Tell MAMA has received an uptick in reports over the last 48 hours from British Muslims living in England and Northern Ireland and we have repeatedly said that what happens internationally is usually felt within 24-48 hours in the United Kingdom. We have measured the same reactions on numerous occasions and we recognise the pattern of upticks and the rises in anti-Muslim hate that are reported to us because of local, regional, national or international events.

We are highlighting this as our teams continue to receive reports and with anti-Muslim comments made to victims that link back to ‘Ireland’ or to ‘Belfast’ or to ‘killers’ and other such terms. The context of these reports are extremely important and we continue to monitor the situation and to work with relevant police forces on an ongoing basis.

Read More: Intimidation in Northern Ireland Towards Muslims is Deeply Worrying

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Alina Burns, 19, attacked Mohammed Mahmoodi, 27, with the weapon as he stood outside the shop in Bedminster, Bristol, in August last year.

Bristol Crown Court heard Burns had been motivated by neo-Nazi extremism and had been in contact with far-right groups.

She had told a man on a dating app to “kill all Jews and Muslims”, and had searched for information online about Jihad, the Southport stabbings, Jewish supremacy and Nazi Germany.

Serena Gates KC, prosecuting, told the court: “The prosecution case is that the defendant had an extreme right-wing mindset and wanted Jews and Muslims to be killed, and non-whites to flee or be expelled from the UK.

“The day before the attack the defendant was watching videos of SS marches and sent an email called ‘The dawn of civil war’.”

The incident happened on the afternoon of August 2 when Burns approached Mr Mahmoodi from behind and swung the axe – that she had bought for the attack – at his neck, causing a small wound.

Mr Mahmoodi, who was much bigger than the 5ft 2in Burns, was able to wrestle the axe away from her before she could strike him again.

A nearby police officer heard the commotion and went to the scene in East Street and arrested Burns.

Asked why she had attacked the Kurdish-Iranian man, Burns told the officer: “Because I wanted to cut his neck.

“I would do it again, but to succeed.”

She later told a Mental Health Act assessor she knew Mr Mahmoodi worked in the barbers, which was involved “in money laundering”.

“I know of him, he works in the Turkish barbers, I think they are money laundering and the police aren’t doing anything about it,” she said.

“So, if I done this, then maybe the police would investigate the shop.”

Miss Gates told the court: “She further asked if it had been on the news yet. She said she wanted to influence people to do the same thing, but be successful.

“She stated she would do it again, but to succeed.”

After Burns was arrested, police discovered her links to far-right groups and extremism.

Five months before the attack she had used an online dating app to speak with a man who she told: “I am the embodiment of hell and desire to amplify everything I bear witness too.

“I don’t want to end my life any more. I plan on bringing change to the UK through means I can’t detail.”

She later told him to “kill all the Jews and Muslims in Britain please”.

The man, who was not identified in court, reported the exchange to the police, the court was told.

Detectives found at her home handwritten notes about the “spread of Islam”, how to use fertiliser to manufacture explosives, and nuclear weapons.

There were also notes about German SS units serving in the Second World War, Adolf Hitler’s book Mein Kampf and the nationalist novel The Turner Diaries.

On her notebook computer was a copy of a terrorist handbook with information about chemicals and IEDs.

Burns had also used the Telegram messaging app to contact a representative of the British far-right group Patriotic Alternative.

At a previous hearing, Burns, of Lynton Road, Bristol, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and three charges of having an article with a blade or point – specifically an axe, a scalpel and two darts.

She had denied a charge of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to the Terrorism Act, which was ordered to lie on file.

The Crown argued that despite accepting the plea, there remained a terrorist motivation to the attack, which was accepted by the judge, Mrs Justice Lambert.

The sentencing hearing continues.

Read More: Neo-Nazi Fanatic Contemplated Making ‘Muslims into Mincemeat’

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The torching of the incident happened at 2:30 am on Monday the 11th  of May and CCTV pictures point to a group of males possibly being involved in the attack. Two masked men can be seen on the CCTV footage, and they are then seen running away from the scene.

The Muslim prayer area at the front of the building was targeted and the incendiary item was thrown through the glass, leading to damage to the walls and to all of the prayer mats.

The suspected arson attack comes at a time of heightened concern within British Muslim communities about levels of anti-Muslim hate that are rising and which Tell MAMA has systematically documented over the last 13 years.

The Raha Cafe was opened last summer and was also named as one of the finalists in a Best Coffee Shop Competition that was organised by the Lancashire Telegraph.

Tell MAMA received this information from Lancashire Police:

“We are aware of this incident, and there is an investigation being led by detectives into the incident. This is currently being treated as arson, and enquiries are ongoing. We have not received any indication that this incident is motivated by race or religion, and our enquiries have not revealed anything to suggest that this incident was motivated by race or religion. We would ask that if anyone in the community has any further information around this incident, no matter how small, they contact us either online or on 101 quoting the reference LC-20260511-0096.”

Note: Credit to Lancashire Telegraph for the attached picture.

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Two people escaped uninjured from inside the mosque in Peacehaven on October 4 last year, when it was reported a fire was started outside the place of worship in Phyllis Avenue.

On Tuesday, counter-terror police arrested a 36-year-old man from Eastbourne on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson and a 38-year-old man from Brighton on suspicion of malicious communication and criminal damage.

A third man, a 42-year-old from Saltdean was arrested on suspicion of malicious communications and encouraging or assisting a crime.

The trio have been released on bail until June 23.

Sussex Police superintendent Rachel Swinney said: “We are continuing to work closely with our colleagues in Counter Terrorism Policing South East as they use specialist resources to investigate the arson at the mosque in Peacehaven.

“The incident caused understandable concern within the local community since it took place in October.

“These recent arrests form part of a pre-planned operation and there is no threat to those in the community however people may notice search activity taking place at residential properties while enquiries continue.”

A fundraiser on GoFundMe to help repair the mosque and replace what was damaged has raised more than £55,000.

It comes as two men, Ricky Ryder, 38, and Jack Slowey, 34, have already appeared in court in November last year over the incident, charged with arson with intent to endanger life and two further charges of arson relating to the vehicles.

They are next due to appear at the Old Bailey in London for a plea hearing on Friday.

Meanwhile a 70-year-old man from Newhaven arrested on October 31 on suspicion of encouraging an offence is also released on bail until April 30.

Read more: Arrest made after arson attack on Islamic Centre in Maida Vale

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So let us look at the facts. The Iftar and end of Ramadan event in Trafalgar Square was pre-planned, lawful and in line with other events that were held to celebrate religious celebrations like Diwali and Vaisakhi. Whilst the form of celebration may have been different and involved prayer, nonetheless, the celebrations were generally in line with previous religious events around different faiths and cultures. The political furore over this event was over the call to prayer or ‘Adhan’ and people collectively praying.

In light of this, it is important to explain what the Adhan is.  The Adhan or call to prayer is not a symbol of domination over other cultures. In the context of the Trafalgar Square event, it was simply to mark the prayer time for the celebrants in the square and this was followed by a mass prayer event. Some Muslims pray five times a day and these are marked by specific times in the day and the Adhan is a reminder that the time for prayer has come.

Prayer in Islam is seen as a communal act, an act of togetherness and where mass prayer is seen as a common activity rather than being associated with promoting a sense of domination over others. To suggest that those praying were seeking to push forward a dominance of Islam over others is to misread the context of this specific event and to project a view on all those who attended that simply does not reflect the reality of people simply wanting to pray together.

Furthermore, we are not naive to the fact that some Muslims seek to interpret and live a form of Islam that is far more brittle and non-accepting of other faiths. There are numerous examples of this and we will always challenge and stand against those who seek to divide and spread intolerance, irrespective of whatever faith they are from. In the context of the Trafalgar Square event, there was no evidence of any group being involved and this is important to stress. We within Tell MAMA are always led by the evidence and there was no evidence to indicate that such groups were involved.

Finally, this statement from Iman Atta OBE, the Director of Tell MAMA summarises our position on the furore around the Ramadan and Trafalgar Square event:

“We are deeply concerned at the political language and furore that has been whipped up against people simply praying in Trafalgar Square. The prayer was spontaneous and there were people simply celebrating the end of Ramadan. The Words have consequences and the dehumanising of Muslims simply praying is sickening. It needs to stop and be called out.”

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We are concerned though, by what we are seeing within the cases being reported to us. This means a greater level of aggression towards British Muslims in cases and we are receiving more discrimination cases.

Tell MAMA has documented year on year rises in anti-Muslim hatred that can be found here. We have also noted the rise of aggression in street based anti-Muslim hate cases through our reports.

We remained committed in seeking justice for victims of anti-Muslim hate and in ensuring that policies can reflect this growing problem going forward.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please do not hesitate to contact us and you can also report in through this link.

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Hammad Khan spoke after the arrest of a white man in his 50s, who had gone into Manchester Central Mosque wearing hi-vis and had with him an axe, knife and hammer.

Greater Manchester Police say they have not declared it a terrorist incident but are working with Counter Terrorism Police to investigate.

The suspect is being held on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and class B drugs.

A second man, a black male, who is believed to have been with the suspect but left before officers arrived, is now being hunted by police.

Mr Khan said volunteers kept the suspect talking until police arrived and arrested him, where he shouted, “I’m not a terrorist!” according to one man who was present as he was taken away.

Mr Khan said the suspect was “very calm” and had been spotted visiting the mosque, in the Victoria Park area of south Manchester, before last night.

However, after entering the mosque around 8.30pm on Tuesday, where around 1,500 people were saying Ramadan prayers, an axe was spotted in his bag and he was ushered into an office by volunteers and police called.

He had a knife and a hammer on him, along with “other materials” relating to the Second World War and some newspaper cuttings.

Mr Khan added: “His demeanour was very calm.

“He wasn’t under the influence of anything at all. I also understand he was also carrying some other materials with him relating to World War Two, also some newspaper cuttings, which the police have.

“The volunteers obviously kept the conversation going in very amenable way to ensure the situation did not escalate in any way.”

Mr Khan said he had asked police for an increased police presence around all the local mosques after an increase in hate mail and threats.

He added: “I was disappointed that we didn’t have visible presence.

“I stressed prior to the month of Ramadan we needed police presence because prayers go on to late at night.”

Sir Keir Starmer said: “I am concerned to hear of the incident at Manchester Central Mosque last night.

“I know this will be worrying for Muslim communities, especially during Ramadan, a time of peace and reflection.

“My thanks go to the volunteers and emergency services for their quick response.

“We have provided up to £40 million funding for additional security at mosques, Muslim schools and community centres, and will continue to act to ensure communities are able to live without fear.”

In a statement, the mosque said a “serious security incident” had occurred during prayers and the Muslim community more generally had experienced a rise in threats and hostility in recent years.

Assistant Chief Constable John Webster, from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: “We were called at around 8.40pm to concern from security staff at the mosque about a white man in a high-vis jacket carrying a bag with an axe inside.

“The man had reportedly claimed to be in the mosque to do work on the building, but staff had no knowledge of this.

“They rightly acted on their suspicions and called police.

“There was no suggestion that he made any threats or confronted members of the congregation.

“However, we understand the concern that this suspicious and concerning behaviour caused.

“We quickly responded to the scene where we searched the suspect, arrested him and seized weapons, including an axe, a knife and class B drugs.

“The suspect, a white man in his 50s, is under arrest on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and class B drugs.

“At this time, it is not clear what the circumstances or intent, if any, was around this incident.

“I know this uncertainty can cause concern, but it is key that we have the time to question the suspect and speak to as many witnesses as possible to understand the nature of this incident.

“To ensure we are appropriately exploring every line of inquiry, we are working with detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing North West, but it has not been declared a terrorist incident.

“We are taking this very seriously and have increased patrols around mosques at what we know is a really important time for Muslim communities as they come together during Ramadan.

“We’re reviewing all available CCTV and body-worn video to identify a second man, a black man, who was reported as acting suspiciously in the mosque at the same time as the suspect.

“He is described as approximately in his late 40s, with an athletic build and short stubbled facial hair.

“He was wearing a grey hoody with the hood up, a navy blue jacket with that hood also up (double hood), blue tracksuit bottoms, and white trainers.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact GMP on 101 or through the LiveChat function on the force’s website. They can also contact Tell MAMA on 0800 456 1226.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Read More: Leeds Crossbow Attacker Praised Christchurch Terrorist Online, Planned Massacre.

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Hamit Coskun, 50, shouted “f*** Islam”, “Islam is religion of terrorism” and “Koran is burning” as he held the flaming Islamic text aloft in Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, on February 13, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard last week.

District Judge John McGarva delivered his verdict at the same court on Monday.

Coskun was found guilty of a religiously aggravated public order offence of using disorderly behaviour “within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress”, motivated by “hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam”, contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.

District Judge McGarva said Coskun’s conduct was “provocative and taunting”.

Addressing Coskun, the judge said: “After considering the evidence, I find you have a deep-seated hatred of Islam and its followers.

“That’s based on your experiences in Turkey and the experiences of your family. It’s not possible to separate your views about the religion to your views about the followers.

“Your actions in burning the Koran where you did were highly provocative, and your actions were accompanied by bad language in some cases directed toward the religion and were motivated at least in part by hatred of followers of the religion.

“Your evidence was that your criticism is of Islam in general, not its followers; I don’t accept that. You believe Islam is an ideology that encourages its followers to violence, paedophilia and disregard for the rights of non-believers, you don’t distinguish between the two.”

The judge added: “Standing holding a burning Koran and saying loudly: ‘Koran is burning’ is clearly aimed at provoking others.

“I do accept that the choice of location was in part that you wanted to protest what you see as the Islamification of Turkey. But you were also motivated by the hatred of Muslims and knew some would be at the location.”

District Judge McGarva said the prosecution was not “an attempt to bring back and expand blasphemy law”, adding “it is clearly not an offence to criticise a religion”.

He added: “Burning a religious book, although offensive to some, is not necessarily disorderly.

“What made his conduct disorderly was the timing and location of the conduct and that all this was accompanied by abusive language.”

Coskun was fined £240, with a statutory surcharge of £96.

The National Secular Society (NSS) branded the verdict a “significant blow to freedom of expression” which “signals a concerning capitulation to Islamic blasphemy codes”.

Turkey-born Coskun, who is half Kurdish and half Armenian, travelled from his home in the Midlands and set fire to the Koran at around 2pm, the court heard.

In footage captured on a mobile phone by a passerby that was shown to the court, a man approached and asked Coskun why he was burning a copy of the Koran.

Coskun can be heard making a reference to “terrorist” and the man called the defendant “a f****** idiot”.

The man approached him allegedly holding a knife or bladed article and appeared to slash out at him, the court heard.

The footage appeared to show Coskun back away and use the burning Koran to deflect the attacker, who is alleged to have slashed out at him again.

The man chased Coskun, and the defendant stumbled forward and fell to the ground, dropping the Koran, the footage showed.

Coskun was spat at and kicked by the man, the court heard.

The man said: “Burning the Koran? It’s my religion, you don’t burn the Koran.”

Coskun had posted on social media that he was protesting against the “Islamist government” of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who the defendant allegedly said “has made Turkey a base for radical Islamists and is trying to establish a Sharia regime”, prosecutors said.

The defendant, who is an atheist, believes that he protested peacefully and burning the Koran amounted to freedom of expression, the court heard.

His legal fees are being paid for by the NSS and the Free Speech Union (FSU), which said they intend to appeal against the verdict “and keep on appealing it until it’s overturned”.

An FSU spokesperson said: “If that means taking it all the way to the European Court of Human Rights, we will do so.

“Religious tolerance is an important British value, but it doesn’t require non-believers to respect the blasphemy codes of believers. On the contrary, it requires people of faith to tolerate those who criticise and protest against their religion, just as their values and beliefs are tolerated.”

NSS chief executive Stephen Evans said: “The court’s acceptance of the prosecution’s assertion that Mr Coskun’s actions stemmed from hostility towards Muslims raises serious concerns. It is essential to differentiate between prejudice or hatred aimed at individuals and hostility towards the ideologies of Islam or Islamism.

“The conviction of Mr Coskun on the grounds that his actions were ‘likely’ to cause harassment, alarm, or distress suggests a troubling repurposing of public order laws as a proxy for blasphemy laws. This jeopardises freedom of expression by establishing a ‘heckler’s veto’ that incentivises violent responses to suppress views deemed offensive.

“Such an erosion of free speech is detrimental to community relations. Social cohesion is best achieved not by restricting rights but by fostering their free exercise.”

Read More: Amazon Removes Tommy Robinson’s Book for Sale on Islam

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Over the last 6 months, however, we have been left in the uncomfortable and unsettling position of having no guarantee of further direct grant funding from the Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government (MHCLG). We have been concerned about decisions that have been made on the future funding of Tell MAMA during this period, particularly at a time when we recorded the highest numbers of anti-Muslim hate cases since Tell MAMA was founded in 2011. In addition, we have been subjected to malicious campaigns to undermine our work, including being the subject of hate and abuse targeting the project and our staff, threatening their safety and security, which have been reported to the relevant authorities. Whatever the reasons behind these campaigns, the people responsible for them have given no thought to victims of anti-Muslim hate whom we have served with dedication over the past 13 years.

We are saddened that the very service that has trained police forces, statutory authorities and civil society organisations, whilst highlighting the depth, scope and impact of anti-Muslim hate since 2011, has had to go through these significant insecurities and challenges over the last 6 months.

Following discussions with the MHCLG, Tell MAMA has received an offer of an extension of funding from the MHCLG covering the next 6 months (April-September 2025), together with confirmation from the MHCLG that it has full confidence in Tell MAMA and its work, for which we are grateful. However, for the reasons outlined above, and in order to strengthen our independence from central Government, Tell MAMA has taken the decision to turn down this offer. Also, we will not be applying for any future tenders from MHCLG on this work.

We would like to thank Lord Khan of Burnley in particular for his part in our discussions with the MHCLG and his expression of support for Tell MAMA in ensuring the offer of further funding. His determination to tackle anti-Muslim hate is heartening and motivating and we value his desire to make a positive impact in this area of work.

We will continue to monitor cases of anti-Muslim hate, whilst supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate and striving to meet the needs of British Muslims affected by it. We believe that this is crucially important at a time when the volume of anti-Muslim hate online has increased and where anti-Muslim hate appears to be fast becoming normalised politically. However, we will also seek to repurpose and refocus our support services in the next 3 months, without taking away from our work ensuring that victims of anti-Muslim hate have the access to access to justice to which they are entitled. We believe that our newfound independence from Government will ensure that we are able to review our services and re-assess where we can ensure maximal impact in this area of work.

Finally, we would like to add that work on countering anti-Muslim hate should not be an afterthought, but central to decision planning within the MHCLG if it is to ensure that Muslim communities are properly protected whilst also supporting social cohesion on a national basis. We are proud to have worked with over 50,000 British Muslims since 2011 – the true heroes striving for justice and ensuring that perpetrators of anti-Muslim hate are held to account.

Read more: Tell MAMA is a key partner with Government on tackling anti-Muslim hate

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Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre has condemned incidents which happened on Saturday evening.

In the first incident, paint was allegedly thrown at the door and pavement area on Spital and a few hours later a rock came through a window of the mosque.

Police are treating the incident as a hate crime and said a 17-year-old boy has been charged.

Nobody was hurt but those in the building were left shaken.

A mosque spokesperson told the PA news agency: “The rock went through the window and (it) shattered. Everybody was fine but people are a bit shaken.

“It happened at around 9pm while prayers were going on.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Following an investigation into reports of vandalism at a mosque in Spital, Aberdeen, officers have arrested and charged a 17-year-old male. The incident occurred on Saturday 15 March.

“Police are treating the incident as a hate crime.

“The male has been released on an undertaking and will appear at court at a later date.”

In a joint statement on social media, the Mosque and Islamic Centre thanked those who offered support in the aftermath and praised “kind neighbours and worshippers” who united to help clean up the mess.

They said: “We are very grateful to our neighbours and well-wishers in these difficult times.”

They added: “The mosques in Aberdeen would like to assure all members of the community that, in light of these incidents, all the mosques are taking additional security measures as well as being assured of support from the police.

“The police will be performing additional patrols around the mosques during prayer and other busy times.

“We would ask all attendees and worshippers to please be alert and remain vigilant, however, do not be alarmed and continue with your efforts and prayers to gain maximum benefits from this blessed month of Ramadan.”

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Historical Context

➢ Between 2012-2024, over 51,000 British Muslims have utilised the services of Tell MAMA.
➢ Since 2012-2024, Tell MAMA has seen a 2,253% increase in street based anti-Muslim hate cases reported in.
➢ Significant, tangible and large increases in anti-Muslim hate cases reported to Tell MAMA between 2023-2024.

Key Findings – Between 2023 and 2024
Total Number of Cases Reported to Tell MAMA Between 2023-2024:

➢ Between 2023 and 2024, Tell MAMA received 10,719 cases out of which 9,604 were verified cases of anti-Muslim hate that were overwhelmingly reported in by British Muslims in the United Kingdom. (Note – the term ‘verified’ means that cases have been diligently checked and as being ‘anti-Muslim’ in nature and with supportive relevant evidence that confirms this finding).
➢ 2024 saw the highest number of anti-Muslim hate cases recorded by Tell MAMA in any year, since the founding of the project in 2011/2012. This amounted to 6,313 cases of anti-Muslim hate reported to Tell MAMA, a rise of 165% of verified cases reported in since 2022 and in just 2 years.
➢ Tell MAMA recorded a 120% increase in street based cases since 2022.
➢ Data shows an 103% increase in targeted anti-Muslim hate towards people who are visibly Muslim when comparing 2023 and 2024 data sources.
➢ There has been a large rise in the categorisation of ‘threatening behaviour’ in street based cases. This amounts to a 715% increase in such cases between 2023 and 2024.
➢ In summary, cases of anti-Muslim hatred are becoming more threatening towards victims, higher in volume and much more prone to significant peaks because of a higher frequency of national and international events.

The Online World

➢ Post October 7th 2023, Tell MAMA received the highest number of online anti-Muslim hate reports with a 1,619% increase, when compared to online cases received prior to October 7th. The Middle East conflict super-fuelled online anti-Muslim hate. (Verified online cases recorded in 2023 – 1,719)
➢ In 2024, Tell MAMA recorded 2,307 (verified) cases of online anti-Muslim hate that were reported in, the majority of which were reported in after the 29th of July 2024 and after the brutal murder of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Dasilva Aguias.
➢ This demonstrates a 34% increase in online anti-Muslim hate cases reported to Tell MAMA when comparing 2023 and 2024. In both years, significant national and international events spiked online reports of anti-Muslim hate into Tell MAMA.
➢ To date, ‘X’ remains the most toxic online platform in the dissemination of anti-Muslim hate. The platform far outstrips any other social media platform in the volume, aggressive language and the targeted nature of anti-Muslim hate towards other users, which the Tell MAMA report highlights.
➢ Tell MAMA is deeply concerned about how Artificial Intelligence generated anti-Muslim pictures are being generated and circulated online and which have been reported in by British Muslims who have been targeted by them online. This phenomenon became marked and noticeable in cases in 2024.
➢ Tell MAMA continues to see an overlap between the online and offline (street-based) worlds. Tell MAMA continues to collate information that is reported in by British Muslims on how far right extremist groups continue to harass and target vulnerable refugees in temporary accommodation with anti-migrant and anti-Muslim hate.

2024 Key Findings on Anti-Muslim Rhetoric and the Targeting of British Muslim Members of Parliament

➢ Anti-Muslim tropes in both street based and online anti-Muslim hate cases reported in stress anti-Muslim tropes of a ‘take-over’ of Europe, demographic surges in ‘numbers of Muslims’ with an associated preconceived plan to Islamise the United Kingdom, and to ‘outbreed’ the local ‘indigenous’ population.
➢ There has been a stark rise in the intensification of language calling for the banning and removal of British Muslims from the political life of the United Kingdom.
➢ Tell MAMA has recorded disproportionate amounts of anti-Muslim hate targeted towards the following British politicians who happen to be Muslim and in the following order of frequency, with the most targeted politician listed first:

1. The Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan,
2. The former Scottish First Minister – Humza Yousaf MSP,
3. Zara Sultana MP,
4. Apsana Begum MP,
5. Naz Shah MP

➢ Racist posts have also been reported into Tell MAMA that have targeted Diane Abbot MP, Suella Braverman MP and the former Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP.

Commenting on these findings, the Director of Tell MAMA, Iman Atta OBE said:

“We have had the largest volume of cases reported to us in Tell MAMA in 2024 and since we started our work in 2012. As anti-Muslim hate continues to be felt by a greater number of British Muslims, both at a street and online level, our work and support for victims of anti-Muslim hate is needed now more than ever. We are at a nexus point where it is clear that anti-Muslim hate needs a coordinated action by His Majesty’s Government.”

“The rise in anti-Muslim hate is unacceptable, and this is deeply concerning for the future. We should never allow such hatred and intolerance to take root in our communities. We urge the public to stand together against hatred and extremism and we urge those in positions of influence and public authority to consider how their language risk stereotyping communities and how it unduly influence discussions online and offline”.

The post Tell MAMA Records the Highest Number of Anti-Muslim Hate Cases in 2024 Since Its Founding appeared first on TELL MAMA.

