Byline Times, Data & Ignorance of What Tell MAMA is About

July 17, 2024 Article

Sadly, we have to respond again to what Byline Time’s thinks is a ‘gotcha’ moment, given what is clearly now a targeted and organised campaign against Tell MAMA. A campaign involving a triage of Nafeez Ahmed, a Baroness and Byline Times. We are not going to comment further on what has been an exhausting process that has drawn resources away from the core nature of our work – to assist victims of anti-Muslim hate.

In their analysis of our data in the ‘A Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate’ report (2023), Byline clearly demonstrate their ignorance of what Tell MAMA is – a third party hate crime reporting service. These are centres or services within communities that allow people to report into them, if they are not comfortable reporting to police forces, or if they feel more comfortable approaching a community based organisation. Here is an example of what a third party hate crime reporting service is. This is precisely what Tell MAMA is funded to be, though according to Byline Times, we should be in direct comparison and contrast with police forces across England and Wales, as though Tell MAMA should be collecting all of the data of anti-Muslim hate cases in the U.K. This is a fundamental point, because it shows how Byline have literally gone off at a tangent.

READ: The Truth, Nafeez Ahmed and Byline Times – ‘Indefensible Reporting’
READ: Parliamentary Privilege, Smears and Conspiracies Aimed at Tell MAMA

Apart from this being fantastical thinking, we can add this to the conspiratorial thrust of what has been thrown at us – that we are somehow secretly monitoring Muslims.  Our experiences of Byline Times have been listed here and here, though now we have to deal with what we can only call a serious deficit or shortfall in understanding what a third party hate crime reporting service is.

In other words, the central premise of Byline’s article on our data is that we are not reflecting the whole state of anti-Muslim hate in the U.K. This also shows that their reporting is not in good faith, since they are attempting to hold Tell MAMA to a bar that no other community hate crime reporting service is held to. No third party hate crime reporting service will have data that is higher than police forces. That is a simple fact and it is impossible to record all hate crimes and particularly difficult given the scale, nature, geographical location and nationality of British Muslims from over 50 Muslim majority countries.

Byline Times will suggest that we under-estimate the scale of anti-Muslim hate crimes. Again, we are not meant, nor resourced to be an organisation that looks for hate incidents or crimes on the internet or at a street level. We report on what is provided to us by victims, and which is unsolicited. Byline will also suggest that between 2017-2022, the police recorded 19,146 anti-Muslim hate crimes for England and Wales. They will also suggest that Tell MAMA/Faith Matters reported on 13,143 anti-Muslim hate crimes during this period.

Even by their own figures, we provided over 60% of cases to police forces, over 95% of which would not have been received by them. This is the fundamental point, and this is a collaborative and not competitive process.

What is also important to note is that Tell MAMA is the only hate crime service working with British Muslim communities that has an information sharing agreement and is a trusted partner with police services in England and Wales. Once again, this is a collaborative process, not a competitive one since we are a third party reporting service for people who don’t want to report to the police.

So let us summarise:

