Fire at mosque ruled as an Islamophobic hate crime, police launch appeal

December 11, 2018 Article

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are treating a fire at the Al-Falah Masjid Islamic Centre in Cheetham Hill, as an Islamophobic hate crime, and are appealing for information.

Firefighters were alerted to the blaze at 10:31 pm GMT on Sunday evening.

The fire took several hours to contain and caused thousands of pounds of damage.

Iman Maaz Waheed told the Manchester Evening News that the mosque was largely empty when the fire broke out, and nobody was injured.

Mr Waheed also raised concerns about the security of the building but added that it should not be an issue for congregants to cover the cost of repairs.

Greater Manchester Police have confirmed this afternoon (December 11) that the fire is hate crime related.

Detective Inspector Muz Kernain of GMP’s City of Manchester Division said: “Fortunately, no-one was injured in the fire but had it been earlier in the day, this could have been a very different story.

“Attacking a place of worship is truly disgusting and I can assure you we will not be taking this lightly.

“It’s so important we find who has done this – the pain and upset they have caused is deplorable.”

Tell MAMA continues to document incidents and attacks against masjids and other Islamic institutions in the public domain, with over one hundred incidents recorded since May 2013.

We are reissuing our safety tips, having raised concerns yesterday on social that the fire was indeed arson-related.

https://twitter.com/TellMamaUK/status/1072147349659676672

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 2220 of 09/12/18 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

The post Fire at mosque ruled as an Islamophobic hate crime, police launch appeal appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: arson, GMP, Greater Manchester Police, hate crime, mosque, mosques, News

Men shouted ‘terrorist’ and ‘Pki bstard’ at Muslim woman in niqab

December 10, 2018 Article

A Muslim woman, who wears the niqab, spoke of her fear after being racially abused and called a “f*cking terrorist” by two men when returning to her car after leaving work.

The incident occurred in the Lancashire area on October 10, Tell MAMA has declined to reveal the precise location of the incident to protect their identity.

One of the men called her a “f*cking terrorist” as she began to climb a stairway into the car park.

The gendered nature of the abuse, coupled with their physical prowess – with each man standing at around 6ft, compared to her smaller stature – at around 5ft, only added to her sense of fear and intimidation which resulted in an increased walking pace.

Before reaching the safety of her vehicle, however, one of the men shouted, “f*cking P*ki b*stard” at her.

The woman, who wears the niqab, is a white convert, and such abuse demonstrates how racialisation is less about the biology of race and more to do with a ‘radical’ form of othering, which, can go beyond hate crime and verbal abuse, and into acts of discrimination that curtail the fundamental rights of Muslims in the UK. For example, in 2017, Tell MAMA documented two cases where Muslim women who wear the niqab were told to remove their face veils when attending school open days with their children as staff cited ‘security reasons’. A clear example of how othering can result in viewing Muslims through the lens of ‘securitisation’.

It’s also a further example of how racialised abuse directed at Muslim women often relates to their outward Islamic identity and reinforces what academics have argued: that some perpetrators make no distinction between Muslims and their faith.

Tell MAMA has continued to document the often–disproportionate abuse, harassment, and violence Muslim women face for wearing the niqab.

The woman has not reported the incident to Lancashire Police but wanted to report to Tell MAMA in confidence, adding, that since wearing the niqab, has experienced more abuse and harassment: including being sworn at when in supermarkets; such is the everyday ‘low-level’ nature of abuse.

She described the perpetrators as being white males in their late thirties.

A rising number of reports to Tell MAMA – of threatening behaviour, abuse, violence, and discrimination has prompted the release of an interim report, covering the first six months of 2018, further demonstrates the gendered and intersectional nature of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred.

You can get advice through our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

The post Men shouted ‘terrorist’ and ‘P*ki b*stard’ at Muslim woman in niqab appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Lancashire, News, Niqab, racialisation

Man shouted ‘black b*stards’ at Muslim women in hospital waiting area

December 4, 2018 Article

Receptionists at a hospital in Birmingham failed to stop the racial abuse directed at two Muslim women until they were requested to call security.