We are deeply concerned about the way that Greater Manchester Police initially communicated the incident to members of the public and we are also aware that there were community based concerns before this incident in Manchester airport, around the flying of Gaza flags on private homes. Some residents who flew such flags on their properties were questioned by members of Greater Manchester Police. So, prior to the Manchester airport incident, there were community based concerns around policing.

We within Tell MAMA are clear. There are no circumstances that a man lying on the floor and who is not a threat to anyone, should end up being kicked in the head and then stamped on, as the officer in question did. Whilst Greater Manchester Police talked about context, there is no context that can justify these actions.

We understand that criminal charges may be brought against the officer. We await the result of the outcome of the IOPC investigation and we hope that the investigation will publish its results so that the findings are accessible to members of the public.

There are tens of thousands of men and women serving in our police forces on a daily basis. They suffer abuse, high stress levels and daily threats, yet, thankfully, we do not see them doing what the Greater Manchester Officer did on film. His actions are uncalled for and deeply troubling.

We will be tracking the outcome of this case and we will await a response to our letter from Greater Manchester Police.

The post Our Letter to Greater Manchester Police appeared first on TELL MAMA.

This is the second letter that we are releasing for public viewing on the back of the attacks by Byline Times and its associates such as Nafeez Ahmed. We have raised question marks around his actions in a previous article with evidence of comments that he made to us when approaching us for a comment and which Byline Times have now withdrawn and rowed back on. The comments made by Nafeez Ahmed demonstrated an over-reach and wide sweeping assumptions which were fundamentally wrong. What does this say about his style of working and the crude and deeply troubling allegations he made without any tangible evidence of any ‘criminality’.

For example, we point to the following paragraph in the Mishcon de Reya letter:

We note that you (Byline Times) appear to have rowed back from the very serious allegation made by Mr Ahmed in his enquiries to our client dated 19 June 2024, in which he claimed that directors of our client “have provided false information deliberately to Companies House“, a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. We note that you have sensibly confirmed that you “have no intention of publishing anything to the effect that the directors of Faith Matters or any persons connected with Faith Matters have committed any criminal offence“. That you accept that this allegation is unsupportable is indicative of your Mr Ahmed’s journalism and irresponsible approach to the preparation of your threatened story. Rather than objectively and forensically assessing evidence and drawing the appropriate conclusion based on that assessment and supporting evidence, you reframe and selectively apply the facts and cherry-pick evidence to suit your conspiratorial narrative”.

Baroness Shaista Gohir

This letter also highlights how a politician, using Parliamentary privilege, has made astonishing and conspiratorial remarks about the work of Tell MAMA. Within the letter, the Baroness in question (Baroness Gohir), is quoted as saying in the House of Lords that Tell MAMA has been “funded to tackle Muslim extremism which is hidden under the guise of monitoring”. Not only this statement libellous if she chose to make it in the public domain, she needs to back this statement up with proof or apologise to us as publicly as she made this statement. This statement is outrageous.

It is also an affront that a person in public office makes a statement that puts the safety of members of the Tell MAMA team and its Director, Iman Atta OBE, at personal and professional risk and when we know that there are many people in communities who are angry and who may take physical action against individuals and agencies who are deemed to be ‘monitoring’ or ‘snooping’ on them. For an official in public office to make such a statement and tar us with this brush, therefore puts the whole Tell MAMA team and the project’s reputation at serious risk. It is as simple as that. It is unacceptable and backed up with no evidence – that we are funded to ‘monitor Muslim extremism’ as thought we are a malign organisation. Such comments are nothing short of abhorrent.

We want to be clear; if Baroness Gohir is sufficiently confident in this statement she made – that we are “funded to tackle Muslim extremism which is being hidden under the guise of monitoring“, we would invite her to make this in public and not hide under the cover of Parliamentary privilege. We also note how Byline Times have mysteriously ended up with the text of letters from Baroness Gohir, which the Baroness has never sent to us, nor credited us with seeing. So much for transparency.

Other Assertions

Other assertions made by Byline Times, that Tell MAMA somehow does not provide a ‘robust and effective’ monitoring system on anti-Muslim hate leads us to question how Byline has failed to read the multiplicity of reports on our website and the fact that we have assisted over 28,000 Muslims in the U.K to date. Given the data on our web-site demonstrating the scale, range and numbers of people we assist who have been targeted by anti-Muslim hate, it is breath-taking that Byline Times has made such assertions.

For example in the Mishcon de Reya letter which is attached, figures for reporting anti-Muslim hate have increased from 1,223 in 2016 to 2,301 in 2021. The annual figure for 2022 was 2,656 and the figure for 2023, which is much higher, is still to be published. We challenge Byline Times and anyone associated with it to point to any organisation in the U.K that measures such high volume numbers of cases of anti-Muslim hate or Islamophobia in the U.K, and which supports, collects evidence and achieves tangible outcomes for victims of anti-Muslim hate? Much of this is listed in the report, ‘A Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate’ which is on our website and which can be read HERE. In fact, we know that Baroness Gohir liked a tweet from July 2023 which highlighted the very report we have mentioned – ‘A Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate’. This makes the allegations and assertions put to us by Byline Times, even more bizarre in their direction of travel.

READ: The Truth, Nafeez Ahmed and Byline Times – ‘Indefensible Reporting’

Report and Data

It is interesting to note that Ahmed, suggested to a third party that Baroness Gohir, (in her letters to DLUHC), said that Tell MAMA’s ‘Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate‘ report does not disaggregate data across age, location, gender and ethnicity. This he claims on behalf of Baroness Gohir, suggests that the data makes it less useful in looking at trends.

This from a journalist. Let us explain. The Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate  is a summary of a decade of work from 2012-2022 which Tell MAMA has undertaken. There are numerous other reports on a year by year basis that are listed on the Tell MAMA site which provide all of the year on year details that Baroness Gohir and Ahmed request, and which they did not bother to read. You can find just a few of the links HERE, HERE and HERE. So again, we ask the question – what is the real motive behind these claims?

Also, we are truly baffled as to how a journalist who writes to a third party asking why Tell MAMA’s data does not dis-aggregate, fails to research the most basic of items. For example, just a cursory look at the ‘Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate’ report shows that gender is dis-aggregated in data and visuals on page 19, 31, 59, 78. Location is dis-aggregated from pages 72-77, 82,83,97,99 and page 103. Definitions of types of cases and dis-aggregations around classifications of data are listed on page 50 – just one of the pages when the data is clearly broken down. Ethnicity breakdowns are on pages 78 and 79 – just to provide two examples. Trends, well how could a Baroness and a journalist miss ‘Trends’, which have a whole section from pages 86-115 and 133. We could also add that if you have a desire to promote a narrative, you pick and choose what fits and overlook what does not.

Furthermore, Ahmed suggests that another of Baroness Gohir’s concerns is that the Government relies just on Tell MAMA’s data and that it is a ‘disservice’ to Muslim communities. Apart from this being the opinion of one or two people, both the Crown Prosecution Service (see comments below) and various police forces have commended the work of Tell MAMA and the way that victims of anti-Muslim hate are treated, and the data collected. The comments show a serious deficit in understanding how hate crime monitoring and support services work. Tell MAMA is a national and significant conduit through which Government receives data on the numbers, cases, types, locations etc., of anti-Muslim hate cases. Yet the Government does not rely on just one source. All of Tell MAMA’s data goes to local forces so that victims can be supported and any smaller NGO’s collecting hate crimes also feed into police services. Government therefore collects data from multiple sources, with Tell MAMA coming in second volume wise to the police data on the numbers of national cases of anti-Muslim hate. This alone shows that the complainants have not got a clue how the hate crime reporting systems work.

Additionally, in Ahmed’s correspondence to a third party, it is clear that he thinks that Tell MAMA is just a ‘monitoring’ service. It is not. Tell MAMA supports victims of anti-Muslim hate through data collection for evidential purposes, advocacy support, support at courts, access to legal advice and information, emotional support through counselling, direct advocacy with local forces and in providing a ‘listening ear’. There are a range of services provided and each case usually accesses multiple services within Tell MAMA.

Now, before Baroness Gohir or Ahmed say – well if the police collect data, why is Tell MAMA needed, the answer is because on a service evaluation check that was conducted in 2021/2022, 96 out of 100 individuals asked, said they approached Tell MAMA first and did not consider taking their experiences to the police.

Motive

Once again, we are having to question the motives of Byline Times at a time when a new government is in place and which is increasingly seeming and smelling like a smear campaign against the work and the staff of Tell MAMA. It is also interesting to note that these attacks align with the timing of a new incoming government administration who may not be fully aware of our work in Tell MAMA.

We have always been open and responsive to constructive criticism as we have repeatedly made clear. However, the shabby and ramshackle attempts by Byline Times to fixate and run what are now clearly, a series of ‘hit job’ articles on Tell MAMA are deeply troubling. We also question the selectivity of what they are choosing to report on and then overlook other elements which do not seem to fit a series of their narratives.

With this in mind, we have decided to publish all correspondence so that members of the public can see that Tell MAMA has nothing to hide and we will not accept statements and claims thrown at us which are untrue, libellous and downright perverse in their conspiratorial and damaging nature. This also goes for anyone in Parliament who makes worryingly conspiratorial statements without evidence and which puts the staff in this project at physical and emotional risk.

Finally, a search on Google on Byline Times brings up this statement in a link about the ethos of the publication:

 “Accurate information is the lifeblood of a democracy and, although everyone is welcome to their own opinions, facts cannot be debated.”

We would agree, however, given our experiences with Byline Times and in particular, Nafeez Ahmed, we can point to his opinions, rather than facts in his engagement with us. This is not withstanding his previous attempt to garner a donation from us for a writing project he had developed in 2018.

Addendum – Crown Prosecution, the Independent Advisory Group on Hate Crime & Police Statements About Tell MAMA

“Since its establishment in 2012, Tell MAMA has been a strong ally of the CPS. We are delighted to call Tell MAMA a partner in our collective efforts to challenge hate crime. Whether as a provider of key services, a partner at our CPS External Consultative Group or as a supporter of newly-established hate crime services, Tell MAMA’s support and assistance has been invaluable.”

Statement from DCC Mark Hamilton, the National Policing Lead for Hate Crime:

“I would like to congratulate Tell MAMA on this milestone of reaching 10 years of monitoring anti-Muslim Hatred.

When we started to gather national data on hate crime in 2009 our biggest challenge was the unknown figure of under-reported crimes. We made steps to encourage reporting and improved data systems but we will always know that many victims do not want to report direct to the police for numerous reasons. This is why we were so keen to partner with Tell MAMA from its inception – to provide a platform for victims to seek support.

During that time Tell MAMA has been a vital partner and critical friend. Our data sharing arrangements, built on anonymous data exchanges are vital to help us see the full picture of anti-Muslim hatred and take steps to support communities, by preventing crime and responding to critical incidents. I have been particularly impressed that, whilst it obviously concentrates on Muslim victims, Tell MAMA shares our ideals of universal protections and have worked to support other communities who come under attack. “

Statement from the Chair of the Independent Advisory Group (IAG) on hate crime:

“The National Independent Advisory Group (IAG) on Hate Crime for Policing and Criminal Justice is made up of key organisations, academics and individuals (including Dr Neville Lawrence OBE) advising the NPCC and the APCC on policies and strategies to reduce Hate Crimes and Incidents. 

TellMAMA is a key member of the group. They are the only Hate Crime advocacy group we would work with given their commitment to opposing all forms of Hate Crime. Specifically, unlike other groups, they seek to reduce sectarian tensions and attacks with the Muslim community.

 

Since October 7 TellMAMA have been tireless in their work on the NPCC Gold Group. Specifically they ensured that police forces dealt equitably with Muslim communities and their concerns. Despite, at times, political pressures to further isolate the community. They identified quickly that Muslim community confidence in policing was damaged post October 7and they helped the NPCC develop strategies to move beyond this.

 

The pressures on the organisation and specifically on their CEO has been intense. Their ability to rise above this, continue working and maintain good relations with all key partners has been impactful and inspiring. I doubt the IAG’s ability to continue working without their presence.”

The post Parliamentary Privilege, Smears and Conspiracies Aimed at Tell MAMA appeared first on TELL MAMA.

We cannot, nor rightly should we be political, but we are extremely concerned about the targeting of female candidates who are suffering intimidation, harassment and attacks against their properties or offices.

We understand fully that many Muslims are deeply concerned about what is happening in Gaza and the longer that the conflict and violence continues against Gazan civilians, the greater the depth of feeling in Muslim communities.

However, intimidation, violent or harassing female candidates in this election, or any candidate in this election, is simply not on. Such actions do nothing for the cause of Palestine, nor do they help in trying to keep levels of fear within communities down.

We will be reaching out to female candidates who may need security advice and support in this election, or who may need the opportunity to be heard or just offload any feelings that they are having,

These elections are particularly tense, and we must all try and reduce tensions where we come across them.

The post Attacks & Threats Against Labour Female Candidates Are Deeply Worrying appeared first on TELL MAMA.

    (Tell MAMA has recorded a 335% increase in anti-Muslim hate cases, comparing the last 4 months to those in 2022/2023)

Contact: Iman Atta OBE

Tel: 0800 456 12 26

Email: info@tellmamauk.org

Embargo: None – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

As the leading hate crime monitoring agency on measuring anti-Muslim hate, Tell MAMA recorded over 2,000 anti-Muslim cases in the four months that followed Hamas’s deadly terror attacks on October 7. This is the largest recorded number of cases in four months, since Tell MAMA was founded in 2011.

Following the publication of our previous briefing on December 20, Tell MAMA can confirm that in total, of the 2,010 cases post October 7th 2023, 901 occurred offline with 1,109 online cases. In comparison with the same timescale a year earlier, this demonstrates a 335% increase in anti-Muslim hate cases.

(In stark contrast, between 7 October 2022 and 7 February 2023, Tell MAMA recorded 310 offline cases and 290 online cases, respectively.)

Consistent with our previous statistical bulletins, a geographic breakdown for offline cases is as follows:

Tell MAMA received 576 cases in London, 71 in the northwest, 27 in South Yorkshire, 39 in West Yorkshire, 33 in the East Midlands and 41 in the West Midlands. In other areas, like the Southeast, we recorded 26 and in the Southwest of England, we recorded 27 cases. The final geographic areas concern Scotland (21), Wales (9), and the Northeast (31).

Regarding the types of cases recorded, Tell MAMA received 535 cases of abusive behaviour, 77 threats, 83 assaults, 79 acts of vandalism, 69 cases of discrimination, 39 acts of hate speech and 19 examples of anti-Muslim literature. And in over 65% of these cases, women were the target of such attacks. This once again demonstrates that British Muslim women have borne the majority of the brunt of anti-Muslim hate during this time.

Like all Tell MAMA cases, the figures are subject to further revision and analysis. We ensure that evidence is corroborated where possible and that cases are reviewed.

 Statement by the Director of Tell MAMA – Iman Atta OBE

“We are deeply concerned about the impacts that the Israel and Gaza war are having on hate crimes and on social cohesion in the U.K. Hate crimes against British Muslims have substantially risen and our data clearly demonstrates this. This rise in anti-Muslim hate is unacceptable and we hope that political leaders speak out to send a clear message that anti-Muslim hate, like antisemitism, is unacceptable in our country. There really is no space for hate and more than ever, it is essential that we sustain, nurture and protect the bonds that we have between communities, so that we all feel valued and safe in our communities and in our country”.

Street Level Anti-Muslim Abuse

Examples of street-level abuse and harassment flagged with our service since our December bulletin include a case of a Muslim woman in Islamic clothing who described the assault she faced when on a bus in East London. During the assault one of the perpetrators made inflammatory statements to her including, “you Muslims are troublemakers”. A hate crime investigation is ongoing, as we continue to provide support and liaise with the Metropolitan police.

In another London-based case, a woman described how someone vandalized their car with a Nazi swastika.

Outside of London, street-level abuse included cases of Muslim women harassed in the street and called “terrorists”, a classic anti-Muslim trope.

Tell MAMA is also liaising with Durham Police over a written death threat to worshippers at a mosque in Darlington on the 29th of December. Furthermore, local Muslim and Palestinian communities spoke of their fear about rising levels of racism and hate locally when speaking to the Northern Echo newspaper.

Another case included the targeting of a Muslim family home after someone daubed “Hamas” on their front door.

Online Anti-Muslim Abuse

In the online world, comparisons continue to show a sharp rise in reported cases. For example, in January 2023 Tell MAMA received 18 online anti-Muslim hate cases. In January 2024, we received 70 cases.

Following our December bulletin, we continued to record cases on public transport. One case of note is the targeting of individuals expressing visible support for Palestine (be it wearing a badge or carrying a Palestinian flag) who faced abuse, including anti-Muslim slurs like being a “terrorist”.

Statements by far right sympathisers post October 7th have included comments around demonstrations for a Gaza ceasefire that have included, “f*** off” to a Muslim country and do so”.

We also note that X, (formerly known as Twitter), suspended an account that asked users “Who’d win in the upcoming civil war in Britain?” providing two options: “British” or “Muslim”; the post attracted various replies from individuals who expressed overt anti-Muslim sentiments, boasted Crusader imagery in their bios and who made racialised and extremist comments about Muslim communities.

Reference Points

Our previous bulletins can be found here, here, here, here, here, here and here. The December bulletins appear here.

We attach the same advice and safety tips below as with previous bulletins. We urge Muslim communities and mosques to keep them to hand.

Standing together, not apart

In the current climate, we continue to urge communities to stand together and practice compassion and care for each other and for themselves; to be upstanders and intervene safely to stop racism and hate crimes.

Safety advice

We urge mosques and Islamic centres to download our mosque safety advice resources and to consider our updated mosque security advice service.

We have safety advice in both English and Arabic – and urge Muslim communities to remain vigilant when out and about.

Our counselling service is accessible to anyone in need. If you would like to access the service or find out more about it, e-mail us at counselling@tellmamauk.org

ENDS

Notes

1) Tell MAMA is a national service supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate through casework, counselling, advocacy, legal and signposting support.

2) Tell MAMA was founded in 2012 and is supported by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

The post Greatest Rise in Reported Anti-Muslim Hate Cases to Tell MAMA since Oct 7th appeared first on TELL MAMA.

A 15-year-old boy set up an extremist right-wing group after spending a “concerning amount of time online” during the first national lockdown, a court has heard.

The teenager, from south Derbyshire, ran the openly racist channel, which had 38 subscribers, on the encrypted Telegram app from August 5 last year, when he was 14.

He vetted others into private chat groups where they talked about “doing something” against ethnic minorities, and discussed weapons, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

The boy downloaded a video of the Christchurch mosque attacks in New Zealand, in which gunman Brenton Tarrant shot and killed 51 people, and saved an image of a “leader board” of right-wing terrorists, including the number of people they had killed.

In one post, he wrote in capital letters: “I am planning a(n) attack against the Dover coast where every Muslim and refugee has been given safe(t)y if your interested tell me now.”

The youngster, who cannot be identified because of his age, pleaded guilty in June to possessing a terrorist publication called the Anarchy Cookbook Version 2000, disseminating a terrorist publication, and encouraging terrorism, in August and September last year.

A 16-year-old boy, from Kent, who was a member of the Telegram chat group, admitted disseminating a terrorist publication called the White Resistance Manual by sending an electronic link in August which allowed others to access it.

During a sentencing hearing on Monday, prosecutor Alistair Richardson said: “Both defendants’ messaging, and analysis of their devices, demonstrates a deep-rooted, extreme right-wing, racist ideology of an abhorrent, entrenched and concerning nature.”

The 15-year-old received a caution in September 2019 for sending pictures of bombs to a fellow school pupil over Snapchat.

He has previous convictions for hate crimes, after threatening to blow up a mosque on January 20 last year, and assaulting an emergency worker, by headbutting a police officer who came to his home.

The court heard he also made a string of phone calls to mosques across London and was twice referred to the Government’s Prevent de-radicalisation programme.

Mark Luckett, defending, said his client has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, adding: “It is clear at some point he had been manipulated.

“The offences occurred during the first national lockdown. (He) appears to have spent a concerning amount of time online during which has unfortunately led him down a very dark rabbit hole.”

The lawyer said the boy “lacks maturity”, his “primary focus was on computer games”, and he “didn’t understand what he was doing”.

He told the court the boy was “encouraged by the number of responses he has from other members of the group”, who referred to him as “the commander”.

Addressing Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, the 15-year-old said he wants to go to university to study veterinary medicine or zoology.

“I don’t hold those views and I don’t know how I got to hold those views. That’s not the person I am,” he said.

“I spent a lot of time in my bedroom doing nothing. I think I need to be a normal child again.”

The 16-year-old said: “I’m really sorry. I will never touch that aspect of belief in my life and I will stop anyone I can from even trying to touch it.”

Mr Goldspring adjourned sentencing to September 9, remanding the 15-year-old into youth custody and granting the older boy conditional bail.

The post Derbyshire Teenager Threatened to Plan Attack in Dover Against Muslim Refugees appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Four-fifths of Muslims in Scotland have directly experienced Islamophobia, according to a new report.

The Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Tackling Islamophobia organised the first public inquiry into Islamophobia in Scotland and gathered 447 responses.

Of those, 83% of Muslim respondents said they experienced Islamophobia directly with Muslim women more likely to encounter it than men.

The inquiry also found 75% of Muslims said Islamophobia is a regular or everyday issue in Scottish society with 78% believing it is getting worse.

That figure rises to 82% of Muslim respondents with a Glasgow postcode.

Individuals warned that verbal and physical assaults are intensifying, particularly on public transport.

Asked about where Islamophobia takes place, the street was the most common answer ahead of public spaces such as shops or restaurants and public transport, then at work and places of education.

Just under a third (31%) said they have experienced Islamophobia at work, 18% at school and 13% at college or university.

The report has made a series of recommendations including that the Scottish Government should work towards adopting a formal definition of Islamophobia to promote understanding, to encourage reporting and to indicate its commitment to addressing it.

It also calls for proactively adopting a “no tolerance” approach; supporting initiatives to recruit more police officers from within Scotland’s diverse communities; integrating an understanding of Islamophobia into compulsory components of the Scottish education curricula and teacher training education; and funding and supporting initiatives that educate Scots about the damage Islamophobia does to Scottish society.

CPG chairman and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “We pride ourselves on being a welcome and tolerant country, but it’s clear how much more work we have to do.

“There are people in Scotland who feel scared to leave their homes for fear of verbal of physical attack; are withdrawing from public services with devastating knock-on consequences on their health and education; and feel they are outsiders in their own country.

“This should shame us all.

“It is clear to me that we must redouble efforts to challenge and overcome hatred and prejudice.

“This requires politicians to come together on a cross-party basis, because the fight against hate is a fight for all of us.”

The report was authored by Professor Peter Hopkins of Newcastle University, who has been researching issues of racism and Islamophobia in Scotland for 20 years.

He said: “The evidence submitted to this inquiry makes it clear that Scotland has a very serious set of issues to address in relation to everyday Islamophobia and racism.

“Inquiry evidence included numerous references to verbal and physical abuse, attacks in and around mosques and religious buildings, and experiences of threatening behaviour on public transport.

“Almost four fifths of respondents were fearful of experiencing Islamophobia and this had real consequences for how they lived their lives.

“Islamophobia permeates all domains of Scottish society; it is not only restricted to one context. It threatens education, limits employment prospects, and impacts everyday issues including health, well-being and housing.

“It is time to address the issue of Scotland’s Islamophobia rather than denying its existence.

“The recommendations make it clear that we all sectors, agencies and departments need to make long-term changes to eradicate Islamophobia from Scottish society.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are committed to tackling hate crime and prejudice, including Islamophobia in all its forms and we will carefully consider this inquiry’s recommendations.

“New hate crime laws ensure our police and courts will have the powers they need so those who would deliberately target others due to their religion or other characteristics can be prosecuted.

“Later this year we will report on the progress of our Tackling Prejudice and Building Connected Communities Action Plan, which was published in 2017 and included actions on raising awareness of hate crime and encourage reporting.

“We will develop a new hate crime strategy later this year in consultation with stakeholders.”

The post Four-fifths of Muslims in Scotland ‘directly experienced Islamophobia’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

In a wide-ranging report published last year, the Joint Committee on Human Rights spoke of their “serious concern” that 25 per cent of Black voters in Britain are not registered to vote, relative to the 17 per cent average across the population. In evidence for the report, Lord Woolley described how hundreds of thousands of young Black and minority ethnic people still see our institutions, particularly the police, as against us and not for us,” who speak of a “rigged system” that do not see politics working for them.

There are significant disparities amongst ethnic groups when it comes to possessing a driver’s licence – as governmental data shows – 38 per cent of Asian people, 48 per cent of Black people, 41 per cent of mixed-race people, and 39 per cent of those categorised as ‘Other’ do not hold a full driving licence, compared to 76 per cent of white people. Women are also far less likely than men to have a driving licence.

Data from the 2011 Census revealed that Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller (GRT) communities are far less likely (66 per cent) to hold eligible passports, which evidence from grassroots groups like The Traveller Movement that community turnout is disproportionately low, owing to ongoing anti-GRT discrimination.

The Electoral Commission has previously warned that limiting accepting forms of ID to passports and photographic driving licences risks leaving almost one-quarter of the electorate without acceptable photographic ID to vote.

The Equalities and Human Rights Commission warned that voter ID trials in 2018 would have a “disproportionate impact on voters with protected characteristics, particularly older people, transgender people, people with disabilities and/or those from ethnic minority communities.”

