Our Services – What Do We Do?
Anti-Muslim hate is not an abstract issue. It is experienced in everyday spaces: on public transport, in workplaces, online, at school gates, outside mosques, and sometimes even within institutions that are meant to protect. For many victims, the impact is not only immediate fear or distress, but a longer-term erosion of safety, belonging, and trust. In this context, Tell MAMA has become one of the most significant and trusted organisations in the UK working to both support victims of anti-Muslim hate and monitor and evidence the scale and nature of Islamophobia nationally. We have been working for over 13 years in this area and Tell MAMA has become the ‘tried and tested’ service which has supported over 60,000 British Muslims who have reported into us. Our work continues into 2026 and beyond.
Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) operates at the intersection of care, advocacy, security and data. Its work recognises that behind every statistic is a person, a family, or a community whose sense of security has been shaken and whose identity may also be violated through hate. The organisation’s approach is grounded in listening, validation, evidence collection and practical support, while also ensuring that anti-Muslim hate is documented rigorously and responsibly. This documentation has influenced and supported better policy making around challenging hate and anti-Muslim hate in particular.
A Victim-Centred Approach: Putting Safety and Dignity First
At the heart of Tell MAMA’s work is its victim support service. This service is designed to be accessible, confidential, and culturally sensitive, recognising that many victims may feel anxious, ashamed, or fearful about coming forward. They may also be fearful of authority and the work of Tell MAMA takes this into account.
Victims can report incidents directly to Tell MAMA through multiple channels, including online reporting forms, email, and telephone support. Crucially, reporting does not require the victim to involve the police if they do not wish to. This choice is central to Tell MAMA’s ethos: control remains with the victim and this is central to the ethos of the work of Tell MAMA.
Once a report is received, trained caseworkers provide tailored support. This may include:
- Emotional reassurance and validation
- Safety planning and risk assessment
- Practical advice on next steps
- Evidence collection on behalf of the client where possible
- Support with reporting to the police, where requested
- Signposting to counselling, advocacy, or local services
- Informing the police after victim consent, on the details of the case.
For many victims, particularly Muslim women who are disproportionately targeted, Tell MAMA may be the first space where they feel believed and emotionally validated. The service acknowledges how experiences of racism and religious hostility intersect with gender, disability, migration status, and mental health, and Tell MAMA adapts its responses accordingly.
Addressing Online and Offline Hate
Tell MAMA works across both offline and online forms of anti-Muslim hate, reflecting the reality that abuse today often moves seamlessly between physical and digital spaces.
Offline incidents may include:
- Verbal abuse or harassment
- Threats or intimidation
- Physical assaults
- Damage to property, including mosques
- Discrimination in public or commercial spaces
Online incidents may involve:
- Direct abuse via social media
- Coordinated harassment campaigns
- Threats of violence
- Dehumanising or extremist rhetoric
Tell MAMA provides guidance on documenting online abuse, reporting harmful content to platforms, and preserving evidence. Where appropriate, it can also support victims in escalating serious threats to law enforcement, though Tell MAMA also anonymises data to inform the police on cases so that law enforcement are made aware of this. This dual focus ensures that online hate is not dismissed as “less serious”, recognising its profound psychological impact.
Monitoring and Measuring Anti-Muslim Hate
Beyond individual casework, Tell MAMA plays a vital role in monitoring trends and patterns of anti-Muslim hate across the UK. This monitoring function is essential for informing public debate, policy responses, and community safety strategies. The monitoring function plays a key role in the production of annual reports and academic reports that can be read HERE.
All reports received by Tell MAMA are assessed using clear evidential thresholds and this is key. Verified incidents are categorised by type, location, severity, and victim profile. This robust methodology allows Tell MAMA to produce reliable datasets that are regularly cited by:
- Government departments
- Police forces
- Academic researchers
- Local authorities
- Media organisations
Annual and thematic reports produced by Tell MAMA provide insight into how anti-Muslim hate fluctuates in response to events such as terrorist attacks, geopolitical conflicts, election cycles, or media narratives. These reports help move the conversation away from anecdote and denial, grounding it instead in evidence and lived experience.
Building Trust with Communities
A defining feature of Tell MAMA’s work is its commitment to community engagement. The organisation understands that many Muslims may feel wary of institutions due to past experiences of discrimination or surveillance. Building trust therefore requires consistency, transparency, and cultural competence.
Tell MAMA engages with mosques, women’s groups, youth organisations, and community leaders across the UK. This outreach helps:
- Increase awareness of reporting mechanisms
- Reduce stigma around seeking help
- Improve understanding of hate crime processes
- Encourage early reporting before harm escalates
By maintaining strong community relationships, Tell MAMA ensures that its work remains grounded in real needs and where people can feel supported and assisted in a range of ways.
Training, Education, and Awareness
Tell MAMA also delivers training and awareness-raising for professionals and institutions. This includes tailored sessions for:
- Police and statutory agencies
- Local authorities
- Schools and universities
- Employers and frontline staff
- Local and national businesses
Training focuses on recognising anti-Muslim hate, responding appropriately to victims, and understanding the broader social and psychological impacts of Islamophobia. Importantly, Tell MAMA’s training avoids sensationalism and hyperbole. It emphasises empathy, legal frameworks, and practical responses, helping organisations move from intention to action. This particularly helpful to businesses who are constantly looking at ways of supporting their employees, who are increasingly from diverse communities.
