GROWING hostility towards Muslims has led to children having stones thrown at them on the streets of Teesside, according to the organiser of a community event.

This weekend, the Women in Islam conference will offer participants the opportunity to learn more about Muslim women, their lives and their beliefs.

Organised by the Islamic Diversity Centre, the conference in Middlesbrough will address issues from the hijab and niqab to women’s rights and converts to the faith.

Participants will be invited to ask questions of the Muslim women there, who hope that the event will help to dispel myths and misconceptions that they believe contribute to a growing anti-Islam sentiment.

Hoping the event will help to change minds, Naaila Rehman from IDC said she regularly heard shocking stories from women of hate crimes and racist abuse.

She said: “We want to break down barriers and increase understanding – a lot of Muslims are subjected to hate crime, with a lot going unreported.

“I’ve heard stories from women whose daughters are just 9 or 10 years old and have had stones thrown at them – in our society, there’s still a lot of negativity towards Muslims.

"Media portrayals are having a negative impact on people living in these communities and that needs to be addressed.

"Let's instead hear from people's mouths that we are just normal - we might choose to cover our face or do some things a different way but we still work, eat and live like anyone else.

“There are a lot of misconceptions about our community and we’re providing a platform for people to ask questions and find out from women how they live, why things are done a certain way.”

The free, women-only conference will be held at Teesside University in The Studio between noon and 4pm on Saturday, March 10, with free refreshments and stalls.

To book a place, visit womeninislamteesside.eventbrite.co.uk and for more information, visit Islamic Diversity Centre on Facebook.