For older generations, the Mirror newspaper revealed how one-third of those aged 70 and over do not possess a drivers licence (including 55 per cent of women), as just over one third (35 per cent) of the age group not owning a passport.

In consultation with the Electoral Commission, charities representing people with disabilities, GRT, LGBT+ groups, and those from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic groups, and those with no fixed address had general concerns about the broader ramifications of such an introduction. Barriers include difficulties in access services requiring proof of identity – including ease of access to the internet. In addition, individuals without a fixed address are less likely to possess non-photo forms of identification, like utility bills. A trans or non-binary person’s ID may not reflect their gender expression or identity (and as Stonewall notes, they face challenge from staff if the name on their ID differs from that of their Deed Poll).

For people with learning disabilities, it raised questions about the availability of accessible information to ensure they are informed about ID requirements and could access ID. Finally, the consultation feedback added that the  “cost, inconvenience and time required to obtain ID may be prohibitive for some people.”

A pilot scheme in Derby, for example, found a strong correlation between the proportion of each ward’s population from Asian backgrounds with those not issued with ballot papers. In contrast, in Pendle, another pilot area, it found a weak correlation between each ward’s population and those from Asian backgrounds arriving at a polling station either with no form of ID or the wrong ID.

The Electoral Commission noted that a 2018 pilot in Watford indicated “a strong relationship between the proportion of Asian residents and the number not issued with a ballot paper.” It did not, however, see such correlations in Woking and Watford a year later, cautioning against drawing broader conclusions from the data available.

Awareness was a big issue in the 2019 pilots, as white respondents (46 per cent) were far more likely to know about the need to bring ID to vote than those from Black, Asian, and minority ethnic groups (27 per cent).

Age proved a factor. Those aged over 55 were also far more likely to have heard something about the scheme (54 per cent) than those aged 18 to 34 (31 per cent).

Awareness about the need for ID in the 2019 pilots proved lower amongst first-time voters (73 per cent) compared to those who had voted before (87 per cent).

When asked about how easy it would be to show ID, those from Black, Asian, and minority backgrounds were (87 per cent) less likely than white electors (92 per cent).

Black, Asian, and minority ethnic households across the UK are more than twice likely to live in poverty compared to white counterparts, experiencing disproportionate job losses and pay cuts during the Covid-19 pandemic, demonstrating how the pandemic is exacerbating pre-existing inequalities and discrimination, which can make the fees for driving licences and passports harder to gain.

Regarding electoral fraud, there were just four convictions and two cautions in 2019, as almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of outcomes saw no further action. Just over one-third had a local resolution, as more than half of reported cases that year concerned campaigning offences.

In 2017, Almost half (165 cases) of all cases of alleged electoral fraud reported were a campaigns issue, a major of which concerned imprint offences (96 cases). Eight cautions and one conviction occurred that year.

In 2018, the police investigated 266 cases, resulting in four convictions, and two suspects faced police cautions.

Alternative plans, including automatic voter registration, which the Electoral Commission explored in 2017, should be looked at, reducing registration gaps and increasing democratic participation from marginalised and under-represented communities. The lessons of Windrush show the stark and unjust treatment faced, including access to public services due to a lack of formal ID.

Instead, we must protect fundamental rights when voting and cultivate an understanding of how best to meaningfully improve voter participation amongst marginalised groups, which should work in tandem with reducing existing structural barriers and inequalities in voting, including exploring the use of alternative schemes – like automatic voter registration.

The post Statement: Compulsory voter ID in future elections appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Members of the so-called Group S had allegedly hoarded firearms, axes and swords for the planned attacks, which prosecutors say were foiled by their arrests in February last year.

Federal prosecutors accuse 11 members of the group of seeking to “rock and ultimately overturn the state and social order of the Federal Republic of Germany”.

Their alleged targets included Muslims, political enemies and parliament.

Eight of the men are accused of founding a “terrorist organisation” in September 2019, led by two suspects identified only as Werner S and Tony E.

Their surnames were not released for privacy reasons.

Three others are accused of membership of the terrorist organisation, while the 12th defendant is charged with supporting the group.

The men largely communicated by phone and via messaging apps, but also met in person several times, prosecutors said.

The trial before the regional court in the south-western city of Stuttgart is expected to last several months.

Credit: PA News

Read more: Man Facing Jail After Admitting Planning Bomb Attack on South London Mosque

The post 12 on trial in Germany over ‘plot to attack Muslims and overthrow government’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The stall, which has been running for many years on weekends in East London and which has the motto – “Love for All – Hatred for None”, was approached by a man who snatched the free information leaflets which were being given out and took a very aggressive stance to stall-holders who were simply handing them out. The individual then warned the peaceful stall holders that if they came back, he would physically assault them and made violent threats.

Within about 10 minutes, the individual came back to the stall and targeted a 66-year-old member of the Ahmadiyya community who was volunteering at the stall. He took the leaflets off the man, poured out more hateful abuse and then started to mock the stall holders as ‘non-Muslims’. He also threw some of the leaflets in the face of one of the stall-holders with such force that it injured him. This was then followed by at attempted assault on an elderly man who was volunteering at the stall with the perpetrator then walking off and returning a third time to the stall.

By this time a small crowd had gathered around the Ahmadiyya stall. The perpetrator then berated Ahmadiyya Muslims saying that they ‘had no right to call themselves Muslims’. He also went onto say that Ahmadiyya Muslims “had no right to deliver this message” and that they should “stop delivering this message in the future”.

The post Ahmadiyya Muslims Targeted for Violent Islamophobic Hate in East London appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The ministry said 33 people were injured in the attacks, of which 60 were directed against mosques, some involving pig’s blood, the newspaper reported.

No data were available for comparisons since the ministry only began separately collecting data about anti-Islamic attacks – as opposed to anti-migrant attacks – in 2017.

Nearly all those responsible for the attacks were right-wing extremists, the data showed, according to the newspaper.

Aiman Mazyek, who heads the Central Council of Muslims, told the paper the number of attacks on Muslims and Muslim facilities was likely much higher given that many authorities were not yet monitoring anti-Islamic incidents specifically and victims often failed to make police reports.

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In an interview with the newspaper Telegraaf, Pete Hoekstra, a former Republican congressman for Michigan appointed by Trump as ambassador, apologised for the 2015 statement.

“The Islamic movement is now gotten to a point where they have put Europe into chaos,” Hoekstra had said at a November 2015 event sponsored by the right-wing David Horowitz Freedom Center gathering, which was recorded.

He added “…There are politicians that are being burned”.

Reflecting on his remarks, Hoekstra told the Telegraaf: “That one shocked me personally … While you know there have been other issues in other countries in Europe, you know that has never been the circumstances here. That was a wrong statement. That was just wrong.”

The interview emerged two days after he angered the Dutch press by refusing to answer questions about the remarks at a meeting with reporters. It coincides with a furore ignited by Trump himself who reportedly referred to various countries as “shithole countries”, although he later denied this..

Under Secretary of State Steve Goldstein told a briefing on Thursday the State Department “does not agree” with Hoekstra’s remarks about Muslim migrants in the Netherlands.

“The ambassador made mistakes in 2015, made comments that should not have been made. He recognises that,” Goldstein said. “We have made clear to the ambassador that he must move to get this behind him. And he definitely understands that. He feels great remorse.”

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told journalists in The Hague on Friday he too disagreed with the comments, but declined to elaborate.

In December, Hoekstra denied making the 2015 remarks, telling the Dutch television program Nieuwsuur it was “an incorrect statement … fake news.” Later in the same interview, he denied calling it fake news.

The post Trump’s envoy to Netherlands – Muslim comment was ‘just wrong’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

It read:

“Muslim subhuman filth. I intend to carry out a mass shooting at your mosque early in the new year. I will wipe you dirty rats from the earth. Your women will be burnt and your children will flee in terror. Enjoy the time you have left. 

It was signed off by the so-called “the Muslim Slayer”. The violent language and use of the term ‘Muslim slayer’ have appeared in letters sent to mosques in London, the United States, and possibly early last year. We highlighted this campaign of hate as did the Guardian and the Independent. But there is nothing to suggest at this time that it is the same person or the same campaign.

South Yorkshire Police are investigating the matter.

The post Threat to Shoot Mosque Attendees Listed in Christmas Card to Institute appeared first on TELL MAMA.

In an early policy pronouncement, Kurz, the future chancellor, said the new government would not hold a referendum on European Union membership.

Kurz, who is just 31, and Freedom Party (FPO) leader Heinz-Christian Strache announced their deal on Friday night, handing the far right a share of power for the third time in the Alpine republic, after more than a decade in opposition.

The FPO will take control of much of Austria’s security apparatus, in charge of the foreign, interior and defence ministries. The People’s Party (OVP) led by Kurz will control the powerful finance ministry as well the justice and agriculture portfolios.

“No one need be afraid,” Austrian news agency APA quoted the incoming interior minister and chairman of the FPO, Herbert Kickl, as saying. Kickl began his career as a speechwriter for the late Joerg Haider, who praised Adolf Hitler’s employment policies and led the party to its first mainstream electoral success.

Kurz will head the government as chancellor and the OVP will have eight ministries including his office. The FPO will have six, including Strache’s office as vice chancellor.

Kurz has repeatedly said his government will be pro-European despite including the FPO, which was founded by former Nazis and campaigned against Austria joining the bloc when it was put to a referendum in 1994.

The coalition plans to make referendums more widely available. Unlike France’s National Front, the FPO has backed away from calling for a referendum on leaving the European Union but Kurz obtained a guarantee that a Brexit-style vote will not be held.

“There will be no votes on our membership of international organisations, including the European Union,” Kurz told a joint news conference with Strache.

Kurz’s office will also take over some European departments from the FPO-run foreign ministry to give him greater control over EU matters.

The 180-page coalition agreement listed plans such as sinking taxes and cutting public spending through streamlined administration though it often did not say how such goals would be achieved.

Austria’s parliamentary election two months ago was dominated by Europe’s migration crisis, in which the affluent country took in a large number of asylum seekers.

Kurz’s party won with a hard line on immigration that often overlapped with the FPO’s, pledging to cut benefits for refugees and never to allow a repeat of 2015’s wave of arrivals. The FPO came third in the election with 26 percent of the vote.

LE PEN REJOICES

Kurz and Strache held their news conference outlining the agreement on the Kahlenberg, a hill on the outskirts of the capital famed as the site of the 1683 Battle of Vienna, which ended a siege of the city by Ottoman Turks.

While there was no specific mention of repelling that Muslim invasion, the symbolism is clear for two parties that have warned Muslim “parallel societies” are emerging in Austria.

Kurz, however, told reporters: “I did not take the decision on where the press conference should be held…. I would not read too much symbolism into it.”

Strache and Kurz oppose Turkish membership of the EU, a position that polls regularly show most Austrians support.

“We both recognise about 75 percent of ourselves in the programme,” said Strache, who accused Kurz during the campaign of stealing his party’s ideas. “That might have something to do with the fact that one or the other maybe took on the other’s policy points before the election.”

Anti-establishment parties have been winning over more voters in Europe, capitalising on dissatisfaction with mainstream politicians’ handling of the economy, security and immigration.

While other far-right parties have gained ground this year, entering parliament in Germany and making France’s presidential run-off, the FPO is going further by entering government and securing key ministries.

“It is excellent news for Europe,” Marine Le Pen said of the coalition deal at a Prague meeting of her National Front party’s European grouping, which includes the FPO. “These successes show that the nation states are the future, that the Europe of tomorrow is a Europe of the people.”

Both the OVP and FPO believe the EU should focus on fewer tasks, like securing its external borders, and hand more power back to member states.

When the FPO last entered government in 2000 other EU countries imposed sanctions on Vienna in protest. There is unlikely to be a similar outcry this time, given the rise of anti-establishment parties across the continent.

The post Austrian conservatives bring far right into government appeared first on TELL MAMA.

A party congress chose Alexander Gauland – who once defended an AfD member who had said history should be rewritten to focus on German victims of World War Two – to return to the post he had held until 2015.

As members deliberated, thousands of anti-AfD protesters marched outside carrying placards reading “Hanover against Nazis” and “Stand up to racism”.

Earlier, riot police fired water cannon at dozens of protesters who blocked a road leading to the congress, underlining the divisive impact the party has had since it entered the Bundestag lower house for the first time in a Sept. 24 election.

The party’s incumbent leader Jorg Meuthen – seen as a relative moderate in the movement – won enough votes to keep his post.

But in a vote that dragged into the evening, he was joined as co-leader by Gauland, who ran for the post at the last minute after another candidate seen as a moderate, Georg Pazderski, failed to win enough votes.

Before the leadership vote, Meuthen praised the party often beset by internal strife for showing unity after two senior members quit in September in protest against what they saw as an unstoppable populist streak.

“There are people in this country who don’t only say ‘We can do this’ but who actually manage to do something,” Meuthen told delegates, putting a new twist on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s “Wir schaffen das” (We can do it) message to those who doubted Germany can deal with a record influx of migrants in 2015.

VOTES NEXT YEAR

As thousands of protesters marched peacefully outside, AfD delegates watched a short film that painted a gloomy picture of Europe’s largest economy being overrun by beggars, stone-throwers and Muslims.

Founded in 2013 as a vehicle to oppose euro zone bailouts, the AfD was polling at around 3 percent nationally two years ago on the eve of the refugee crisis.

The arrival of more than 1.6 million people seeking asylum in the two years to the end of 2016 has helped it morph into an anti-immigrant party that now has seats in 14 of Germany’s 16 regional parliament.

Polls suggest it will win seats in next year’s regional elections in the southern state of Bavaria and the western region of Hesse, which would give it a foothold in all of Germany’s state parliaments.

Gauland replaces Frauke Petry, who quit to become an independent member of parliament.

Her sudden departure two days after the AfD became the first far-right party to win seats in the Bundestag since the 1950s exposed rifts over whether the party should ditch rhetoric including statements saying Islam was not compatible with the German constitution.

The post Germany’s far-right AfD chooses nationalist as co-leader appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The fact that marchers flew in from various parts of Europe – including Jayda Fransen who was pictured next to Marian Lukasik, the London based Britain First activist. Organised by a group called the National Radical Camp, many in the demonstration suggested to news agencies that they were not part of far-right groups, though the nationalistic themes promoted by far-right groups resonated with them. It was also co-organised by a Polish youth group called ‘All-Polish Youth’, with social media accounts of sympathisers of both groups promoting rabidly antisemitic and anti-Muslim sentiments. The banners that were carried during the organisation also promote a view that Jews, migrants and Muslims, for example, would not be welcome in a Poland shaped by such polarising and extreme groups.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, one of the handful of counter-protestors, who happened to be Jewish said,

“We are really in fear”

The comment was made as police ringed the 30 or so counter protestors for their own safety.

The National Radical Camp has also held events to mark a pogrom against Jews in 1936, showing roots based in Nazi ideology and one of their recent banners that they unfurled over a bridge in Warsaw read,

“Pray for Islamic Holocaust”

We simply cannot sit back and allow the history and future of Poland to be reshaped by those who hate and in a country where over 3 million Jews and Roma were murdered in concentration camps. Men and women in Poland continue to state that they were not responsible for the annihilation of Polish Jewry and blame the Holocaust solely on the Germans. The reality is that many in Poland also colluded and kept the Nazi war machinery working, including the murder of Jews and Roma. Now is the time to stand up and make clear that never again will far-right extremism, Nazi ideology or hatred against Jews and other communities, take root in this proud nation. We all must do what we can to ensure that the forces of light win over the forces of darkness – if not only for the safety and security of Europe but for the memory of those who are not with us today and who were murdered in the death camps in Poland.

The post Far-Right Polish March Organised by Antisemitic & Anti-Muslim Group Draws in Tens of Thousands in Warsaw appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The results provide for optimism and reassurance as the poll suggests that the public are being more open and receptive to others and there is a British sense of optimism that is very much part of the country, even though on bleak grey days, we as Brits certainly know how to complain.

However, there is also a worrying thread which runs through the poll in relation to how the public perceive Islam and Muslims. The poll indicates that attitudes have become more hostile to both and with just 10% of the public feeling that Muslims are similar to themselves. This is a stark and deeply worrying statistic.

Worst still, the poll shows that 52% of those who answered the 140 questions agree that Islam poses a threat to the West and 42% highlight a growing suspicion of Muslims, after the recent terrorist attacks. Going on, nearly 1 in 4 of the respondents believe that Islam is a dangerous religion which incites violence and older subsets of respondents demonstrated a receptiveness to Islamophobic views and discourse.

These are stark responses and show a divide that is clearly opening up between wider communities and British Muslim communities.

Communities Coming Together After Terrorist Attacks

As suggested earlier, there were some points for optimism. The results were heartening with 4 in 5 respondents responding positively to communities standing together and being seen to be visibly responsive immediately after terrorist attacks. A similar figure also could distinguish the actions of terrorists from all Muslims and more positively still, 1 in 2 of the respondents had noted that they had come across material where Muslims were seen to speak out against terrorist attacks. The latter makes a change from the narrative which seemed to be circulating for many years, which suggested that Muslims were not seen to be speaking out against extremism and terrorism and thereby passively accepting extremist rhetoric.

The report, however, raises some red flags. Members of the public seem to be tiring of post terrorist scenarios where communities come together and 2 in 3 respondents wanted to see Muslims hold demonstrations and marches against terrorism. In other words, they wanted to see a more forward-facing posture from Muslims against terrorism, rather than the passive cohesive style approach now taken after such major national incidents.

Furthermore, the poll also showed a hardening attitude to Muslims which should be a major wake-up call for them. Whilst we know that many British Muslims have gone out of their way to speak up against extremism and terrorism and to reach out to others, this work needs to be ramped up, better organised and much more vocal in many ways.

Knowing Muslims

The Populus poll for Hope Not Hate also highlights the fact that 1 in 2 white respondents did not have deeper links and associations with Muslims signifying deeper community divides, whilst they over-estimated the population of Muslims in the UK.

There has also been a hardening of attitudes around human rights with calls by respondents for a relaxation in the human rights protections of those suspected of terrorism. The majority of respondents also preferred stronger laws and more authoritarian solutions which clamped down on issues such as extremism and terrorism, possibly showing that the patience of the public is being stretched by terrorist attacks. Also, 3 in 4 respondents believed that integration was best assisted by Muslims speaking English and with closer monitoring and Muslim faith schools in particular.

These results are therefore, both heartening but also worrying. They show a growing divide between the wider public and British Muslim communities and with the divides becoming stark, as highlighted through this report. If we are to ensure that community tensions, extremism and marginalisation are to be tackled in our country, we have to find ways which address the concerns of the wider public, whilst also ensuring that British Muslims feel that they have a future and a space in the United Kingdom. We firmly believe that this country provides the best opportunities in Europe to British Muslims and that Muslims have the freedom to practice and be who they are in the UK. However, it is also clear that more needs to be done to bridge divides, challenge extremism and be seen to stand up for the safety, security and rights of each other. Last but not least, there is one clear result from this poll. If we don’t collectively make a change, there is a slippery slope ahead which does not bode well.

The post Hope Not Hate’s Poll Shows a Deepening Mistrust of Muslims appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Though the guide has a focus on anti-Muslim hatred and antisemitism, its advice can, and should, be used by anybody who has suffered any kind of hate crime, which can occur due to race, religion, sexuality, age, disability, gender or any other characteristic.

Tell MAMA, the CST and many other agencies have repeatedly stated, that as levels of reported hate crime continues to grow in the UK, collaborative efforts to educate and inform those affected by it are increasingly important.

Introductory statements within the guide include:

Iman Atta OBE, Director Tell MAMA

We have seen a rise over the last five years in the reporting of anti-Muslim hatred. Tell MAMA has been at the vanguard of supporting victims of anti-Muslim hatred, whilst collecting evidence and mapping, monitoring and measuring incidents across the United Kingdom. Through partnership work in the production of materials such as this guide, we hope that we can collectively make it easier for people to report, take charge and feel confident when they report hate incidents. We stand together with other communities in working to counter hatred, intolerance and bigotry.

David S Delew, Chief Executive, CST

Despite our best efforts to combat all forms of hate crime and hate incidents, levels of antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred in the UK are unfortunately on the rise. CST works hard to protect, support and inform victims of antisemitism. This collaborative guide will be an important tool for all those affected by hate crime in understanding their rights, and how to navigate the complicated criminal justice system.

Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, Communities Secretary:

Hate crime against any community is entirely unacceptable. Everyone in this country has a right to live without fear of abuse or attack and we must, as a nation, firmly condemn hate crimes and all other forms of bigotry. It is vital that victims have the confidence to report crimes to the Police. This Government is committed to making sure that those who perpetuate hate are subject to the full force of the law – but we cannot do this alone. This guide is an example of how we can work together to stamp out hate crime and support victims in bringing their cases forward so that justice can be served.

Alison Saunders CB, Director of Public Prosecutions, Crown Prosecution Service:

We want communities and individuals to have the confidence to come forward and report these offences, no matter how minor they may appear. This guide is an important way of ensuring that victims can make informed decisions about the most appropriate course of action, taking account of their particular personal circumstances. Hate crime divides communities and the CPS has an absolute commitment to bring perpetrators to justice and support victims and witnessed through the criminal justice system.

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We know that as tensions rise in the Al Haram Al Sharif, (also known as the Temple Mount), there is the potential for Jewish faith institutions or cultural centres to be targeted for graffiti or broken windows or for online anti-Semitic comments. Jewish communities, through the work of the Community Security Trust, have demonstrated that there are links between tensions in the Middle East and a rise in attacks against British Jews. This is unacceptable and everyone who cares about the future of their children and their communities, should feel a revulsion that this is the case. We are therefore re-asserting the fact that the best of Islam and Muslims are based on campaigning for social justice and for the rights of others and at this time, let us re-enforce the fact that British Jews are not responsible for the actions of the Government of Israel and that they have no way of influencing actions in the region at this time. They deserve to live their lives free from fear, intimidation and harassment. They are also part of our local, regional and national family – a family that is based on the belief that what matters – are people and their dignity and care.

It is also clear that the killings of 2 Israeli policemen in the Old City in Jerusalem has led to this position. The trigger factor and the killings of 2 people on duty cannot and should not be regarded as anything other than murder and the pouring of fuel on the emotions of Jews and Muslims, when the Al Haram Al Sharif and Temple Mount mean so much to local Muslims and Jews.

Furthermore, such incidents do not mean that the Government of Israel can be given a free pass for what is an occupation that has gone on for decades and that impacts on Palestinian lives through checkpoints, barriers, reduction of employment opportunities, travel restrictions and the killings of many Palestinians under circumstances that leave questions for their families which are not addressed. Many are young people whose lives have been cut short in violent circumstances. Yet, we also must acknowledge that Israeli Jews have been the subject of terrorism, suicide, rocket and vehicle attacks that have created enormous fear within a population which feels embattled, just as the Palestinians feel and voice on a daily basis. We therefore cannot accept and will not accept the killings of innocents on both sides which makes no-one safe in the region. Justification for any group that kills innocents in the region for political reasons, irrespective of which faith or community they come from, is justification for terrorism and that is never acceptable. Any group in the UK voicing such support for any groups which back the political killings of innocent men and women going about their lives and duties in Israel or Palestine, should be highlighted in their support for terrorism. Let us call it what it is.

That said, British Jews cannot and should not be seen as anything other than friends, citizens, neighbours and partners for a better society in our country, the UK. Whilst Muslims and Jews may have differences of opinions on Israel and Palestine, they can be conducted in a manner of civility and with a belief that we should stand up for each other’s rights if they are undermined in the UK. So we urge those reading this post, that we do all we can to send messages of trust and re-assurance to each other at this time. We cannot be anything other than agents of positive change, caring for our Jewish brothers and sisters at this time in our country.

The post The Al Haram Al Sharif Tensions Must Not Spill into the UK appeared first on TELL MAMA.

We understand that the letters threaten demonstrations outside mosques and are signed off using people’s names. This is a malicious campaign that we believe, is simply meant to cause fear.

We are aware of the letters, as are partners that work with us. We wanted to re-assure mosques that when we come across such material, and when it is reported to us, we get in touch with police partners and inform them of such activities. We can only do so if people report into us at Tell MAMA and therefore we urge Muslim communities to report in any material that may be anti-Muslim in nature or which targets mosques and Islamic institutions.

We cannot have any community intimidated in our country whose values are based on pluralism and on the rule of law. Rest assured that we within Tell MAMA will work with statutory, police and Government partners to ensure the safety of Muslim communities, whilst also ensuring that we stand together with all communities in our desire to tackle hatred, prejudice and intolerance.

The post Letters Being Sent to Mosques – Community Re-Assurance appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The Holocaust is a sensitive topic for many Muslims because Jewish survivors settled in British mandate Palestine, on land which later became the state of Israel.

The relevance of linking the state of Israel to the Holocaust and how it is perceived within Muslim communities was perverse to say the least. Holocaust education and awareness is not linked to developments in the Middle East and the assumption completely disregards the diversity of Muslim communities and the large numbers of Muslims who want to know more about the Holocaust. Indeed, the article cites German Muslim girls travelling to Poland to find out more about the Holocaust.