The women, who both wear the hijab, were in the waiting area when a man shouted: “you don’t belong in this country” and “you shouldn’t be in this country” in their direction.

He continued to abuse the women without challenge from reception staff or members of the public, even when he continued to call them ‘black b*stards’.

One of the Muslim women challenged the abuse and replied: “If you are what represents Britishness, I don’t want to be British”.

The abuse only stopped when one of the women approached the reception desk and requested that security intervene.

The incident occurred on November 17.

A family member of one of the women contacted Tell MAMA and consented to have this story told anonymously.

The racial abuse directed at the women, who are South Asian and not black, demonstrates how racialisation has less to do with biology and more to do with a ‘radical’ form of othering which concerns power relations – be it in institutions, or, in this case, daily interactions. Or, to put it another way: racialisation concerns the political, economic, and political marginalisation of groups due to physical markers and cultural factors.

This form of racialisation, however, is a departure from tradition, where ‘the black-white divide was preeminent’, and demonstrates how the reconstruction of ‘the Asian’ foregrounds a construction of ‘the Muslim’ which overlooks the ethic and cultural diversity of Muslims in Britain. In this framework of ‘othering’ where aspects of political discourse and sensationalist media portrayals further normalise the idea that the beliefs of Muslims are at odds with mainstream society and have become synonymous with ‘deviance’, ‘un-Britishness’ and terrorism. Criminalisation, therefore, preempts empathy with the affected groups.

It’s why Tell MAMA, in its submission on a definition of Islamophobia/anti-Muslim hatred, argued that any understanding must be grounded in the concepts of racialisation and cultural racism.

The perpetrator was described to Tell MAMA as being a white male in his fifties.

We will be writing to the hospital, which we have declined to share publicly to protect the identity of the women, to complain about the conduct of their reception staff.

The post Man shouted ‘black b*stards’ at Muslim women in hospital waiting area appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Birmingham, Hate Speech, News

Understanding Hate Incident Patterns After the Westminster Terrorist Attack of the 22nd of March 2017. Building a Pattern of Community Resilience Against Hate – What Worked?

December 4, 2018 Article

Click to View

This ground-breaking report is a joint collaboration between Tell MAMA (Measuring anti-Muslim Attacks) and the authors, Ms Kim Sadique, Dr James Tangen and Ms Anna Perowne.

The full report can be found HERE.

How Hate Can Be Reduced After Terrorist Attacks

The overall aim of this report is to understand post ‘trigger event’ hate incident patterns with a specific focus on the anomalous data following the Westminster terror attack (22^nd March 2017). In order to achieve this, the authors undertook a detailed discourse analysis for a period of 2 weeks post Westminster attack between 22^nd March 2017 to 5^th April 2017 (this timescale is linked to the National 14 Day Plan implemented by the Metropolitan Police). Analysis of hate incident reports provided by Tell MAMA was undertaken and semi-structured interviews were conducted with three hate crime and two journalism professionals to illicit the expert opinions of those working in this field as to why there is a difference between some trigger events and others in terms of hate incident patterns. The report concludes with a list of recommendations that have been devised following interviews with key professionals.

Comments

Speaking about the findings of the report, the Director of Tell MAMA, Iman Atta OBE said:

“This report consolidates and confirms what we know. That there are significant spikes in anti-Muslim hate and bigotry after major national terrorist events, though these can be mitigated by strong local co-ordinated community messaging that is quick, responsive and from the heart of local communities.

We know after Westminster, that this works and if we are to maintain social cohesion and reduce hate crime impacts, this report provides the first real insight into how this can be done through rapid mobilisation and positive messaging.”

