Fear of Islam in London

Before I arrived in London, I imagined it as a sort of sacred sanctuary, a haven for those seeking a life filled with literature, theatre, art, and tea. More than anything,Study Abroad Stories, Fear of Islam in London I envisaged the rich diversity of people across cultures, ethnicities, and religions living together in this thriving European metropolis.All of these remain true, except one. As in the United States, there seems to be a palpable tension and even fear of Islam.With the recent Swiss ban on minarets and the debates surrounding a woman's right to wear the burqa in France, the growing presence of Islam in Europe is undoubtedly more pronounced and highly debated. Throughout the European continent, fears and stereotypes persist of a highly aggressive and fundamentalist Islam, one that links all Muslims to terrorism.

Though this distorted image of Islam prevails in London, real threats have struck the U.K. and left scars comparable to the United States's 9/11 terrorist attacks.While Great Britain has faced its fair share of terrorist plots and attacks, the most notable are the July 7, 2005, attacks on the London transport system, which killed 52 and injured more than 700.Yes, unspeakable horror has been caused by extremist groups, but the greater threat lies in mislabeling the thousands upon thousands of Muslims living in London as terrorists.

As in the Unite States, the issue at hand should be separating the true threats from those of artificial contrivance.Fears and apprehension of future violence between the U.K. and the Muslim world resulted in the founding of Prevent, a government anti-extremism program. While the government insists Prevent is simply a marriage of intelligence services and a hefty police force, Muslims and civil liberties groups within the London community claim that the government is using this to spy on innocent Muslims.Londoners, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, have heavily criticized this program and continue to do so. The main concern is that the line between collecting information on potential violent extremists and on the general Muslim community will inevitably become swiftly blurred.I had never imagined that such discrimination and prejudice existed in a city that I deemed and assumed to be both diverse and morally aligned.