Furthermore, the assumption that all Muslims cannot somehow empathise and feel the pain of the Holocaust in whatever form that takes, suggests that the writer thinks that all Muslims think the same. Additionally, many Muslims can distinguish between the practices of the Government of Israel and the implementation of policies regarding the Occupied Territories and Jewish communities globally. Linking political decisions made in Israel and Palestine to the genocide of Jews in Europe is frankly, sickening. Wherever such blatant linkages are made, they must be challenged and we therefore welcome the quick action of Muslim and Jewish groups and in particular that of the Board of Deputies, which we fully supported.

The BBC is globally seen as a respected news source. The last thing we need is ‘fake news’ creeping into a publicly funded body which promotes divisions between Muslims and Jews.

The post The BBC Should Not Be Promoting ‘Fake News’ About Muslims and Jews appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Colleagues in Tell MAMA can confirm that Merseyside police are aware of this video. We have spoken to the force in question and we wanted to re-assure community members that the matter is with the relevant force and being reviewed.

We also understand that Facebook has removed the video in question and we thank them for the swift action taken.

Update: Merseyside Police have confirmed that arrest warrants have been issued for suspects in relation to the posting of two anti-Muslim videos on Facebook following the London terror attacks.  

The post Update: Merseyside Police Aware of Online Video Threatening Muslims appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The reality is that 9/11 was an attack by Al-Qaeda on all Americans, whether they were Christian, Muslim, Sikh or of no faith. Islamist extremists, whether in Afghanistan, Pakistan or within Europe, do not care who they kill or maim and their aim is to attack the very fabric of societies and to create division and death, whist setting communities against each other. Each and every person who lost their life in the 9/11 attack should be remembered for who they were and for the joy and value they brought to their loved ones and to colleagues and communities. Additionally, Muslims were also killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks who were going about their daily lives as settled U.S citizens.

We also wanted to highlight the wonderful e-mail that we received from the U.S. resident showing that many within the country abhor those who seek to cause division. This is a summary of their text:

“It’s a very misleading billboard in North Carolina posted by the North Carolina Pastors network and it highlights 19 Muslim immigrants who killed “2977 Americans on 9/11″ in order to support Trumps Muslim ban. It is clearly against Muslims. I have a son traveling cross country right now with his Muslim friend and they are heading to North Carolina. It makes me sick to my stomach a young Muslim American man has to see this. It makes me sick knowing his beautiful mom fears for his life in America. There needs to be a way this billboard comes down.”

The post North Carolina Pastors Network Sponsors Anti-Muslim Billboards in U.S. appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The comments from members of the public, particularly young people, should raise a smile and highlight the pointlessness of the actions of someone with clearly bigoted views, enough so, that he felt that he needed to act on them.

The comments should therefore be a reminder that bigots who carry out such actions are devoid of reality and their actions are seen by the wider public, as pathetic.

Bacon isn't kryptonite for Muslims https://t.co/uoAfcOuW0Y

— Raji Sandhu (@Miss_Raji) April 26, 2017

Man thought bacon would repel Muslims like holy water does with sins https://t.co/ZGZoVREIaY

— Monzo (@MounirMikhael) April 26, 2017

Wow probably the same people who wouldn't feed a homeless person. Would rather waste food being hateful, than feed someone who need it! https://t.co/oCVHqlSwC8

— Go Getter (@180rae) April 26, 2017

Lol as if I'm not going to take it off and just wash my hands. https://t.co/EfyQAyT5VW

— hoemad (@hoaomoaod) April 26, 2017

Blundering in his plan to foil the Muslim, Chad fails to sabotage the more commonly used driver door and instead resolves on the left rear https://t.co/EhlRA8S72D

— NaziPunch MemeStash (@lurktheotherway) April 26, 2017

Do people just always have bacon readily available for when they spot a Muslim? https://t.co/353u3V8cU8

— abdelali (@3lashalii) April 26, 2017

Oh no, how will he open the car door now his hand gonna burn https://t.co/AhctWkWUh3

— rawan (@msmvrvel) April 26, 2017

New logic: Bacon to Muslims is like garlic to vampires & kryptonite to Superman. https://t.co/lJdf9FqwgC

— Sam (@Samhassounn) April 26, 2017

The post Comments by Members of Public on Bacon on Car Handle Should Raise a Smile appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Citing integration and security risks, his focus on the niqab is a cheap ploy to play on the fears of some within communities, as an easy way to win votes.

The reality is that the number of women who wear the niqab in the United Kingdom is unknown and may well be very small. Yet, at a time when the nation needs to heal divides, such policy making is unwelcome and highly divisive. Furthermore, in the end, is it the place of the State or Government or political parties, to judge what a woman can and can’t wear? The answer to that is simply, no.

Our data and our information has also shown time and time again, women who wear the niqab or the face veil, suffer more aggressive anti-Muslim hate incidents and more incidents. Surely, now is the time to stop focussing on these women and try and ensure that we bring people and communities together, rather than building up grievances?

We believe that now is the time to steer away from the politics of what women wear and focus on the policies and principles that can provide opportunities to communities. In the end, what someone wears is their choice. If through their choice, they self-limit their futures then that is something that they have decided for themselves. Ensuring that there are employment opportunities, housing and access to goods and services are where the real policy battles are to be had. Let us stick to those areas which require focus and attention.

The post Legislating for What Women Wear Is Ludicrous. Let’s Stick to Core Issues – UKIP appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Five years on, young activists supporting Marine Le Pen’s election bid say they no longer have anything to hide, as she cruises to an expected first place showing in the first round next month.

“It just provides for lively discussions,” said 21-year-old economics student Corentin Corcelette, who, far from keeping his views secret, says he talks about the rollercoaster presidential election with friends of all political persuasions on campus.

Sitting in the same car as they drove around Lyon to put up “Marine President” posters, 20-year old biology student Remi Berthoux was also happy to give a reporter his name. He joined the FN two years ago, he said proudly, “to defend France’s values”.

Once consigned mainly to the shadows, young National Front supporters have come out into the open, as voters their age have lined up behind Le Pen. Daily polls by firm Ifop consistently show her earning nearly a third of the youth vote in the first round, easily beating any of her opponents, although she is still forecast to lose in a second-round run-off in May.

She fares better among voters under 25 than she does among the population at large, often by a margin as high as 7 percentage points. That is a big reversal from her first bid for the presidency five years ago, when her 15 percent share of the youth vote was around 3 points below her overall tally.

DETOXIFYING BRAND

Winning over young voters has been an achievement for Le Pen’s campaign to detoxify the National Front brand.

In the past, when the Front’s FNJ youth wing put up posters, “they would do so in the middle of the night,” said Sylvain Crepon, a researcher at the University of Tours who studies the French far right.

“They carried baseball bats to protect themselves and would often be with skinheads,” he said. “Now they can do it in broad daylight, which shows people have grown more accustomed to the FN. It’s become more acceptable.”  

There was not a baseball bat or skinhead in sight on the early evening last month when a group of nine clean-cut young men including Corcelette and Berthoux put up Le Pen posters in the streets of Lyon and on its university campus.

“We absolutely don’t see ourselves as far right, but as patriots who are disappointed with other parties,” said David Sedoff, a 26-year old warehouse worker.

Demographics are a major difference between the far right surge on the European continent and last year’s rise of populists in Britain and the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump and the campaign to withdraw Britain from the EU both lost badly among young voters, on their way to victories won with overwhelming support from pensioners.

For Le Pen, the demographics are almost exactly reversed. She performs well among all categories of younger voters: those under 25, under 35 and under 45. Her worst results are among pensioners: the over 65’s are only age group where she consistently trails her rivals in polling for the first round.

Unlike their Anglo-Saxon cousins, continental populist politicians like Le Pen, the Netherlands’ Geert Wilders and Italy’s Beppe Grillo have turned young voters into their key constituencies. They feed on the resentment of a generation with little seeming hope of matching its parents’ standard of living.

In France, nearly a quarter of workers under 25 are unemployed, compared to a national jobless rate of about 10 percent, according to last year’s official statistics.

And those young people lucky enough to find jobs often work under far less generous conditions than previous generations. More than half of workers 24 and under have only temporary contracts or agency positions which come with few guarantees or rights, compared to 85 percent of French workers who enjoy full time contracts with strong worker protections.

While Le Pen’s theme of dramatic change appeals to many young voters, their grandparents benefit from the generous pensions of the status quo and worry that her plan to abandon the EU and its euro common currency would hurt their savings.

Young voters are also less likely to associate the National Front with its founder, Marine Le Pen’s father Jean-Marie Le Pen, who topped out at 17.8 percent of the vote in his repeated quests for the presidency and never crossed into the mainstream.

He was convicted repeatedly for inciting racial hatred before his daughter banned him from the party.

MAKEOVER

Since then, Marine Le Pen has carefully reconstructed the party’s image and distanced herself from her father. She is referred to as “Marine” — without her surname — on her official campaign website and posters, and eschews the FN’s torch symbol for a new logo of a blue rose.

She tends to emphasise economic issues, portraying the FN as guardians of working class voters left behind in the decade since the global financial crisis, and blaming the EU in general and the euro in particular for making France less competitive.

But hostility towards immigration and suspicion of Islam are still central tenets for the party. In a country that has Europe’s biggest Muslim minority and has been hit by a succession of Islamist militant attacks in the past two years, the FN’s xenophobia is no longer the barrier to attracting young voters that it once was.

The FNJ youth movement’s website proudly declares: “100 percent National Front! Zero percent migrants!”

“Europe, immigration, I’m against all that,” said Eric Barbosa, a 20 year-old baker, at a meeting of the FNJ’s Paris branch.

Its relatively recent arrival as a successful election force also gives the National Front an advantage over traditional parties in attracting young activists seeking political careers.

It offers more opportunities for ambitious youth to make their mark than the main post-war parties of the centre-left and centre-right, where vacancies for posts are blocked by older incumbents and veterans.

FN candidates in local and regional elections are routinely the youngest in the field, often in their 20s or early 30s.

That means a quick path into frontline politics for people like 23-year-old Victor Birra, a business student who joined the FNJ youth movement five years ago and is now its head in the Lyon region.

He describes the youth movement as the “academy for FN cadres”, comparing it to the grand public institutes that traditionally produce many of France’s politicians.

But future ambitions depend first on getting out the vote for Le Pen, he said. “We’re fighting to win the presidentials.”

The post No more baseball bats – National Front no longer taboo for French youth appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Passengers said on social media that when they boarded a subway car on Saturday night they found someone had drawn messages in black marker targeting Jews and Muslims and praising Adolf Hitler, the German leader responsible for the Holocaust.

“The train was silent as everyone stared at each other, uncomfortable and unsure what to do,” attorney Gregory Locke wrote later in a Facebook post.

Then, he added, “One guy got up and said, ‘Hand sanitizer gets rid of Sharpie. We need alcohol.’ He found some tissues and got to work.”

The Nazi symbolism was gone within two minutes, he added.

Locke’s Facebook post had been shared more than 342,000 times as of Sunday afternoon.

The clean-up was not a planned event but an example of spontaneous unity in a metropolis that prides itself on diversity, passengers said.

Those who joined the effort were “satisfied in just doing the right thing,” another of them, chef Jared Nied, told CNN.

The number of hate and bias incidents reported across the United States jumped in the days immediately after President Donald Trump’s election victory in November.

Last month, more than a dozen U.S. Jewish community centers were also targeted in three waves of telephone bomb threats, forcing evacuations though the threats were later determined to be hoaxes.

The subway incident was reported on Sunday to the New York Police Department, which is investigating it as a possible hate crime, Sgt. Jessica McRorie said.

The clean-up happened on a subway train near the Lincoln Center arts complex on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, McRorie said.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday a similar incident happened in recent days, when a passenger on a different train spotted a swastika scrawled over an image of an American flag. The passenger, whom Cuomo did not name, used a marker to turn the symbol into a box with four quadrants and wrote in the letters L-O-V-E.

“This is what New Yorkers do – we turn hate into love,” Cuomo wrote on Twitter.

The post New Yorkers Scrub Off Neo-Nazi Hate Against Muslims and Jews appeared first on TELL MAMA.

In the United States, President Donald Trump has managed to be the lightning rod that has brought Muslims and Jews together, but we know that in the UK, unchecked antisemitism continues, even when we see acts of interfaith solidarity. It exists in overt and covert forms. And is seen through the inability to separate advocacy for Palestine from antisemitic canard. Also, the glib use of ‘Zionist’ against members of Jewish communities without any real knowledge of their opinions.

In fact, just yesterday, a mosque council had produced an openly antisemitic article thinking that free speech and opinion shields criticism. It does not. And we’ve also been targeted by some groups who use this toxic rhetoric to bash Jewish communities under the guise of ‘anti-Zionism’. As if this gives them free reign to smear Jewish communities.

We must not allow this toxic rhetoric to corrode community cohesion. For too long, the issue of Palestine has been exploited by some to intimidate, abuse, and smear groups who believe in dialogue and mutuality.

Jews and Muslims can, should, and must always advocate for the rights and dignity of each community.

In the age of Trump, communities must energise to stand with Jewish counterparts and colleagues, defend Jewish communities and their security and space without hesitation. Time and time again, Jewish communities have done this for Muslims. For example, after the murder of Lee Rigby in May 2013, the Bravenese Muslim centre was torched and local Jewish communities in Muswell Hill came to their aid. Just a few days ago, US based Jews gave shelter to Muslims whose mosque was burnt down. This should inspire more frequent acts of interfaith action.

It also means being bold. Challenging those who attempt to undermine such relations. Their negativity and their divisions on the basis of advocating for Palestine – are a ruse. The last thing that Palestinians need are antisemites, separationists and tin-pot campaigners supporting their cause and in doing so, delegitimsing it further. Frankly, the Palestinians deserve better than such advocates.

The post Trump Has Brought Jews & Muslims Together in the US. In the UK We Must be Bold appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Court documents identified the gunman in the attack on Sunday evening prayers as Alexandre Bissonnette. He was also charged with five counts of attempted murder, according to court papers.

Among the six men killed were a butcher, a university professor, a pharmacist and an accountant, according to police and Canadian media.

Police declined to discuss possible motives for the shooting at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec.

“They consider this a lone wolf situation,” the source said.

In Washington, U.S. government security experts were leaning to the view that the gunman most likely was motivated by hatred for Muslims, a U.S. government source familiar with official reporting said.

A man of Moroccan descent who had also been arrested was now considered a witness, although his nationality was not immediately known, a source familiar with the situation said.

Trudeau, who has made a point of welcoming refugees and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries, told parliament in Ottawa: “Make no mistake, this was a terrorist attack.”

He added a personal message to Canada’s 1 million Muslims:

“Know that we value you. You enrich our shared country in immeasurable ways. It is your home. Last night’s horrible crime against the Muslim community was an act of terror committed against Canada and against all Canadians. We will grieve with you. We will defend you. We will love you. And we will stand with you.”

Sombre parliamentarians observed a moment of silence. Trudeau was scheduled to visit Quebec City later on Monday.

The attack was out of character for Quebec City, a city of just over 500,000 which reported just two murders in all of 2015. Mass shootings are rare in Canada, where gun control laws are stricter than in the United States.

In addition to the six killed, five people were critically injured and 12 were treated for minor injuries, a spokeswoman for the Quebec City University Hospital said.

Federal Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told reporters in Ottawa there was no change to “the national terrorism threat level” from medium because “there is no information known to the government of Canada that would lead to a change at this time.”

U.S. President Donald Trump called Trudeau to express his condolences “and offered to provide any assistance as needed,” said Trudeau spokesman Cameron Ahmad.

Over the weekend, Trudeau said Canada would welcome refugees, his response to an executive order by Trump on Friday to halt the U.S. refugee programme and to temporarily bar citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

Trump’s action, which the president said was “not about religion – this is about terror and keeping our country safe,”  was widely condemned in the United States and abroad as targeting Muslims.

On Monday, White House spokesman Sean Spicer told reporters that the Quebec shooting was “a terrible reminder of why we must remain vigilant, and why the president is taking steps to be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to our nation’s safety and security.”

People bring flowers at the scene of a fatal shooting at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre in Quebec City, Canada January 30, 2017. REUTERS/Mathieu Belanger

FATHER OF FOUR KILLED

A father of four, the owner of a halal butcher near the mosque, was among those killed, said Pamela Sakinah El-hayet, a friend of one of the people at the mosque.

The mosque concierge was killed, as was Ahmed Youness, a 21-year-old student, El-hayet told Reuters. One of El-hayet’s friends, Youness’ roommate, was in the mosque at the time of the shooting. He was unharmed, she said, but in total shock.

Ali Assafiri, a student at Université Laval, said he had been running late for the evening prayers at the mosque, near the university in the Quebec City area. When he arrived, the mosque had been transformed by police into a crime scene.

“Everyone was in shock,” Assafiri said by phone. “It was chaos.”

Université Laval is the oldest French-language university in North America, with 42,500 students.

Vigils were planned for Montreal and Quebec City, the provincial capital, as well as in Edmonton. There was an outpouring of support for the mosque on social media.

“Last night’s shooting, targeting people of faith during their worship and prayer, is a deplorable attack on all Canadians and our most deeply-held values,” said Joe Gunn, executive director of Citizens for Public Justice, a group of Canadian Christians, churches and other religious congregations.

Incidents of Islamophobia have increased in Quebec in recent years. The face-covering, or niqab, became an issue in the 2015 Canadian federal election, especially in Quebec, where the majority of the population supported a ban on it at citizenship ceremonies.

The post Quebec mosque suspect charged with murdering six people – court appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Earlier, a witness told Reuters that up to three gunmen fired on about 40 people inside the Quebec City Islamic Cultural Centre. Police put up a security perimeter around the mosque and declined to comment to reporters about the incident.

“Why is this happening here? This is barbaric,” said the mosque’s president, Mohamed Yangui.

In June 2016, a pig’s head was left on the doorstep of the cultural centre.

Yangui, who was not inside the mosque when the shooting occurred, said he got frantic calls from people at evening prayers. He did not know how many were injured, saying they had been taken to different hospitals across Quebec City.

Incidents of Islamophobia increased in Quebec in recent years amid a political debate over banning the niqab, or Muslim face covering. In 2013, police investigated after a mosque in the Saguenay region of Quebec was splattered with what was believed to be pig blood.

In the neighbouring province of Ontario, a mosque was set on fire in 2015, a day after an attack by gunmen and suicide bombers in Paris.

The post Five dead in Quebec City mosque shooting – mosque president appeared first on TELL MAMA.

What is clear is that Trump’s future is based on being a President for all communities and he cannot be seen to be partisan and divisive, which is easy to say, giving his penchant for 140 characters on Twitter and statements that have reduced trust in him from some minority groups, whilst lambasting mainstream press agencies in the US. His recent outburst at CNN for promoting ‘fake news’ left many aghast and showed a combative approach that does not instil and build confidence on a wider level. The more Trump is seen to be aggressive on camera, the greater the polarisation of opinions about him, not only in the US, but across the globe. This is not good for national stability and instability means that community tensions will come out to the foreground.

Nor can we simply write off Trump as someone who simply tapped into disaffection to win the Presidency. His ability to ‘speak to’ and play on the fears of marginalised white (and other) communities in the US, means that he has a base and an audience which he can rally when he wants and particularly when Trump can’t get his own way.

The next four years will certainly be turbulent, yet they will also be exciting. There is, however, one thing we can be certain of. America will continue to be divided along lines of race, economic deprivation and social exclusion. If Trump can reduce the impacts of the last two, he can start to try and address the deep racial divides that coarse within rural America. These are fault-lines that seem intractable, but with vision, energy, a willingness to listen and reaching out to communities, anything can be overcome.

So its “goodbye Obama” and “hello Trump”.

The post Trump’s Presidency Must be a Presidency for All appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The human rights group sounded the alarm over security measures adopted over the past two years in 14 EU nations, including expanded surveillance powers. During that period, militant attacks have killed some 280 people in France, Belgium and Germany.

The attacks, mostly claimed by the Islamic State group, have fanned tensions over immigration, fuelled the popularity of right-wing parties and made security a key theme in upcoming French, Dutch and German elections.

“Right across the EU regional space we see Muslims and foreigners being equated with terrorists,” said Julia Hall, an Amnesty International expert on counterterrorism and author of the report. “This stereotyping so disproportionately affects these communities that there is a high degree of fear and alienation.”

She warned that “draconian” surveillance measures and powers of search, detention and arrest like those introduced in France since November 2015, when attacks killed 130 people, could be abused to target activists or minority groups that did not pose a genuine threat.

Amnesty is critical of a European Union draft law, to be adopted this year, that seeks to punish people for travelling or planning to travel to join a terrorist group. It says the wording of the law is unclear and it casts too wide a net.

A European Commission spokeswoman rejected Amnesty’s criticism and said the EU would closely monitor for potential abuses in the bloc’s 28 member states.

EU Security Commissioner Julian King said he agreed with the report that fundamental rights must not be put at risk. “That is what the terrorists are attacking,” he said on Twitter.

APOLOGISTS

New measures to crack down on glorifying or being an apologist for terrorism, Amnesty said, were shrinking the space for freedom of expression. In France in 2015, a third of more than 380 people prosecuted for apologising for terrorism were minors, it said.

The rights group condemned what it dubbed the “Orwellian” use of curfews, travel restrictions and police check-ins to monitor individuals who were not convicted of crimes and often did not know what they were accused of.

Hall criticised what she described as “governments looking at a person and saying: ‘You look very suspicious to me. So I’m going to restrict your behaviour because I think you might commit a crime.'”

France this month paid tribute to 17 people killed two years ago by Islamist militants in three days of violence that began with an attack on satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo.

Among other major attacks, suicide bombings in Brussels last March killed 32 people, and a Tunisian man mowed down 86 by driving a truck through a Bastille Day crowd in July in the French city of Nice. Another truck attack killed 12 in Berlin last month.

The post ‘Draconian’ EU security laws target Muslims – Amnesty International appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi dispatched a special envoy to Dhaka this week in a thaw in the troubled relations between the neighbours, who each see the stateless Rohingya as the other’s problem.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told Suu Kyi’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kyaw Tin on Wednesday that Myanmar must accept back all “Myanmar nationals” in Bangladesh, the Bangladeshi premier’s spokesman said.

Aye Aye Soe, director general of Myanmar’s foreign affairs ministry, said the two countries would start discussions on an “identification and verification process”.

“If they find they are from Myanmar, they will be repatriated at the appropriate time,” she said, adding there was “no timeline” for the talks.

The agreement marks a rare bright spot in the two countries’ bilateral relations, which are complicated by as many as 500,000 Rohingyas living in Bangladesh after fleeing decades of persecution in Myanmar.

The United Nations says about 65,000 more people have fled the Muslim-majority northern part of Rakhine to Bangladesh since attacks that killed nine Myanmar border police on Oct. 9, sparking a heavy-handed security response.

Residents and refugees say Myanmar troops and police have carried out beatings, sexual assaults and extrajudicial killings, arbitrarily arrested villagers and set fire to homes. Myanmar has denied almost all the allegations.

The crisis has raised concerns from diplomats and human rights advocates that Myanmar’s military remains unaccountable, despite a Suu Kyi-led civilian government taking power more than nine months ago.

DENIED CITIZENSHIP

A quick resolution seems unlikely as many in Buddhist-majority Myanmar see the Rohingya – whom they call “Bengalis” – as interlopers not deserving of citizenship, despite some tracing their lineage inside Myanmar’s borders back centuries.

Officials in Bangladesh, where the Rohingya are also not accepted, refer to “Muslim nationals of Myanmar”.

“If they are Myanmar nationals they will be repatriated here,” said Myanmar’s Aye Aye Soe.

Asked what the term “Myanmar nationals” referred to, she said: “It could be citizens or it could be people from Myanmar side.”

Aye Aye Soe restated Myanmar’s position after a previous verification process that only 2,415 of those living in Bangladesh from past exoduses were from Myanmar.

The new talks will focus on those who have arrived in Bangladesh since the recent bout of violence, she added.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said that, with the Myanmar delegation’s visit, the repatriation process was “heading towards the next step, quite evidently.”

While keeping relations with Myanmar “friendly,” Bangladesh’s government wants the Rohingya out of its border area so tourism can develop there, he told reporters on Thursday.

“We want to see them leave Bangladesh quickly,” Mahmood Ali added.

The post Myanmar, Bangladesh agree to start talks on Rohingya refugees appeared first on TELL MAMA.

In one of her tweets Jameson signs off with:

“I’m sorry you follow an ideology that promotes child rape, female genital mutilation, butchering non-believers and polygamy.”

Some people who follow or connect with such individuals may have a tendency to believe what they say due to their celebrity stature. Jameson is a classic example of someone who believes in ‘us versus them’. Sadly, she conflates ‘them’ with all Muslims and not with cults like ISIS who have also murdered tens of thousands of Muslims in their wake.

Why do you shift the spotlight? There aren't angry mobs of Jews raping women in Germany… NOOOO it's muslims! Wake the hell up! https://t.co/n3QAyGeRMg

— Jenna Jameson (@jennajameson) January 4, 2017

That is completely wrong! Islam teaches that war with the Jews will bring on the end of times… which is what they want. https://t.co/dFumJa12Tb

— Jenna Jameson (@jennajameson) January 4, 2017

Want to learn the shifty ways of Islamic taqiyya? Watch this https://t.co/08nRm7bpHw

— Jenna Jameson (@jennajameson) January 4, 2017

I'm sorry you follow an ideology that promotes child rape, female genital mutilation, butchering non believers and polygamy #kbye https://t.co/2eStBj8yRZ

— Jenna Jameson (@jennajameson) January 4, 2017

Killed in turkey…. such a shame pic.twitter.com/roM1fuPaU8

— Jenna Jameson (@jennajameson) January 3, 2017

The post Former Porn Star Jenna Jameson’s Rants on Muslims and Islam appeared first on TELL MAMA.

