New trust to monitor anti-Muslim hatred in UK after funding to Tell Mama paused
The British Muslim Trust (BMT) – a new organisation – is expected to begin receiving reports and monitoring incidents from early autumn, after being 'selected as the recipient of the government's new Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund', a statement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said on Monday.
The appointment ends a period in which there has been no government-funded group carrying out anti-Muslim hate monitoring in the UK, after the collapse of the Labour administration's relationship with Tell Mama, who received £6m in funding 13 years.
In March, it emerged that the organisation's government funding had been paused amid questions over its relationship with previous Conservative governments and how it spent public money and collated its data.
In April, a Muslim peer, Shaista Gohir, said it should face an inquiry. Tell Mama denied the claims at the time and described the idea it was secretly being used to tackle Muslim extremism as a 'slur'. It said it regularly reported 'according to the government's due processes' and that no issues had been raised with the group by officials. No inquiry was ever launched.
Tell Mama's director said in May that they had rejected a further six months of funding from government, alleging a strained relationship with the Labour faith minister Wajid Khan and 'malicious campaigns' from rivals, although it has continued to operate independently.
The row came against a backdrop of surging hate crimes against British Muslims.
The government said it had set up the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund to 'respond to the evolving nature of religious intolerance and targeted hate incidents faced by Muslim communities, which are at the highest level on record'.
It added that the BMT will use the funding to 'develop a robust reporting system that captures both online and offline incidents of anti-Muslim hatred, including those that may go unreported to the police … provide direct support to victims, raise awareness of what constitutes a hate crime, and encourage greater reporting from affected communities.'
The window to bid for the funding ran for six weeks from 7 April.
The BMT has been founded by the Aziz Foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust, with activist Akeela Ahmed leading as chief executive.
Ahmed is co-founder of the British Muslim Network (BMN) – set up earlier this year to amplify the voices of the UK's Muslims to policymakers and highlight their positive contribution to society.
A spokesperson for the BMT said it was separate from the network, which does not receive government funding, and that its focus would be solely on the work it was contracted to for government, while BMN had a 'broader remit'.
Ahmed said: 'For too long, anti-Muslim hate has been under-recognised and under-reported. BMT exists to change that – by listening to communities, amplifying their voices, and working with partners across society to ensure that no one is left to face hate alone.
'We are here to stand with victims and help shape a more inclusive, united Britain for all.'
Lord Khan said: 'The rise of anti-Muslim hatred is alarming and deeply concerning. I look forward to working with the British Muslim Trust on our shared ambition to create a safer, more tolerant society for everyone.'
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Comparison of the puny, curvy-edged bats we played with 40 years ago with the bludgeons batters are equipped with today provides a powerful addition to Atherton's reasons for today's superior A De SaxeLambourn, Berks Sir, The lord mayor of Birmingham, Zafar Iqbal, is wrong to say that Ozzy Osbourne put the city on the map ('Thousands fill streets for Ozzy procession', Jul 31). Birmingham was already the crucible of the Industrial Revolution and home of the Lunar Society. Most importantly, it was the power base of Joe Chamberlain, perhaps the most consequential British politician of the late 19th century. As mayor, he gave the city the form it has today. The trust that is restoring his family home — Highbury Hall in Moseley — needs support. Perhaps Iqbal could devote some thought to that too?Sir John JenkinsMatfield, Kent Sir, Lest readers disbelieve Nick Murray's cups of tea in bed while working for the NHS (letter, Jul 31), as a pre-registration house officer in Newcastle in 1965 I discovered that if you left your shoes outside your bedroom they were cleaned by one of the night porters. Moreover, there were monthly formal dining-in nights — free for us and a guinea for a guest. Halcyon days WrightRichmond, Surrey Sir, I knew the officer who lost two fingers from his right hand in the two periscope incidents (letter, Jul 30). At the crowded and often noisy bar at the submarine base in Faslane he would signal his order to bar staff by raising his damaged right hand. The steward behind the bar knew exactly what he meant: 'Four pints please!'Graham AntcliffeNewton Ferrers, Devon Write to letters@