  • The role of Tell MAMA is to provide a monitoring and victim support service to British Muslims (and others) who suffer targeted hate or discrimination. Each individual receives a wrap-around multi-layered service from Tell MAMA which supports their emotional well-being whilst ensuring that we either advocate for them, collect evidence, support them at courts or work with them through a range of complicated and interlinked agencies such as local authorities, GP’s and other local services. 
  • We do not go looking for cases or seeking material online or offline. If we did so, we would be here with a workload that would far exceed the limited resources we have and the data would not be credible. Of course, the numbers of cases we receive will be less than the police and 95% of the cases, when analysed by Tell MAMA, do not initially get reported to the police. That is the point of Tell MAMA, to provide another access and route so that people can get access to justice. In doing so, the data that we collect is unique in the client reporting it to us as a trusted partner and which helps the police build up a national picture of hot-spots and trends, assess where there may be issues specific to local areas, make arrests etc. Additionally, some of the cases are related to employment and discrimination in goods and services or housing and which are not fed into the police. (Those involving risk to life, assaults, threat of assaults, far right agitation etc are just some examples of what is fed into police forces.)
  • Tell MAMA has been in existence for about a decade and in that period our data and access by people has significantly built up. (Even Byline’s figures in their article will show a year on year growth in reporting). We are therefore the largest non-police hate crime reporting service for British Muslims in the U.K. There is no doubt about that and for Byline Times to deny the value of this in supporting victims and in giving statutory authorities a richer picture of what is taking place, is disingenuous. Furthermore, naturally, our figures will not be higher than police forces in England and Wales. That is a fact and we have never suggested this.
    Trust and confidence in getting communities to report in is a slow and difficult process and more work is needed to ensure that we can remain a service that people, (who don’t want to report into the police), can do so through us. That is one of the fundamental principles of Tell MAMA.Tell MAMA has been in existence since 2011/2012 and this year will report on the highest number of recorded cases.    Also, we do not include police data in our total tally of cases, whereas other hate crime reporting services do. That shows unique organic growth and traction in Muslim communities and the fact that this work takes time, resource and decades of consistency.
    For example, the Community Security Trust (the CST), which monitors antisemitism in the U.K. was registered as a charity in 1994 and has been working in this area for 30 years. This is our twelfth year of work, where the range, types of nationality, geographical spread and complexity within Muslim communities and dare we say, a fear of statutory agencies in some parts of them, makes this work exceptionally difficult. However, according to Byline Times, they don’t do nuance, but look at people in terms of figures, thereby doing a grave injustice to people and to this work.
  • We also have to ask why Byline Times think that damaging Tell MAMA’s standing or reputation helps add value to monitoring anti-Muslim hate incidents. It simply means that people who do not want to report to the police, have fewer opportunities to, if we close. Precisely how does this help to counter anti-Muslim hate and support the victims of it?
  • According to Byline Times, the police data is ‘flawed’ (their term in text sent to us), and the data of Tell MAMA is not useful. We wonder whose data they may consider as being truly useful going forward if the police data and Tell MAMA data is flawed etc. A genuine question – whose data do they think is reliable? Or shall we start guessing by some of the types of people and organisations on Byline’s web-site and who have written on their platform and who have a history of community divisiveness?

    We should also add that the article that they will publish in the coming days belittles both agencies, (the police and Tell MAMA), and then suggests that there is significant under-reporting in anti-Muslim hate cases, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. How is their article supporting trust and confidence in either agency and again, how is this helping the work on countering anti-Muslim hate?
  • Tell MAMA fully acknowledges and has always accepted that significant under-reporting of anti-Muslim hate takes place and this is a real issue. There is no disagreement on this, yet to suggest that the people who report to us and who get assistance and help by us, is less than useful work in building a better picture of the state of anti-Muslim hate in the U.K. is plainly perverse. Byline Times seems to take a ‘slash and burn’ approach in making the case about building up a stronger picture of the state of anti-Muslim hate. In using numbers they detach this work away from the human element and impact and the emotional and physical cost to people’s lives, and they fundamentally demean a third party services which gives access and opportunity to those who don’t want to report to the police.
  • Lastly, Byline Times also assumes that with the limited resources we have, we should be able to accumulate higher figures of anti-Muslim hate than police forces; as though when there is a physical attack, Tell MAMA would have the resources to be able to record every incident that the police gets to, and where the majority of British Muslims should approach Tell MAMA first. Both of these positions show breath-taking naivety, based on fantastical and magical thinking and again, overlie an insidious attempt to undermine the work of Tell MAMA. Furthermore, comparing our resources to police forces in England and Wales is quite a stretch of the imagination.

So, there we have it – Byline Times. Clearly in a place where psilocybin can’t even reach.

The post Byline Times, Data & Ignorance of What Tell MAMA is About appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: anti-Muslim hate, Baroness Gohir, British Muslims, Byline Times, Hate Crime Data, Nafeez Ahmed, police forces

Parliamentary Privilege, Smears and Conspiracies Aimed at Tell MAMA

July 11, 2024 Article

anti-Muslim cases

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.

