Introduction
For many years now Muslim communities in the UK have suffered anti-Muslim incidents and expressed a need for a nationally coordinated means of reporting such incidents. The Tell MAMA Project provides just a means for such incidents to be reported, recorded and analysed, working to ensure this data is accurate and reliable and the victims and witnesses affected receive ongoing support. However, we also recognise that victims of anti-Muslim hate need a ‘wrap-around’ service and where they also receive counselling and mental health support since for many – their targeting as Muslims deeply affects their sense of who they are, and their place in society. This cannot be underscored.
This project also works with police forces across England, Wales and Scotland in order to ensure access to justice for victims through the prosecution of perpetrators. This means that we support victims of anti-Muslim hate, we collect evidence where possible, work with police forces to ensure prosecutions and provide support at courts for victims. Other services that we have provided to British Muslim communities include help in shaping policy around anti-Muslim hatred and in ensuring that successive governments since 2011 listen to the lived experiences of British Muslims when they are targeted by anti-Muslim hate. Anti-Muslim hate is real and it has real life consequences on the lives of British Muslims.
We are an independent, non-governmental organisation which works on tackling anti-Muslim hatred and therefore our work is not influenced or wholly shaped by Government. We also receive no funding from government and we have made a conscious decision to take this step since we recognise that government can at points, put covert pressure on non-governmental organisations to ‘keep quiet’ or to tow their policy lines and we think that this does not give victims of anti-Muslim hate the independent voice they deserve.
However, we work with Central Government to raise the issues of anti-Muslim hatred at a policy level and our work helps to shape and inform policy makers, whilst ensuring that an insight is brought into this area of work through the systematic recording and reporting of anti-Muslim hate incidents and crimes. Our work has been second to none in this area, and we have made real policy changes since 2011 through successive governments and to date.
What is Tell MAMA?
Tell MAMA or Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks (MAMA) is a secure and reliable service that allows people from across England to report any form of Anti-Muslim abuse. We have created a unique portal where you may address your concerns and record any incident that you experience as a result of your Muslim faith or someone perceiving you to be Muslim. By using our ‘Submit a Report‘ section, you can describe the details of the abuse you suffered, whether verbal or physical, and then add in the location of the attack so that we can effectively map incidents across England. We can also refer you for support through partner agencies if you have been a victim of an Anti-Muslim hate incident.
It is important to recognise that Tell MAMA has recorded year on year rises in anti-Muslim hate incidents that we have recorded and between 2023 and 2024, we recorded the highest number of cases that Tell MAMA received – over 6,000 verified cases of anti-Muslim hate. We have assisted over 60,000 British Muslims since 2011 and remain a tried and tested service since 2011 – recognised by successive governments, police forces, local authorities and local communities as a service that brings real social policy and practical results for victims of anti-Muslim hate.
We also have a number of outreach officers who work in the various regions in the United Kingdom and who provide face to face access points for victims of anti-Muslim hate or Islamophobia to report in. This also allows for face to face support work to be carried out and victims of anti-Muslim hate can also report in through our ‘app’ which can be downloaded HERE.
We provide:
– Ongoing casework support to victims of anti-Muslim hate,
– Free to use counselling services for emotional and mental health support to victims of anti-Muslim hate,
– Evidence collection and advocacy for victims with local police forces,
– Court attendance services so that victims feel supported when they need to attend court to give evidence,
– Signposting services and a listening service that is empathic and confidential for victims of anti-Muslim hate.
– Advice and legal casework support where possible.This is done through qualified solicitors who work with us.
– Engagement with the press, for victims of anti-Muslim hate.
– The production of detailed policy briefings, documents and annual reports that highlight the issue of anti-Muslim hate within the public domain.
What is an anti-Muslim Hate Incident?
TELL MAMA classifies an anti-Muslim incident as any malicious act specifically aimed at Muslims, their material property or Islamic organisations and where there is evidence that the act has anti-Muslim motivation or content, or that the victim was targeted because of their Muslim identity. This also includes incidents where the victim was perceived to be a Muslim. This forms the fundamental basis of what we record and Tell MAMA actively looks for evidence that can support and back this up. It is important to note that parody, jokes and comments that are not targeted at Muslims and which sometimes do get reported to Tell MAMA are logged but NOT recorded in final statistics.
It is also important to note that an anti-Muslim hate crime is an incident that crosses criminal thresholds and laws and could include contraventions of the Public Order Act – for example. These are issues for police forces in England and Wales to make judgments on and not third party hate crime reporting agencies.
Reporting an Incident to Us
Reporting an incident to us is incredibly easy. You can do so via the Telephone, Email, SMS, Facebook or Twitter. Once we have your information secured, one of our trained case workers will call you to discuss the issue further and ensure we have all the details we require to record the incident accurately and offer you our support. However, it should be noted that we reserve the right to make an informed judgement on whether cases are anti-Muslim prejudiced in their nature or not and wholly based on the evidence presented to us. It should also be acknowledged that some of the material that we receive which the victim may perceive as being anti-Muslim in nature, may not be reflected in the evidence presented to us and we will write back to the victim explaining the course of action taken and why we believe that it cannot be classified as such.
We also will, from time to time, ensure that we challenge anti-Muslim narratives where we see them and where there are blogs, statements or newspaper articles which promote them. This does not take away from the fact that where members of Muslim communities promote prejudice themselves, we will also challenge those narratives and any behaviours related to them. This is an important part of the work in countering prejudice, intolerance and bigotry.
Who Is This Service Aimed At?
This service is for anyone who suffers, or has suffered, an incident as a result of their Muslim faith (or perceived Muslim faith). The MAMA project can also record incidents by Muslims against other Muslims, which may be due to intra-religious issues, and caseworkers will be able to log these incidents specifically so that a variety of issues can be mapped and support provided for different cases of anti-Muslim incidents.
We must also note that people who are not Muslim have reported to us around for example, being targeted because they are Sikh. We will support any victim who is targeted because of their identities and follow the same procedures as we would do a case of anti-Muslim prejudice or hate.
What Are the Classifications of Anti-Muslim Hate Incidents?
Incidents are classified as follows: 1. Extreme Violence – i.e, a violent attack on a person / property that has the potential to cause the loss of life or Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH). 2. Assault – i.e, a physical attack against a person which does not pose a threat to their life and is not GBH. This includes objects being thrown at someone, even if the object misses. 3. Damage and Desecration of Property – i.e, this includes anti-Muslim graffiti being daubed on Muslim property and damage to vehicles motivated by anti-Muslim hatred. 4. Threats – Any clear and specific threat, whether physical, verbal or written. If the threat is not clear and specific then the incident should be recorded as Abusive Behaviour. 5. Abusive Behaviour – Verbal or written anti-Muslim abuse. 6. Anti-Muslim Literature – Mass produced and mass mailed literature with anti-Muslim content.
You can classify your report under one or more of the above headings and there is also an opportunity for you to explain in detail to MAMA what happened. For example, you may have suffered threats and abusive behaviour and then you may have been subject to an assault. If you perceive that this has been because of your Muslim faith (perceived or real), you would mark the threats, abusive behaviour and assault boxes on the ‘Report an Attack’ page. Multiple issues can therefore be reported. If you struggle to classify the incident yourself, our caseworkers will be happy to assist you with this.
Read More: Tell MAMA is a key partner with Government on Tackling Anti-Muslim Hatred.