of London. He took a big sheet of paper and wrote “I am a Muslim. What do you think of us?” Passers-by were invited to leave their comments underneath. What kind of reaction do you think he got?

Well, it was overwhelmingly positive. People of all ages, faiths and backgrounds approached Nubaid and wrote things like “just normal”, “human”, “special” and “respectful”. It just goes to show that the hate we see in the news does not represent how most people feel.

We need to show the warped minority that their views can never poison our society. Sticking together is more important than ever. When we understand our shared humanity, we can go further. Well done to Nubaid for getting the ball rolling!

National Hate Crime Awareness Week runs from 8 – 15 October 2016. You can report hate crime by following this link: http://report-it.org.uk/your_police_force.