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The UK government has appointed a new partner to monitor anti-Muslim hatred, months after its relationship with the Islamophobia reporting service Tell Mama broke down.
The British Muslim Trust (BMT) – a new organisation – is expected to begin receiving reports and monitoring incidents from early autumn, after being “selected as the recipient of the government’s new combatting hate against Muslims fund”, a statement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said on Monday.
The appointment ends a period in which there has been no government-funded group carrying out anti-Muslim hate monitoring in the UK, after the collapse of the Labour administration’s relationship with Tell Mama, which received £6m in funding over 13 years.
In March, it emerged that the organisation’s government funding had been paused amid questions over its relationship with previous Conservative governments and how it spent public money and collated its data.
In April, a Muslim peer, Shaista Gohir, said it should face an inquiry. Tell Mama denied the claims at the time and described the idea it was secretly being used to tackle Muslim extremism as a “slur”. It said it regularly reported “according to the government’s due processes” and that no issues had been raised with the group by officials. No inquiry was ever launched.
Tell Mama’s director said in May that the organisation had rejected a further six months of funding from government, alleging a strained relationship with the Labour faith minister, Wajid Khan, and “malicious campaigns” from rivals. It has continued to operate independently.
The row came against a backdrop of surging hate crimes against British Muslims.
The government said it had set up the combatting hate against Muslims fund to “respond to the evolving nature of religious intolerance and targeted hate incidents faced by Muslim communities, which are at the highest level on record”.
It added that the BMT would use the funding to “develop a robust reporting system that captures both online and offline incidents of anti-Muslim hatred, including those that may go unreported to the police … provide direct support to victims, raise awareness of what constitutes a hate crime, and encourage greater reporting from affected communities”.
The window to bid for the funding ran for six weeks from 7 April.
The BMT has been founded by the Aziz Foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust, with activist Akeela Ahmed leading as chief executive.
Ahmed is co-founder of the British Muslim Network (BMN) – set up earlier this year to amplify the voices of the UK’s Muslims to policymakers and highlight their positive contribution to society.
A spokesperson for the BMT said it was separate from the network, which does not receive government funding, and that its focus would be solely on the work it was contracted to for government, while BMN had a “broader remit”.
Ahmed said: “For too long, anti-Muslim hate has been under-recognised and under-reported. BMT exists to change that – by listening to communities, amplifying their voices, and working with partners across society to ensure that no one is left to face hate alone.
“We are here to stand with victims and help shape a more inclusive, united Britain for all.”
Lord Khan said: “The rise of anti-Muslim hatred is alarming and deeply concerning. I look forward to working with the British Muslim Trust on our shared ambition to create a safer, more tolerant society for everyone.”