A Facebook page that has over 400,000 Facebook likes, including from prominent ex-politicians, it’s ability to draw in anti-Semites through postings about George Soros and his ‘coup plot’ against Trump, can be seen below.

In response to a post from Knights Templar International, entitled, “Wake up! The storm is brewing“, the following sickening full-blown anti-Semitic posts can be seen:

“Pull out $oro$ gold teeth, shave his head. make him do manual labour put him in ditch blow his brains out. Make bars of soap and lampshades.”

Further investigation into the Facebook page shows that the page has been used to fundraise for material and surveillance material which has been sent to ‘Bulgarian volunteers’ supposedly defending their borders against pitiful migrants.The Facebook page no doubt invokes a Europe standing against those ‘invading’ Europe and the play on Crusader imagery and the polarised depictions of Muslims through the lens of extremism alone, provide further evidence of a Facebook page that sees Europe as an ethno and mono-cultural continent that needs ‘defending’.

How the surveillance material has been used and whether it has been used against migrants, we will not know, yet with a UK phone number for the Knights Templar International Facebook page, we are sure that the Government’s Extremism Analysis Unit would like to know more about this group and its activities within Europe.

Racial Demographics

Just when you thought that the Facebook page might not revert to race, it goes ahead and does that. On one of the posts, the term ‘Afrikaner’ emblazons a headline and demographics are brought into the discussion with the following title:

“Amerikaner Free State – demographics is destiny, so the USA is destined to break up!”

So, just in case you see an advertisement come by which plays to imagery of the Crusades and which suggests that Europe is under threat, there is a chance that it could be the Knights Templar International. We hope that it will not be, once we report this page to Facebook, but if you do come across it, just think of what is posted onto it. Would you really be comfortable your name being associated with this poisonous material?

                    Knights Templar International Cite Conspiracy Theories

          Classic vile antiSemitic responses to posts about George Soros

                Racial Demographics on the Knights Templar Facebook site

Conspiracy galore on the Knights Templar International Facebook page: Trump win forms the basis for a few more years before ‘minority’ demographic growth leads to the break up of the US

Save

The post Knights Templar International Facebook Page & Web-Site Are Extremely Concerning appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Hussam Ayloush, executive director of the Los Angeles chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said the letters were identical and were postmarked as being sent from Santa Clarita just north of Los Angeles.

Ayloush said his group is considering asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation to look into the letters, which he believes were sent to other mosques aside from the three that received them earlier this week.

Civil rights groups have signalled alarm over attacks targeting minorities, including Muslims, since Republican Trump won the presidential election on Nov. 8. There have also been reports of harassment toward Trump supporters.

The letters were sent earlier this week to the Islamic centres of Long Beach and Claremont in Southern California and to Evergreen Islamic Center in the Northern California city of San Jose, Ayloush said.

They are signed anonymously as “Americans for a Better Way” and say that Trump would “cleanse America and make it shine again” and would carry out a genocide against Muslims.

“You Muslims would be wise to pack your bags and get out of Dodge,” the letter said.

Ayloush said he has counselled the three mosques to work with their local police departments to have the letters investigated as hate crimes.

The San Jose Police Department in a statement said that, following a report about the letter, it sent officers to Evergreen Islamic Center on Thursday and that a unit that handles hate crime investigations will conduct the probe.

Trump’s name has been mentioned in some hateful graffiti markings that surfaced since his election.

A representative of Trump’s transition team could not be reached immediately for comment.

Last year, as a candidate in the Republican presidential primary, Trump called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Trump this year pledged to suspend immigration from countries where Islamist militants are active but did not say he still wanted to ban all Muslims.

Following his election, Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, promised to be a president for all Americans.

CAIR has tallied more than 100 incidents targeting Muslims in the United States since Trump was elected.

The post Three California mosques receive hateful letters mentioning Trump appeared first on TELL MAMA.

On Friday, more than 13,000 people had signed a pledge on website Register US, promising to register as Muslims in the event of a national Muslim database being rolled out, so as “to stand together with Muslims across the country.”

The online movement reflects a divided nation in the aftermath of Trump’s presidential election win, that followed a campaign marked by hardline rhetoric on immigration.

In a Reuters interview this week, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who media reports say is a key member of Trump’s transition team, said a group advising Trump on immigration could recommend the reinstatement of a national registry of some Muslim immigrants and visitors who enter the United States on visas from countries where extremist organizations are active.

However, Jason Miller, communications director of Trump’s transition team, said in an emailed statement to the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Friday that “President-elect Trump has never advocated for any registry or system that tracks individuals based on their religion, and to imply otherwise is completely false.”

Last year, as he was campaigning to become the Republican Party’s presidential nominee, Trump drew widespread condemnation when he agreed on-camera to the idea of a government database to keep track of Muslims in the United States.

Many among those who took the pledge on Register US’s website posted on Twitter a message, prepared by the group, detailing their intentions.

“If Trump requires Muslims to register with the government, I pledge to register as Muslim too,” the message said.

Twitter user Sam Martin, from Florida, was among thousands who voiced his support for the initiative.

“If anyone'(s) name is entered into a database driven by GOP/Trump bigotry, this is how I say, ‘It’s wrong to do this!’,” he wrote in a comment on Twitter.

Registering Muslims in the United States has been likened to the U.S. government’s internment of Japanese-Americans in camps during World War Two – for which an official apology was later issued – and with Nazi Germany’s laws that required Jews to register with authorities.

In a statement posted on Twitter earlier this week, the head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Jonathan Greenblatt, was quoted as saying that “If one day Muslims will be forced to register, that is the day that this proud Jew will register as a Muslim.”

Register US co-founder, Rebecca Green, who works in brand marketing in New York City, said she was encouraged by the public’s response since launching the website with two friends earlier this week.

“We see this effort as a plea to American values to not become the kind of country that keeps lists based on religion,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an email.

“Nothing is more anti-American than a registry based on religion.”

There were about 3.3 million Muslim people living in the United States in 2015, according a recent estimate by the Washington-D.C.-based Pew Research Center, a non-partisan think tank.

The post On website, thousands of Americans pledge to side with Muslims amid talk of registry appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Today in the heart of Europe and the West, there is a movement afoot that openly questions the loyalty of Muslims and which smears all Muslims with the mark of Caan. Except this mark is that all Muslims should carry the bloodstain of IS or Daesh and that the rights of Muslims should be reduced because they are an insiduous threat. Who would have thought that the rantings of Pastor Terry Jones would come to the mainstream of political debate in the US, but it has and it is now a reality.

This morning, political leaders in France and Germany came out and re-affirmed human rights and the inalienable right for the protection of civil and legal rights for all communities. This is not to say that there are no ongoing problems in these countries. Yet, our own Government’s message was that we were open for business with the US, all well and good, but there was a vacuous inability to stand up for human rights for all.

Which brings us onto the following. The face of politics in the West is changing. Within that, basic norms are being challenged and with the real risk that they may enhance extremist narratives and groups and further polarise the middle ground within Muslim communities.  It also a fact that the middle ground within Muslim communities is under enormous strain and is fracturing. People who would engage with Government are turning away, believing that our elected Government is a threat to Muslims and Islam. The talk of isolationism is therefore not just a Trump problem, it is fast becoming the narrative that some Muslims promote as they wake up to a daily diet of anti-Muslim headlines, politicians playing to populist xenophobia and others who believe that Muslims should only be seen through a securified lens.

Which brings us onto the following. We simply cannot and will not allow the rights of any community to be written by others who cannot see any good within them. This means that we will not stand by idly and let others write the narrative about Muslims, doing so thinking that Muslims are inherently problematic. By challenging these views and the activities of such people, we send out a message. That we are not going to be second class citizens in the West.

The post Post Trump, We Refuse to be Second Class Citizens in the West appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Arguing that the burkini defies French laws on secularism, Cannes is one of three cities in France to have banned the garment amid tensions after an Islamist militant attack in nearby Nice killed 85 people on Bastille Day on July 14.

The moves have sparked an intense public debate, with Muslim groups calling them unconstitutional, divisive and Islamophobic. The Conseil d’Etat, France’s highest administrative court, will rule on the legality of the burkini bans in coming days.

In an interview with daily La Provence, Prime Minister Manuel Valls backed the municipal bans but said he saw no need for nationwide legislation. The women’s rights minister has also backed the ban.

The burkini — a conflation of the burqa and bikini — is designed for Muslims who believe that Islam requires women to conceal everything except the face, hands and feet from all men who are not their husbands or unmarriageable kin.

A Cannes townhall spokeswoman told Reuters on Wednesday that since the burkini ban was put in place on July 28, 10 burkini-wearing women have been controlled by police. Six left the beach, four were fined 38 euros ($43), she said.

Police cannot oblige women to leave the beaches for wearing a burkini, and the same person can only be fined once a day. The ban will end on Aug. 31.

“Following the attacks, the atmosphere is very tense and the burkini is seen as an ostentatious display that can threaten public order, that is why we took the measure,” she said.

French citizens are on edge following a string of deadly attacks claimed by Islamic State, including attacks in Paris in November 2015 when 130 people were killed and the July 14 attack in Nice in which 85 people died when a militant ploughed a truck into a crowd.

Abdallah Zekri, head of the National Observatory against Islamophobia told BFM television that some French politicians were using the burkini debate to stigmatize Islam.

“It is terrible to see that the prime minister stokes the fire rather than trying to put it out,” Zekri said.

The Cannes official said that burkinis first appeared on Cannes beaches last year and that their number was growing. The mayors of Le Touquet and Oye-Plage on the Atlantic coast and Leucate on the Mediterranean have also announced plans to ban the burkini.

The mayor of Le Touquet, Daniel Fasquelle, said he had not seen burkinis on his beaches but that he would impose a ban to send a message that “people with that kind of outfit are not welcome here”.

In neighbouring Italy, Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said there would be no burkini ban, describing it as counter-productive.

In an interview with Corriere della Sera daily, Alfano said the best way to counter the threat of Islamist militancy was to expel radicals, adding that he wanted all Italy’s imams to be trained in the country to ensure they worked within clear cultural norms.

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So, a 32 year old British Asian male decided to go to the Coach and Horses pub in Hertford. A school teacher from Hatfield, he had been undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh scheme and was simply thirsty for a Coke and decided to get one from a pub.

Having entered the pub, they got their drinks and went to sit outside in the sun. The teacher had been wearing a Duke of Edinburgh Scheme ‘hoodie’ with his surname at the back of it. His surname is ‘Islam’.

After a few minutes of getting settled and starting on their thirst quenching drinks, the pub landlord approached the teacher and politely said,

“I feel quite uncomfortable asking you to do this but could you turn your hoodie inside out as its making some of the customers feel uncomfortable?”

The teacher was a bit confused by this request but turned it inside out and his friend said,

“Its probably because of what happened in France last night, (the Nice terrorist attack)”.

The young teacher had not seen the news and thought there may have been a fight with a handful of Asians in the pub which elicited the reaction. When he realised that it was simply because of his surname, he got up and walked away from the pub and made contact with us in Tell MAMA.

He provided this comment to Tell MAMA,

“I am quite shocked and annoyed that I was targeted just because some people in the pub put their bigotry into action. Exactly what did I have to do with the heinous crimes in Paris? I just wanted a quite drink and to quench my thirst with a Coke. Instead I came across intolerance and bigotry.”

The post If your name is Islam, you may want to read this appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The text messages ask for individuals who receive them to inform on members of the Gulen or Hizmet movement and the messages are laced with suggestions that action needs to be taken. The impact of these messages is to create fear within members of the Hizmet movement in the United Kingdom and who are active in social work within and beyond Muslim communities.

We are listing this issue and do not want to comment on Turkey’s internal affairs. They are an issue for Turkey and it is not our remit in Tell MAMA to do so. What we are concerned with, is that issues are spilling into the UK and with large communities of Turkish and Kurdish heritage. These texts are causing fear and are targeted at a group that is Muslim and which is as they say, are in the ‘eye of the storm’ in Turkey. The politics of Turkey is therefore bleeding into the targeting of a specific group of Muslims in the UK and who are part of the Gulen movement. This makes it relevant to us.

We would like to stress that what is needed are cool heads and calm at this period of time. No-one in the UK should be targeted for what is taking place in Turkey and we understand the depth and strength of feeling from members of the public in Turkey against the murderous coup that took place. We will continue to monitor impacts here in the UK and if anyone receives such texts, (listed below), please do get in touch with us and we will progress these through relevant law enforcement channels.

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The post Turkey’s Hizmet Purge Is Seeping into the UK Creating Fear in Some Communities appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Yet, even though we have been at the front lines of tackling anti-Muslim hatred in the UK, the minute we stood up in solidarity with LGBTQ communities against homophobia targeted at these communities and against gay Muslims, we had Whatsapp campaigns targeted at us, sometimes by the very groups purporting to tackle Islamophobia. In other words, they were willing to tackle one form of hate, but because a man loved a man or a woman a woman, they were not willing to tackle prejudice against these communities and instead turned their fire on groups like us who stood in solidarity with LGBTQ communities and against hatred and intolerance.

No doubt, you will hear the usual platitudes about how IS (Daesh) are terrible and how evil they are. We know that, that is not the point. The point here is that the gay community in the US was specifically targeted and murdered in cold blood. So, we are sure that some will be asking the following questions.

“Is this what God wants? Is this what life is about? Is this what religion is about?” We believe the answer to all of these questions is a firm ‘no’.

Let us also be clear. We will give no quarter to anti-Muslim bigotry, as we will give no quarter to LGBTQ hate or to anti-Semitism. We will continue to work with partners to tackle such intolerance and bigotry and if we come across it within some small sections of Muslim communities, we will actively and robustly challenge it. If groups choose to campaign against us on this, then we say, you will not win. You will not win because of the hatred and prejudice you promote and you will not frame the lives of people who are different and unique within the borders of hatred and intolerance.

Today, young lives were lost because of the hatred of Omar Seddique Mateen. Tomorrow, let us get up with righteousness on our side and counter those who hate people because they are gay, or Muslims or Jews. That is the righteous struggle ahead and there is still more work to be done.

The post Omar Seddique Mateen. Synonymous of Homophobic Bigotry We Must Overcome appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Russell Thomas Langford of Fayetteville was arrested late on Thursday, the Hoke County Sheriff’s Office said. He is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, WTVD-TV in Raleigh said, quoting officials at Fort Bragg military base in North Carolina.

Maj. Russell Thomas Langford, 36, made death threats against members of the Masjid Al Madina mosque in Raeford about 20 miles southwest of Fayetteville, US. (Picture Courtesy of New York Daily News).

On Thursday afternoon, members of the Masjid Al Madina in Raeford found two packages of bacon at the mosque entrance, the sheriff’s office said.

Observant Muslims are prohibited from consuming pork products. Ramadan is Islam’s holy month, during which believers abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours.

Langford is charged with ethnic intimidation, assault with a deadly weapon, going armed to the terror of the public, communicating threats, stalking and disorderly conduct, the sheriff’s office said in a statement.

Officials with the sheriff’s office and Fort Bragg military base could not be reached for comment on Friday.

“We have called for stepped-up police presence not only for that mosque but others in that state,” said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim advocacy group.

“Every mosque all over the country has nightly Ramadan activities, so they’re vulnerable,” he said.

A Chevy Tahoe was in the parking lot when the bacon was found, and the driver of the Tahoe, later identified as Langford, followed one of the members home, the sheriff’s statement said.

The suspect returned in the evening, showed a gun to one of the members, a retired Army captain and Muslim chaplain at Fort Bragg, and threatened to kill him, according to a report by WRAL-TV in Raleigh, N.C.

The chaplain invited him inside to talk, but the man left, the report said. Later, the man returned in his SUV and tried to run over a group of people who were going inside the mosque for evening Ramadan prayers, the report said.

Investigators found firearms, ammunition and other weapons inside Langford’s vehicle, according to the sheriff’s statement.

The post U.S. Army reserve major threatened North Carolina mosque appeared first on TELL MAMA.

In undertaking this work, whilst anti-Muslim hatred may be an issue that is sadly growing, it should not be the over-riding issue through which communities view each other and neither should it be become the all-encompassing issue through which Muslims see non-Muslims. This is neither healthy nor realistic since so many people who work and engage with us are people who are not Muslims and who care that such hatred should not take root in our country.

Yet, there are groups who work on countering anti-Muslim prejudice or Islamophobia who constantly promote the view of ‘them and us‘. This is not only inaccurate, it is dangerous and does not highlight the large number of people in our country who actively tackle such hatred and who stand up against anti-Muslim prejudice. Such organisations add fuel to those extremist groups who believe that Muslims and non-Muslims cannot live together. This is far from responsible and puts us all at risk.

Lastly, anti-Muslim hatred is an issue that is being tackled. It will continue to be and we will do so with vigour and with drive and determination. Yet, we do this with many who are of no faith and who are not Muslim. That is the strength of our country – that at points when we need to stand together, we do. That is the unique nature of the set of values that we must all hang onto.

The post Anti-Muslim Hatred Should Not Be Used to Divide Communities appeared first on TELL MAMA.

South Yorkshire police have interviewed the victim and having reviewed the damage to the vehicle, have concluded that a shot was not fired and they have checked the vehicle. It seems that the victim heard a loud bang which could have been due to the damage to the rear side vehicle which was broken.

Rotherham has sadly become synonymous with the grooming scandal that affected over 1,000 young girls and we have previously written about the anti-Muslim hate incidents that have taken place in the town since late 2014. Tensions also recently rose between members of the local Muslim community and South Yorkshire police where a short-lived boycott on non-emergency police engagement took place because of strong feelings in the local British Muslim population that little was being done to tackle anti-Muslim hate crimes.

Yesterday evening a Facebook post by the aunt of the victim highlighted her frustration about people whom she regarded as being Islamophobic.  She stated:

“Wanna know how I feel?!……..angry is not the word!!!!! *#¥*#!!!

Alhamdulillah (thanks to God) my niece wasn’t killed today after two men on a motorbike shouted Islamaphobic and racist abuse at her whilst she was driving and then shot at her with a gun, thankfully she managed to speed away and narrowly avoided being hit, Alhamdulillah she is ok.”

More details have also emerged about the incident where the victim was clearly identifiable as a Muslim female since she wears the Hijab. This incident, seems to have been targeted and particularly malicious given the fact that the victim received anti-Muslim abuse as she was driving before a firearm was allegedly pulled out by the perpetrators. The victim also stated that she heard what seemed to be a loud gunshot type noise, with the rear window then shattering into pieces. However, as suggested before, after an investigation of the vehicle by the police, the rear window may well have been shattered by an item striking it other than a pellet or a live round and the victim is adamant that she saw a handgun.

We are in the process of engaging with the family concerned and given the seriousness of what seems to be an anti-Muslim hate crime. Given the fact that community tensions have risen and fallen with some intensity in Rotherham in the last 24 months, the latest incident will do nothing to reduce tensions and perceptions within local communities.

The post Shot Allegedly Fired at Young Female Muslim in the Rotherham Area. Police Find No Evidence appeared first on TELL MAMA.

We have received this leaflet from a member of the public showing how fear is whipped up and manipulated to divide communities. The leaflet was sent out with no public policy stance but to promote the view that supporting the BNP would effectively mean that they would discriminate against Muslims. In this instance, the Muslims caricatured are ones covered by a Niqab and shown to be swearing. Hardly, the Muslims who are law abiding citizens that we come across on a daily basis and the Niqab is once again shown to be something that is to be scared off in the leaflet.

We have highlighted time and time again that women who wear the Niqab suffer more anti-Muslim hate incidents and more aggressive incidents. They are sadly, targeted on many occasions and such material further adds to them being seen as being ‘problematic’ or the ‘other’. The BNP know full well that this material cannot be prosecuted, yet, we as communities can send out a powerful message that such campaigning material is unacceptable.

If you come across such material from groups like the BNP, please ensure that you send it into us. We will be logging and reviewing this material as we receive it.

The post Vile British National Party Leaflet Shows How Extremist Groups Use Fear of Muslims appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Members of the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Sunday backed an election manifesto that says Islam is not compatible with the constitution and calls for a ban on minarets and the burqa.

Two other core points came out from the Party’s debate on Islam. These included members rejecting a call for dialogue with Muslims and attendees backed a manifesto that is highly critical of Islam.

Set up three years ago, the AfD has been buoyed by Europe’s migrant crisis, which saw the arrival of more than one million, mostly Muslim migrants, in Germany last year. The party has no lawmakers in the federal parliament in Berlin but has members in half of Germany’s 16 regional state assemblies.

Opinion polls give AfD support of up to 14 percent, presenting a serious challenge to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives and other established parties ahead of the 2017 federal election. They rule out any coalition with the AfD.

In a raucous debate on the second day of a party congress, many of the 2,000 members cheered calls from the podium for measures against “Islamic symbols of power” and jeered a plea for dialogue with Germany’s Muslims.

“Islam is foreign to us and for that reason it cannot invoke the principle of religious freedom to the same degree as Christianity,” said Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, an AfD lawmaker from the state of Saxony-Anhalt, to loud applause.

Merkel has said freedom of religion for all is guaranteed by Germany’s constitution and has said on many occasions that Islam belongs to Germany.

“ISLAM IS NOT PART OF GERMANY”

Up to 2,000 left-wing demonstrators clashed with police on Saturday as they tried to break up the first full AfD conference. About 500 people were briefly detained and 10 police officers were lightly injured, a police spokesman said.

The chapter of the AfD manifesto concerning Muslims is entitled “Islam is not a part of Germany”. The manifesto demands a ban to minarets – the towers of a mosque from where the call to Muslim prayer is made – and the burqa, the all-encompassing body garment worn by some conservative Muslim women.

Germany is home to nearly four million Muslims, about five percent of the total population. Many of the longer established Muslim community in Germany came from Turkey to find work, but those who have arrived over the past year have mostly been fleeing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last month the head of Germany’s Central Council of Muslims likened the AfD’s attitude towards his community to that of Adolf Hitler’s Nazis towards the Jews.

Although the AfD aimed to broaden its political agenda during the congress, members hardly debated on domestic issues, such as taxation and social welfare.

The party’s leadership has proposed the introduction of an income tax bracket system and the abolition of inheritance taxes, which experts say would benefit high earners.

The head of Germany’s DGB confederation of trade unions, Reiner Hoffmann, sharply criticised the AfD’s programme.

“Their alternatives are nothing but simple, dull and inconsistent,” Hoffmann said in a speech at an DGB event in Stuttgart to mark Labour Day.

He said the AfD was not only conducting a hate campaign against refugees, but also aiming for a tax policy that was against the interests of workers.

The post Anti-immigrant AfD says Muslims not welcome in Germany appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Yet,there is also a unique nature to Antisemitism that we should acknowledge. We also need to be aware of the deep scar of the Holocaust and the over-riding spiritual, religious and cultural trauma that it has caused and will continue to shape feelings and fears within Jewish communities for well over another hundred years. This must be taken into account and reactions also need to be seen through this lens.

European Jewry was, in a mechanised fashion, virtually wiped off the face of the continent and through that lens, we must always understand and empathise with the gut like reaction to Antisemitic discourse that takes place within Jewish communities. However, this does not mean that the policies of the State of Israel cannot be scrutinised and objected to. The latter is legitimate political discourse and there is no getting away from that fact.

Yet, over the last few days, the wider public may have got the impression that Muslims and Jews are completely at odds with each other over Israel and Palestine. As though it is the only thing that shapes relationships between both communities. This has been the impression that many beyond these two communities have got and the furore over the last two days may have further consolidated these positions. However, this is not the full picture.

Work between Muslim and Jewish communities has yielded much that is positive to both communities and to our country. Let  us be clear. Interfaith, conflict resolution, cohesion and integration work between both communities has meant that investment has been injected into local communities in our country. It has ensured the safety and security of both communities and of wider communities. It has ensured that the United Kingdom is seen as a beacon of hope globally of how communities can and do work together. And it has given strength to both communities to reach out and to take on extremist and bigoted groups, for the safety of these communities and our nation.

Much of this is not talked about or mentioned in the headlines. Much of this is not even recognised, but the reality is that it happens every day and goes without notice, yet we all feel the benefits.

Let us therefore remember that even in the darkest of moments, Jewish and Muslim communities hold a candle of hope for a better future. There are others within and beyond these communities who will try and snuff out that light, but they will not be successful. Nor should we let their voices be the enduring ones in the public space. We simply cannot allow them to shape our collective futures.

The post Let us Not Forget That There is Much That Binds Muslims and Jews appeared first on TELL MAMA.

There are many traits of human nature that leave much to be desired. Through our work over the last 4 years we have covered a range of topics from anti-Muslim bigotry, through to intra-Muslim bigotry.

Yet, we will keep highlighting how intra-Muslim bigotry and prejudice needs to be tackled as an ongoing concern, (whilst tackling anti-Muslim hatred), if we are to promote the core principle that people in our country should live free from fear and intimidation.

Take for example, this post below which was reported into us today. The post highlights a boycott of alleged Ahmaddiya businesses and was posted on Facebook. The only reason for this boycott is that the shop owners are……wait for it…..a different belief system to the perpetrator posting the call for boycotts. In this instance, the people being discriminated against are Ahmaddiya Muslims.

