The slide into a bizarre world of believing conspiracy theories and voicing openly toxic and bigoted views took place slowly over the last decade whilst many of us were not able to fathom how quickly and extensively social media had taken charge of our lives. As the Founder and previous Director of Tell MAMA, which supports victims of anti-Muslim hate, the world that I know of today, as someone reaching his fifties, is virtually unrecognisable to the one in which I worked just a decade ago and where there was real hope that levels of racism, prejudice and intolerance were finally on a downward slope.

Today’s world is also a far cry from that in which I grew up. As a refugee from Amin’s Uganda in 1972, and having fled a second time from Africa in 1983 because of military instability in Kenya, I suffered at first hand the openly racist abuse meted out to Asians and African-Caribbean communities in Kent where I was schooled. Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, that open racism existed, flourished and led to the murder of young black men such as Stephen Lawrence. Such open hatred impacted on many young men and women from BME communities, though the economic boom of that period helped to also temper some of the racist anger and bigotry. Anti-racism work, equality marches and work-based equal opportunity schemes seem to have turned the tide against division that many of us assumed would mean a country more at ease with its diversity.

Whilst the UK is in a far better place than the ’80s, the reality is that, as a country, we have slid backwards towards openly aggressive far-right marches rallying thousands of people, national political instability and a rising sense of mistrust which is acutely felt between BME communities and the two main parties. This, mixed with a recent economic crisis, has created the perfect storm for social insecurity and it is this insecurity that some have played upon in fomenting divisive and openly hostile views toward groups of people in our society. It is also within this environment of insecurity that people have sought comfort within narratives of division that blame others and which provide a sense of meaning to them, however twisted that may be.

For such individuals, conspiracy theories become reality since the world around them is unstable and frightening. Grasping onto something almost tangible, that explains the complexity of life in a simplistic fashion, fills the void that many of us currently feel in an increasingly frightening world. This is why, for example, conspiracy merchants who peddle views of an ‘Islamic takeover’ or of hordes of Muslims outbreeding other communities, manage to find a receptive audience. With less money in people’s pockets, communities aggressively vying for resources in austerity, and a sense of confusion as to where we are heading as a nation, you can see how easy it is for people to believe that there are hidden factors at play. The culprits, in their opinion, are more than likely Muslims, Jews or migrants.

Both Muslims and Jews have felt a sharp rise in hostility towards them and hate crime figures show such a rise over the last five years. Much of this is due to hate online and, furthermore, since 2012, when I founded Tell MAMA, it was clear to me that social media companies would not remove hateful and criminal material, nor would they take down far-right, neo-Nazi or Islamist extremist accounts. Their business model was based on getting traction for their technological revolutions through more accounts opening up. In doing so, they helped create the fog and smoke of disinformation and gave an amplified voice to extremist groups masquerading as ‘free speech’ martyrs. These companies, whilst levelling the playing field for more voices to be heard, also exposed people to views and opinions that would have been marginalised for a reason. Yet their platforms also legitimised toxic views by placing those views into a worldwide market of ideas where extremist groups were better equipped to promote them.

Let me explain. Marginalised, divisive and racist groups by their very nature had to be far more energetic and driven to try to win supporters. Before the advent of social media these people had to host events, print leaflets and remain active at a street level. That all took time and money and, to make it worse, they also looked pretty scary. However, such groups were always driven; they had to be to survive.

Now post their divisive messages on social media with a ‘friendly face’, remove the racist insignia and blame migrants, Muslims and foreigners, and strangely there was a more receptive audience as people’s fears and insecurities rose over the last decade. Additionally, as many of us played catch-up to try to challenge extremist and divisive views, these individuals and groups already had a head start since they were naturally driven and could see the power of the new platforms. It was a toxic, heady mix that was to have a severe impact on our society, as we are now seeing today.

This is why we must mobilise and defend the social values we enjoy in our country, and which are under threat. It is not just those, as this paper has highlighted, who try and divide local communities, who we must challenge; it is also those beyond our shores, who support extremist groups and seek to destabilise our democracy by fomenting instability, whom we must remain vigilant against. If we take our eye off the ball in these crucial years, it is not only our values which may change – it could be our very understanding of reality. Now that truly is frightening.