Advocacy and Public Discourse
Tell MAMA plays a careful but necessary role in public advocacy. When anti-Muslim hate spikes or when policies risk marginalising Muslim communities, Tell MAMA provides informed commentary rooted in data and casework insights.
This advocacy is not about amplifying fear; it is about ensuring accountability. By challenging misinformation and highlighting structural issues, Tell MAMA helps shape a more honest and responsible public conversation about racism, cohesion, and safety.
Impact on Mental Health and Wellbeing
Experiencing anti-Muslim hate can have lasting psychological effects, including anxiety, hypervigilance, shame, and withdrawal from public life. Tell MAMA’s work implicitly recognises these impacts, even when victims do not name them as “mental health” issues.
By offering a calm, validating response and practical guidance, Tell MAMA helps reduce isolation and restore a sense of agency. For some victims, being heard and supported can be a crucial first step toward healing. This is also why we have developed a free to use counselling service for victims of anti-Muslim hate.
Challenges and Ongoing Need
Despite its impact, Tell MAMA operates within a challenging environment. Under-reporting remains significant, particularly among older victims, migrants, and those who fear repercussions. Online abuse continues to evolve, often outpacing platform responses. Political polarisation can also make discussions of Islamophobia contentious.
Yet these challenges underline the continued necessity of Tell MAMA’s work. As long as anti-Muslim hate exists, there will be a need for a service that combines compassionate support with rigorous monitoring.
Counselling Services
Tell MAMA provides counselling support to victims of anti-Muslim hate or Islamophobia in addition to the casework, emotional support, legal signposting, advocacy, and court attendance support that Tell MAMA provides to those who experience anti-Muslim hatred or Islamophobia.
Our counselling service is open and available to people who call into Tell MAMA and who have been the victims of such hatred and intolerance. It is a six-session counselling service that will provide an initial assessment session, leading to the option of the six counselling sessions over three months. This is a time-limited set of sessions, given that we are looking to provide the service to as many people as possible.
The counselling sessions are free and are provided by professional and trainee counsellors who are in the advanced stages of their training and development in counselling. The practice used in counselling can be described as a humanistic integrative style of counselling that provides a range of therapeutic, supportive frameworks for the client’s needs.
It is a free service, and Tell MAMA does not charge for the use of its counselling services. We understand, however, that access to free counselling services is minimal and that demand has been growing rapidly over the last decade, notably after the Covid-19 pandemic. It is why we want to reduce barriers to a quality counselling service for people living with Islamophobia and anti-Muslim abuse.
We are fully aware that being the victim of a hate incident or hate crime can lead to emotional or mental health impacts. However, you do not have to suffer in silence alone, and we are here to assist and help.
If you would like to access the service or find out more about it, e-mail us on counselling@tellmamauk.org. Additionally, if you would like to volunteer as a counsellor for the service, do get in touch with us.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– What is Tell MAMA?
Tell MAMA is a UK-based independent organisation that supports victims of anti-Muslim hate and monitors incidents of Islamophobia nationally. We are separate to Government and neither are we influenced or pressured by them. This independence also insures that data that is collected is preserved and protected by the organisation under relevant national legal guidelines and does not get released through intentional or unintentional pressure from government agencies.
– Who can report to Tell MAMA?
Anyone who has experienced or witnessed anti-Muslim hate can report, including victims, family members, friends, and community organisations. This also means that if you have been targeted for anti-Muslim hate because you have been perceived as being Muslim (when you may not be), you can report in.
– Do I have to report to the police?
No. Reporting to Tell MAMA does not require police involvement. Victims choose whether or not they want support with police reporting.
– Is reporting confidential?
Yes. Tell MAMA treats reports confidentially and prioritises the safety and consent of the victim.
– What types of incidents can be reported?
Both offline incidents (verbal abuse, assaults, property damage) and online abuse (harassment, threats, hate speech) can be reported.
– Does Tell MAMA support Muslim women specifically?
Yes. Tell MAMA recognises that Muslim women are disproportionately targeted and provides gender-sensitive, culturally informed support.
– How does Tell MAMA use the data it collects?
Verified data is anonymised and used to identify trends, inform policy discussions, and produce public reports.
– Can Tell MAMA help if the incident happened some time ago?
Yes. Victims can report incidents even if time has passed, and support can still be offered.
– Does Tell MAMA provide counselling?
Tell MAMA provides a free to use counselling service where therapists are registered with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists and where they have been suitably qualified in counselling work. All counsellors are fully accountable to Tell MAMA and the BACP, where appropriate.
– Why is Tell MAMA important?
Tell MAMA ensures that anti-Muslim hate is neither ignored nor normalised, offering support to victims while holding systems and society accountable.
– How many People Has Tell MAMA Supported?
Since Tell MAMA started, we have helped over 60,000 British Muslims and assisted the police in holding to account hundreds of perpetrators of anti-Muslim hate. We have also recorded the highest numbers of cases in 2023 and 2024 and have remained the key agency shaping social policy nationally in this area.
Read More: Our Report on Gendered Islamophobia (2018)
Thirty Reports of Mosques Targeted Across the U.K Between June and October 30th 2025