Trauma-Informed Counselling for Victims of Anti-Muslim Hate
Anti-Muslim hate does not always end when an abusive message is deleted, a perpetrator walks away or a formal report is made. Its emotional and psychological effects can remain with a person long after the incident itself. We know that from the work we have done for over 15 years with victims of anti-Muslim hate and with the 65,000 plus British Muslims we have assisted.
Being threatened, harassed, assaulted or discriminated against because of a Muslim identity—or because someone is perceived to be Muslim—can disrupt a person’s sense of safety. It can affect confidence, relationships, work, education and the freedom to move through public spaces without fear.
This is why Tell MAMA provides free and confidential counselling for victims of anti-Muslim hate. Our service recognises that people may require practical assistance with an incident, but they may also need a safe therapeutic space in which to process what has happened.
Support that sees the person behind the incident
Tell MAMA has always understood that behind every report is a person, family or community whose sense of security may have been shaken. Our wider victim-support service can provide emotional support, advocacy, casework, legal signposting and assistance with reporting an incident to the police.
Counselling provides another important layer of support. It allows people to explore the emotional consequences of anti-Muslim hate without pressure, judgement or being expected to justify why an experience affected them.
A hate incident can lead to anxiety, anger, shame, low mood, disrupted sleep, recurring thoughts or an increased sense of danger. Some people become hypervigilant, constantly checking their surroundings or anticipating another attack. Others may withdraw from public transport, social activities, workplaces or places of worship.
These are understandable responses to experiences that have undermined a person’s safety and dignity.
Understanding gendered anti-Muslim hate
Tell MAMA’s research has consistently demonstrated that anti-Muslim hate can be deeply gendered. Visible Muslim women, including women who wear the hijab, niqab or other forms of Islamic clothing, have often been disproportionately targeted in street-based incidents.
A Muslim woman may be targeted not only because of her religion, but through a combination of anti-Muslim prejudice, racism and misogyny. Abuse may focus on her appearance, clothing, ethnicity or assumed beliefs. It can include sexualised language, threats, intimidation and attempts to control where she feels able to go.
This intersection between gender and anti-Muslim hate matters therapeutically. Counselling cannot treat an incident as though it took place separately from the client’s identity or lived experience. It must understand how gender, ethnicity, faith, family, culture and previous experiences of discrimination may interact.
Muslim men can also experience anti-Muslim hate in gendered ways, including stereotypes that portray them as threatening, aggressive or inherently suspect. Such experiences may affect self-esteem, identity and the willingness to seek emotional support.
Our counselling therefore creates space for each person’s individual experience. It does not assume that all Muslim victims experience hate in the same way.
Trauma, identity and belonging
Anti-Muslim hate can strike at the centre of a person’s identity. The message communicated through abuse is often that the victim is unwelcome, dangerous or does not belong.
This can create painful questions: Am I safe here? Will I be targeted again? Should I change how I dress? Can I speak openly about my faith? Do other people see me as British? Should I hide part of who I am?
These questions can weaken a person’s sense of belonging and create conflict between safety and self-expression. Some victims may feel pressure to make themselves less visible. Others may experience anger, grief or shame because an important part of their identity has been attacked.
Our counselling supports clients in exploring these feelings while affirming that responsibility rests with the perpetrator—not with the person who was targeted.
A trauma-informed counselling service
Tell MAMA’s counselling is trauma-informed. This means that we recognise how threatening and humiliating experiences can affect the mind, body and nervous system.
After an incident, the body may remain in a heightened state of alert. Fight, flight or freeze responses can continue even when the immediate danger has passed. Counselling can help clients understand these reactions, reduce self-blame and gradually rebuild a sense of safety and control.
Being trauma-informed also means respecting choice, consent and emotional boundaries. Clients are not forced to retell traumatic experiences before they feel ready. Sessions move at an appropriate pace and focus on what the person needs.
Depending on the client, counselling may include work on grounding, emotional regulation, anxiety, shame, self-esteem, recurring thoughts, avoidance and rebuilding confidence. The objective is not to tell victims how they should feel. It is to help them understand their responses, reconnect with their strengths and restore a sense of agency.
Professional, accountable and tried-and-tested support
The Tell MAMA counselling service has now been operating for three years. It is therefore an established, tried-and-tested service informed by direct experience of supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate.
All therapists who work with Tell MAMA are registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. BACP registration provides an important framework of professional standards, ethical practice, confidentiality and accountability.
The service uses a person-centred and integrative approach, recognising that no single therapeutic method will meet every client’s needs. Each person brings a different history, identity and set of circumstances into counselling.
Following an initial assessment, eligible clients can be offered six free counselling sessions over a period of approximately three months. This time-limited model is designed to provide focused support while making the service available to as many victims as possible.
You do not have to deal with anti-Muslim hate alone
Seeking counselling is not a sign of weakness. Nor does an incident need to involve physical violence before someone is entitled to support. Online abuse, verbal harassment, threats, workplace discrimination and repeated hostility can all have serious emotional effects.
If you have experienced anti-Muslim hate, Tell MAMA can listen, record what happened and discuss the support available to you. You remain in control of the choices made about your case.
To ask about counselling, email counselling@tellmamauk.org.
You can also submit a confidential report to Tell MAMA or telephone 0800 456 1226.
If you are in immediate danger, always call 999.