A recent study found that people who read the news, whether liberal or conservative, are more likely to feel angry towards Muslims.
Although negative attitudes towards non-Christian religions have existed in the west for centuries, recent years have seen an undeniable increase in the unsettling trend towards a distinct distrust of Islam.
Whether it’s France banning the burkini, UKIP proposing a ban on veils, or President Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, Islamophobia is becoming more accepted and, frighteningly, more mainstream. Once prejudice is created, it is difficult to destroy and the ramifications of this current distrust have real-world consequences for Muslims, with people encountering prejudice in their daily routines, at the workplace and even in their children’s schools.
Our panel brings together event chair Peter Morey, lecturer in French and European Politics, Jim Wolfreys, Franco-British broadcaster, Myriam Francois, and International Relations expert, Dibyesh Anand, to discuss the current global trend of Islamophobia, the role played by governments and media and its political and personal ramifications for Muslims.