Now, imagine a boycott being called against Christian or Jewish owned businesses? Rightly we would all be outraged and this would be something of real concern for social justice activists. Yet, here we have the identical thing involving the targeting of a peaceful law-abiding community through boycotts of their businesses on the basis that they are so heretical that they must be punished.

Finally, the following needs to be said. Anti-Muslim hatred or Islamophobia is mainly and predominantly against Muslims, yet we cannot shy away or brush under the carpet such toxic intra-Muslim prejudice. Where we find it, we must call it out and highlight it. For far too long, it has gone unchallenged, and just as we will challenge anti-Muslim bigotry, we will also challenge the banality of hate perpetrated against minority groups within Islam. This also goes hand in hand with challenging all forms of hatred and prejudice.

If anything, the example shown below really does reflect the vacuousness of those who think that they can discriminate against others and broadcast it across the Internet and social media. Hannah’s words still seem to carry a powerful wake up call to us all and to those who care about human rights and the future of integration and cohesion in our country.

The post The Banality of Hate – Boycotts Because of a Wrong Strand of Religion appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Questioning the links between a candidate and their past associations is legitimate political discourse when someone puts themselves up for a public role such as the mayoral candidate for London. However, framing a candidate who happens to be Muslim just through the lens of extremism at a time when Muslim communities feel that they are trying to counter anti-Muslim tropes, may well have wider and deeper community impacts. This is not to say that questions should not be asked, however, there is much more to Sadiq Khan than his past associations and in the next few weeks, we would urge that the issues be looked, which include transport, housing and the role that London can play as a beacon city globally for financial investment. These are bread and butter issues and Sadiq continues to lay out these plans daily in his campaign. His plans on these bread and butter issues should be engaged with and the continuous focus on whom he associated with ten or more years ago is re-enforcing a view in some quarters, that Muslims as a whole cannot be trusted. This is unacceptable and if anything, may be turning off Muslims who may have considered politics as a future career.

Alternatively, we have seen Twitter campaigners from Labour suggest that Zac Goldmith is Islamophobic. This is a line that has been pushed by a lot of Labour campaigners against the Conservative MP and environmental activist. We have met with and spent time with Zac Goldmith. He is far from being Islamophobic and is reflective and thoughtful and deeply cares about communities. To label him as Islamophobic, undermines the value and the strength of the term and Zac is someone who has spent many years working with faith communities and with Muslim communities. Indeed, he was instrumental in working with the Kingston mosque in tackling the far right who had targeted the mosque and his involvement brought all communities together against far right extremists targeting the local Muslim community. To suggest that Zac Goldsmith is Islamophobic is to suggest that Sadiq Khan may be susceptible to being sympathetic to people with extreme views. Both narratives and suggestions are just obscene.

There are two weeks to go before Londoners go to the poll to elect their London Mayor. In these two weeks, let us focus on the policies of both Zac and Sadiq which can ensure that London remains the great city that it is. Let us vote for the candidate who can further enhance our capital city at an international level and thereby bring in much-needed investment and ensure that housing and transport issues are looked at. That is what we want from a London Mayor and that is what we hope campaigners focus on.

The post In the last weeks of the Mayoral Campaign, let’s tone down the heated rhetoric appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The AfD punished Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Christian Democrats in three regional elections last month, profiting from popular angst about how Germany can cope with an influx of migrants, over a million of whom arrived last year.

“Islam is in itself a political ideology that is not compatible with the constitution,” AfD deputy leader Beatrix von Storch told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

“We are in favour of a ban on minarets, on muezzins and a ban on full veils,” added Storch, who is a member of the European Parliament.

Merkel’s conservatives have also called for an effective ban on the burqa, saying the full body covering worn by some Muslim women should not be worn in public. But they have not said Islam is incompatible with Germany’s constitution.

The AfD’s rise, which has coincided with strong gains by other European anti-immigrant parties including the National Front in France, has punctured the centrist consensus around which the mainstream parties have formed alliances in Germany.

Last month, the party grabbed 24 percent of the vote in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, surpassing even the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel’s coalition partner in Berlin. The AfD, founded in 2013, also performed strongly in two other states.

The party’s rise has been controversial. Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, a Social Democrat, has said Germany’s far-right, led by the AfD party, is using language similar to that of Hitler’s Nazis.

Such accusations have not swayed the party from its anti-immigration course.

“Islam is not a religion like Catholic or Protestant Christianity, but rather intellectually always associated with the takeover of the state,” said Alexander Gauland, who leads the AfD in Brandenburg.

“That is why the Islamisation of Germany is a danger,” he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

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But did the poll titled “What do British Muslims really think?” answer its own question? Polling British Muslims is a difficult and expensive task. It’s why YouGov avoided the Sun’s now infamous ‘1 in 5 Muslims’ poll.

ICM’s researchers picked 138 random Local Super Output Areas where Muslims make up at least 20 per cent of the population. This skewed the findings to areas with relative social deprivation. It also over-represented certain ethnic groups. Yet it still captured 51 per cent of the total Muslim population.

Of the 1,081 Muslims polled, 55 per cent were Pakistani. British Asians/Asians totaled 83 per cent of the polling data. Data from the last census revealed that British Asian/Asians totaled 67.6 per cent of Muslims in England and Wales.

The poll included just 11 Arabs and 16 white Muslims who account for 6.6 per cent and 7.8 per cent of Muslims in England and Wales.

Despite methodological issues it remains a serious poll.

As with previous surveys – Muslims identify with Britain at a higher rate than the national average. They also expressed greater attachment to their local areas. A vast majority believe that Britain was a good place for Muslims to live in, and 78 per cent said they would like to integrate into British life on certain topics.

Nearly a quarter supported the idea of sharia law operating in parts of Britain above British law. Yet what defines sharia law remains ambigious and open to interpretation. But as Dr Imam Mamadou Bocoum notes: ‘Shariah means a road that leads into Spring Water, which is nothing but to live in peace and harmony. Amongst the principles of the Shariah is to preserve and protect life, intellect, property, honour, lineage, and religion‘.

There was little support among the Muslims polled to establish a caliphate. Support for ISIS polled at just 3 per cent. Few blamed the police or government for girls travelling to Syria.

More than a third of Muslims polled would report individuals who they suspected of seeking to participate in terrorism abroad to police. A figure that stands above the control sample of 30 per cent. Nearly half would attempt to dissuade the individual.

On the subject of extremism, 47 per cent agreed that Muslims need to do more to tackle extremism. The data reveals that a vast majority of Muslims look to the government to tackle Islamophobia and fund special projects to help communities root out the causes of violent extremism.

Islamophobia is a concern in this context, even when 73 per cent thought that religious harassment was not a problem in their local area. Individuals may of course experience less discrimination within their own ethnic and faith communities. Or in a public setting disclose their experiences to strangers. Research also points to the fact that hate crimes increase in areas of deprivation.

The wider public had also expressed a wider concern for Islamophobia than the Muslims polled. Nor do we know what language the interviews were conducted in. So it’s possible that individuals may not understand a question that pertains to religious prejudice.

There was also an overwhelming desire to empower young Muslims and women in the decisions that affect them. And many felt that better leadership in Muslim communities would help address the causes of violent extremism. Just one in 10 sought information on current affairs from mullahs at mosques. And a fifth never attend their local mosques. But 72 per cent felt that their local mosque did represent their views.

The most popular choice for television news was BBC 1, and a vast majority got their news from social media accounts. Yet again, the BBC remained the most popular source for news online.

Discussions of attitudes towards homosexuality dictated a majority of media coverage. The poll found that 52 per cent dsaid they disagreed with homosexuality being legal in Britain, compared with 5 per cent among the public at large who disagreed.

For British-born Muslims, 27 per cent agreed that homosexuality should be legal. Almost a third said neither/nor and 38 per cent disagreed. But that figure requires a caveat since the total figure in the weighted and unweighted sample is below 500 people. Muslims born outside of Britain were more likely to disagree that homosexuality should be legal (a net disagreement of 68 per cent in a sample of 601 or 609 when factored against weighted and unweighted bases).

On the topic of gay marriage and allowing a homosexual person to teach, the data reveals slight differences between Muslims born in the UK and abroad. But the above caveat still applies.

Despite a proclivity towards antisemitic tropes, British Muslims were not hostile towards Jewish communities. ICM asked the control and Muslim samples to measure their feelings towards faith and non-faith groups on a thermometer. Oddly, views towards Sikhs were missing from the data. The control group survey were more likely to agree that antisemitism was a problem. Yet 44 per cent of the Muslim survey and 46 per cent of the control group did not consider antisemitism a problem in Britain today.

The control survey were far more likely to disagree (51 per cent) with the statement ‘Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust’. Yet 18 per cent did agree with the statement, compared to 34 per cent in the Muslim survey.

Confusion about deaths in the Holocaust in the Muslim survey may owe to ignorance, not antisemitism. As 55 per cent did not know the true figure. Just 14 people agreed that it was a myth perpetuated by Jewish people. The control group was not asked this question so it’s hard to make a direct comparison.

Muslims surveyed overwhelmingly had also rejected the right of individuals to publish pictures of the prophet Muhammad. But 12 per cent stated that it would depend on the nature of the pictures. Responses in the control group were more in favour of publishing cartoons of the prophet Muhammad. A fifth of non-Muslims who rejected this position were Christian.

Opinions in the control group sample were even more divided when it came to the question of publishing cartoons that mock the prophet Muhammad. And 44 per cent said publications should not have this right  – and that included 32 per cent of non-religious people and 50 per cent of Christians. A measure of support from Christians may owe to a sense of Abrahamic solidarity or the UK’s own historic and abolished blasphemy laws.

Linda Woodhead, Professor of Sociology of Religion at Lancaster University, surveyed different faith groups in 2013. It found a variety of liberal and conservative views towards topics like abortion and homosexuality.

ICM also asked how often Muslims had mixed socially with non-Muslims in the past year. Again, what defines this social interaction remains open to interpretation. It was rare for Muslims to have had no social mixing outside of the home. Nor are social interactions defined by the boundaries of a person’s home. That applies to Muslim and non-Muslim alike. Yet the data does show that at least a fifth did host and visit non-Muslims friends at least once a week, and 17 per cent welcomed non-Muslims into their homes on a daily basis.

Trevor Phillips, the former head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who will present the Channel 4 documentary What British Muslims Really Think tomorrow evening, made a problematic statement on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Phillips stated that: “What we also found is that there is a correspondence between this desire to live separately and sympathy for terrorism. People who want to live separately are about twice as likely to say that they have sympathy for terrorist acts.” Yet the data reveals that just 40 people expressed sympathy for terrorist acts. Nor was there any effort to extrapolate the meaning from a vague term, as sympathy does not always mean endorsement. Phillips is overstating the opinions of a tiny proportion in the data set.

That rhetoric can also suggest that religiosity and support for terrorism are somehow linked, a point that misunderstands the nature of radicalisation.

ICM asked some wide-ranging, probing and sensationalistic questions; but to suggest it captures the breadth of Muslim opinion is not quite accurate. Yes, some issues to address but the real conversations must happen beyond this poll.

This post originally appeared on Religious Reader.

The post Why the latest poll won’t tell us what all British Muslims actually think appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Wilders is accused of inciting hatred and discrimination against the Moroccan minority, in a trial that coincides with heated debate in European Union countries about the million or more people who have poured into the region over the past year fleeing war and poverty. Many Dutch people oppose the influx.

Wilders could face up to a year in prison.

“Why did I speak about fewer Moroccans?” he said. “The honest answer is because I want fewer Moroccans in the Netherlands.”

The case against Wilders, which follows the acquittal in December of his political ally Marine le Pen in France on similar charges, pits freedom of speech against freedom from discrimination.

Wilders says the trial is politically motivated and his comments are protected by his right to free speech.

With his trademark peroxide blond hair, Wilders sat calmly listening to a day of legal arguments before asking judges to acquit him.

“I didn’t say all Moroccans should leave the country, or all Moroccans are no good, but I spoke about fewer Moroccans because that’s what I want and with me millions of Dutch citizens,” he said, repeating that he wants the border closed to all non-Western migrants.

But he added: “I don’t hate anyone and I don’t spread hate. I reject everything that has to do with discrimination.”

Prosecutors say comments Wilders first made during election campaigning in March 2014 crossed the line of what can and cannot be said under Dutch law.

“Freedom of expression is not absolute, it is paired with obligations and responsibilities,” said lead prosecutor Wouter Bos. “Racism and hatred of foreigners constitute a direct violation of the foundations of freedom, democracy and the rule of law.”

In the televised 2014 incident that led to his prosecution, Wilders asked supporters whether they wanted more or fewer Moroccans, triggering the chant: “Fewer! Fewer! Fewer!”, to which a smiling Wilders responded: “We’ll take care of that.”

Prosecutors said his supporters had been coached before the event, significant for their attempt to show that Wilders had intended to incite hatred. Later, Wilders publicly referred to Moroccans, who make up about 2 percent of the population, as “scum”.

LEADING IN POLLS

Wilders and his decade-old Freedom Party have become the most popular party in national opinion polls by a wide margin, with elections expected in March 2017.

He has lived under 24-hour protection since the 2004 murder of writer Theo van Gogh, who – like Wilders – made films criticising Islam.

An earlier discrimination case against him in 2011 centred on his calls for “Muslim criminals” to be stripped of their Dutch nationality and deported, and his comparison of the Koran to Hitler’s manifesto “Mein Kampf”.

Judges concluded then that Wilders’ remarks might have been offensive, but acquitted him because the target was a religion, not a race.

Wilders faces one charge of discrimination and a second of inciting hatred of Moroccans. If convicted, he could go to jail or be fined a maximum of 7,400 euros (5,802.5 pounds).

The post Dutch far-right leader tells court – ‘I want fewer Moroccans’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

We have highlighted the shocking revelation of how neo-Nazis have been elected onto Slovakia’s Parliament and which we highlighted through our sister site, Religious Reader.

Below is a video of Milan Mazurek (aged 22) and who can be seen in the green shirt in the video shouting abuse to Muslims in Slovakia. He has been elected into the Slovak Parliament through the ‘People’s Party Our Slovakia’ ticket, also known as Lidova strana Nase Slovensko – LSNS.

Mazurek is seen shouting at a group of Arabs and Pakistanis or Bangladeshis and the group refers back to Turkey and the history of Ottoman rule in the area and which was turned against the family who it can clearly be seen, needed police protection around them. The aggression from Mazurek and the group of young men is evident as the family cower as the police usher them away. Comments abusing the sexuality of the Muslim women and linking them to terrorism are made and the comments are grossly offensive and targeted at the Islamic identity of the family. Further anti-Muslim comments are made about the faith of the individuals in the video.

Mazurek has previously stated his admiration of Adolf Hitler and is an active member of LSNS. He was also sighted in an anti-Islamicization protest that took place in 2015.

https://youtu.be/8NQ5mWk7xjI

The post Slovak Neo-Nazi MP, Milan Mazurek, Caught on Camera Attacking Muslims in Slovakia appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Sookhdeo previously converted from Islam and has taken controversial positions on Islam and how the British armed forces work with Muslim populations in the field. We understand that the relationship has ended with a plethora of blogs raising the question as to why he was engaged with by the Ministry of Defence.

Let us come back to the issue of Miriam Shaded. A Christian whose father was Syrian, Miriam Shaded has become the mouthpiece for some of the worst inflammatory language that is peddled within Poland and through her social media presence. As a young personable female, she has become the touchstone on which people’s fears and bigotry about Muslims are projected. As a female of Syrian heritage, the assumption may be made by some that she must know what she is talking about when she is on television talking about Islam and Muslims. Yet, some of this rhetoric is far from realistic and plays to an extremist and nationalistic far right tendency that caricatures Islam, and thereby its followers, as a threat.

Take this for example. This is one of her Facebook posts on the 27th of February 2016.

“Seeking a expert lawyer in winning major issues on the territory of Poland and perhaps the EU, which will help me win the trial on outlawing Islam as a totalitarian system and the Koran, which preaches hatred, violence and legitimizes crimes.”

The text is pretty clear and she is looking for legal advice to outlaw Islam. Seems to be all of the rage right now if someone is looking to make a name for themselves and to possibly revel in a climate of anti-Muslim bigotry which is taking hold of some parts of the continent.

After that post, there seems to be a number of takers for her divisory call. This was her latest statement:

“Thank you all for your words of support and assistance as well as applications by the best lawyers in Poland and Europe. Due to the number of messages that I received, we will consider and interact with specialists from Monday. It is so important a matter that  we ask you to pray for wisdom and God’s guidance to select the best firm. I cordially greet and wish you a successful Sunday evening. Smile emoticon“

So much for the ‘smile emoticon’ when she is trying to restrict the freedom of belief, a fundamental tenet of human rights. This is what Shaded and her camera friendly smile, is intending.

Shaded is possibly driven by some form of Christian mission and zeal and may believe that demonizing Islam and defacto, the followers of Islam, is the strategy she wants to employ. Yet, she is savvy enough to realise that cannot be outwardly hostile to Muslims and so may be skirting around this by targeting Islam. Yet, let us not underestimate the pull of a young female who is part Arab and who in the eyes of many in Poland, who have never met Muslims, apparently knows what she is talking about.

We have recently written about the history of Islam and Muslims in Poland before, through our sister site, Faith Matters. These articles can be found here and here. What is particularly troubling about people like Shaded is that their history and rhetoric starts from ‘ground zero’, effectively when they want it to start. In doing so, they simply choose to ignore the rich history and heritage of Poland and the fact that Muslims have shaped its growth and its history. That, we are sure is something Shaded will not mention and that alone should raise alarm bells for those who want to have a holistic and fulsome assessment of their country. Shaded and her rhetoric are never the answer, but they may well be part of a turbulent future if they gain any political traction.

The post Meet Miriam Shaded of the Esther Foundation in Poland & Her Desire to Outlaw Islam appeared first on TELL MAMA.

During the trial, a probation officer noted that Jones had a deep hatred of ‘P*kis’ – who he believed were all rapists.

Drunk and high on drugs, Jones had racially abused a taxi driver before the fatal assault on Mr Ahmed.

The co-accused, Damien Hunt, 30, told the court that the enraged Jones had ‘circled’ Mr Ahmed and called him a ‘groomer’ on multiple occasions. Mushin Ahmed ignored the taunts as he continued on with his journey to his local mosque.

The court heard of Jones’s history of violence, against strangers and his ex-partner.

The attack proved so vicious that the imprint of his trainer was left on Mr Ahmed’s fractured skull. The DNA of the co-accused were found on his broken dentures.

Mushin Ahmed lay on the grass for two hours until a member of the public flagged down a police car. He died 11 days later.

As the trial ends. The family and wider Muslim community in Rotherham have justice. But this situation should never have happened. No person should ever face the violence Mr Ahmed did, especially at his age. He was no threat to anyone, let alone a racist and murderous thug like Dale Jones.

It’s no accident that Mr Ahmed suffered the indignity of being called a ‘groomer’. Some are exploiting the horrific abuse of young girls in the area to pursue racist agendas. We’ve seen traumas sensationalised and reduced to a simplified blame game of ‘PC culture’. In truth, these criminal gangs continued to exploit vulnerable young girls due in part to a wider culture of indifference and victim blaming.

Others throw these slurs at Muslim men, who are mythologised as sexual deviants and paedophiles. This toxic climate is enabling the far-right to broaden their appeal and speak to, or at least exploit sentiments of individuals.

A man is dead. A family and community mourn. Yet we are no closer to overcoming the bigotry that inspired such violence. Anti-Muslim hate can lead to murder. We saw that in 2013 with the murder of another pensioner, Mohammed Saleem, at the hands of a Ukrainian terrorist who had a deep hatred of Muslims. The circumstances were different. But the consequences of their hatred proved fatal.

How did we get here? These incidents are rare but remain increasingly of concern.

The post ‘A Deep Hatred of P****’ and Taunted with the term ‘Groomer’. The Murder of Mushin Ahmed appeared first on TELL MAMA.

“What about Christians and Christianophobia? What do you do about that, bet you don’t do anything?”

We just highlighted a brief response to a piece in the Spectator which was an opinion article by Margaret Thatcher’s biographer, Charles Moore. The article was peppered with, well….opinions and whilst we disagreed with his opinions, Moore nonetheless raised the issue of hate incidents against Sikhs. This is something that we both agree upon.

Ideally, we believe that there should be a hate crime monitoring flag for all faiths and with Sikhs for example, able to be categorised as a separate flag for recording and monitoring within police forces. It also needs to be recognised that some Sikhs are targeted since people see them as being Muslim and hence there is an element of anti-Muslim bigotry associated with the hate incidents. This reflects on the motivation and the belief of the perpetrator. Yet, it also resonable to assume that Sikhs are seen in the eyes of some perpetrators, as being ‘the other.’ These are just some of the motivations that may be at play regarding hate incidents against Sikhs.

Following on from this, it is irrelevant whether the number of hate incidents against Sikhs is small in number. That is the assumption that is made and may well be true. Some suggest that there may be anything between 1-200 cases nationally, but this is a guestimate and further re-enforces the need for hate crime reporting flags for a variety of faiths.

Interestingly, over the last year, we have had 3 cases of Sikhs who were perceived to be Muslim and who suffered a hate incident. Whilst our focus is on supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate, our service is also based on the ethos of assisting individuals who may have suffered hate incidents and crimes and we assisted the individuals in their respective cases. We will not turn away individuals who approach us with evidence of having suffered a hate incident and these cases in particular, were moving since the Sikh victims felt a sense of empathy with Muslim communities, yet they also wanted recognition that they had been targeted and felt that a part of their identity had been abused.

Over the last year, we also supported calls for the investigation into a case of a Christian convert who had converted from Islam, who had been attacked. He suggested that he had been targeted because of his conversion and we publicly made clear through various press sources, that such hate incidents needed to be tagged as a hate incident based on his new faith. So much for not dealing with Christianophobia!

Finally, we have come across articles that push the line that Muslims are getting some form of ‘special treatment’ because they ‘shout about Islamophobia’. Let us make clear that none of us enjoy the threats, abuse and intimidation that we receive and we have lost count of these that have been targeted at our project and staff for simply trying to help victims of anti-Muslim hatred.

Nor do we enjoy the online intimidation and harassment, which also includes scurrilous comments and articles based on opinion or conjecture. We have chosen to do this work to try and help victims of hate, prejudice and intolerance and this year, we will be publishing a clearer and more accurate picture of the state of anti-Muslim prejudice in the United  Kingdom. With well over 1000 cases in 2015 to Tell MAMA, if anyone can hand on heart think that anti-Muslim prejudice or Islamophobia does not warrant support and action, then there is much work to be done in the future. Some people may come to this view from a genuine lack of awareness, others from a mendacious position which means that we will not see eye to eye. Only the future will tell.

The post Sikhs Are Not Forgotten & Should Be in Hate Crime Work appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Moore laments the ‘absurd’ criteria of the Macpherson Report when it comes to defining hate crimes. That report came in the wake of the unprovoked racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993. It made 70 recommendations – 67 made changes to the law and practice within two years of publication.

One relevant recommendation made police focus on victim perception when investigating hate crimes. A guidance document commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in 2005 stated that:

A victim of a hate incident does not have to be a member of a minority group or someone who is generally considered to be vulnerable. For example, a heterosexual man who is verbally abused leaving a gay bar may well perceive that it is motivated by homophobia although he himself is not gay. Therefore effectively anyone can be the victim of a hate incident, including people working inside the police service.

A person does not need to be Muslim if they experience or witness something they perceive as Islamophobic. The same is true of any hate directed at protected categories – be it race, sexual orientation, faith or disability. Victim perception defines how police determine hate crimes and incidents.

This is not about inflating figures for financial gain. If anything, the reverse is true. Knowing that non-Muslims suffer Islamophobic abuse suggests a deeper problem. Some look at those who wear Islamic clothing and express their negative perceptions of Islam and Muslims in paroxysms of abuse. Others perceive the religious observance of Sikh men with the same misplaced anger.

This misperception suggests that racialisation extends to non-Muslim communities. In a post-9/11 world, racist violence against assumed Muslims continues to have stark consequences. Not just for victims and their loved ones. But wider faith communities who face such prejudices. This information should strengthen our collective resolve to overcome anti-Muslim hate.

Moore ends with the offensive suggestion that Christianophobia and Sikhophobia crime flags ‘would lead to the arrest of a lot of Muslims’. He writes with a measure of certainty yet offers no evidence.

In contrast, police forces nationwide will now adopt an Islamophobic crime flag in the months ahead. That came from evidence-based lobbying. A point somehow lost on Charles Moore.

The post Why Charles Moore is wrong about the levels of anti-Muslim hate crime appeared first on TELL MAMA.

They have reported incidents to us sincerely believing that they have been targeted due to their faith. In these cases, it is extremely difficult to prove this, yet we advocate, where possible for victims who approach us on the basis of needing assistance. This advocacy work involves helping them to draft letters and this assistance is based on their perception that they have been singled out on the basis of anti-Muslim bigotry.

This does not make our work easier and we record anti-Muslim hate incidents when there is corroborating secondary evidence apart from the victim’s say so. This is to ensure that our work is evidence led and evidence based. This is exceptionally important to state and our work is not just based on the say so of individuals.

