A bystander guide to help the person who is being harrassed

WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU ARE WITNESSING ISLAMOPHOBIC HARASSMENT: A bystander's guide to help the person who's being targeted.

(Art by Maeril )

Hi everyone!

The technique that is displayed here is a genuine one used in psychology - I couldn't find the name again so if you have it please post it in the comments!

Some could say: "Yes but you can use that technique for instances of harassment other than Islamophobic attacks!", and my reply is: Sure! Please do so, it also works for other "types" of harassment of a lone person in a public space!!

However I'm focusing on protecting Muslims here, as they have been very specific targets lately, and as a French Middle Eastern woman, I wanted to try and do something to raise awareness on how to help when such things happen before our eyes - that way one cannot say they "didn't know what to do"

I'd like to insist on two things:

1) Do not, in any way, interact with the attacker. You must absolutely ignore them and focus entirely on the person being attacked!

2) Please make sure to always respect the wishes of the person you're helping: whether they want you to leave quickly afterwards, or not! If you're in a hurry escort them to a place where someone else can take over - call one of their friends, or one of yours, of if they want to, the police. It all depends on how they feel!

Please don't hesitate to share this guide as it could push a lot of people to overcome bystander syndrome!!

Lots of love,

- Mae

[An illustrated guide to help a person being targeted by Islamophobic harassment in the public space (in the subway, in the street, etc). The illustrations describe the steps to help the person to safety. There are three characters: the person being attacked is represented as a veiled woman with olive skin, wearing a violet hijab and a lavender dress, the bystander/helper is a white woman with short burgundy hair, a striped tee and boyfriend jeans, and the attacker is a white, bearded man with hazel hair, a teal polo shirt and regular denim jeans.

The four steps are as follows:

1) Engage conversation. Go to them, sit beside them and say hello. Try to appear calm, collected and welcoming. Ignore the attacker (this is, again, very important). (the bystander goes to the veiled lady and says: "hi, how are you?")

2) Pick a random subject and start discussing it. It can be anything: a movie you liked, the weather, saying you like something they wear and asking where they got it... ( in the illustration attached to this step, the attacker has a big "IGNORED" marked on his body - the bystander talks about the weather, and a movie her sister told her about)

3) Keep building the safe space. Keep eye contact with them and don't acknowledge the attacker's presence: the absence of response from you two will push them to leave the area shortly. (in the illustration attached to this step, the attacker has a big "IRRELEVANT" marked on his body and leaves the area angrily - while the two protagonists chat.)

4) Continue the conversation until the attacker leaves, & escort them to a safe place if necessary. Bring them to a neutral area where they can recollect themselves; respect their wishes if they tell you they're ok and just want to go. (here the bystander lighty holds the veiled woman by the shoulders as a way to show support)]

https://www.facebook.com/themiddleeasternfeminist/posts/1117370921672814:0