Good Samaritans Turn Out to be Abusers of Visible Muslim With Glass Bottle

May 28, 2017 Article

We have received a case where a group of young people flagged down a vehicle that was being driven by a Muslim who was wearing a Muslim prayer cap. The young men were walking along a street and shouted something to the victim and carried on trying to flag down the victim’s vehicle, leading to him slowing down and coming to a stop. As they came close to the vehicle, the Samaritans suggested that the rear tyre of the vehicle was flat.

The reality was that these were no good Samaritans and as soon as the victim got out to check his tyre, three individuals attempted to assault him with a glass bottle. As the victim raised his hand to protect himself, he suffered injuries to his hand as the individuals then ran away. He was also called a terrorist, in direct relation to the Manchester terrorist attack.

The victim blacked out after the attack and sought medical attention for the assault on himself.

We would urge that individuals exercise some caution at this sensitive time and report anti-Muslim incidents into Tell MAMA. Serious assaults should be reported to the Police and to Tell MAMA since we also provide support services to victims, as well as casework, legal advice, signposting and advocacy services.

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Categories: anti-Muslim hate, assault, car, Manchester, Muslim, News, vehicle

Glasgow Based Business Has Islamic State Scrawled on it

May 28, 2017 Article

We have been informed that a Glasgow based business owner woke up to see ‘IS’ or Islamic State scrawled on the rear of the business unit.

The graffiti was removed by the local authority, yet coming to work and seeing such graffiti scrawled onto a local business leaves the impression that an individual or group of individuals have ‘marked out’ that business through their hatred and intolerance.

Glasgow is an area where we get reports in from and if you are targeted by such an incident, we can help to get the graffiti removed. We can also provide direct support through casework assistance, legal advice, signposting and emotional support.

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Categories: anti-Muslim hatred, business, Glasgow, Islamic State, News

Arsonists target Oldham Islamic Centre hours after Manchester terror attack

May 23, 2017 Article

Arsonists targeted the Jamia Qasmia Zahidia Islamic Centre in Oldham within hours of the Manchester terror attack in a suspected anti-Muslim ‘revenge’ attack, according to the MailOnline.

Nobody was inside the building during the incident.

Credit: Tell MAMA

A close-up of the damage. Credit: Tell MAMA.

A local Tell MAMA Outreach Officer spoke with locals who stated an individual had been spotted near the door, but nobody has seen the fire begin. It was later confirmed that a taxi driver had spotted the fire and had dialled 999 between 2:00 am and 2:15 am on May 23, adding that CCTV footage had captured the offence.

The fire has shocked residents who spoke of the good community relations between different faith groups. An example of this included a local resident stopping her car near the mosque and offering her assistance.

Social media users also expressed their outrage. Stockholm-based musician Peter Fraser tweeted: “Wretchedness upon wretchedness. This kind of reaction is exactly the one terrorists intend. Literally their stated purpose.”

Aqil Ahmed, the former head of religion at the BBC and Channel 4, tweeted: “Crazy thing is a childhood friend of my daughter was at that concert. A Muslim”.

Others flooded Tell MAMA’s Facebook page with comments condemning the act and posting messages of tolerance and solidarity in the wake of Monday’s tragic terror attack.

The mosque’s imam, Mohammed Sadiq, 60, told MailOnline: “There’s a possibility that it’s a retaliation to what happened in Manchester last night but we can’t confirm that.”

Various trolls on 4Chan suggested that the arson was an ‘insurance job’.

Our safety leaflet for mosques is available online.

We have mapped over 100 anti-Muslim incidents against Islamic institutions since May 2013.

If you have any information regarding this incident we urge you contact Greater Manchester Police via 101. Or, report to our confidential service using our online form or calling our freephone 0800 456 1226.

 

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Categories: arson, hate crime, mosque, News

Pig’s trotter hung on door of proposed Muslim community centre

May 15, 2017 Article

Sussex Police are investigating an anti-Muslim hate crime after a pig’s trotter was tied to the door of a proposed community centre.

One disgusted local attached flowers and a “welcome to your new home” card to the door in response.

The proposal is not for a mosque but for a community centre.

Locals created a crowdfunding page earlier this year. Part of the campaign pitch read: “Men, Women, Children, the young and the old… can all join together in creating a united community and nurturing harmony between Muslims and the wider community”.

Shahadat Ali, who sent in the application, said that locals had to rent a clubhouse for 15 years for Friday prayers, and they needed something more permanent.