Categories: anti-Muslim hate, Baroness Shaista Gohir, Byline Times, Conspiracy, Decade of anti-Muslim hate, hate crime, IAG, Independent Advisory Group, Nafeez Ahmed, News

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

June 20, 2024 Article

anti-Muslim cases

Nafeez Ahmed/Byline Times – PRESS HERE

An initial response to Byline Times, Nafeez Ahmed and a 2018 Call for Financial Support

We within Tell MAMA, have sadly had to take up time that could be better utilised working to help victims of anti-Muslim hatred or Islamophobia, which is the remit of our work, instead of having to respond to Nafeez Ahmed from Byline Times. This is the second time he has contacted Tell MAMA (on the 19th of June 2024), and we chose in his initial contact not to respond and to get on with the work we are funded for – to help and support victims of anti-Muslim hate. However, given his fixation on us and his authorship of a previously inaccurate and bizarre article about an event 8 years ago that is highlighted in the attached Mishcon de Reya letter, we have chosen to respond in detail and we urge you – members of the public, to read the letter addressed to Ahmed.

We have today made the decision to highlight to the public, the actions of Nafeez Ahmed. For someone who promotes himself as a serious journalist, we want you, the public, to read the following letter sent to Ahmed and Byline Times from our solicitors – Mischon De Reya.

Whatever issue Ahmed has with us, we want to make it clear that His Majesty’s Government are our funder and we will answer to them and they regularly conduct due diligence work on Faith Matters, which runs the Tell MAMA project. This is important and it is obviously essential to ensure value for money and operational viability, as well as good practice. We are not beholden to whatever issues Ahmed and Byline Times have with us, though we also are aware that Byline regularly provides a platform to divisive groups. They have to answer for that.

It is also interesting to note how Ahmed has written previously for Byline Times and suggested that Tell MAMA ‘suppressed the publication’ of a report we commissioned. Depending on how you choose to interpret the term ‘suppressed’, the general assumption that can be made is that the report we commissioned was ‘buried’. The assertions Ahmed made was that Tell MAMA suppressed, (read) buried the report for fear of losing our funding because the report criticized some Conservatives meeting with politicians of far right groups in assembly and other meetings. The question does arise as to why would we commission a report into these matters and then ‘bury’ the findings. Seemingly, we suppressed the publication, so much so that he quotes the very report we commissioned in Le Monde (online), in 2019. Here is the link. Tell MAMA is clearly listed there as the commissioning organisation.

Separately, we have always said that we are open and willing to listen to constructive debate and dialogue, but we will not allow ‘culture’ wars, personal vendettas or any such issues to be used against the work of supporting victims of anti-Muslim hate. This work is too important for that.

READ: Parliamentary Privilege, Smears and Conspiracies Aimed at Tell MAMA

Correspondence from Mishcon de Reya on Behalf of Faith Matters and Tell MAMA

We therefore want to highlight the following paragraphs from the Mishcon de Reya letter and they are listed below, for ease of reference, though we would urge you to read the whole of the letter on Ahmed and his comments. (The abbreviation MdR is used for our solicitors).

There are also two things that are particularly important and the first is that, in the e-mail of the 19th of June 2024, Ahmed suggests that the Directors of Faith Matters have purposefully and deliberately provided ‘false information’ to Companies House. This assertion suggests criminality. In further correspondence from Byline Times on Tuesday the 9th of July, this is what Byline Times stated:

“We would like to repeat the assurance given in that letter that we have no intention of publishing anything to the effect that any directors of Faith Matters or any other persons connected with Faith Matters have committed any criminal offence.”

This is a significant ‘u-turn’ from Ahmed’s written and stated position to Tell MAMA. This is important since it points to issues around accuracy and we can also rightfully question whether Ahmed can be impartial in his journalism in the future towards Tell MAMA, or to Faith Matters – the parent registered body. All very relevant points.

Furthermore, we did not want to raise this, but our hand has been forced after the actions of Ahmed and Byline Times. In January 2018, Nafeez Ahmed direct messaged Tell MAMA asking for financial support in a new writing venture that he was starting. Again, we can legitimately ask the question – has Ahmed crossed the rubicon of journalistic ethics in asking for financial support from the very project that he sought to write two (negative) articles about. Suffice as to say, Tell MAMA did not entertain his financial request.

These are key paragraphs in the Mishcon de Reya letter which we want to highlight demonstrating serious questions around the prejudicial tone of the enquiries made by Ahmed:

MdR – “It is clear from the nature and prejudicial tone of the Enquiries that you have no intention to engage in good faith with Faith Matters, and have no interest in any objective and impartial analysis of Faith Matters’s work. It is remarkable that you would allege that criminal offences have been committed by two of Faith Matters’s directors based on unspecified “discrepancies”, and that £6million of public funds have been “wasted” on the basis of the wording of Faith Matters’s CIC reports as filed on Companies House.”

