UK : A British playwright opens a gallery to fight against Islamophobia

To British playwright Aisha Zia, Islamophobia is the «biggest problem of our time». The woman is opening a gallery in the UK to fight against the phenomenon and enable Muslim artists to showcase their work, BBC reports.

Located in Peterborough, a city in eastern England, the gallery is meant to be a «social platform», said Zia, who has been working on this project after quitting her job as a photo editor.

«Islamophobia is everyone’s issue», Zia told the British news agency, adding that «it is all of our responsibility».

In Zia’s gallery, Birmingham artist Maryam Wahid will be exhibiting her self-portraits. «I want to change the narrative that is presented to us. There is lots of negative portrayal about communities», Wahid told the same source.

Zia’s project was granted £15,000 from the Arts Council England, a non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

The first exhibition to be featured in Zia’s gallery will be about the first Muslim migrants to Peterborough, the same source concluded.