Beyond the Incident: Highest Number of Annual Reports Logged by Tell MAMA Since Launch in 2012

Director of Tell MAMA, Iman Atta OBE says, “We are in deeply worrying times where people are looking for certainty and what they are getting is instability at a political and societal level. This means that at times like this, minority groups are the ones who suffer the anger of those looking to vent their fears, insecurities and concerns.

“We are seeing more aggressive street-based incidents, younger perpetrators, between the ages of 13-18, increased vandalism and international interference by well organised social media accounts playing groups off in the UK. More than ever, we need to come together and redouble our efforts against those who seek to divide and play communities off against each other”.

Key Points

• In 2017 Tell MAMA recorded a total of 1,330 reports. Of these reports, 1,201 were verified as being anti-Muslim or Islamophobic in nature and as having occurred in the UK between January and December 2017. More than two-thirds of verified incidents occurred offline, or on a street-level (70%, n=839), which represents a 30% rise in offline reports when compared to the previous reporting period (n=643). An offline, or street-level, incident means that the incident occurred in-person between a victim (or property) and a perpetrator. There were therefore more street incidents of anti-Muslim hatred reported into Tell MAMA.
• Crimes or incidents that are classified as ‘online’ occurred on social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter, or on other Internet-based platforms, were verified as having happened within the UK, and account for a third of reports in 2017 (n=362), which represents a 16.3% rise in reports when compared with the previous year (n=311). This small rise can be partially attributed to the way in which ideologically-motivated accounts felt emboldened by major trigger events, (such as terrorist attacks) and broader Islamophobic discourses in the public sphere.
• The ‘online hate’ figure, however, should be viewed as part of a wider trend in our data sets where there has been a marked shift towards more serious offline incidents such as physical attacks, threatening behaviour and abuse more generally, along with a growing awareness of Tell MAMA in Muslim communities, among key stakeholders, and partners, resulting in a greater willingness amongst victims and witnesses to report.
• Tell MAMA has listed in its Annual Report examples of ‘Twitter bots’ that have sought to cause disruption and division in community perceptions and which have actively promoted anti-Muslim hatred. One such Twitter account was @DavidJo52951945 . Responses to the rhetoric on this account, called for violent action against Islamic institutions and on August 30^th 2017, the Times reported that this bot originated from Russia. Furthermore, a Twitter account called @SouthLoneStar, which had amassed some 16,500 followers, was responsible in starting a global trend after the Westminster terrorist attack.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT HERE.

For further information about Tell MAMA please click here.

This Sunday, Janusz Korwin-Mikke will be speaking in London in Hyde Park. Previously a member of the European Parliament, he is no stranger to controversy. Korwin-Mikke has previously stated that Hitler knew nothing about the Holocaust.

Korwin-Mikke will be returning to speak in London again on the 8th of July with one Stanislaw Michalkiewicz. Michalkiewicz has previously stated on Catholic Radio Marja that, “(Poland was) being outmanoeuvred by Judeans (Jews) who are trying to force our government to pay extortion money disguised as compensation”

This is another turn in the worrying trend of speakers from Poland who are entering into the UK with such views. Faith Matters has raised concerns before, since people with such comments are not assisting integration or supporting cohesive communities in the UK. Their past history and their comments simply cause divisions and there is a real attempt to inject these views into the UK context and sphere where there are between 700,000 to 800,000 people of Polish heritage in the UK.

Some of Korwin-Mikke’s statements are breath-taking. He states that the best way to deal with Muslims in Europe is to keep them out and ban them from building mosques and “if need be, oppose them militarily”. Commenting on the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack in France, he said that the terrorists “exaggerated” (their response), as they should have only given the Charlie Hebdo ‘blasphemers’, a few lashes instead of killing them. Had they done that, “half of Europe would have applauded them”. In the same tweet he added, “It’s the same thing fighting against anti-Semitism. The Jews exaggerate and then they are surprised anti-Semitism is on the rise. And as usual, it will end with pogroms”.

His view of Muslims is also demonstrated in the following comment, where he stated that, “our enemy is not in Moscow. Our enemies are in mosques. In the mosques of Paris, in the mosques of Marseilles.” He has also gone onto say that, 

“I have no doubts that your daughters and grand-daughters will end up in harems. Muslims despise us, we are doormats to them. Why? Because in modern Europe, life is the highest value. I don’t understand it. To be honest, Muslim civilisation is closer to me than the European Union which is just savage. When the Muslims come, at least they will abolish the VAT tax. They might chop some heads off, but at least they won’t allow any gay parades”.

