Edinburgh Receives £40,000 for Projects to Help Tackle Islamophobia

Edinburgh, 9 Jumadill Akhir 1438/8 March 2017 (MINA) – Thousands of pounds have been put forward to make the Scottish Capital Edinburgh free from Islamophobia and prejudiced behavior.

A total of £40,000 has been contributed by Police Scotland, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government to help local people deliver projects to foster positive relationships between diverse communities, IINA News reported.

Between November 10 and December 12, applications were submitted for projects to receive up to £5,000 from the total fund, The Herald Scotland newspaper reported.

A vote was launched on January 28 this year with 2,500 people collectively voting for which of the 35 short-listed projects would receive funding.A total of 13 projects across the city are now being funded to reduce prejudice.

Sergeant Scott Kennedy said, “It’s been really encouraging to see so many people eager to be involved and the support received from the public throughout this process. “We’ll continue to work together with all the projects to tackle prejudice and ensure that Edinburgh remains a welcoming and diverse city.”I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved and wish all the projects the best of luck.”

Councillor Maureen Child, convener of the communities and neighborhood committee said, “Participatory budgeting exercises like this continue to be exceedingly popular, allowing local people to make real decisions about priority activities in their local area.”This is an excellent example of the positive work being carried out across the city with partners to promote equality and tackle Islamophobia.”(T/R04/RS05)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)