Your say / Racism
‘If we are silent when injustice visits our doorstep, we invite it into every room’
The Bristol I grew up in was far from perfect, but it was not like this.
Racism is becoming more visible, more aggressive, and more damaging than I have ever seen before. And it is being fuelled, deliberately, by the toxic rhetoric of the far right.
When Islamophobic graffiti was sprayed across parts of our city, many described it as “shock horror.”
is needed now More than ever
But for too many in our communities, this is no shock. It is becoming an everyday reality — one that chips away at our sense of belonging and safety.
Hatred does not appear out of thin air. It seeps into the cracks left by silence, by indifference, and by the unwillingness to confront it at its roots. If we ignore it, it grows. That is why we must act now, together, before it is too late.
Abdul Malik is a Green councillor for Ashely and chairperson and trustee of Easton Jamia Masjid – photo: Abdul Mallik
As chair of Easton Jamia Mosque, I believe mosques must not only be places of prayer but also places of welcome and learning.
This week, we hosted a school visit. Watching the curiosity, questions, and openness of young pupils reminded me how powerful education can be.
Children do not arrive in this world carrying hate; they learn it. And if hate can be learned, then so can understanding.
That is why I am opening the mosque doors wider — not just to Muslims, but to everyone in Bristol.
We need open mosque days, interfaith forums, and youth ambassadors who can go back into their schools and challenge racism when they see it.
We need safe spaces for difficult conversations and creative projects that allow voices too often ignored to be heard.
Some are worried that the rising presence of flags in the country are linked to racist sentiment – photo: Susie Long
The mosque is also investing in an Islamophobia Awareness Display, which local businesses and organisations will be able to rent and showcase in their own spaces.
It’s a simple but powerful way of starting conversations where people already are — in workplaces, community halls, schools and shops.
But more than any banner or display, what matters most is human connection.
That’s why I am offering myself and my team to come and sit down with you, your colleagues and your neighbours, one-to-one, face-to-face.
Real understanding is built not in distance but in closeness, when we look each other in the eye and listen.
Because this is not only about responding when walls are defaced. It is about preventing those walls of division from being built in the first place.
Bristol is proud to call itself a City of Sanctuary. But sanctuary must mean safety and dignity for all, not just a slogan on a banner. When one community feels unsafe, the whole city is weaker.
If we are silent when injustice visits our doorstep, we invite it into every room. That is not the Bristol I want my children, or yours, to grow up in.
I care too much about this city to let hatred define its future. I am asking my fellow Bristolians — of all faiths and none — to join me.
Come to the mosque. Ask questions. Share your worries. Build relationships. Stand shoulder to shoulder.
This is the Bristol I believe in: a city that faces down hate with courage, compassion, and unity.
This is an opinion piece by Abdul Malik, Green councillor for Ashely ward and chairperson and trustee of Easton Jamia Masjid
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Main photo: Abdul Malik
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