Korwin Mikke’s has also suggested that Germany should introduce religious apartheid as a solution to problems caused by Muslims.

Racism

It is not just Muslims or Jews who are at the brunt end of Korwin Mikke’s statements. He has stated that, 

“The world is collapsing. 150 years ago, we white people, ruled the world. Today, we are being colonised…….We colonised Africa, it wasn’t the Negroes who colonised Europe. It’s something to be proud of. I am proud of my civilisation”.

During a debate on youth unemployment in the EU Parliament, Korwin-Mikke referred to black people on several occasions as “niggers”, stating that the “minimum wage should be destroyed as we would be treating 20 million young Europeans like niggers”.

Talking about racial segregation, he stated, 

“It’s just like when women can’t enter a male toilet. What’s wrong with black people not being allowed to enter a toilet for whites?”

These are just the array of comments associated with the former EU Parliamentarian. Yet it brings to light again how such people are being invited to speak in the UK and to possibly normalise these views into settled communities of Polish heritage.

Faith Matters has highlighted the issue of entryism into settled communities of Polish heritage in the UK. What we are seeing is a co-ordinated effort by groups and speakers to enter into the UK and poison the minds of people. This is not just unacceptable, it is time that the Her Majesty’s Government seriously look at this issue and the various groups and speakers we have highlighted.

“We believe that tackling extremism within our own community and working with other groups is an essential part of tackling anti-Muslim hate crime. It is through partnerships like this and an enduring empathy around the human rights of others, which can help build alliances and stronger social cohesion. 

Our approach so far has been not to highlight divisions. This is contrary to groups whom Ware investigates in the programme entitled, “Who Speaks for British Muslims”.

The programme explains how some groups play on a divisive approach targeted at British Muslim communities.  But this agenda of tackling anti-Muslim hate and protecting social cohesion is too important to be left to those who would divide the community and ignore intolerance. This is why we chose to speak out and take part in the Dispatches documentary.

We will continue to fight for an inclusive approach to Islam, based on pluralism and where dissent is part of the cornerstone of healthy communities. We also know that colleagues in other programmes of work that we have set up, will continue to diligently tackle anti-Muslim hatred as they have done for over 6 years now. This means that we will continue to speak up where we see this approach being abused.

Faith Matters believe we have a better, more positive and, vitally, more effective approach to tackling anti-Muslim hatred than has traditionally been taken by some other organisations in this field. At the heart of our approach is a belief in universal human rights.

As a result, our approach is completely inclusive. We work with LGBT organisations, feminist campaigns, those tackling antisemitism, and groups tackling bigotry wherever it is found. We work with people of all faiths and none to tackle extremism in all its forms. We challenge intolerance within our own communities. We don’t pander to win support, but always go back to our founding principle of universal rights. We believe this approach strengthens our ability to combat anti-Muslim hatred.

We build alliances through the consistency of our approach. It is by building on this strong community of human rights allies; challenging communities when it does not adopt this approach and consistently arguing that anti-Muslim hatred has the same root causes as homophobia, anti-Semitism, sexism, racism and all other hatred-driven intolerances that we make our case.

We hope this explains why the decision was made to engage with the Dispatches programme entitled, “Who Speaks for British Muslims”.”

PM Cameron says Trump policy on Muslims is wrong, will not apologise

British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Thursday he would not apologise to Donald Trump after he became the Republican party’s presumptive presidential candidate for calling his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States stupid and wrong.

Cameron made the comment about Trump after the reality TV star and real estate developer vowed last December to ban all Muslims from entering the United States if he succeeded in his bid to become the next U.S. president.

“I won’t change that view and I don’t change that view and I’m very clear that the policy idea that was put forward was wrong, is wrong and will remain wrong, so I’m very clear about that,” Cameron told reporters when asked if he would now apologise.

However, Cameron did pay tribute to Trump for effectively clinching his party’s nomination this week after the departure of his two remaining rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich.

“Knowing the gruelling nature of the primaries and what you have to go through, anyone who makes it through that extraordinary contest to lead their party into a general election deserves our respect,” he said.