This paragraph in the letter highlights comments on the work of Nafeez Ahmed:

MdR – “On 6 June 2016, the research team at Tell MAMA e-mailed Mr Mughal maintaining his concerns with the presentation of certain arguments in the Report and the sourcing of the information contained in it. He also expressed his concerns with the fact that Mr Ahmed had rejected many of Tell MAMA’s requested citations and further amendments the Report despite the fact that Tell MAMA was commissioning the report: “From a research perspective, I’d expect this from someone who was in their first year at university. It would be wholly unacceptable to publish something under our banner without the appropriate citations. […] Also, he’s been paid to deliver this project and I expect that we have liberty to make style changes.” Again, no concerns were raised regarding the conclusions of the investigation as set out in the Report.”

Point (viii) in the chronology of the letter lists this about Ahmed’s first article on Tell MAMA a few months ago:

MdR – “On 20 June 2016, sections of the Report were published on Tell MAMA’s website. Tell MAMA’s social media channels also publicised the publication of the Report. Mr Mughal sent an e-mail to Mr Ahmed on the same day confirming this. They also exchanged e-mails later that day about OpenDemocracy’s publication of the Report. It is therefore staggering that Mr Ahmed would claim in the Article that, “Tell MAMA did not publish, amplify or campaign on any of the findings revealed in my investigation, which it had commissioned. There was no report launch, no social media campaign, and no press coverage.”

Furthermore, as we have suggested, Ahmed had asked for financial support from Tell MAMA through a ‘direct message’ on Twitter in 2018. Why would a journalist want to receive financial support from an organisation that he then seeks to write negatively about? Surely Ahmed would have realised that these two positions may well have been compromised?

MdR – “Until he e-mailed Mr Mughal on 8 and 9 March 2024 for comment on the Article prior to its publication, Mr Ahmed had limited contact with Mr Mughal, and any member of Tell MAMA, after November 2016: on 16 January 2018, Mr Ahmed requested to connect with Mr Mughal on LinkedIn, and on 29 January 2018, Mr Ahmed sent a direct message to Tell MAMA on Twitter asking if it would financially support his work.”

The letter ends with the following:

MdR – “Your reporting is indefensible

It is clear from your cynical approach to engaging with and reporting on our client that the Article and any future reporting on our client would not be legally defensible.

The Article is, and any article based on the Enquiries would be, indefensible and no defence pursuant to section 2 (truth), section 3 (honest opinion) nor section 4 (public interest) of the Defamation Act 2013 would be applicable. The Allegations in the Article and in the Enquiries are false, precluding a section 2 defence. As to section 3, the Allegations in the Article are presented as fact and, in any event, even if they were held to be opinion, as the contemporaneous e-mail exchanges between Tell MAMA and Mr Ahmed demonstrate, Mr Ahmed did not in fact hold that opinion.

Faith Matters and its project, Tell MAMA, support investigative journalism that is in the public interest – indeed, that is why it commissioned the Report. However, as you will be well aware, there is no public interest in publishing false allegations which mislead the public, precluding a s4 defence.

Far from being an example of such journalism, the Article and Enquiries levy highly defamatory and false allegations against Faith Matters. The publication of the Article has caused – and, for as long as it remains online, will continue to cause serious harm to Faith Matters, Tell MAMA and Mr Mughal. The publication of any article based on the Enquiries would similarly cause very serious harm for which you would be liable.”

The post The Truth, Nafeez Ahmed and Byline Times – Indefensible ‘Reporting’ appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Categories: anti-Muslim hate, Anti-Muslim Hate Crime Advisor, Baroness Shaista Gohir, Byline Times, Mishcon de Reya, Nafeez Ahmed, News

‘Manifesto Against Hate’ 2024 – Tell MAMA

June 18, 2024 Article

PRESS THE MANIFESTO TAB

Tell MAMA Launches Manifesto for New Government to Tackle Hate Crime

[London, UK, Wednesday 19 June 2024]

Tell MAMA (“Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks”) has launched its Manifesto Against Hate ahead of the upcoming General Elections on July 4, urging political candidates to address the significant increase in hate crimes across the country and promote social cohesion through several clear-eyed initiatives.

