Shazia arrived in Britain from Pakistan in 1990, settled with her husband in Birmingham and felt safe. They built a comfortable life together and had four children; the eldest is now at university and the youngest is a pupil at Parkfield community primary school.
But Shazia, a Muslim, no longer feels safe in the UK, she says. It’s not because of racism – she works for a large company where her headscarf is not an issue – but through constant fear of terrorist attacks. They may be carried out in the name of Islam but, she says, they are in direct contradiction to the faith’s pacifist teaching and compassion.
She says it’s a hard message to get across when the word “Muslim” is splashed across the media next to the words “terrorist,” “bomb” and “murder” and confusing for children, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. That’s why she’s here at school at 8.45am on a cold, wet Monday to support her daughter at a workshop to show parents how the school promotes equality and diversity.