The Director of Faith Matters and TELL MAMA, Fiyaz Mughal, spoke at the Big Iftar event, organised by Innovate Walsall, and raised the issue of social justice being closely entwined with Islam. The Director stated that this being the case, it was imperative that Muslims play their part in countering hate, intolerance and injustice against any community, if they are targeted because of a part of their identity.

The work undertaken by TELL MAMA over the last 3 years was also raised. This has involved assisting over 3,700 people who have reported into TELL MAMA and with over 300 arrests which have been made directly through the work.

Fiyaz Mughal also talked about the need to report in anti-Muslim hatred and particularly for Muslim women to report in the harassment that they may receive at a street level. He also raised the fact that data from TELL MAMA shows that visible Muslim women are the ones most targeted because of their visibility and that women who wore the Niqab (or religious face veil), were sadly more likely to be targeted through more aggressive incidents.

The final message was that Muslims are looking for equality, nothing more and nothing less and that reporting in anti-Muslim hate would strengthen that objective by drawing a line with perpetrators. “This country,” he said, “has the systems in place to redress grievances such as hate incidents and hate crimes. Sometimes, it may not be the outcome that you are looking for, but you stopped being a victim the moment when you reported it in.“

COME AND BE A PART OF THIS UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY

A certificate course for young people (aged 16-30) who are committed to developing their skills and knowledge so that they can participate in peaceful social activism to combat xenophobia. The course is delivered to an undergraduate level, but no prior qualifications or experience is necessary.

Following completion of the course (delivered over four days), alumni will continue to be supported as they develop their own initiatives, projects or activities to combat xenophobia; and we will continue to provide mentorship and advice on an ongoing basis. Further details are below the poster. We hope that you can be part of this unique opportunity and if you are interested, please get in touch with Sarah on sarahb@faith-matters.co.uk.

Click to view e-Activism

Certificate Course in e-Activism and Combatting Xenophobia

Course and Certificate provided free of charge to those aged 16-30

Are you an experienced and engaged social activist looking to develop your skills?

Or an aspiring social activist who would like to learn how to become engaged in activism both online and offline to combat racism and xenophobia?

Faith Matters is offering a unique, twelve-week, Certificate Course for people aged 16-30, who are committed to engaging in peaceful social activism.

Learning Outcomes

Over the course of four sessions, you will:

–       gain an understanding of the relevance of the online world, and the growth of far-right and xenophobic movements on it

–       learn about UK and European civil and criminal law relating to xenophobia, threats, and harassment online, and how the police can help you deal with it

–       have the chance to critically examine what we mean by racism, and hate crimes; how we came to our understanding of them, and their strengths and weaknesses

–       learn how to engage with and secure compliance from internet service providers, social media companies and relevant institutions and authorities

–       learn useful tactics to deal with racist and extremist movements online

–       explore ways to change minds, create effective movements online, and shape public political discourse against racist and xenophobic movements

–       learn how to establish and organise local groups of citizens committed to countering Islamophobia, antisemitism, and other racist and xenophobic movements

–       receive practical advice and support in developing your own campaigns, and learn how to build an effective online presence.

Course Structure

The course will be delivered over four Saturdays during October and November. Modules are delivered through a combination of specialist presentations, lectures, group discussions, and hands-on practical activities.

Following completion of the course, students will have the option to attend a series of networking events to engage with academic and civil society professionals in the field of civil anti-discrimination, anti-fascism, social activism and community leadership.

Course Assessment and Certification

Assessment will be on the basis of submission of learning journals and small-group presentations. Successful completion of the course will result in the awarding of a certificate.

Entry Requirements

There are no specific academic qualifications required for this course, which will be delivered to a undergraduate standard. Familiarity with social media will be helpful, but is by no means necessary; this course will provide you with everything you need to know.

The course is specifically designed for individuals aged 16-30 with a keen interest in countering the proliferation of xenophobic, racist, and religiously motivated hate incidents and hate crimes online, and in developing their skills and competencies to engage more effectively in social activism. While the course will focus on racial and religious hate crimes and incidents, much of its content will also be relevant for people interested in other forms of hate crime and bigotry in the online world.

The course will be delivered in Westminster, and therefore applicants are expected to reside within the Greater London area.

Application Process

To apply, or for more information please contact Sarah on sarahb@faith-matters.co.uk to request an application form.

Background Information

This unique course has been developed by Faith Matters and leading academics in the field of anti-fascism and counter-xenophobia, and is being provided free of charge for committed and aspirational social activists aged 16-30 living within the Greater London area through Faith Matters’ “Building Resilience and Creating Change” project.

The “Building Resilience and Creating Change” Project has been developed by Faith Matters to address the proliferation of anti-Muslim, xenophobic and racist hate incidents and hate crimes on social media sites online, and to increase individual awareness and capacity to peacefully engage in social activism to prevent, challenge and counter hate incidents.

The project aims to connect course participants to one another to form a committed network of young social activists, and give them access to a wide range of supportive academics, journalists, policy makers, civil society organisations, civil service officers and politicians who can provide mentorship, support, advice and/or contacts.

Fiyaz Mughal OBE, Director of Faith Matters requests the pleasure of your company at our TELL MAMA Fundraising Dinner

January 24th, 7.30pm for 8pm. Central London Hotel

Guest speakers include Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Mishal Husain (BBC), Baroness Warsi, Mehdi Hasan and Simon Hughes MP (TBC)

£120 per ticket, includes a bespoke three course menu and auction

Tables are available for purchase seating ten people

Carriages at approximately 10.45pm

Please RSVP including any dietary requirements by January 10th to slly@faith-matters.org

We are holding the following event as part of our series focussing on how the press portrays certain communities.

Faith Matters are proud to present – ‘One Rogue Reporter’ which was devised and produced by ex-journalist Richard Peppiat and reflects his time in a national tabloid paper. Entitled, ‘Holding Power to Account – One Tabloid Editor at a Time‘, the evening will be a great opportunity to reflect on the role of the press and to discuss any checks and balances that may impact on a press that seems to worry less about the impact of its stories and more about sales.

We hope to see you there and thank you to the Hacking Enquiry for their support who will also be speaking at the event.