Nor will they let this crime affect their positive relations with the wider community.

Anti-Muslim Twitter accounts welcomed the news. One individual shared the Argus story, adding a ‘ban Islam’ hashtag. On Facebook, some accounts reacted with broad anti-Muslim statements, comparing their faith to a violent satanic cult.

A spokesperson for Sussex Police told the Argus newspaper: “the unpleasant and offensive incident is being treated as a hate crime and local enquiries are being carried out”.

The targeting of Muslims with pork products is nothing new.

Members of the public are urged to contact 101 with any information.

 

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Categories: hate crime, News, pig's trotter, pork

Sainsbury’s Muslim worker racially abused over 5p bag charge

May 10, 2017 Article

A Muslim Customer Service Assistant was verbally abused over the mandatory 5p plastic bag charge.

The incident took place over the Easter bank holiday at a Sainsbury’s store in East London.

Speaking to Tell MAMA, the Muslim woman, who wears the hijab, stated that the abusive woman was asked during the transaction if she needed to purchase any plastic bags, but declined. It was only after the transaction was complete that the verbal abuse began, as the customer was informed that she could not have a free plastic bag.

The abusive customer, described as being white and in her 30s, with blonde hair, then questioned her ability to do her job. When politely challenged, the abuse grew more aggressive as the woman, in a raised tone, said ‘F*** you’ on multiple occasions. Adding, that the Muslim woman was a ‘gypsy’ and ‘brown b***h,’ and denigrating the ‘ugliness’ of her hijab.

Visibly upset, the Muslim woman informed the aggressive customer, in no uncertain terms, that she must leave the store, as she would be contacting the police. After diffusing the situation, the Muslim woman spoke with police officers who took a statement, and are now investigating the incident.

In a short statement, the Muslim woman simply added: ‘Face injustice fearlessly’.

 

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Categories: hate, Hijab, News, Sainsbury's

Liberty GB and Timothy Martin Burton – Now in Jail

April 28, 2017 Article

Today, after nearly 4 years of harassment from Liberty GB activist Timothy Martin Burton from the West Midlands, I have got justice. It has not been easy and our courts let this man off in 2014, suggesting that his actions were protected as free speech. The courts and the prosecution failed to highlight the extensive network of far right activists who were associated with Timothy Martin Burton at that time in 2014. This despite the fact that I provided all of the details, including online maps of links to far right extremists linked to Burton.

Timothy Martin Burton used a number of aliases online to hide and evade identification. Neither the Metropolitan Police Service or the West Midlands Police Service could find him. I did and it took time, effort and investigation networks to locate, identify and map this man’s online connections. This whole process meant that I had to find, locate, explain and provide all of the information to law enforcement.

Timothy Martin Burton, a bankruptee and anti-Muslim hater who tried to make something of his life by targeting me is now finally in jail. His actions were so well organised and so determined, that it took all of my ability, co-ordination skills and knowledge to bring this sad man to justice. I was not going to let him get away with maligning my identity as a Muslim and for making my life hell with his circle of anti-Muslim haters.

The Judge today made clear the following to Timothy Martin Burton:

“Your extreme antipathy towards Muslims is what led you to harass Mr Mughal.

“You are seemingly incapable of distinguishing between Muslims and violent Islamists. Your offending behaviour was obviously motivated by a religious hostility and aggravated the harassment.

“You were at the time, [though you have] apparently now resigned, a member of a group Liberty GB which promotes antipathy based on religious adherence.

“It was pre-meditated, it was determined, it was deeply unpleasant, and it was part of a campaign by you and your associates to tar all Muslims as Islamists.”

The Judge’s remarks are also a damning indictment of the anti-Muslim and far right group Liberty GB.

Finally, I would like to praise the work of the Crown Prosecution Service and the meticulous and robust manner in which they dealt with the case. CPS staff were professional, driven to get a prosecution based on the evidence and able to identify evidence that showed the systematic manner in which Timothy Martin Burton targeted me. I would also like to thank Metropolitan Police officers who acted with dignity, professionalism and care. If I have one thing else to say it is this. I urge anyone targeted because of hatred, intolerance and prejudice to report it to the police or to third party hate crime agencies like Tell MAMA or the Community Security Trust.

We cannot allow the haters to divide us in our country.

Categories: Far Right groups, hate crime, MyBlog, Opinions

Muslim man finds bacon on his car door handle in public car park

April 25, 2017 Article

Cambridgeshire Police are investigating an anti-Muslim hate crime after a piece of bacon was left on the handle of a Muslim man’s car over the weekend.

