Event aims to improve community relations

PEOPLE are being invited to an Ask a Muslim evening to help improve community relations in South Wales.

The Cardiff branch of Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend) is holding the event at Caerphilly Leisure Centre on Tuesday as part of Islamophobia Awareness Month.

Four local Muslims will be available to answer questions about their religion and culture, said organiser Amanda Rabaab from the Muslim Council Wales.

Ms Rabaab, also national head of women’s engagement for Mend in the UK, said statistics on Islamophobia were hard to get because of underreporting but the Muslim Council Wales receives around one report a month.

“Our aim in holding this event is to reach out because there is a lot of misinformation about who we are and what we believe,” she said.

“We want to redress that and engage with the local population and put a human face to the issue.

“There is a lot of name-calling and people being spat at in the street. Islamophobia tends to be a gender hate crime as targets are usually those who are seen as weaker such as women.”

Among those on the panel to answer questions at the event are Cardiff University lecturer Mansur Ali, Abdul Azim, Sahar Al-Saifi and Ms Rabaab from the Muslim Council Wales.

Ask a Muslim is being held at Caerphilly Leisure Centre at 7pm on Tuesday. Admission is free.