By Elizabeth Kameo
It is amazing how something you least expect to hear will suddenly pop out at the right time and in the right forum. That is what immediately came to mind a few minutes after I walked into Katonga Hall at Hotel Africana to attend the InterAction Workshop ahead of the Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF).
Organised by British Council Uganda the workshop helped participants reflect on challenges and opportunities. It also provided them with different methods and approaches to enable them to make even more of a difference and to effect change, not only at the forum, but also in their circles of influence.
And it came as no surprise when Owere Usher Wilson, National Chairman of 
Amalgamated Transport and General Workers’ Union brought up the issue of Muslims and terrorism.
We live in a world where terrorism seems to be on everyone’s mind, where people live in fear of when the next terrorist bomb will go off, so really, talking about something like this at the CPF is certainly a good idea. Innocents have been killed and the hunt goes on. But what’s more worrying is the fact that to most people, every Muslim is a terrorist.
“How do we use this forum to do away with the belief that all Muslims are terrorists?†pointed out Wilson. According to him, the Muslims should not think that everyone from the West is an enemy. While on the other hand, people should not believe that every Muslim is a terrorist. His idea is that while there are those making Muslims believe that the West is the enemy, leaders need to utilise the kind of model used by British Council at the workshop to educate people.
However, how can we go beyond just talking about this to implementation? How can we trust that one is not necessarily a terrorist just because of their Islamic belief? And how can we use forums such as the CPF to help change this belief?