Founded in 2012 with government support, Tell MAMA has been instrumental in documenting and supporting over 28,000 victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes. These past few months have seen an alarming rise in such incidents. Since last year’s October 7 Hamas attacks into Southern Israel and the ongoing Israel-Gaza War, there has been a sharp increase in such anti-Muslim hate crime and a significant break-down in Jewish-Muslim community relations. Between October 7  and February 7 alone, Tell MAMA recorded 2,010 Islamophobic incidents, predominantly targeting Muslim women and on social media platforms, a stark increase from 600 incidents during the same period the previous year. This surge demands better measures to combat hate speech and physical attacks. Tell MAMA believes that with the measures of its Manifesto, it can tackle hate crime and increase social cohesion across the UK.

Tell MAMA’s Manifesto Against Hate 2024 key proposals include:

  • The appointment of a Government “Hate Crime” Tsar to prioritise and oversee hate crime initiatives.
  • Increase ministerial engagement with local communities to foster inclusivity and reduce social divisions, under the remit of the DLUHC (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) and the Home Office.
  • The establishment of Boards at local, regional, and national levels to promote dialogue and collaboration between Muslim and Jewish communities.
  • Urge the Government to create a fund sponsored by Social Media companies, aided by legislative measures for compliance, to support organisations combatting online hate.
  • For the administration of the ‘Protecting Places of Worship’ Security Fund to be outsourced to a legal entity that is a consortium made up of hate crime reporting agencies, to enhance accessibility and trust.

Regarding Tell MAMA’s Manifesto Against Hate 2024 launch, Iman Atta OBE, Director of Tell MAMA, stated:

“The sharp rise in hate crimes in the UK, both online and on our streets, is deeply alarming. It is no secret that Muslim and Jewish communities are more distanced and fractured from each other than ever before. Our Manifesto for the next Government is crucial. It is a blueprint for security and social cohesion, urging political parties to create a future free from hate and division, a UK in which all its citizens are safe.”

*** ENDS ***

Tell MAMA – Notes

Please visit https://tellmamauk.org/ for more details.

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Categories: anti-Muslim hate, Conservatives, Election 2024, Greens, Hate Crimes, Liberal Democrats, Manifesto against hate, Manifesto Against Hate 2024, New Government, reports, U.K.

Extremist who praised Christchurch terrorist jailed for over four years

June 11, 2024 Article

A far-right extremist who glorified the Christchurch terrorist received a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for terrorism offences at Birmingham Crown Court.

44-year-old Edward Griffiths sent copies of the terror attacks in New Zealand that resulted in the murder of 51 Muslims to two individuals, declaring his desire to replicate it and go on a killing spree.

On social media, Griffiths called the Christchurch terrorist a “hero”.

Neither the prosecution nor police allege that he plotted any attack, but how his actions might encourage acts of terrorism – convicting him instead on one count of the encouragement of terrorism and two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication.

Griffiths committed the offences between November 2021 and the following summer, as officers from Counter Terrorism Policing East Midlands arrested him at his home in Whitwick, Coalville in June 2022.

Charges followed in May 2023, and a guilty verdict followed last month at Birmingham Crown Court.

Detective Inspector Glynn Jehu, from Counter Terrorism Policing – East Midlands, said in a statement: “Fifty one people lost their lives in the Christchurch attacks. Spreading messages of extreme hate and violence in the way that Griffiths did is dangerous, reckless and could easily have encouraged others to commit an act of terrorism.

“It was therefore important that we stopped this by acting on information received, investigating the communications fully and bringing Griffiths before the courts.”

Tell MAMA continues to extensively cover far-right convictions that took inspiration from or praised the Christchurch terrorist.

Edward Griffiths joins a list of over twenty individuals.

 

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Categories: Christchurch, News, terrorism

CCTV appeal following racist, far-right graffiti in Eltham

February 7, 2024 Article

The Metropolitan Police launched a CCTV appeal today following a spate of far-right, racist graffiti in the Eltham area.

Officers believe one individual is responsible for the racist graffiti over a three-year period, which worryingly increased last December, with four cases logged by police.

Inspector Kristina Money who leads the Safer Neighbourhoods Teams which covers the impacted area made clear that: “This individual has been active for a significant period of time and his actions have caused significant distress in the local community.”

