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Mohamed Salah ’s presence at Liverpool Football Club has been a direct cause of a fall in Islamophobia in the city, according to a new study.
Research by Stanford University found an 18.9 per cent drop in anti-Muslim hate crimes on Merseyside in the period since Salah signed for Liverpool in June 2017, in a £34m transfer from Roma. No other offence had a comparable drop in the same timeframe, while anti-Muslim tweets by Liverpool fans halved compared to other major Premier League clubs.
The Egyptian has been a revelation for the club, winning the Premier League golden boot in both of his campaigns and playing a leading role in their recent Champions League triumph, scoring the opening goal in the final from the penalty spot. His goal celebration involves performing sujood, the Islamic act of prostration to God.
Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 LiverpoolShow all 100 1 /100Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The story of Liverpool's Champions League victory
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The ultimate prize in European football sits pitchside before kick-off
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool fans before kick-off
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Tottenham supporters makes themselves heard
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Steven Gerrard on punditry duty
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mohamed Salah warms up on the pitch
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Harry Kane is a surprise inclusion from the start, having not played since the quarter-finals nearly two months ago
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Spurs players limber up ahead of the game
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Spurs fans begin to fill their end of the stadium
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool fans in full voice at the other end
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The pre-match show lights up the Madrid evening
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Imagine Dragons take centre stage
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The players emerge for kick-off
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final A minute's applause for the former Arsenal footballer Jose Antonio Reyes, who died on Friday in a road traffic accident
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Spurs players embrace each other one last time
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool get the game under way...
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final ... and 26 seconds later, they have a penalty when Moussa Sissoko is adjudged to have handled the ball
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Referee Damir Skomina checks with VAR but the decision stands
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mohamed Salah steps up for Liverpool
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Egyptian drives the ball down the middle as Hugo Lloris dives to his left
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Salah celebrates opening the scoring with the second fastest goal in Champions League final history
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mauricio Pochettino's side have it all to do
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Harry Kane takes a clattering from Joel Matip
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Kane is down, but he recovers quickly
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final A pitch invader briefly halts the action
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Virgil van Dijk directs the Liverpool defence
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Toby Alderweireld battles with Salah as the game ambles towards half-time
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The sun sets on the Wanda Metropolitano
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Half-time: Tottenham 0-1 Liverpool
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool fans enjoyed the first half
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Harry Kane looks a little frustrated after struggling to make an impact
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Son Heung-min and Trend Alexander-Arnold fight for the ball at the start of the second half
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mohamed Salah looks to the sky
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Roberto Firmino and Jan Vertonghen vie for the ball
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Kane and Joel Matip tussle
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The match from above
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Liverpool forwards in discussion, as they struggle to make any headway since the early goal
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Tottenham fans try to lift their team
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mo Salah in full flow
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Harry Winks shakes hands with his manager after being replaced by Lucas Moura
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Trent Alexander-Arnold controls with his chest
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Alisson claws the ball away from his area as the Spurs pressure builds
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Tottenham fans watch on anxiously as the clock ticks down
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Divock Origi shoots into the far corner
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final And spins away to celebrate Liverpool's second goal
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Origi celebrates in front of elated Liverpool fans
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Hugo Lloris reacts after Origi's strike
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Alisson points to the sky
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool players mob Origi
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Full-time: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Tottenham players react at the final whistle
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Liverpool celebrate their triumph
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp shake hands
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final The Liverpool plans react at the end of the game
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Jubilation for Liverpool the pitch
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Georginio Wijnaldum celebrates
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Harry Kane looks dejected after the result
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Trent Alexander-Arnold lets out a roar
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Jordan Henderson raises the Champions League trophy
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final Alberto Moreno lifts the trophy wearing a t-shirt dedicated to Jose Antonio Reyes
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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Best photos from the Champions League final: Tottenham 0-2 Liverpool Champions League final
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The study concluded that Salah’s persona as a friendly figure in the team had helped ‘humanise’ the Muslim community.
“The survey experiment suggests that these results may be driven by increased familiarity with Islam,” the report said. “These findings suggest that positive exposure to outgroup celebrities can reveal new and humanising information about the group at large, reducing prejudiced attitudes and behaviours.
“Overall, we interpret these results to support the hypothesis that Salah’s arrival at Liverpool FC caused a decrease in extreme acts of bigotry.”
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