The post For Those Who Call PM Cameron ‘Islamophobic’, Read This appeared first on TELL MAMA.

It would be foolhardy to state that recent events of anti-Muslim abuse on buses in London have not had an impact on Muslim communities in the capital and beyond. They have and given the way that the material has been shared online, the comments and the videos of the abuse have sickened many who saw the hate meted out by members of Black and Minority Ethnic communities against others.

One victim was a Turkish male who had a disability and whose walking frame was flung onto the pavement by the young perpetrator, as he walked off pushing his young child in front of him in a pushchair. The second victim was a Moroccan female with a Hijab (headscarf), who was visiting London and here to meet relatives in the capital. One only shudders to think about the kind of impression the female will have of our capital after the events of the last week, though we can take solace in the fact that our police acted decisively and quickly on both cases. Arrests were made and charges have followed.

Yet, given the sickening comments and levels of aggression shown, it is important to always contextualise the fact that we live in one of the safest capitals in the world. Compared to Europe, our country is streaks ahead in tackling racism and prejudice and in work around tackling hate crimes. Granted, there is a lot to be done, no-one can deny that and we are at the coal-face of the work, but when you compare it to some European Union countries who officially state that they have no hate crimes in their countries, you start to realise that we are lucky to live here on our tiny island.

We are also aware that there are some Muslim females who have contacted us to say that they are fearful of going outside of their homes to do their daily activities. To them we say this. By changing your daily lives, you are allowing the perpetrators to affect you and to control your lives and your activities. The only way to break cycles of abuse is to do the opposite to the fear that they bring on. In this instance, we urge individuals to get on with their daily lives and hold onto the fact that our capital is a beacon of hope, safety and security in this continent. Only be challenging our own private fears, can we truly realise our potential.

The post We Understand the Fears in Muslim Communities, But Our Country is Still One of the Safest appeared first on TELL MAMA.

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“Islamophobia – a term that encompasses a range of meanings, though in general it is a term which means a fear of Islam and Muslim communities. People can fear many things, but the targeting and abuse of people because of a facet of their identity is unacceptable. It is unacceptable since at the heart of our morality and our common humanity, is that people should be able to live their lives free from fear and intolerance. It is unacceptable since everyone should have the right to be who they are and in doing so, it should inspire us and enlighten our souls and consciousness, as to the beauty of life and to those who believe, to the beauty of creation.

Today, through the work that we do in Tell MAMA, we have seen that Muslim women who are visible, those who wear the Hijab (the religious headscarf) and the Niqab (the face veil), are the ones predominantly targeted for abuse and assaults. Visibility is also a factor for attacks on males and I know that we have a member of the family of Mr Saleem here today and we should remember all those who have departed because of the evils of hate and intolerance. Yet, we are also the solution. We, collectively are the solution, since by education and through dialogue, hate and intolerance can be challenged. We are the solution since by caring and listening to each other, we can enrich our understanding for each other. We are the solution since together, as communities, we are in the majority who can say ‘Not In Our Names.’

As we move into a world which seems increasingly turbulent, we see pictures of refugees fleeing war and instability. For our work in Tell MAMA, many of these pictures mean that on-line comments are made by people who suggest a ‘Muslim take-over’ and that ‘refugees are a code word for Muslims and Shariah Law’. This bigotry and intolerance, this marginalisation and caricaturing of communities must stop and we have the power to do so. If we do not, if we simply think that it is not our problem, then we are failing all in our communities, in our societies and in our country. Indeed, that Muslim woman on the street being verbally abused is our responsibility, as is the gay mean kicked as he walks home and the Jewish young boy who was spat at, as he walks home from the synagogue. Our only salvation and pride is in standing for everyone of them.

The post Speech in St Paul’s By Tell MAMA on National Hate Crime Awareness Week, #NHCAW appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Having just commented on the serious assault of an Afghan taxi driver  over the weekend, we were notified of another incident involving a Rotherham based taxi driver.

On Sunday morning at around 2:30 am a Rotherham based taxi driver of Pakistani heritage stopped off to drop off a passenger and was in a stationary position when his vehicle was attacked by a large white male who punched and kicked the car. The driver placed the central locking system on and was subjected to racial abuse and with threats to kill.

