From education to employment

MP Invites Muslim Students to House of Commons

A delegation of Muslim students from the West Thames College’s Students” Union, were invited by MP Alan Keen to a meeting at the House of Commons.

The students took part in a question and answer session, which Mr. Keen had arranged following a request from the college, intended to address concerns about the perception of Muslims in the current climate. The major theme of the session focussed on the way that Muslims have been misrepresented in the media since the terrorist attacks on New York and London.

Misrepresentation

The media’s portrayal of Muslims since the attacks has been perceived as negative by the Muslim community and has effected the lives of many young Muslims in this country. The students” visit to Parliament was initiated to find ways to improve community relations and give Muslims a more optimistic outlook towards life in the UK. Sadiq Khan, a renowned Human Rights Solicitor and the MP for Tooting, also attended the meeting and gave an inspirational talk on the value of religion and education.

The meeting was a great success. Indeed, it was such a success that plans were made to make it a regular occurrence. Faisa Kilas, a West Thames College Student Union member said: “It was really interesting and informative to speak to our local MP. It makes you feel like you”re being listened to and your views can make a difference in the community.”

Alan Keen MP reflected on the success of the meeting, commenting: “It’s been a pleasure to have this opportunity to hear the opinions of younger people. I look forward to meeting with the students on a regular basis to discuss their queries and suggestions. It’s encouraging that young people want to speak to their MP about issues concerning them.”

Role Models

It should come as no surprise that Muslims, and indeed all ethnic minorities, are feeling under-represented in the media and that there is a lack of role-models for these young people in a society so over-whelmed by a corporate media machine. Perhaps more than any other country, the UK and in particular English society is dominated by white, conservative newspapers and broadcasting that leaves little room for alternative views or opinions.

The small pockets of “ethnic” media that do exist are pushed so far to the edges of the media spectrum, that few people in wider society are even aware of them. It can only improve this “multi-cultural” society and deepen our understanding of other cultures, to encourage more freedom of expression from the minorities, which are ever-increasing components of it.

Dan Atkinson

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