I saw the girl’s eyes fall to me, and she seemed content and comfortable – then I watched as she looked, in turn, at the words on the banner and the multicoloured, rainbow mosque illustration. Her lips tightened and she looked away, walking quickly past.
This was not an unusual reaction, unfortunately, to the outreach work I do in schools and universities. Many Muslim students who see us actively avoid us; they are already set in their ways and seeing a banner for our organisation for LGBTQI Muslims isn’t going to change their mind.