Saying that, we acknowledge the fear that counter-terrorism issues are causing to some sections of Muslim communities. Today for example, we were sent this and it is experiences like this, that are causing fear in some sections of Muslim communities. Now that this video is out on social media, we hope that there is some response by the relevant law enforcement or security agency to the statements made by this individual. Whatever the facts, the repeated stop and search of individuals HAS impacts on community perceptions.

Furthermore, the claim by this individual that he asked security officials to arrest him if they had evidence, underscores a simple fact. The repeated stop and search of individuals corrodes trust on a wider level and if security officials have evidence of wrong-doing, they should charge and be done with. If they do not have evidence, the repeated stop and search of individuals simply breaks trust in communities and further weakens the bond between the State and individuals. This weakening of the link and bond between specific communities and the State is the last thing that should be happening when there are issues that we need to tackle collectively in order to ensure our collective securities.

The post Either Charge or Understand that Continued Stops & Interrogations Lose Trust Within Muslim Communities appeared first on TELL MAMA.

A growing number of parents have reported into us that their children have been questioned on the back of Prevent related interventions. In one interview with a young Muslim student, he was asked whether ‘he owned a gun’. In another, he was questioned as ‘to which mosque he went to and whether he prayed a lot.’ In both of these cases, the parents have been so outraged that they have sought to meet with senior officers in the relevant Departments for Education and strongly believe that their children have been treated in this way because they are Muslim.

Listening to the parents of these children, it is hard not to come to the conclusion that some schools are over-reacting to scenarios involving Muslim children and the impacts on the children and the families are clear to see. Yet, these are not isolated cases and the cases that we have received have come from across the country.

We are also clear that many schools manage safeguarding issues in a manner which does not impact on young people and on families. We also understand that many schools do this on the basis of the protection of young people and thoughout the process students do not feel that a specific part of their identity is the trigger for the school to take some form of action. Saying that, other schools seem to have no understanding of safeguarding and manage to alienate the parents of children who happen to be Muslim. They also leave a lasting impression on the minds of young Muslims who believe that they have been targeted because of their faith. This is the worst outcome that anyone wants to see.

We will be monitoring these situations across the country and we believe that the safeguarding of young people and communties is of importance to us all so that the learning outcomes for young people can be the most fruitful for them. Yet, over-reactions to students who are Muslim and who receive a different standard of treatment because of Prevent is unacceptable. Of that, we are clear.

The post Over-Reactions on Prevent Are Causing Fears Within Muslim Students appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Well, if you don’t remember it, you certainly missed a media circus where press journalists were commentating on the actions of a handful of men who were shaming couples holding hands and suggesting that women were inappropriately dressed. One of these individuals was the convicted extremist Jordan Horner, who later apologised for his actions.

At the time, we made clear that any ‘faith-based’ patrol or any vigilante group was contrary to the rules and criminal and civil laws of this country and that such groups of individuals were a serious risk to community relations. We stated that they could possibly spark off serious unrest in areas and that action needed to be taken to send a clear message that the State would not tolerate any behaviour which intimidated citizens walking our streets. The ‘Muslim Patrol’ was neither Muslim nor required and many Muslims saw these actions as running contrary to their faith and further denigrating Islam in the eyes of many.

Well, cut to the 23rd of January 2016 and we have Britain First conducting another of their Christian Patrols. This is not the first time that Britian First have attempted to inflame tensions in areas.

However, this time it was conducted in Bury Park in Luton and was intimidating and meant to inflame tensions which would then be captured on film and create the notion of ‘them and us.’ Just as predictably, young Asian men rose to the bait with Britain First activists agitating and further adding to the growing tensions because of this extremist far right group.

Sadly, it is now 2016 and these inflammatory actions continue with Britain First trying to paint themselves as ‘defenders’ of Christian values, something that they are far from. They continue to walk into areas, stir up unrest and walk away leaving local communities to pick up the pieces. It is also interesting to note in the video of their agitation, that their actions lead to a young female policewoman finding herself in the middle of groups of testosterone laden young men looking to fight. Is this really the ‘patriotism’ that our country needs – the answer is a resounding no.

Lastly, it is high time that action is taken against Britain First and the way that it seeks to create and foment disturbances in communities. We are very concerned that their actions may lead to serious unrest or physical assaults and this is the last thing we need for our country and our communities.

The post ‘Christian Patrols’ Just as Divisive as ‘Muslim Patrols’. But Where is the Outrage? appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The English Democrats have absorbed previous supporters of the British National Party and the Party has failed miserably to make any major political headway in the past. Given the comments we have found around Islam and Muslims, the English Democrats certainly are far from the centre political ground.

No doubt, they will remain an irrelevance in the Police and Crime Commissioner elections for Kent.

We thought we would respond to his tweets below.

Only one religion I know tells it's followers to rape non followers .. Islam …and Muslims https://t.co/7VRVDyKNSP

— #Chilling (@SteveUncles) January 16, 2016

Editor: Er no Steve. Think this is what we call – ‘Make it up as you go along.’ Does not build much public confidence in your ability to grasp issues. In fact, it is pretty frightening that you think this way.

Islam is a religion .. not a race https://t.co/4uqFc60lZB

— #Chilling (@SteveUncles) January 16, 2016

Editor: You are just a genius Steve. Gosh, you carry on like this and you might, just might, sound credible.

1 Million White English Girls systematically groomed by Muslim men is no joke @DICS131294 https://t.co/Qpw5e1zjzk

— #Chilling (@SteveUncles) January 17, 2016

Editor: Er, you have now lost the plot again Steve. Just as we thought you were getting a grasp of Islam and Muslims, you go and come out with this. It is back to the statistical drawing board for you.

Scotty, just checking that you are aware that Muslims in England do not use toilet paper .. they use their hands https://t.co/OhgeBAm6Cp

— #Chilling (@SteveUncles) January 17, 2016

Editor: Last time we looked, there was plently of loo paper around and judging by your comments, you might want to steer clear from having a curry in the future. You know, some of the waiters may read this and decide to test out your theory.

Under an @EnglishDemocrat s administration grooming and rape allegations by Muslim men would be investigated

— #Chilling (@SteveUncles) January 17, 2016

Editor: Quick question – the way that reads is rather weird and thank you for suggesting that any allegation of rape or grooming will be investigated when reported by Muslim men. We think that what you wanted to say was that any allegation of rape or grooming conducted by ‘Muslim men,’ would be investigated. How charming of you to suggest that rape or grooming is linked to Islam or Muslims, as if their faith drives them to it. This is another case of ‘make it up as you go along.’  In case you were not aware, the vast majority of rape cases statistically involve non-Muslims and we should be talking less about this but rather ensuring that the safety of women is enhanced. We should also be talking about reducing the culture of violence in the minds of some men who think that women are sexual objects. This is about power, rather than faith driving men.

Also, just aside from that, there is the small little matter of the fact that any such complaint is already looked into by the police – you seemed to have missed this out. According to your tweet, it seems that only complaints about Muslims will be investigated. You do realise that you are slowly giving the public the opinion that you are…..not very informed on matters.

Under a @EnglishDemocrat s administration in Kent we would #BanTheBurka in public places

— #Chilling (@SteveUncles) January 17, 2016

Editor: Ban the Burqa Steve – Burqa with a ‘q’. Er, not a major issue the last time we were in Dartford, Kent, we did not see large swathes of women donning the burqa or is this one more element of your bizarre judgements made about Muslims. Judging by previous comments – you might want to rethink this one.

Under an @EnglishDemocrat s administration in Kent animal cruelty law would be applied in full to ban Cruel Halal Slaughter & supply

— #Chilling (@SteveUncles) January 17, 2016

Editor: You would then effectively ban Schehita – that is the religious preparation of food for Jewish communities. Thought this one through Steve? After this series of tweets, hold onto your mast Steve, the ship is fast sinking for the English Democrats in Kent.

The post Meet the Kent Police Commissioner Candidate for the English Democrats appeared first on TELL MAMA.

This was a Facebook post that we received from someone and it highlights and debunks the myth that Muslims are modern day Scrooge’s, wishing no-one a Merry Christmas. The text says it all and we wanted to highlight it in full.

“I just want to share this with folks: Muslims generally get a great deal of bad press especially when it comes to Christmas, many people believe that because of Muslims, we are now encouraged to say “Happy holidays” in place of the traditional “Happy Christmas/Merry Christmas.”

This evening and rushing to do my last minute shopping on this Christmas Eve, as I entered the supermarket, I noticed a Muslim lady rushing with her shopping trolley to her car, I smiled and said “Hurry out of the cold” To which she replied with a huge smile “Merry Christmas” and I thought…I love that this lady just said that to me, it kind of made me think how integrated we in the UK generally are.

Then later, I entered my local corner shop to pick up some last minute table snacks, I noticed he had “Christmas hats” and wanted to purchase one which said “Santa`s little helper” but I was all spent up and this little shop doesn’t have a card machine. I paid for the items and as I was leaving, this local shop keeper gave me the hat and wished me a “Happy Christmas” now it isn’t as though I use his shop often because he doesn’t take debit card payments but because of his small act of kindness, he now has a regular customer.

It is with little exchanges such as these, we come a long way in correcting the skewed vision of how Muslims are portrayed as wanting to change everything and steal our Christmas from us, it just isn’t true.”

The post Facebook Post by non-Muslim Debunks the ‘Muslims Don’t Want to Wish a Merry Christmas’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The electronic flyer, another in a monotonous campaign to obtain donations from members of the public, are becoming more and more bizarre and desperate. Could Britain First be having real problems raising funds for their ‘campaigns’ which usually consist of turning up at town centres, parading around for a few hours and getting back onto coaches to warm up their cramped calves and the chilblains on their feet?

The flyer then goes onto state that a:

“…..conquest by the cradle is engulfing our country,”

It seems that Britain First believe that we are in serious risk of being taken over by toddlers and if that was not bizarre enough, they go onto suggest that:

“…native British people now make up only 75% of the total population.”

Well there you have it, off comes the veneer of attempted respectability and back comes the politics of race driven by this fascist group. Apart from fixating on ‘wombs’, ‘cradles’ and ‘native British people’, Britain First is not far forward in its political evolution from the banality of race politics and the amoeboid simplicity of its arguments.

The post Extremist Far Right Group Britain First State ‘London is Finished as a British City’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The post Facebook Founder’s Post Shows Why Jewish Muslim Relations Are Fundamental to Protect appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The circular which was sent to subscribers makes the usual call for ‘donations’ and openly suggests that far right Britain First sympathisers are

“happy to go into the most militant Muslim areas and carry out dangerous Britain First operations.”

Are these the same ‘militant Muslim areas’ that has seen them previously go into the boroughs of Waltham Forest and Tower Hamlets and stand outside the East London mosque, whilst posturing and being abusive to worshippers? To describe Tower Hamlets as a ‘militant Muslim area’ shows how deluded this group has become and how they are part of the problem and not a solution for communities in our country.

The bulletin goes onto highlight a video of Paul Golding undertaking a ‘self defence’ class and with the bulletin suggesting that,

“our activists have stood in the face of mad Muslims and crazed leftists.”

This extremist group simply seems to have forgotten that its actions have been instrumental in creating fear and counter-extremism in some areas.

However, there are two elements in the circular bulletin that are deeply worrying. The first is that two young girls are shown wearing the extremist far right sweatshirts of Britain First. This is deeply worrying and raises into question safeguarding issues. We will no doubt be passing on the pictures to the relevant authorities, given that young children are included in material related to this extremist far right group.

The bulletin goes onto suggest that Britain First will be providing martial arts training to its activists in Krav Maga and Thai boxing. The end of the bulletin makes a chilling call showing the extremist far right rhetoric and mindset of this group. It states,

“The fact is that our people are not breeding.”

“The situation is only going to have one outcome: civil war.”

Given that Britain First is becoming more militant and aggressive in the make-up of its material, we urge authorities to continue to look carefully at this material and to act against the group where appropriate. The only thing that will make ‘Britain First’ globally is hard work, communities working together for a better social and economic future and where citizens value and safeguard our collective safety. Groups like this are a hindrance to these laudable objectives and simply serve their own deluded extremist ideologies.

The post Britain First Electronic Bulletin Shows Young Girls Promoting Far Right Material appeared first on TELL MAMA.

A couple who had completed their shopping were accosted in a car park by a white female who launched into an anti-Muslim tirade calling the couple ‘terrorists’ and which led to an assault on the female Muslim who was wearing a Hijab. The white female perpetrator tried to tug at the Hijab of the Muslim female as the assault continued.

According to the victims, to add further insult to injury, members of the public came to the aid of the perpetrator and started to film the event saying that they would be witnesses for her.

The Muslim couple were left feeling intimidated, isolated and bereft of any support from local individuals. Having left the site, they reported into Tell MAMA and we will be providing support to the family and ensuring that Greater Manchester police are aware of this incident.

More recently, Greater Manchester Police released figures showing a doubling of Islamophobic hate crimes between November 2014 and October 2015.

The post Assault on Muslim Female in Greater Manchester Shows Paris Impact appeared first on TELL MAMA.

“I abhor extremism of any kind and I was referring to extremists and not Islam as a whole.”

Cllr David Clark went onto state that:

“This is my personal opinion and therefore it does not represent the views of any council I am a member of. I will not dignify the questioners with any further response.”

The problem with these responses is that an elected member is liable to be scrutinised for public and private comments they make particularly when those comments relate to issues that may be sensitive to local residents. In this instance, abusing the faith of some local residents, we believe, falls into this category.

The question has to be asked as to whether someone with views about Islam which Cllr Clark holds can honestly and objectively represent, advocate and act on behalf of local residents who happens to be Muslim and followers of Islam? This is the crux of the issue.

Furthermore, when you look at the Facebook statements made by Cllr Clark, they are directly against Islam and, it can be said, against the followers of Islam – Muslims. The statement below illustrates his statement:

“Paul, Islam isn’t a race, it is a cult religion. I still maintain it is the biggest single threat to world peace…..they (one can only assume the followers of Islam – Muslims), are an absolute bunch of nut pots…..just my personal opinion.“

A further comment by Cllr Clark highlights ISIS but then goes onto state that “Islam is the biggest threat to world peace.“

Judging by these documented comments, the response from Cllr Clark simply does not wash. His statements are clear and he could have contextualised them which he did not do.

The question still stands for Cllr Clark. Can he truly represent people who happen to be Muslim in his ward given his views about their faith and could it be said – about them? If his answer is yes, the next question would be, will a local resident who happens to be Muslim feel comfortable being represented by a local councillor with these views?

The post Morpeth Town Councillor David Clarke Refuses to Resign After Anti-Islam Comments appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Readers’ Editor,
Daily Mail,
Northcliffe House,
2 Derry Street,
London W8 5TT

Dear Sir,

RE: Editorial Cartoon in the Daily Mail on the 17th of November 2015

We wanted to get in touch with you regarding this cartoon which was published on the 17th of November. We would like to start off by saying that unlike some, we believe that the Daily Mail has published some excellent investigative pieces in the last 24 months and produces scoops at points that are unique and which have a public interest. We also have to acknowledge that there are fundamental differences around our views on refugees, minority communities and on human rights. On these, we will continue to differ since we believe in the right for people to seek sanctuary when they are persecuted and in the protection of communities who are threatened or abused just because of a part of their multiple identities. We also believe that human rights are fundamental to a healthy functioning democracy.

However, we would like to turn attention to the cartoon printed in the Daily Mail on the 17th of November 2015. The cartoon was a depressing attempt to couch stereotypes in the guise of artistic freedom for a national newspaper. The suggestion given was that Muslims are symbolic of men with beards and with their wives walking behind them and where refugees cannot be fully trusted since their migration is allowing in terrorists – note the man with the weapon.

Whilst the Paris murders do indicate that a handful of extremists may have slipped into Europe with refugees, we need to re-iterate that refugees should not be seen as part of the problem and their plight is real as they flee from the horrors of Assad and the so-called Islamic State. Yet, this cartoon is not meant to acknowledge such issues and plays to the most basal stereotypes about Muslims and raises question marks on fleeing families who have suffered years of war, persecution and killings.

Finally, we are very concerned that the cartoon places fleeing rats with the individuals in the cartoon. Is the Mail suggesting that the refugees or Muslims are rats? Why was other wildlife not used and why rats?

Such imagery should never be repeated again. In 2015, the production of such imagery is simply an insult to us all.

Yours sincerely,

Tell MAMA

The post Open Letter to the Daily Mail on their Editorial Cartoon for the 17/11/2015 appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Most of the abuse against the Muslim trans-female is undertaken by white males, between the ages of 16-40. Once again, anti-Muslim bigotry at a street level, is male on female anti-Muslim and gender hate and it needs to be seen within this light.

Today, this video came to light with an open assault on her at a street level. The Muslim female recorded the material and it is truly shocking to see an assault on a female whilst passers by just look on and with no-one coming to her assistance. This is unacceptable and we will be pursuing a possible prosecution with the police on this.

The post Trans-Muslim Convert to Islam Openly Assaulted With Public Looking On appeared first on TELL MAMA.

[This post contains video, click to play]

Remember, if you have been subjected to such anti-Muslim abuse, report it in and we can assist you. Alternatively, you can call the police on 101. We are here to assist and after the last incident, we reported the anti-Muslim hatred to the police to ensure that justice was done. The police acted swiftly with an arrest and someone has been charged in relation to that specific offence.

Credit for the video is due to @doammuslims

The post Another Video Comes to Light Showing Obscene Anti-Muslim Bigotry. Black on Black appeared first on TELL MAMA.

“UK government have abandoned Brits. We need to exit EU, ECHR, stop all immigration + look after British people. Like UKIP. All my views. I follow back – Southampton/ Isle of Wight.”

Not to be outdone on statements after the fire that overtook the Morden mosque over the weekend, Jones went onto state the following:

What Jones showed was his ignorance about the mosque that had suffered the fire. It was an Ahmaddiya mosque and the community has been vocal in raising funds for charities and also recently ran a ‘Poppy campaign‘ in order to raise money for charity by openly selling poppies. This was also highlighted to him as shown above and his response was even more bizarre and telling of his views.

Not to be outdone on the richter scale of ignorance his further tweet shows a level of disdain for Muslims in the United Kingdom. His response was, “I am talking about Rotherham where 2000 underage girls were abused by muslim (sic), UK is better off without Islam and muslims.”

Finally, we are aware that this individual has previously had Twitter conversations with senior members of UKIP before. We hope that they reconsider conversations with this individual given the comments and postings that we have highlighted.

The post David Jones – UKIP Supporter & Avid Tweeter appeared first on TELL MAMA.

A Muslim woman reported into us last week on the intimidation that sections of the Muslim community are receiving, including death threats from what seem to be, people associated with a Loyalist group.

Last year, Eid-Ul-Fitr prayers were held by the local Muslim community in Belfast. Worshippers had to be evacuated due to a hoax fire alarm and online threats to worshippers were also made. This year, the local Muslim community held official prayers in the town of Lisburn and within the large Lisburn Leisureplex. Plans were made to hold it in the Leisureplex since there was ample parking and it was not near the city centre so that any inconvenience to local residents could be reduced.

Yet, as can be seen by the following comments, threats and anti-Muslim abuse by Loyalists came thick and fast.

The following comment was also made by the Muslim female who reported this material into us. She stated:

“I have been an involved member of the community for over 10 years. I feel it has never been this bad…”

On Wednesday, the former pastor of the largest church in Northern Ireland, James McConnell, will be up in court for his inflammatory comments about Islam. The pastor has not withdrawn his comments and has suggested that he is willing to go to jail, with some stating that he is being persecuted by Muslims for his faith.

Some within Muslim communities are genuinely concerned that Wednesday and the James McConnell case will further inflame tensions. If he is found not guilty, some Muslims feel that it will open the door to possible anti-Muslim hatred and his views being legitimised. If he is convicted, others feel that there will be a backlash against Muslims. Either way, the future for race and faith relations in Northern Ireland certainly does not look healthy.

The post Intimidation in Northern Ireland Towards Muslims is Deeply Worrying appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Never to miss an opportunity to build a career on inflammatory statements, Katie Hopkins has also jumped into the mix. Yesterday she tweeted the following:

“717 pilgrims killed in stampede during religious pilgrimage where they throw stones at pillars.  Target practise for Sharia I guess.”

So here we go again. It is as if, in the minds of some, Muslims think the same and live their lives as some form of homogenous block. But what is particularly sickening about the Hopkins tweet is that she takes a religious event meant to symbolise rejecting evil, as being “target practise for Sharia”. She is in effect saying that people on the Hajj, (who according to her world view, are influenced by Sharia), will be practising throwing stones  – and with the association that this is linked to inhumane punishments.

Going to the Hajj is one of the most important experiences for Muslims in their lives. It is a spiritually cleansing experience for many, yet, judging by any reading of the tweet of Hopkins, those who go on the Hajj are practising their stone throwing to possibly harm others. There is only one thing to say about Hopkins in Twitterland – #epicfail.

The post Katie Hopkins: Muslim Hajjis Practice Sharia Stoning appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Instead of sending condolences, Danczuk decided to state the following:

“Many Muslims believe Allah shows his feelings by actions. I wonder what message they think he’s sending following both tragedies at Mecca.” She signed the tweet off as KD.

Without over-analysing the comments, all faiths in some shape or form, believe that God (or gods) show their displeasure or pleasure with mankind through physical actions and manifestations and clearly Danczuk has never read Greek or Roman philosophy or history. Maybe, just maybe, she has heard of the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi who visioned the actions of the Gods through physical manifestations? We think not.

However, the statement is suggestive and could suggest to individuals reading it, that Allah is unhappy with Muslims, hence he strikes them dead. That to a lay reader, could well be its ordinary meaning. As we suggested before, instead of sending condolences, this is the best she comes up with.

The response back from her is even more interesting. She states:

“Yours is a silly comment. So am I wrong? Muslims don’t believe Allah will make his feelings known? KD“

Again what is interesting is that Danczuk lumps all Muslims together. It is as if she thinks that there is some supernatural group-think going on, as if Muslims are all programmed to think the same and believe the same thing. Which leads us to the following – does Danczuk really know much about the dynamics in Muslim communities? We think not, once again.

Finally, we would suggest this. If Danczuk truly wants to get involved in discussions, it might, just might be useful to understand something about the subject when commenting on the deaths of individuals. Something to think about Karen?

The post People Die, Karen Danczuk Ponders What Message Allah Sends to Muslims appeared first on TELL MAMA.

We have noticed that those who have divergent views from what some may perceive as being views which ‘Muslims should have’, are smeared and labelled on social media as ‘House Muslims.’ The allegation made is that if someone takes a contrary view on extremism, or Prevent, or against groups excluding others because they are deemed to be ‘the wrong kind of Muslim’, they are therefore ‘House Muslims.’ They are, in the eyes of the perpetrator, equivalent to the House Slaves who kept the machinery of oppression through slavery going. They are also equivalent to the ‘House N……’ who ensured that the South’s policy of slavery continued on longer since they had sold their labour just to receive some basic privileges. This is what people who shout ‘House Muslim’, are saying.

Why are these statements problematic? They are problematic since those making them leave themselves open to the charge that they have no moral mandate in countering intolerance and prejudice, when they themselves are promoting a form of bigotry. They have no mandate since tackling racism and prejudice, speaks to power. These individuals do not speak to power, they simply re-enforce a mob-like mentality that bays, taunts and attempts to humiliate the individual, thereby re-enforcing power structures. This statement is also problematic, since it shows the hypocrisy in some who claim to be part of the anti-racist movement and who are nothing but charlatans and snake-skin salespeople playing to a mob mentality. Underneath the facade, they have slightly more in common with the plantation owner who sought to keep his slaves subjugated and controlled; boxed off and easy to understand. Well, we will have no part of it.

Anyone who uses the term ‘House Muslim’ should be regarded as being akin in his/her views to those who promote the false narrative that Muslims cannot be trusted and that they are secret Sharia or taqiyya peddlers. Both narratives are toxic and we simply should reject both with all of our energies.

(More on this subject will be disseminated in the coming days)

The post ‘House Muslims’ is just as bad as ‘House N……’. appeared first on TELL MAMA.

A Muslim woman contacted us a few days ago to complain about the way that she was treated at work. This is her experience of suffering abuse and rejection. We have also advised her to seek legal redress on what seems to be, discrimination in employment.

“A six-foot male at my workplace attempted to attack me due to wearing a Hijab. He came at me in full force less than a day after declaring his dislike of me wearing the Hijab at least twice. I stated that I would not remove my Hijab and he ran towards me. Three men pulled him away from me as he shouted and screamed at me, so Alhamdulillah he was not able to remove my Hijab.

This attack was witnessed by all my colleagues who have been supportive but the male is in a relationship with the senior manager-third in the hierarchy of the managers – so they took no action. On 18/09/15 they sacked me. It’s a huge injustice and I feel so upset I cannot explain. I feel like I am losing faith in humanity with the non-action of the employers and they have promoted the racism by sacking me. All the Muslim and non-Muslim colleagues have been supportive and are also in shock at what this man did. But the management has taken no action against him. This man is clearly strong on his own religious beliefs as shown by a big cross he has on his desk and all sorts of books on Jesus and Christianity all over his work desk, but has an intolerance for Islam and a few days ago stated he dislikes Muslims.

Ultimately this is an example of intolerance towards the Hijab and Islamophobia in both that male perpetrator and the employers who supported the individual and who punished the victim, thus encouraging this type of intolerance towards Muslims in society.”

