As the lead organisation tracking and tackling islamophobia, the Islamophobia Register Australia (IRA) is taking its activities to the next level by addressing Islamophobia through community education, which is integral in promoting understanding and empowering both communities and individuals to counter Islamophobia.

    As the Register’s newly appointed Education Officer, I am grateful for this opportunity to be part of an organisation that is striving to make a difference in society.

    Resources that are currently being developing will assist both Muslims and non-Muslims to learn about Islamophobia in various settings, the importance of reporting and how to report to the Register.

    The first resource to be developed centres around Islamophobia and youth, and aims to assist youth in identifying and responding to Islamophobia in various settings, including at school.

    In addition, online platforms were another area of focus, where according to the eSafety Commission and the Department of Education and Training, 53% of surveyed youth, were either targets or witnesses of anti-Muslim hate. Anti-Muslims hate being the most prevalent form of online hatred.

    This alarming data highlights the importance of raising awareness on how to recognise and report online Islamophobia, for young online users, while staying safe on social media platforms.

    Education and training is a huge remit and can cover various kinds of educational tools and innovative means. This month for Eid Al-Adha we are assisting islamophobia.io in Canada in their digital story-telling mission.

    Their mission is to collate and publish stories and letters of Muslim and allied experiences. These stories can be centred around anything from experiences of Islamophobia to food to kindness to Hajj.

    The idea is to provide an insight into the lives of Muslims or allies (non-Muslims are encouraged to contribute too!) which will ultimately help to foster understanding between the Muslims and their wider communities, and help tackle Islamophobia.

    In the lead up to this coming Eid, we invite people from all walks of life to visit islamophobia.io and contribute an Eid story or experience to this digital story-telling platform. While you’re there, have a browse and read some of the stories that have been submitted too as some of them are quite powerful.

    It is through these various kinds of education and resources that we can slowly start to challenge Islamophobia. Community education on the multifaceted nature of Islamophobia can become a means to fostering strong and resilient communities, as we work together to take positive steps in tackling Islamophobia.

    Circling back to the resources that we’re developing, we are very excited to be providing these crucial educational resources as a service to the Muslim community, and they will start to be available on our website in the coming weeks: www.islamophobia.com.au.

     Watch this space!