Dear SOASians,

Here at SOAS SU we express our condolences towards victim survivors of the terrorist attack in New Zealand, and stand unequivocally against Islamophobia, racism and hate. The following is a statement from your Anti-Racism Officer.

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This brutal terrorist attack in New Zealand which left 49 people dead did not take place in a vacuum - it is part of a global onslaught of Islamophobia that has today manifested in a way that is horrible but not surprising. Nothing about decades-long racialisation, demonisation and othering should come as a surprise to anyone. It is impossible to distinguish the manifesto of the terrorist from comments made by politicians the world over. The rhetoric that they use to get votes, to stir up their base, to radicalise and indoctrinate non-Muslims has tangible consequences for Muslims and people racialised as Muslim everywhere. Words matter - whether it’s in the form of demonising refugees and migrants, the tabloids that peddle Islamophobic drivel, or comments made around a dinner table. It’s this same rhetoric that harms black and brown bodies in immeasurable ways.

This was a targeted terrorist attack against a marginalised community and it’s well passed time that we call out anti-Muslim, racist comments made by our families, friends and politicians. We are complicit in this if we do not actively take steps to dismantle the white supremacist, Islamophobic structures that facilitated this attack. White nationalism is terrorism and there should be no ambiguity about that.

I hope that one day our fellow Muslim students can feel safe in your own skin, in your own clothes, in your own places of worship.

https://www.facebook.com/TheProjectTV/videos/825676911124387/UzpfSTU5MTc4ODEyOToxMDE1NzI3ODk3NTkxMzEzMA/

With Love and Solidarity, 

Krish