Commenting on the report, the lead researcher and author of the report, Dr Kim Sadique, said:

“This research provides support for previous anecdotal evidence regarding hate incident patterns following ‘trigger’ events such as the EU referendum or terror attacks. Analysis of the data shows clear spikes in online hate between 24-48 hours after a ‘trigger’ event and this then moves offline between 48-72 hours after. Furthermore, it shows that hate incidents are underpinned by the level of emotional connection to the ‘trigger’ event. In what we call the ‘familiar and familial’ effect, the level of empathy or connection felt towards the chosen target influences both the prevalence and severity of hate responses. The more of a connection the public has with the target location or the more they can empathise with the victims, the more likely we are to see hate spikes both online and offline after such ‘trigger’ events (700% increase in ‘street incidents’ in the seven days following the Manchester Arena attack). Westminster was different, the hate spike was not as significant as those following other trigger events. We believe this was because there were clearer counter-narratives immediately after the attack and there appeared to be less emotional attachment by the public to the target location”.

The full report can be found HERE.

Key Recommendations

Government and political parties should provide clear leadership and a distinctive counter-narrative to anti-Muslim sentiments following a potential trigger event

There needs to be a clearer counter-narrative from the Government and/or political parties following a ‘trigger event’ to prevent hate responses. Clear leadership and visibility of Government and/or political parties is crucial from the outset.

All Police Services should implement the National 14-Day Plan in the immediate aftermath of a potential trigger event

The National 14-Day Plan implemented by the Metropolitan Police should be utilised by all Police Services across the UK following terrorist attacks.

Media reporting in the aftermath of a ‘trigger event’ needs to be more balanced and media outlets should be held to account for reporting that is inflammatory or factually inaccurate

The media needs to consider the use of language and images used in reporting ‘trigger events.’

Social media companies should enforce a ‘zero tolerance’ policy towards posts that incite hate

Social media companies can respond much faster to posts which incite hatred by blocking/removing the posts/user more quickly.

Muslim communities need to be given a safe platform from which they are able to express their emotions and response to ‘trigger events’, such as terror attacks

Muslim communities should be supported to provide a clear and immediate response to potential ‘trigger events’, particularly terror attacks. Media outlets should ensure a safe platform is provided for legitimate representatives from Muslim communities to be able to speak, without fear of being vilified or collectively blamed for the actions of individuals

Further research must be undertaken to understand the role of emotions in post ‘trigger event’ hate responses

Research should focus particularly on feelings of connection to the event, location and/or victims in addition to patriotic sentiments more generally

The post Understanding Hate Incident Patterns After the Westminster Terrorist Attack of the 22nd of March 2017. Building a Pattern of Community Resilience Against Hate – What Worked? appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: anti-Muslim hate, communities, Hate Crimes, Iman Atta OBE, Kim Sadiq, Messaging, News, reports, terror attacks, Westminster, Westminster Terror Attack

Work Countering Anti-Muslim Bigotry is Human Rights Work

December 2, 2018 Article

In all of the ongoing debates about ‘definitions’ of ‘Islamophobia’ or ‘anti-Muslim hatred’, there is one simple term that has been lost. That is – the defence of human rights. Muslims, just like any other community have the right to live and be who they want to be without fear, obstruction, prejudice and institutional bigotry.

Now there is also another debate which is subtly raging and that is to push prejudice against Muslims into the realm of racial protections and no-one has discussed this. These provide a lower threshold for, say public order offences, to have additional sentencing added on because there was a racial bias to the crime. It is clear that there are intersectional elements between race and anti-Muslim bigotry in some cases and that cannot be denied. It is a fact. However, in all of the nuanced, sometimes confrontational ideological and academic positions, the reality that the work is based on the fundamental protection of equality and human rights is overlooked.

Within criminal and civil law, anti-Muslim and intra-Muslim bigotry are covered. Whilst there is a real need for a definition to provide a working framework moving forward, let us not forget that at the root of work countering anti-Musim bigotry and for some, Islamophobia, is the defence of basic human rights. These are universal and non-negotiable.

The post Work Countering Anti-Muslim Bigotry is Human Rights Work appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: anti-Muslim hatred, definition, human rights, Opinions, Racial Bias

Video of Racist Bullying in Huddersfield is not Shocking. It Happened to Me Too

November 28, 2018 Article

I was deeply disturbed by viral footage of a young Syrian refugee being beaten and humiliated at a school in Huddersfield. However, the attack, described by the media as racially motivated, did not shock me. Instead, the video is an ugly reminder of a history of racism in the UK.