The man was returning from a local swimming pool with his six-year-old niece when he discovered the pork product. After reporting the incident to police, our support service was also made aware.

He expressed his surprise that the perpetrator had not targeted the driver’s door, suggesting that the act was premeditated as nothing would outwardly suggest that the car owner was Muslim.

The sunshine also meant that the bacon slice had cooked, leaving a small streak of fat along the door. This was soon removed, but not before photographic evidence of the vandalism was taken.

Pork products are, sadly, used to target Muslims online and offline. On Facebook, memes related to bacon helps to drive the unhelpful phenomena of ‘likebaiting,’ a broad tactic that appeals to the emotional responses of an audience to generate ‘likes’ or shares.

In anti-Muslim circles, however, it serves to recycle the false notion that the sensibilities of all Muslims are offended by the slightest reference to pork.

Bacon has been used by the far-right to target mosques and their congregations in Bristol, London, and Edinburgh in recent years.

The death of Kevin Crehan, who plead guilty to tying bacon slices to the handles of a mosque in Bristol, is open to speculation, despite the ‘non-suspicious’ nature of his death.

Dozens of far-right protesters gathered in Bristol last month to protest Mr. Crehan’s imprisonment.

Some Muslims reporting to our service have found pork products outside of their homes or in food items.

In November 2016, two Polish men were jailed after throwing bacon strips at worshippers at the Al-Rahman Mosque in North London.

Britain First, the far-right party, once declared that burying a pig on the grounds of a mosque could prevent its construction. This idea continues to endure in similar ideological spaces.

Online hate messages sometimes reference pork. In one example, a nationalist account report to our service had tweeted: “They [Muslims] should only be allowed to breathe if they agree to eat bacon, then after they do it, shoot them anyway.” This is an extreme example, but the softer rhetoric has landed some in the courts. A Twitter troll was fined £450 for posting racist, sectarian, homophobic, antisemitic and anti-Muslim messages. One tweet read: “No surrender ya Muslim scum. See you in court. I’ve got the bacon sandwich and yer six-year-old wife.”

In 2015, a Facebook post lamenting the placement of pork products in a supermarket halal aisle went viral, but speculation remains about its origin. A fake far-right Twitter user attempted to reuse this image in 2017.

A hoax anthrax letter attached to pork meat was placed on a car near an Edinburgh mosque last year.

In February, a Scottish man was given a community order after telling his stepfather to “go eat some bacon” in a racist Facebook rant after learning of his intent to convert to Islam.

Some Muslims have responded with humour or reminded others that pork is not ‘kryptonite’ to Muslims.

 

 

 

 

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Categories: bacon, hate crime, News, pork

My World, My Existence – How Hate Impacts on Me

April 17, 2017 Article

This is a poem that was written around some of the experiences that Muslim women have had and who have reported into Tell MAMA. We believe that it is important to raise such feelings and experiences so that individuals can get an insight into the painful and self-limiting experiences that some Muslim women, who have been targeted for anti-Muslim hatred and racism

For Tell Mama UK, and with thanks to Talat Yaqoob 

Keeping Your Head Down

You keep your head down, frown
and don’t say anything
while the man on the tube
places his gaze on you
like stones;

your hands, your child, your language,
your clothes
mustn’t grumble

as your colleagues joke,
their mouths laughing fake accents
(which keep yours shut) they boast
about their Indian on a Friday night,
drink from yellow and purple mugs, and you

keep out of sight
when the country is reeling, and you too are grieving
yet asked to apologise

by the politicians in suits who tighten their ties
with one hand, the other
gripping a pen which hovers and signs

an X over your headscarf, over your mother
tongue, and you
don’t say anything, you know if you try
they’ll only prevent you
and yet, when you step outside

the kids, at the back of the bus,
street corner, shop door and school
call you paki c***, black bitch, terrorist, cruel

tea is served, pale brown and well brewed
steam rising up to heaven whether thrown down your back
or waiting, gently, beside your prayer mat.

Nadine Aisha Jassat

Nadine Aisha Jassat (Nadine Aisha) is the author of Still, a poetry pamphlet exploring women’s stories and women’s survival, and has performed solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Just Festival and Audacious Women Festival. She is the Writer in Residence for YWCA Scotland – The Young Women’s Movement, and features in 404 Ink’s acclaimed Nasty Women. She is active in the movement to end gender-based violence, and works with young people to educate and empower. You can follow Nadine on Twitter @nadineaishaj or read more about her work at www.nadineaishaj.com .

