麻豆约拍

Baktash Noori is a 23 year old practising Muslim Mancunian YouTube vlogger. He lives just 5 minutes鈥� drive from the Manchester Arena where 22 people were killed by suicide bomber. In the days after the attack his parents were warning him to stay off the streets, worried that the colour of his skin and his faith would make him a target for attack. Instead Baktash took to the Manchester streets, blindfolded with a cardboard sign inviting people to give him a hug. Scared of the reaction right up until the minute he covered his eyes, he says he didn鈥檛 receive a single negative comment. The video he posted has been viewed nearly a million times. He received 5,000 positive emails in 3 days and had to switch his phone off because his social media notifications were buzzing non-stop. 6 months on Bako, as his friends call him, goes on a journey with Athar Ahmad for Heart and Soul from the 麻豆约拍 World Service to explore whether the 鈥極ne Love鈥� response represents the real heart and soul of Manchester or is it a convenient veneer hiding the more unpalatable truth about our suspicions about Muslims and the knee-jerk association with terrorism.

(Photo: Baktash and Abdullah, Credit: 麻豆约拍)