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Members of the community organisation with the new Muslim Labour councillor Syed Hoque, centre right
Kentish Town Community Organisation members Jamal and Mujib Miah |
Young Muslims who walk in shadow of London bombings
‘Sometimes people call the police when they see groups of us in the streets’
YOUNG Muslims have spoken about their sense of alienation in the aftermath of last year’s London bombings.
Members of Kentish Town Community Organisation, who staged an Islamic exhibition in the Regent’s Park estate over the weekend, revealed they are often regarded with suspicion by the public, and are regularly searched by police.
The exhibition, held over Saturday and Sunday at Surma Centre in Robert Street, featured Quran displays, photographs and Islamic ornaments. A similar event at Queen’s Crescent, Gospel Oak, last year was staged in an attempt to improve the public’s understanding of Islam. Jamal Miah, 20, from Queen’s Crescent, said: “Sometimes people call the police when they see groups of us in the street, like when we are going to Friday prayers. We then get searched and asked where we are going.”
He added: “If I’m wearing a kameez (traditional Islamic dress) old ladies on the train will look at me suspiciously, although if I’m dressed ‘normally’ it’s fine.”
Vice chairman of Kentish Town Community Organisation, Kobir Ahmed, said the exhibition had been staged “as a way of reaching our neighbours. There are certain negatives taking place in Islam that are hitting the press. This is about trying to get a balanced message out there.”
Hoping the exhibition would ease public fears about the Islamic faith, he said: “I listen to Kaiser Chiefs and Coldplay. I’m a part of British culture, but 7/7 has alienated some young people who feel they are viewed negatively.”
Mujib Miah, also a member of the Community Organisation, said: “The whole of society is divided. We need to communicate and build bridges.”
But he added: “It’s good being a Muslim young man.” |
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