Growing up in Huddersfield, I too faced and witnessed prejudice and bullying at school during the 90s. A devastating phenomenon that was even worse for my father’s generation in the 70s and the generation before him in the 60s.

As a British Muslim of Pakistani descent, who is proud to have been raised in Huddersfield, I and other Pakistanis were subjected to racial slurs, hatred and even violent attacks. The same was true for many black and Irish children growing up at the same time. There was no logic or rational basis to the prejudice we faced; it was pure hatred, based on generations of ignorance.

While children are the most cherished members of any society, they can also be a troubling and cruel reflection of the very worse aspects of society. A Primary School child is not genetically racist or prejudiced. He or she comes to discriminate between ethnicity, race and gender on the basis of their socio-economic environment or if they come across hateful material. Furthermore, if the spark of hatred and racism is struck up in the home, then it is large sections of the media and many public commentators who douse it with fuel.

There is ample evidence that media coverage of Muslims and Islam is disproportionately negative. Moreover, common sense tells us that hatred towards Muslims is only increased by headlines such as ‘Muslims’ Sympathy for Jihadis,’ ‘Muslims Tell us How to Run our Schools’ or ‘Muslims Tell British: Go to Hell!’. Despite this, the mainstream media will continue to influence playgrounds by providing platforms to hate preachers such as Tommy Robinson.

In my experience, it would also be fair to say that racism and prejudice are not exclusively a ‘white’ problem. For example, some of the worst hatred I faced was from fellow Muslim children and teenagers who would verbally abuse and assault me and others purely on the basis of sectarianism; because we were Ahmadi Muslims, a peaceful sect of Islam they disagree with. Racism really does affect us all.

As a lawyer, human rights activist, long-time youth worker and grass root community activist and anti-hate campaigner, I have had the opportunity to work with thousands of young people in Huddersfield and across the breadth of the UK. One of the most powerful lessons I have taken from my experience is that children and even adults, if given the chance have the capacity to learn tolerance, acceptance and plurality.

By way of example, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community runs a series of community projects. These include tree planting, cleaning up fly-tip areas, visiting and helping the elderly, supporting World War II veterans through the Poppy Appeal, responding to floods and other natural disasters, and raising money for the most disadvantaged in British society.

In twenty plus years of carrying out this work, I have witnessed countless people embrace, thank tearfully and befriend young Muslims who took the time to help and value them. Even members of far-right parties have knocked on our doors not to abuse or assault us, but to thank us, shake our hands and tell us that our kindness has caused them to question and even shed their prejudice.

Experience has taught me that the fire of hatred that is raging across the UK and Europe can be extinguished by mutual love, compassion, understanding and kindness. For that to happen, we need to get up and pro-actively meet one another. Living in isolation will only breed ignorance, prejudice and racism.

Farooq Aftab is a member of the British Ahmadi community and works to ensure human rights and justice.

The post Video of Racist Bullying in Huddersfield is not Shocking. It Happened to Me Too appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Ahmaddiya, Ahmadi Muslims, Farooq Aftab, Huddersfield, Opinions, Syrian Refugee, Tommy Robinson

Pregnant Muslim woman and family attacked by a racist couple

November 21, 2018 Article

Thames Valley Police have arrested two people in connection with an Islamophobic attack which left a pregnant Muslim woman and her husband requiring hospitalisation for minor injuries, Tell MAMA can reveal.

The incident occurred on November 18 at around 13:00 GMT, outside of a Tesco store in the Oxfordshire area.

Speaking to Tell MAMA, the husband, who wishes to remain anonymous, described how his family were approached by an abusive couple who began shouting at them, in the presence of their 3-year-old child.

He described how the couple had them ‘f*cking foreigners’ who ‘did not’ belong here, and that the law ‘does not’ allow them to be here.

The abusive woman and her male partner then struck him in the face and across his back.