The driver of the vehicle then drove away from the incident with his passenger still in the vehicle and with the perpetrator now hanging off the roof of the vehicle as he would not let go of the vehicle. After several hundred yards, and after punching the windscreen of the vehicle, it is alleged that the police caught up with the vehicle and took a statement from the perpetrator.

We are in the process of ascertaining further details on the case and we have been in touch with South Yorkshire police on this case.

The post Rotherham – Another Taxi Driver Suffers Hate, But This Time Manages to Get Away appeared first on TELL MAMA.

Why Facebook must do more to challenge anti-Muslim hate posts, by Rima Amin

“Love for All, Hatred for None” is the motto carried by the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. A motto that has been tested in recent days after a surge of hateful comments towards Muslims on social media following a fire at the Baitul Futuh mosque last Friday.

Seventy firefighters worked hard throughout the day to control and extinguish fire at the mosque in South-West London known to be one of the largest in Western Europe. Many parts of the mosque remained unharmed. On Sunday, two arrests were made but since then the Met Police have said they do not believe this to be a hate crime. A 16-year-old was later released without charge as a 14-year-old received bail until January.

The investigation continues.

As news began to trend across social media, hurtful and hateful comments followed. Instead of being thankful that the fire was put out without anyone being hurt, they were disappointed. Instead of praising the firefighters, they praised the perpetrators.  Others posted threats of further escalations.

Dr Basharat Nazir, spokesperson for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, was thankful for the support given: “We have been aware of some hostile reaction on the social media, but they are simply dwarfed by the positive support we have received via social media and directly.”

Nazir says that “The key battle is against ignorance and extremism in all faiths that we all have to fight against together.”

Some of the hate comments included:

• “Mosque in Morden on the news. 2 lads been arrested for setting it on fire. It can hold upto 10,000 worshipers. Well done boys but the was place fecking empty”
• “The two young men arrested for setting fire to a mosque should not be jailed. They should be given a medal”
• “They should have been pouring gasoline on it”
• “Let’s do the same here in the USA, burn down every single one of them”
• “Probably was a bomb making class mistake”
• “They should burn them all, and then kick them muslims out of our countrys”
• “one down, more to go”
• “A WARNING to them of things to come, I hope it was done on purpose. PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF THE MUZZIES. and their DEMANDS”
• “Make it a holiday”” It wasn’t arson, its pest control!!”

Twitter trolls also joined in.

It is difficult to consistently monitor hateful comments and keep networks free from hate but it is important that we do all we can. These comments incite harm which should never be tolerated. Since Sunday, hate comments have been reported on Wimbledon Guardian, Facebook, Twitter and other news outlets but thankfully many are quickly removed.

But Facebook needs to accept that these comments have the potential to incite hatred and violence. One comment that read “should have blown that whole b*tch up” was reported to Facebook; but when reviewed, Facebook told users that it did not breach their Community Standards.

After similar problems in the past, a petition was set up asking Facebook to work on its reporting mechanisms. One signatory Natalie Otterly wrote: “Hate speech as outlined is extremely dangerous and harmful, especially given the current volatile situation towards Muslims. It actively promotes violent and illegal action towards a religion and its followers”

The Ahmadiyya community received much public support from people of all walks of life. Support also included tweets from MPs like James Berry and UK Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening.

Dr Nazir says: “The huge public outpouring of support for us and the indomitable British character that people have exhibited has strengthened our resolve to rebuild the complex as soon as possible so that this house of God that is a beacon of peace can shine again in its full glory.”

It is also clear that the community are determined not to let the hate comments deter them:

“We live by an ethos of Love for All, Hatred for None.  It is a motto that is emblazoned across our mosque complex, and neither the fire nor any negativity are able to thwart our ambitions to serve God, to help mankind, and to be loyal citizens.”

The positive attitude and genuine warmth witnessed this weekend is an inspiring display of unity. Through this, we must all remember, hate comments and violence against Muslims are by no means just a Muslim problem; but a problem for us all to get through together. To truly have a peaceful supportive world both online and offline, we must all work collectively by tackling hate speech and giving to one another especially in times of need.

The post After the fire, why the Ahmadiyya community will not give into hate , by Rima Amin appeared first on TELL MAMA.