The most recent incidents of racist graffiti occurred in the early hours along Rochester Way (SE9), targeting both private and public property.

Over three years, racist graffiti appeared across Eltham Page, Eltham Park and Progress, Eltham Town and the Avery Hill wards.

The Met describes the suspect as being around 5ft 8 inches tall of medium build who walks with a distinctive gait.

Anyone with information is urged to call 101, quoting CAD1298/5Feb. Tell MAMA can pass information forward on your behalf or anonymously.

 

 

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Categories: graffiti, MET Police, News

Tell MAMA recorded 1,432 anti-Muslim cases between Oct 7 and Dec 13

December 20, 2023 Article

Tell MAMA recorded a seven-fold rise in anti-Muslim cases between October 7 and December 13.

We recorded 1,432* cases following the deadly Hamas terror attacks on October 7, up from the 2022 figure of 195 cases (153 offline, 42 online), and represents the largest rise in reports to our service across 68 days.

Like with our previous statistical bulletins, we provide a brief geographic breakdown of where offline cases occurred:

Of the 613 offline cases, 381 occurred in London, 55 in the northwest, 15 in South Yorkshire, 31 in West Yorkshire, 23 in the East Midlands and 35 in the West Midlands. In other areas, like the Southeast, we recorded 17 and in the Southwest of England, we recorded 19 cases. The final geographic areas concern Scotland (13), Wales (4), and the Northeast (20).

In terms of categories, Tell MAMA received 387 cases of abusive behaviour, 52 threats, 49 assaults, 46 acts of vandalism, 40 cases of discrimination, 28 acts of hate speech and 11 examples of anti-Muslim literature.

Whereas, in the online world, we recorded 819 cases – ranging from racist, dehumanising memes to calls for violence towards Muslims, as noted white supremacists and far-right account holders pushed racist conspiracies of so-called “replacement” or stigmatised Muslims as criminals and terror threats.

*Like all Tell MAMA cases, the figures are subject to further revision and analysis.

Our previous bulletins are found here, here, here, here, here, here and here. The most recent bulletin appeared online last week.

We continue to liaise with various police forces nationally, including the Met Police and the British Transport Police relating to various hate crimes.

Please continue to follow our website and social media platforms for updates.

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 crime, and we urge those in positions of influence and public authority to consider how their language risk stereotyping communities and how it may unduly influence discussions online and offline.

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

In any emergency, dial 999.

 

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Categories: hate crime, Israel Palestine, News

Tell MAMA saw more than a seven-fold increase in anti-Muslim cases since October 7

December 14, 2023 Article

Tell MAMA recorded more than a seven-fold rise in anti-Muslim cases between October 7 and December 6, when compared to 177 cases (140 offline, 37 online) during the same period in 2022.

The 1,350 anti-Muslim cases* recorded following the deadly Hamas terror attacks on October 7 include 574 offline cases and 776 online cases, respectively.

For a geographic sense of where we recorded such cases, we broke them down by regions below:

London (363)

Northwest (51)

West Midlands (32)

West Yorkshire (29)

East Midlands (21)

Northeast (20)

Southwest (17)

Southeast (13)

South Yorkshire (13)

Scotland (11)

Wales (4)

Across the online world, the 776 cases included racialised, dehumanising memes to overt calls for bans on mosques, the Quran and the forced removal of Muslims from the UK. Other content flagged included overtly racist content that used the P-word to those calling Muslim children future terrorists.

*Like all Tell MAMA cases, the figures are subject to further revision and analysis.

Our previous bulletins are found here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

During this recording period, we published case studies including the targeting of a disabled Muslim woman who wears the face veil who faced abuse along with her children and how fearing for their safety, a Muslim family took down a Palestinian flag from their property after someone put a firework through their letterbox over Halloween.

Tell MAMA supported a couple who faced death threats for challenging a woman’s racist comments about Palestinians and anti-Muslim comments about London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan and made a police report on their behalf.

We continue to liaise with various police forces nationally, including the Met Police and the British Transport Police relating to various hate crimes.

Please continue to follow our website and social media platforms for updates.

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 crime, and we urge those in positions of influence and public authority to consider how their language risk stereotyping communities and how it may unduly influence discussions online and offline.

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

In any emergency, dial 999.