His wife, who is seven months pregnant, was struck across the face by the woman and dragged to the floor. During the unprovoked assault, the perpetrator kept trying to tear off her hijab.

Her husband shouted: “Leave my wife alone, she’s pregnant”, but the perpetrator replied that she ‘did not care’ and continued to try to violently remove her hijab.

Witnesses to the attack intervened by calling the emergency services and ensuring that their young child, who was kicked by one of the perpetrators, was kept away from further violence, and helped the pregnant woman to stand.

The male perpetrator attempted to flee by returning to his car but was blocked by the husband, who insisted that the man was ‘going nowhere’. He was, however, able to drive off, but not before he had made repeated efforts to harm the Muslim man, who had fallen onto the bonnet of the car, by repeatedly stopping and starting the vehicle.

It took Thames Valley Police around thirty minutes to locate and arrest the perpetrators, according to the husband, who added that their unborn baby was unhurt, and both he and his wife had suffered minor injuries.

The perpetrators are described being white and in their early thirties.

The post Pregnant Muslim woman and family attacked by a racist couple appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: assault, hate crime, Hijab, News, Thames Valley Police

Tommy Robinson to tour Australia with the leader of group FBI deems extremist

November 20, 2018 Article

The founder and ex-leader of the English Defence League Tommy Robinson will join the leader of a far-right group the FBI now deems an “extremist group with ties to white nationalism” in a speaking tour of Australia next month.

The report, from the Washington state sheriff’s office, became public after it analysed the firing of a deputy due to her links to the female offshoot of the Proud Boys – a movement which was launched in 2016 by Gavin McInnes (the co-founder of Vice Media), which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) designates as a hate group.

In a warning to local law enforcement agencies, the FBI has said: “Proud Boys members have contributed to the recent escalation of violence at political rallies held on college campuses, and in cities like Charlottesville, Virginia, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington.”

The Proud Boys and its leadership are noted for their overt misogyny, glorification of violence, Islamophobia, and transphobia. Members of the group attacked individuals they believed to be anti-fascists and were not arrested on October 13, despite the violence and homophobic chants. Arrests came later, as their violence made headlines across the globe. The NYPD had arrested and charged several members of the group in an article published by CBS News on October 22.

McInnes generated controversy and outrage last year after a video titled ’Ten Things I Hate About Jews’ went viral. Rebel Media, the far-right Canadian media outlet, then retitled it ‘Ten Things I Hate About Israel’ after accusations of antisemitism.

This latest development may pressure the Australian government further, as a petition calling for Tommy Robinson to have his visa application denied, has gained over 50,000 signatures.

A week ago, it emerged that Tommy Robinson had not been granted a visa in time to meet with Republican members of Congress in Washington, following an invite from the controversial president of the Middle East Forum, Daniel Pipes, which has funded Robinson’s legal defence. Mr Pipes met with Robinson in his hometown of Luton last year.

Nor is this the first time that Robinson has sought to forge links with the ‘Islamophobia industry’ in the United States.

Shayne Neumann, Labor’s immigration spokesman, has written to the federal government to deny McInnes a visa.

Dr Dvir Abramovich, Chairman of Australia’s Anti-Defamation Commission, called on Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to deny Robinson a visa, saying his “race-baiting promotes religious bigotry”.

PayPal has recently cancelled the accounts of McInnes and Robinson, and several anti-fascist groups in the United States.

Fans of Mr Robinson and Mr McInnes, however, can still spend $995 on private dinner tickets in several major Australian cities.

Photos of Mr McInnes have appeared on the personal Instagram profile of Tommy Robinson seven times – including photos of the pair drinking, eating breakfast, and attending a Luton FC match together.

Credit:@realtommyrobinson/Instagram

Credit:@realtommyrobinson/Instagram

McInnes interviewed Robinson on CRTV, a conservative media outlet in October. He appeared alongside the leader of Ukip, Gerard Batten, Sargon of Akkad, Anne Marie Waters, leader of the far-right For Britain party, in protest at Tommy Robinson’s permanent ban from Twitter in May.

