Salaam Shalom launched in February 2006 as the UK’s first Muslim-Jewish broadcast project, inviting people from both communities to celebrate, debate and share the events, issues and faith that shape their daily lives.
Radio Salaam Shalom, an internet radio station, was granted start-up funding from the UK Home Office Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund, the Clore Duffield Foundation and the Community Development Foundation.
With technical support from another Bristol community radio start-up, BCfm, our first live on-air online broadcast was on 1st February 2007. From the outset programmes and podcasts were researched and presented jointly by Muslim and Jewish volunteers.
In 2008 Salaam Shalom was selected as a media partner for UK events in the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. We were also chosen as an example of Best Practice by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.
In addition to being selected as a project of special significance by the UK Government Office (South West), Salaam Shalom was chosen as one of Europe’s top 30 examples of Media Diversity for a 2009 EU study.
Radio Salaam Shalom Media received global media coverage and was a special feature on many of the world’s biggest broadcast networks, including NHK (Japan), RAI2 (Italy), BBC World, BBCTV, CBC (Canada), Channel 4 (UK), Triple J (Australia), Press TV (Iran) and Al Jazeera English.
In mid-2008, we moved from live shows to fortnightly Jewish-Muslim talk-focused podcasts. This allowed people to download shows (using iTunes, for example) and listen on a range of mobile devices.
Since then, Salaam Shalom has evolved and developing into a project-based organisation, with an emphasis on community outreach, taking our expertise in facilitating dialogue in arts, media and eduction to communities across Bristol, the South West of England and beyond.
In 2014 Salaam Shalom won the first VOSCUR Inclusion Award in memory of Batook Pandya, the founding force behind Bristol’s community organisation SARI (Support Against Racist Incidents). In 2015 Salaam Shalom won a WIZOuk Commitment Award for commitment to Diversity and Tolerance. The prize included a visit to some of WIZOisrael’s social welfare projects, described in a podcast.
The range of projects and activities we have delivered, are currently producing and are planning for the future reflect the diversity of the individuals, communities, faiths, cultures and age groups Salaam Shalom works with.