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Categories: Hate Crimes, Muslim women, Nadine Aisha Jassat, Opinions, Poem

Hungarian top court overturns village’s ban on mosques and LGBT displays

April 12, 2017 Article

The Constitutional Court of Hungary has overturned a ban on building mosques and Islamic headscarves in the village of Ásotthalom, two hours from the capital Budapest.

László Toroczkai, mayor of Ásotthalom, and vice president of the staunchly antisemitic far-right party Jobbik gained international notoriety following news of the ban. His ban also included a homophobic censure on the promotion of equal marriage.

Hungary’s commissioner for fundamental rights pushed for a constitutional challenge, and the court ruled that it aimed “to limit directly the freedom of conscience and religion, as well freedom of speech”.

The measures had been in place since November. And it sought came off the back of the refugee and migrant crisis affecting parts of Europe.

A BBC investigation also found links between Mr. Toroczkai and the British far-right. He told Victoria Derbyshire that: “He [Jim Dowson] came to Asotthalom a few times as a private individual, just to have a look. Nick Griffin also came with him.” This was confirmed in a post on Dowson’s Knights Templar International website.

On Mr. Torockzai’s official Facebook page, the antisemitism, homophobia, and anti-Muslim hatred are easy to find. On April 6, he posted in English, that: “The Visegrad Cooperation, which is built upon the unbreakable Hungarian-Polish friendship, will save Europe. All those who don’t believe in this should watch this video, in which Polish youngsters say no to the islamization of Europe. The Polish-Hungarian axis is as strong now as it used to be in the past centuries. It is indestructible.”

In previous homophobic statements, Mr. Toroczkai has ranted against the perceived ‘homosexual agenda’.

An antisemitic post crudely depicted the Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor and philanthropist George Soros as an octopus – evoking Nazi-era propaganda.

In a broader sense, however, this rhetoric is the bluster behind an egregious and illiberal clampdown on Soros-funded projects in parts of Eastern Europe.

Hungary has faced renewed criticism for a law that is said to target a major Budapest university. Tens of thousands took to the streets of Hungary’s capital to protest this proposed law. Nor does this obsession with Soros only sit within the extremes of Hungarian politics.

The Prime Minister Viktor Orbán called the university a ‘fraud,’ adding that “in Hungary, one cannot be above the law — even if you’re a billionaire.” Supporters of the Prime Minister are increasingly convinced that Soros intends to change the fundamental religious identity of Hungary by ‘flooding’ it with Muslim refugees. In other parts of Eastern Europe, this anti-Soros posturing can be found in the rhetoric of the former authoritarian leader of Macedonia, and in the actions of the current Macedonian government.This extends to Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Serbia. Poland’s ruling party is considering legislation to clamp down on Soros-funded groups.

 

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Categories: Antisemitism, homophobia, Jobbik, News

Anti-Muslim Hate Did Not Reach High Peaks After the Westminster Terrorist Attacks

March 29, 2017 Article

Something notable took place on the streets of London after the attack on Westminster Bridge which was carried out by Khalid Masood.

The usual picture has been that after a major terrorist attack, there is a corresponding significant peak and rise in anti-Muslim hatred. After Westminster, we did not see what was expected and there was no major peak in anti-Muslim hatred picked up across the country. If there was, our work within Tell MAMA would have immediately been alerted to this.

This raises some interesting questions. What was there about this terrible incident that did not create major ramifications for cohesion and policing within our country? What was done on this occassion to reduce possible impacts on communities and which also impacted on the frequency of anti-Muslim hate crime incidents across the country – with no major peak after what was a major terrorist incident? This is the first major terrorist incident in the last 3 years where there has not been a significant rise and peak in anti-Muslim hatred.

We understand that some groups put out messages asking people to significantly change behaviour patterns on the assumption of a major anti-Muslim backlash. We believe that such advice, (given no large scale backlash after the Westminster terrorist murders), was counter-productive and was not borne out with evidence on this occassion. Such advice may also impact heavily on the confidence of the more vulnerable in communities and we ask that agencies reflect on the messaging that they put out. 

What we can say though is that the capital still remains resilient against major community divisions and that the lives of Londoners as whole were not significanty impacted upon because of the terrorist attack. There are times when we can feel a sense of hope and the last week provides us with a real window of hope. London truly is a great city.

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Categories: anti-Muslim hate, Hate crime reports, News, Peak, terror attacks, Westminster