If you've got some spare time this Sunday, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) wants you to visit your local mosque.
February 1 marks national #VisitMyMosque day, with Muslim places of worship opening their doors to the public all over the UK. Mosques will be offering refreshments and sharing what goes on in the day-to-day life of the building as part of an initiative to encourage better understanding of Muslims in Britain.
"Members of the community are there to get to know one another better and some may be on hand to answer questions about Muslims and Islam where this is possible," the MCB website says.
"Local mosques will also be inviting inter-faith leaders as well, and all will be invited to come together to demonstrate unity and solidarity during what has been a tense time for faith communities."
The initiative follows news that there has been a "significant" increase in anti-Muslim incidents in schools since the killings in Paris in early January.
Fiyaz Mughal, chief executive of Tell Mama which monitors hate-crime against Muslims in the UK, told The Independent that "racialised language and bullying against Muslim children in schools" has risen in recent weeks. The organisation is lobbying to increase training for schools in how to deal with Islamophobia effectively.
"For the past 18 months we have sought to engage with the DfE [Department of Education] to offer training to schools but on each occasion we have been rebuffed. The lack of engagement is worrying," Mughal said.
"Whatever the reason, it gives the impression that anti-Muslim hatred is something that is not of significance for them. Lack of action is short sighted since we are seeing problems in some schools regarding bullying and prejudiced statements against Muslim students."