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Categories: Israel Palestine, News

Muslim teacher abused in front of students on the London Underground

December 12, 2023 Article

An elderly woman targeted a Muslim teacher with abuse and warned her students that she was going to “poison you” on the London Underground yesterday (December 11).

Speaking to Tell MAMA, she disclosed that it was the first time she faced any hate crime on the rail networks, adding that she followed up with a report to the British Transport Police (BTP).

She mentioned how the perpetrator had stood near the group on the Piccadilly Line, which included students under the age of ten having returned from a museum visit, before exiting the train, tapping on the window, and re-entering to begin the abuse.

Abusive comments included, “You are a teacher?! You shouldn’t be a teacher” before they pointed aggressively at the children and claimed, “Be careful, she’s going to poison you”.

Speaking about the anti-Muslim abuse she faced, the teacher told us: “My first instinct was to make sure that I protect the children, but then I thought: who is going to protect me?”

Thankfully, two upstanders spoke up and challenged the abuse, with supportive statements like  “Actually, she is a good teacher” and “You should go to school and learn”.

The perpetrator soon exited the train.

After speaking with our Casework Team, the Muslim woman consented for our staff to liaise with the BTP further, as they agreed for us to tell their story anonymously.

In partnership with the BTP, Tell MAMA offers tailored safety tips for the rail networks which are free to download from our Resources page.

Get advice from our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Alternatively, please leave us a WhatsApp message at 0734 184 6086.

 

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Categories: London Underground, News, TFL

Tell MAMA recorded 1,202 anti-Muslim cases in 55 days

December 4, 2023 Article

Tell MAMA recorded 1,202 anti-Muslim cases as of November 30 following the deadly Hamas terror attacks on October 7.

Our latest figures cover October 7 to November 30, demonstrating a seven-fold increase in cases from the 2022 figure of 172 cases (135 offline, 37 online).

The 1,202 cases* reported to Tell MAMA represents the biggest and most sustained spike in reports to our service across a 55-day reporting period.

Like with our previous statistical bulletins, we provide a brief geographic breakdown of where offline cases occurred.

Of the 505 offline cases, 324 occurred in London, 47 in the northwest, 13 in South Yorkshire, 27 in West Yorkshire, 17 in the East Midlands and 27 in the West Midlands. In other areas, like the Southeast and Southwest of England, we recorded 11 cases in each area, respectively. The final geographic areas concern Scotland (9), Wales (2), and the Northeast (17).

In terms of categories, Tell MAMA received 331 cases of abusive behaviour, 37 threats, 43 assaults, 33 acts of vandalism, 31 cases of discrimination, 23 acts of hate speech and 7 examples of anti-Muslim literature.

Examples include the harassment and abuse towards Muslims in public spaces wearing clothing or colours in support of Palestine – with some told to “cover it up.” Other offline reports concern abuse towards Muslims when out shopping or exiting major supermarkets – including racist slurs like the P-word.

Across the online sphere, including major social media platforms to Telegram and other digital platforms, we received 697 cases.

*Like all Tell MAMA cases, the figures are subject to further revision and analysis.

Tell MAMA continues to report extreme, racist, and dehumanising materials to the police – during the latest bulletin period, we flagged accounts which called Muslims and Palestinians “rats” that should be “stamped out” to menacing calls for violence towards Muslim women (including the use of the P-word).

More broadly, a far-right tweet that dehumanised Muslim women as “breeding machines” and that pushed racist conspiracies like the so-called “Great Replacement” appeared in this reporting cycle.

Our previous bulletins highlighted the worrying levels of anti-Muslim dehumanisation online, the targeting of mosques, and concerns about anti-Muslim language and behaviours at places of education.

We told the Guardian newspaper earlier this month that: “Students and staff are feeling particularly anxious and unsafe at the moment and questioning whether they should wear Islamic clothing on campus, show solidarity for Palestine, or even discuss publicly what is happening in Israel and Palestine, for fear of being targeted.” In response, both UCL and the University of Manchester promote Tell MAMA’s service on their website, a step we encourage other universities to follow (if they do not already do so).

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 crime, and we urge those in positions of influence and public authority to consider how their language risk stereotyping communities and how it may unduly influence discussions online and offline.

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

In any emergency, dial 999.

 

 

 

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Categories: hate crime, Israel Palestine