The post Institutional Anti-Muslim Bigotry More Insidious appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Speaking to journalists outside EU headquarters in Brussels, he is reported to have said, “I think we have a right to decide that we do not want a large number of Muslim people in our country.”

He also seemed to infer and bring up the country’s 150-year history of being under Ottoman rule, during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Many Syrian refugees have said that Hungary has failed to cater for their most basic of needs and many have ended up under bush shelters and being vulnerable to being exploited.

The comments by the Prime Minister of Hungary will no doubt spark a backlash with Labour leader contender Yvette Cooper tweeting out the following:

Disturbed & appalled by statement from Hungarian PM pursuing religious division in midst of crisis of shared humanity http://t.co/mS7Xlk3jBK

— Yvette Cooper (@YvetteCooperMP) September 3, 2015

We hope that all Labour leader contenders will no doubt follow the lead of Yvette Cooper and make a firm statement against such comments.

The post Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, Reportedly Says Hungary Does not Want Large Numbers of Muslim Refugees appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The text below raises the temperature with a threat to march to Rotherham town centre. This coming after communities in Rotherham are trying to get to grips with the grooming scandals, ongoing investigations and the recent murder of a Yemeni Muslim male who was walking to Fajr prayers in the morning.

Text from Britain First to Newsletter Subscribers

“Recently, South Yorkshire Police banned Britain First from Rotherham town centre on our march next Saturday, the 5th of September.

We announced a new route in line with police wishes.

However, since then there have been two separate developments:

Firstly, despite Britain First not being allowed into the town centre to avoid disrupting trade and shopping, the openly violent leftwing vigilante group, the UAF, who regularly burn British flags, will be allowed to counter-protest in the town centre!

The new police strategy of sabotage is clear: Banish Britain First to the outskirts of town and allow the opposition to meet the public in the town centre.

Secondly, the South Yorkshire Police liaison unit have confirmed that the threatened Section 12 is not going to be served on Britain First until the actual day of the march.

What would happen then is that Britain First will have changed its plans in a massive way, then the accompanying legislation and paperwork would fail to materialise.

In other words, we would have been tricked into staying away from the town centre.

On both these accounts, we have scrapped the route the police wanted us to take and we will be going to the town centre.

Britain First will not allow itself to be bullied and sabotaged by Britain’s increasingly political police forces.

Please watch this important video update from Britain First leader Paul Golding.”

The post Far Right Britain First, Rails Against South Yorkshire Police appeared first on TELL MAMA.

0048-14 Adams v Metro – Not Upheld (02/12/14)

Daniel Adams complained that the Metro breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) in September 2014. The story related to CSE in Rotherham. Adams’ central complaint was an image of a mosque in the story linked Islam/Muslims with CSE.

IPSO did not uphold the complaint but acknowledged that the prominence of the mosque in the photo had the potential to link CSE with Islam/Muslims. While it did not breach the Editors’ Code the board would pass on the message that the text did not explain the image choice.

0274-14 Miah v The Daily Telegraph – Not Upheld (15/12/2014)  

Mr Kabir Miah complained that the Telegraph breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) and Clause 12 (Discrimination) in an article headlined “How our allies in Kuwait and Qatar funded Islamic state”. Miah’s complaint focused on the article linking the al-Muntada mosque in West London to ISIS and diverting charity funds for people in Syria to the terror group.  Miah argued the article was both Islamophobic and divisive for communities.

IPSO did not uphold because it found the journalist made a strong case to describe the mosque as “hardline” (therefore not a breach of accuracy); given the wider context in the article the journalist was entitled to question the legitimacy of their fundraising. Mr Miah did not challenge the main assertions that “had close links to British mosques accused of radicalising young people into Isil”. Discrimination only applies to individuals and they found no pejoratives comments towards any person’s faith.

01733-14 Sattar v The Sunday Telegraph – Not Upheld (09/03/2015)

Saqib Sattar, complained on behalf of iERA, that the Sunday Telegraph breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) in an article headlined “Hate preachers ‘at schools, campuses and even Scouts’”. Article predicated on Sharia Watch report that pertained to expose extremism and bigotry from iERA’s speakers. Complaints focused on a lack of balance (e.g. not highlighting iERA’s good community work) or providing context for quotes that discuss beheadings and adultery. The complaint also focused on the journalist not asking named iERA speakers for comment.

IPSO did not uphold because the complainant did not provide the evidence to contextualise the extreme statements. Nor were they obliged to report on iERA’s positive community work. They found no grounds for a breach of accuracy.

01840-14 Sattar v The Sunday Telegraph – Not Upheld (09/03/2015)

Saqib Sattar also complained (again on behalf of iERA) that the Sunday Telegraph breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) and Clause 2 (Opportunity to reply) in an article headlined “Friend of murdered hostage Alan Henning defends Isil online”.  Like the above complaint, the question of accuracy when describing iERA speakers as “extremists” without contextualising quotes.

IPSO did not uphold because “the Committee did not consider that the context provided by the complainant substantively changed the nature of the quotations cited by the newspaper”. Not upheld on Clause 2 because there was no ‘established inaccuracies’.

00544-15 Walker v Daily Mirror – Not Upheld (23/04/2015)

Mark Walker complained that the Mirror breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) and Clause 2 (Opportunity to reply) in an article headlined “UKIP candidate shares race hate article on Facebook branding mixed-race couples a ‘plague’”. He was concerned that the use of the word ‘circulated’ implied the person created it when he merely shared it. Walker worried he’s now been labelled an antisemite and racist as one post linked Mossad to Charlie Hebdo.

IPSO did not uphold the complaint; the committee found that the term “so sad but true” implies endorsement. The term circulate did not mislead readers that Walker merely shared and commented on the original inflammatory content.

00184-14 Tameez v The Sunday Telegraph – Not Upheld (08/05/2015)

Sajjad Tameez complained on behalf of the Wycombe Islamic Society (WISE) that a Sunday Telegraph article breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) and Clause 2 (Opportunity to reply) in an article headlined “High Wycombe, jihad central”. The article looks at radicalisation of young Muslims and claims they previously attended the WISE mosque. One of the men handed out propaganda leaflets outside the mosque. The imam from WISE indicated the men was banned from the mosque and a further statement from WISE condemning extremism appeared in the article.

The complainant challenged the accuracy of the report on grounds that no former students of WISE were missing; it was inaccurate to claim the leaflets handed outside WISE mosque were ‘extremist’; quotes attributed to Zaif Hussain, a community leader quoted in the article did not exist; Sheikh Abu Suhaib, the Imam at WISE is not an official media spokesperson; the Imam had been asked about missing “youths”, but not “students”.

IPSO did not uphold the above because it felt that whilst the imam was not the media spokesperson, he was still an authority within WISE; in spite of the claims of inaccurate quotes the committee was satisfied that the detailed notes provided proved by the journalist corroborated the claims; the claims about missing students and leaflets came from sources within the community; while there was issues about “youths” vs “students” the WISE imam did not refute the central point that men who had attended the mosque were now missing – therefore it was not a breach of accuracy. In light of the above, Clause 2 was not activated.

00870-15 Hussain v The Sunday Telegraph – Not Upheld (22/05/2015)

Mohammed Hussain complained on behalf of iERA that the Sunday Telegraph breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) and Clause 2 (Opportunity to reply) in two articles headlined “The rising tide of anti-Semitism” and “How the Muslim brotherhood fits into a network of extremism”.

Like previous complainants, Hussain argued that a lack of contextualisation in relation to claims of antisemitism iERA staff.

IPSO did not uphold because the committee previously found the newspaper was entitled to label iERA as “extremist”.  Therefore, the committee did not consider the relevance of Clause 2.

00588-15 Burbage Council v The Hinckley Times – Not Upheld (01/06/2015)

Burbage Parish Council (Leicestershire) complained the Hinckley Times breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) in an article headlined “Dispute over grave plots after burial of Gypsy”. The story focused on the dispute over grave plots at Burbage Cemetery, following the burial of Shadrack Smith in the grave adjacent to the grave of a Muslim man. The council did not intend to exhume the body but argued this oversight was missing in the article.

IPSO did not uphold because the newspaper was entitled to report the family’s concerns and did not state the council’s intent to exhume the body.

03470-15 Ismail v The Times – Not Upheld (22/06/2015)

Sufyan Ismail complained on behalf of Muslim Engagement & Development (MEND) that The Times had breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) in an article headlined “Muslim radicals send death threats to teachers”. The story relates to the so-called “Trojan horse” plot where a headteacher alleged that petitions and death threats (via social media) were sent to the school relating to teachers who taught against homophobia.

Ismail insisted that there was ‘no evidence’ to suggest Muslims had sent the death threats or left animal remains outside schools.

IPSO did not uphold because it felt the newspaper headline accurately reflected the views of the headteacher – who spoke in the wider context of ‘Muslim extremism’. The first sentence of the article made clear that the headline claims came from the teacher.

01902-15 Afzal v The Sunday Telegraph – Not Upheld (23/06/2015)

Feroza Afzal complained The Sunday Telegraph had breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) in an article headlined “New school ‘Islamising’ plot uncovered”/”Another Birmingham school put in special measures amid ‘Trojan Horse’ fears”, both in print and online.

The complainant focuses on a school named in the so-called “Trojan horse plot”. One claim argued that Ofsted found a “narrowing of the curriculum” (though the opposite was true in the published report); rather it had praised the breadth of the curriculum at the school, and noted that “discrimination is not tolerated in any form”.

IPSO did not uphold because the clarification prevented a breach of Clause 1.

00776-15 Nielsen v Daily Mirror – Not Upheld (24/07/2015)

Magnus Nielsen, prospective Ukip candidate at the 2015 General Election complained that the Mirror breached Clause 1 (Accuracy) and Clause 10 (Clandestine devices and subterfuge) in an article headlined “Manifestoads”.  The article related to a march he spoke at – Mothers Against Radical Islam and Sharia (MARIAS); he made a speech at the rally in which he warned of the threat which he believes Islam poses to democracy.

Nielsen complained that the journalist used illicit tactics to gauge his views on Islam and potentially misled voters; he also claims the journalist distorted his quotes and claimed he was a member of the EDL; the newspaper editorial team purchased the story and decided the public interest trumped a breach of Clause 10; Nielsen’s Facebook postings were also used to highlight his views on Islam and the journalist disclosed that he did not use a camera in public over safety concerns.

IPSO did not uphold because the public interest defence trumped a breach of Clause 10; the journalist was entitled to attend the public event; the committee checked Nielsen’s full transcript and did not find the journalist had distorted his beliefs; because the leader of MARIAS said “unfortunately whether we like it or not, if you support the English Defence League you are automatically deemed as being a racist Islamophobe. Which is complete nonsense…MARIAS takes away that. So everybody, no matter who you are affiliated with, can stand together under one umbrella.” – It was not inaccurate for the journalist to make links between the organisation and the EDL – nor did the journalist claim Nielsen was a member of the EDL.

The post IPSO Complaints Related to Muslims, Islam, Mosques etc appeared first on TELL MAMA.

We have also highlighted the association of the Lawyers’ Secular Society in the event through this article.

Today, we have also learnt that the Secretary for the Lawyers’ Secular Society, Charlie Klendjian, has resigned.

We have also commented previously on this proposed events and statements are listed below:

Fiyaz Mughal, Director of Tell MAMA, said: “Inviting a man who is currently awaiting trial for racial hatred after vowing to make sure there were ‘fewer Moroccans‘ in Holland is hardly the poster boy any sane or reasonable campaign wants to have as their keynote speaker.”

“Let us not be fooled that this is about testing the boundaries of free speech. If they wanted that, they would do it without people like Wilders and that says it all”

Commenting on the decision to drop the ‘Mohammed Cartoons exhibition’, the Director of TELL MAMA, stated:

“By inviting Geert Wilders, who has been charged for alleged anti-Moroccan comments and Paul Weston of Liberty GB, an extreme far right group, this event was simply meant to irritate and inflame. If this was a genuine attempt to speak up for free speech, organisers would have invited groups like ‘the Pen’.

In the end, with all of the hot air, what have organisers achieved? Nothing but an attempt to raise the temperature and inflame community tensions. Hardly anything constructive for humankind.”

The post Mohammed Cartoons Cancelled appeared first on TELL MAMA.

 In Burnt Oak the following pictures were sent to us highlighting the hate and prejudice that one or many people may have against Muslims. The perpetrators decided to scrawl obscenities against Muslims on the bus stand and on the post showing bus times. The shelter involved is the Sefton Avenue bus stop with buses heading in the direction of Burnt Oak.

Just a few days ago, the Swindon Advertiser highlighted shocking anti-Muslim graffiti that had been scrawled on an underpass with Swastika symbols and with the graffiti large and tagged onto the pavement. The anti-Muslim slogans attacked the town’s Muslims and was meant to generate fear and promote hatred. The subway runs underneath the A4311 between Gorse Hill and Kembrey Park. These pictures from the Advertiser are shocking as to the confidence that one or more individuals have in promoting their hate and intolerance.

If you come across such material in the future, please do not hesitate to report it into us at info@tellmamauk.org or via Twitter (@tellmamauk). You can also Facebook (TELLMAMAUK) and SMS us on 0115 707 0007.

The post Anti-Muslim Graffiti Rears its Ugly Head appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Extremist group, Britain First post this article on their Facebook page. The resultant responses are akin to incitement and will be reported to the relevant police authority:

Roger Dyer: “Never mind the noise,can you imagine the stench coming from it? the obvious solution is a bonfire.”

Jason Bailey, from Well, Somerset: “It’s made of wood. Petrol + matches = no more noise.”

Graham Martin: “Napalm it.”

Cain Pinnock, (from London): “petrol station near by is there ”

Grant Hawley, from Milton, Cambridgeshire: “50p on a box of matches. A sound investment.”

John and Vicky McNeil, who works in Senior Sales in Debenhams: “Torch it.”

Mark Whale said: “About time it was blown up (and lists lots of flames).”

Roy Holmes from Walthamstow: “Set it alight while they are all inside praying. B.b.q muslim!”

Just to make sure that when we report this to the Police, they know what Roy looks like, we thought we would list the picture he proudly displays on his Facebook page. Roy Holmes from Walthamstow, these are your comments.

The post How is this Not Inflammatory? Posts on Britain First’s Facebook Page appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Today, this banner was unfurled in Sheffield. We have reported in pictures of the banner and people holding it to the police. Statements on the banner read:

“Who the F…..is Allah”,

“Keep Calm and Hate Muslims “

“Death to Islam”

We believe that some of these statements are illegal and have infringed on criminal laws. A formal complaint has been made to South Yorkshire Police and we would be happy to provide a Community Impact Statement to South Yorkshire Police if there are arrests that are made on this. We will also ensure that we work with forces to send a clear signal that hate, intolerance and bigotry is unacceptable.

The post Banner Inciting Hate Unfurled by EDL in Sheffield appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Details of the injunction have come to light and the injunction is “to prohibit Paul Golding and Jayda Fransen for a period of 1 year from:

1. Entering the town of Luton in Bedfordshire and its surrounding areas as indicated in the attached plan,
2. Entering any mosque or Islamic cultural centre or its grounds within England and Wales without prior written invitation,
3. Publishing, distributing or displaying, or causing to be published, distributed or displayed, any words or images, whether electronically or otherwise, which with regard to all of the circumstances, are likely to stir up religious and/or racial hatred,
4. Using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour thereby causing harassment, alarm or distress to any person,
5. That a power of arrest be attached to any of these.”

This is a pro-active and extremely welcome move by the Chief Constable for Bedfordshire coming hot on the heels of a meeting with Muslim communities in Luton who expressed real concern around the actions of Britain First on Saturday. Yet, what is also of significance, is the fact that Britain First cannot enter any mosque without prior written permission and their ‘mosque invasions’ may well be at an end. Also, what may be at an end could be the extremist and deeply anti-Muslim rhetoric that they have espoused and the injunction highlights that Golding and Fransen may well be arrested if they continue with such actions.

True to form, this duo of the fringe right have taken to ask for donations in order to pay for their ‘defence.’ Judging by past calls for finance, they may be looking at a couple of hundred pounds and offers of pints to console them.

We welcome and salute the actions of Bedfordshire Police and their Chief Constable. Such examples show clearly that authorities are willing to take action to maintain law and order in communities and to ensure that communities are not targeted for hate, intolerance and prejudice. Bravo!

The post Golding and Fransen Served with High Court Application for Injunction Banning them from Entering Mosques & Luton appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The Ahmaddiya community has itself suffered anti-Muslim incidents as well as intra-Muslim hate, where they have been targeted by a minority of Muslims as being heretical and not in the mainstream of Islam. Yet, all of this important information was lost on far right bigots who posted the following in the Sunderland Defence League’s closed Facebook page. Now, it also seems that Darrell Copeland is a sympathiser for the North East Infidels group.

Darrell Copeland misses the fact that the mosque in question is an Ahmaddiya one and the community counters extremism

Seems Darrell Copeland takes pictures of knives

North East Infidels and Pegida sympathisers tried to disrupt the event at the mosque in Hartlepool and they were all issued with Section 35 notices by the police under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, 2014. They were ordered to leave the area.

Note: we are grateful to TWAFA (Tyne and Wear Anti Fascist Association) for support and help in collating this material

The post North East Infidels/Pegida Try to Disrupt Activities in Hartlepool Ahmaddiya Mosque appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The previous Coalition Government supported the work of TELL MAMA on tackling anti-Muslim hate when no previous Government had tried to tackle this issue. They did this through supporting the mapping, monitoring and measuring of it. Their vision has made a real difference and both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats must be thanked. They did the right thing and with moral courage and practical assistance.

We believe that this present administration can be bolder and no doubt, more determined to tackle hate and prejudice in our society. This Government has made clear that it is willing to take bold and difficult steps in a number of areas and we believe that real and sustained support in this area of work can also help to tackle those consistently promoting bigotry and to ensure that victims get access to justice.

We are also aware that the Home Secretary has been consistent in her public statements around the need to tackle intolerance, hate and bigotry.This has also been the case with previous ministers in the Coalition Government.

As we move forward, we will continue to work with our Government, law enforcement, victim support agencies and a multiplicity of partners to ensure that work on tackling anti-Muslim hate is documented and victims supported and assisted. We will also work on the main-streaming of this work since Muslims are part and parcel of the fabric of our country and calls to alienate and isolate them are mainly made by those on the fringes of political life in the UK. This means that agencies working on this area also need to view the issue through the lens of realism, meaning that anti-Muslim hate is not the only issue that affects the lives of Muslims. It is one issue amongst a range of many that also affect other communities, such as unemployment, housing etc.

We therefore look forward to the next 5 years with an approach based on co-operation and partnership. If anything, real change has been made over the last 3 years through our work and the next 5 offer an opportunity for bolder and more creative work in the future.

The post We Should Welcome the Stance Taken by the Conservatives appeared first on TELL MAMA.

We are sickened by the Islamophobic and bigoted graffiti that was scrawled onto the Central Gurdwara in the West End in Glasgow. However it is clear that you thought that the Gurdwara was a mosque, since they kinda all look the same in your eyes. The reality is that Sikhs are not Muslims and saying that, targeting Muslim communities for bigotry and hate should be challenged by us all. No community should suffer the indignity of humiliation of hate just because of one or more facets of their identity.

We also thought that we would highlight the fact that just because a building has a dome, it does not necessarily make it a mosque. Or given the fact that just because practising Sikhs have beards, does not make them Muslims. Or could it have been that you just think that anything ‘foreign’ and ‘different looking’ must be Muslim, since in the darkest recesses of your mind, you think that Muslims are somehow taking over?

Your actions simply reflect on the ignorance that seems to have driven your actions. Furthermore, whilst Sikh communities have been integral to contributing to a modern and diverse country, (as Muslims have), we thought we would highlight the fact that self-defence is a vital part of the Sikh faith and tradition and this is why symbolically, they wear the Kirpan. (You might want to Google that and whilst it is purely symbolic in nature and not used for violence, we thought we would highlight this lest you think of doing this again.)

We therefore hope that you may have the courtesy to apologise to the Gurdwara and to offer to clean the institution as a form of penance. Failing that, there are a few mosques that could do with some help and either way, next time you see a man with a beard, you might just want to reflect on this letter. Or better still, realise that the only person who has been humiliated in this process, is you for the sheer lack of common sense.

Yours sincerely,

TELL MAMA TEAM

The post Open Letter to Bigots – A Gurdwara & a Mosque are Different appeared first on TELL MAMA.

This brief toolkit on on-line Islamophobia has been put together by TELL MAMA and Dr Imran Awan of Birmingham City University. The leaflet is a self help leaflet to help people to understand on-line Islamophobia and ways of tackling the bigotry, hate and intolerance.

If you use this information leaflet, we would be grateful if you could cite TELL MAMA and Dr Imran Awan.

The post Online Islamophobia: A Brief Self-Help Toolkit of Key Information appeared first on TELL MAMA.

The anti-Muslim and racist abuse that Mariam received trended the Twitter hashtag #IStandwithMariam, with thousands of Twitter accounts circulating the supportive statement.

Here are Mariam’s thoughts in an interview which she conducted with TELL MAMA. This courageous woman is an inspiration to all of us who believe in pluralism, freedom and the right of all people to live free from fear:

Question: What made you want to focus on Islamophobia? Was there a specific incident that triggered it?

There had much discussion amongst community leaders about the need to collate details of incidents of Islamophobia, so I decided that rather than waiting to launch, it would suffice to just start via social media and build it up slowly. I was particularly concerned as anecdotal evidence seemed to suggest a rise in Islamophobia, following the increased anti-terror rhetoric in the media and amongst our politicians.

Question: What is the state of anti-Muslim hate in Australia? Has it increased in the last two years, according to your opinion?

We believe that anti-Muslim sentiments have peaked in recent years, far worse than in the aftermath of 9/11.

Despite widespread allegations of Islamophobic incidents across the country, authorities continue to say, that they have not seen a significant rise in the number of anti-Muslim attacks reported to police.

This is despite the fact that when community tensions are at a boiling point, the Muslim community take it on themselves to offer security to women and children, citing a lack of confidence in authorities to clamp down on religiously motivated attacks.

Question: You have been abused and threatened many times? What gives you strength to get through these incidents?

These recent barrage of personal attacks have made me more determined than ever to keep battling to shed light on Islamophobia and cyber-bullying. I draw strength from my family, friends, wider community, both Muslim and non-Muslim but above all, I draw strength from my faith.

It’s a difficult and emotionally draining journey but it’s worth it. Alhumdullilah.

Question: You are seen as an icon for some Muslim women globally? What do you say to other Muslim women who want to make a difference and push back anti-Muslim hate?

History has shown us time and time again that social change only comes about when we challenge the status quo and persevere so we must rise against Islamophobia and all forms of xenophobia.

Just last week, anti-Islamic protests, organized by a group named ‘Reclaim Australia’, were held in 16 locations all around the country with violence breaking out in Melbourne and Brisbane. The Reclaim movement describe themselves as patriotic Australians who wish to “Stop Halal Taxes, Sharia Law & Islamisation.”

Question: What are the next steps for challenging anti-Muslim hate in Australia?

Incidents of Islamophobia are plainly on the rise but the authorities seem to suggest otherwise.

Having set up the Islamophobia Register Australia to collate reports of anti-Muslim sentiments, I have worked with members of the NSW Police Force.

A number of officers who have dealt with what the force labels “bias-motivated crimes” have expressed to me their deep frustration and utter dissatisfaction about the lack of funding and the lack of seriousness shown by their superiors in relation to efforts to monitor, report and combat threats and attacks against Australian Muslims. At present there is only one full-time officer working on bias-motivated crimes, along with a policy officer.

This is particularly alarming when bigoted groups such as Australian Defence League, Southern Cross Hammerskins, Blood and Honour Australia and Combat 18, (members of whom were allegedly involved in a mosque shooting incident with a rifle in 2010), are on the rise and increasingly exploiting recent anti-Islamic sentiment.

One officer said he shared my concerns that the existing climate had the potential to lead to another Cronulla-style race riot. He even told me that he was worried that he might one day be summoned before a commission of inquiry to explain why he did not act on his concerns and do more to stop such a riot.

A number of officers have also confirmed what we in the community have been hearing anecdotally: that there is a significant rise in the cases of verbal and physical abuse against Australian Muslims. These officers are genuinely trying to tackle Islamophobia but, with scarce resources, their hands are somewhat tied.

To my knowledge, a large proportion of Islamophobic incidents are unreported due to an alarming level of distrust towards the police amongst many in the Muslim community.

We cannot lobby authorities to devote additional resources to help tackle Islamophobia in Australia, if we do not have sufficient verified data to back up what anecdotal evidence seems to suggest – an alarming increase in Islamophobia. It’s therefore vital that victims of Islamophobia do not hesitate to report all incidents both to authorities and to the Islamophobia Register.

Question: Do you think that on-line hate can be reduced?

Authorities are very much in unchartered waters when it comes to regulating the Internet so I am quite pessimistic about online abuse being reduced. The anonymity factor means that people are able to effectively say whatever they want and face zero repercussions.

Question: What are your hopes for the future?

I dream of a day in which Australian Muslims are not required to constantly assert their levels of Australianness.

I dream of day in which Muslims are no longer seen as negotiable citizens in the Western nations that they call their homes.

Mariam can be followed on Twitter through the following handle: @MariamVeiszadeh 

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