In the United Kingdom, where debates about Islamophobia have intensified, and studies suggest that nearly 70 percent of media stories mentioning Muslims link them to negative themes, a small but powerful story of compassion has emerged.
It centers on 12-year-old Joshua Harris, affectionately known on social media as “Joshie-Man.” Joshua is autistic and non-verbal Briton, yet he has become the face of a growing grassroots campaign aimed at spreading love and solidarity during a time of rising far-right hostility in Britain.
Together with his father, Joshua has been visiting mosques across the country, distributing homemade cupcakes to worshipers after prayers. What began as a simple act of kindness has now grown into a nationwide campaign.
The initiative is called “Cake Not Hate.” During a recent trip to Saudi Arabia, the message was adapted locally and briefly became “Dates Not Hate” when Joshua handed out dates in Medina.
The campaign began after an Islamophobic attack at a mosque in Peterborough, eastern England, in October last year. According to reports, Alexander Hooper, 57, entered Masjid Darassalaam and shouted abuse at worshipers preparing for dawn prayers. When police arrived, he also assaulted a female officer who responded to the scene.
Joshua’s father, Dan Harris, founder of the global charity Neurodiversity in Business, said that shortly after the attack, he took cakes baked by his son to the mosque and distributed them among worshipers. He also presented a cake to the mosque’s imam, telling him that “the man who carried out the attack does not represent the people of Peterborough or the British public.”
When Harris later shared videos of the visit on social media, he said he received threats and criticism from some extremists. The response, he added, made him reflect on the hostility that many Muslims experience.
“If I, as a white middle-class man, can receive this much hate, imagine how difficult it must be for a Muslim, especially a Muslim woman or a Muslim immigrant,” he said.
“Although I’m not Muslim myself, I can clearly see the rise in Islamophobia,” Harris added. “People I’ve known for 40 years have told me they no longer allow their children to go out after school because they’re harassed on the streets and told to go back to their country.”
“I don’t want my son to grow up in a Britain defined by hatred and division,” Harris said. “I’ve always believed Britain to be a tolerant and respectful society.”
The father-and-son initiative was warmly received by the community, and they were soon given contacts for other mosques in the area.
Since then, “Joshie-Man” has visited more than 80 mosques with his father, distributing hundreds of cupcakes to worshipers in cities including London, Leicester, Luton, Birmingham, and his hometown of Peterborough.
Now ‘Dates Not Hate’
Recently, Joshua traveled with his father to Madinah, where he shared dates with people in the courtyard of the Masjid-e-Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque). For that visit, the “Cake Not Hate” campaign briefly became “Dates Not Hate.”
Reflecting on the experience, Dan Harris said the response was deeply moving. “People welcomed him incredibly warmly. Some moments were very emotional, people kissed his hand and his head. It was a beautiful scene,” he said. “It also gave me the opportunity to witness the true diversity of Islam.”
According to Harris, the trip to Madinah was a profound and life-changing experience. “Madinah has become my favorite city in the world because of the sense of peace and tranquility I felt there,” he said.
“Our message to the world is simple: the things that unite us are far greater than the things that divide us,” Harris added. “Sometimes all it takes is extending a hand of friendship — or offering someone a cake. We should meet and talk to each other in real life, because the world we see on social media doesn’t always reflect reality.”
