Salaam Shalom Media is dedicated to building bridges between Muslim and Jewish communities and the wider communities that they are part of. Based in Bristol, we use education, media, dialogue and the creative arts to empower people to explore and share their own identities and that of others.
By working with young people, and people of all ages, we use different media to develop awareness and understanding of the diverse cultures and identities that shape the City. Led by Muslims and Jews, we aim to be a catalyst for positive social change for all communities in and around Bristol.
Our aims are to:
- Build relations between the Muslim and Jewish communities of Bristol
- Use media as a tool for positive social change
- Empower young people to be the change they want to see
- To engage members of the community as active volunteers
FAQ:
1) Does Salaam Shalom represent and promote particular political or religious perspectives?
No. We facilitate and promote dialogue between communities, to further understanding and build relations. We do not proselytise.
2) Not all your activities, projects and events are centred around Religion. How are they relevant to your aims?
Our aims include building relations between Muslims, Jews, as well as the wider communities that they are part of. To build relations between these communities, we use topics of shared interest to provoke discussions that reveal shared experiences, ideology, aspirations, values and fears. Through finding common ground, we hope to foster positive intercommunity relations and by building these relations it is possible to tackle more contentious issues constructively.
Another point to this is challenging stereotypes and misconceptions. It is important that we provide people with an opportunity not only to share their religious and cultural identity, but to also defy prejudice, by representing themselves as members of wider society and as individuals.
Salaam Shalom was a Radio station, but now we are engaging more broadly with our communities, through different forms of outreach projects and activities. Photography, creative writing, drama, debate and film are some of the mediums we are using, along with continuing to produce podcasts. We are engaging people through not only verbal, but also written and visual communication.