By Ayah Benberna, MDXSU President

UPDATE: Since the publication of this article, Middlesex University Vice Chancellor has confirmed that MDX will adopt the APPG definition of Islamaphobia. This definition is as follows: "Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness."

I woke up last Friday ready to come to campus to attend meetings about Student Engagement projects and plans for our Student Led Teaching Awards. It was just a regular morning until I opened the news app on my phone, and my blood stopped cold in my veins reading what happened in New Zealand.

The shocking terror attack, the massacre of fifty innocent Muslims who had gathered at two separate mosques for the weekly Friday prayers, as we do here on our campus every week. Children, women and men were mowed down as though the shooter was playing a video game whilst recording live on Facebook, for the world to see his sick game come to life - shooting down his first victim who welcomed him with the greeting of “Salam Brother”.   

It's taken me a few days to really process this and write down my thoughts, as the mind has failed to comprehend how people can do such evil atrocities against their fellow humans. How sad it is that such an act came from the breeding of hate and the rising anti-Muslim rhetoric, which has been given such a free pass by the media and wider society. As I read tweets, articles and pictures on our screens from Christchurch, my heart was breaking for what the families and witnesses must have been going through and how people across the world, in particular Muslim communities, have been responding to this tragedy.

This attack, unfortunately, isn't in isolation. Over a year ago we saw a very similar tragedy in Quebec, as we did here in North London, when a terrorist attacked Finsbury Park Mosque, killing one grandfather. These atrocities, as well as the countless tears and grief, seem to always fade out of the collective memories as the media attention moves on, and the lack of sober reflection on these attacks and opaque commitment from governments and society to act on them, sit heavy on my heart.

Many will attribute Islamophobic violence to recent divides in our society. I believe they are wrong. Islamophobic violence has been a serious issue since the atrocities of 9/11 in 2001. Islam and 1.3 billion Muslims around the world have since been collectively demonized and dehumanized, whether that be Government programmes such as PREVENT or the right-wing media running stories that portray Muslims in the most negative of lights. This is not my own hyperbole - a 2007 study found that 91% of articles about Muslims and Islam published in a single week were negative. A 2011 study by the University of Leeds, surveying four newspapers over three months, put the number at 70%.

Australian news anchor Waleed Aly delivered a powerful reflection to the massacre live on-air, saying:

“While I appreciate the words our leaders have said today … I have something to ask. Don’t change your tune now because the terrorism seems to be coming from a white supremacist. If you’ve been talking about being tough on terrorism for years and the communities that allegedly support it, then show us how tough you are now. Now we understand that this is not a game, terrorism doesn’t choose its victims selectively, that we are one community and everything we say to try and tear people apart, demonize particular groups, set them against each other — that all have consequences, even if we’re not the ones with our fingers on the trigger.”  

These are words I agree with wholeheartedly, and the challenge now for us all is how we tackle this hate and protect all communities from future attacks. Since the start of my term as President of Middlesex Students’ Union, I have committed to putting tackling hate crime at the heart of my agenda, whether it's been supporting the annual Islamophobia Awareness Month, working alongside students to improve the hate crime reporting system on our campus or visiting Auschwitz Concentration Camp, to see for myself how the effects of hate speech turned into the killing of six million Jews in Europe.

Nationally we need to see the Government do much more to enhance security at mosques in the UK and work with the Muslim communities and representative groups such as Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) on a far-reaching strategy to tackle the rise in far-right attacks against British Muslims and other minority communities. The Government and civil society should immediately adopt the APPG on British Muslims definition of Islamophobia. I will be speaking to colleagues within the National Union of Students to ensure this definition is also adopted by Students’ Unions across the country, as well as the Vice Chancellor of our University to ensure our University also adopts it.

All of us have a responsibility to call out hate in all its form, both online and in person. Here at the Students’ Union, we will continue to strengthen our work to prevent hate and intolerance from manifesting itself in students, creating interventions in order to prevent the escalation of violent acts of hate on campus or the streets of London. If you have Muslim classmates, friends or colleagues, please reach out to them and offer your support. And if you require any support, please do contact the MDXSU Advice Team or University's support and wellbeing services.

May Allah (swt) grant all the martyrs in Christchurch the highest ranks in Paradise, may He bless their families with patience and protect all minority communities around the world from any future attacks.