The Guardian newspaper has now revealed that the FBI had classified the Proud Boys as an extremist group in a meeting on August 2.

The post Tommy Robinson to tour Australia with the leader of group FBI deems extremist appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Australia, Gavin McInnes, News, Proud Boys, Tommy Robinson, United States

Islamophobic hate mail targets schools and mosques in London and Yorkshire

November 12, 2018 Article

A racist and Islamophobic letter sent to a south London mosque echoes a similar hate campaign against mosques and Islamic schools in 2013.

The latest campaign features imagery which seeks to defame the Prophet Muhammad and a DVD-R disc with the pornographic title ‘The Finale The P**** Girls of England’.

Tell MAMA has verified at least three different versions of this hateful material.

Variations include handwritten remarks about paedophilia, as others reference sexual acts, or deploy the highly offensive racial slur ‘n—–‘.

The author(s) of each letter uses variations of the spelling Muhammad, which includes Muhammud (misspelt), Mohamed, and Mohammed.

Tell MAMA can confirm that the letters have, so far, targeted schools, mosques, and community groups in the London borough of Redbridge, in south London, and parts of Yorkshire.

The letters use the same single-use first-class stamp and were sorted and processed in Romford, with one such letter, seen by Tell MAMA, was processed at the mail centre in Romford on October 31.

Due to the offensive nature of the materials, we have declined to share the images in full. Nor do we want to encourage copycat crimes.

As with a similar hate mail campaign in September 2013, one of the images also used he phrase ‘Ashraf Al Mursaleen’ – a term of reverence, which means the most honourable of messengers. Given this information was, however, in the public domain, it could, also, be a copycat.

The handwriting in the letters seen by Tell MAMA suggests that this latest campaign has some coordination, or, is from one individual. In the example below, there is a similar gap between the first and second letters, as the letters G and L in ‘girls’ also contain stylistic similarities.

A direct comparison of lettering from sources sent to Tell MAMA.

We are reissuing our safety tips and practical advice for community members.

What to do if you receive hate mail

All letters and envelopes must be kept and handled minimally to preserve evidence

Place the letter and the envelope in a clean and sealable plastic bag to stop further contamination

Call the non-emergency 101 number to contact the police (or Tell MAMA can do this on your behalf)

We are liaising with the relevant police forces on this issue which, again, is being treated with the utmost seriousness.

Our safety tips for individuals and Islamic institutions are free to download.

The post Islamophobic hate mail targets schools and mosques in London and Yorkshire appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: Hate Mail, London, News, Yorkshire

Tommy Robinson supporter spat in 4-year-old Muslim girl’s face

November 7, 2018 Article

A Tommy Robinson supporter spat in the face of a 4-year-old Muslim child as she queued with her mother at a branch of the high street bakery chain Greggs in the West Midlands.

The incident occurred on October 29 at around 13:12 GMT.

A family member reached out to Tell MAMA and agreed to have the incident reported anonymously, adding that they were targeted for abuse by the same man due to their hijab.

She described how a man approached the mother and daughter as they queued in Greggs and spat in the child’s face and began to chant ‘Tommy Robinson’ at the young girl. He mother described hearing a spitting noise but was unaware of what had just happened until she turned around and observed the ‘sheer hatred’ in his expression.

The family member believes that the man targeted them due to their ethnicity and because the child’s mother also wears the hijab.

After leaving the branch of Greggs, she spotted the same man leaving an adjacent store and observed how the man had made an obscene gesture at her with his fingers.

The family have reported the incident to West Midlands Police but have expressed concern that the call handler and the responding officer ‘did not know’ who Tommy Robinson was.

Tell MAMA has long documented the disproportionate abuse and violence directed at Muslim women who wear Islamic clothing, by perpetrators often identified as being white males.

The attack, however, is even more shocking, given that an adult male felt emboldened enough to not only attack a child but also to intimidate the family by invoking the name of Mr Robinson in such a public setting without challenge.

The post Tommy Robinson supporter spat in 4-year-old Muslim girl’s face appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: hate crime, News, Tommy Robinson, West Midlands Police