UK Appoints New Monitor as Anti-Muslim Hate Reaches Record High
The UK has appointed the British Muslim Trust (BMT) to lead national efforts to monitor and respond to anti-Muslim hate, filling a gap left after the government ended its formal partnership with the reporting group Tell Mama earlier this year, The Guardian reported on Monday.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on Monday, the BMT was selected as the recipient of the government’s Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund and will begin operating in early autumn.
This development comes amid rising concerns over anti-Muslim sentiment in the UK. Officials noted that the new fund was created “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.”
The British Muslim Trust will receive funding to build a comprehensive system to log both online and offline cases of Islamophobic hate, including those that might not be formally reported to police. The organisation will also offer direct support to victims, run awareness campaigns on what constitutes hate crimes, and work to boost reporting from affected communities.
The six-week bidding process for the fund opened on 7 April.
The new appointment follows the end of a 13-year partnership with Tell Mama, which had received £6 million in government funding over that period. In March, it was confirmed that Tell Mama’s direct funding had ended. In May, the group’s director said they had rejected a six-month extension due to what he described as a deteriorating relationship with Labour’s faith minister, Wajid Khan, and negative campaigns by rival groups. Tell Mama has since continued to operate without government support.
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In April, concerns were raised by Muslim peer Shaista Gohir about the group’s financial transparency. She called for an inquiry, which was never launched. Tell Mama denied the claims and said it had consistently followed government reporting procedures and faced no formal concerns from officials.
The newly established BMT was created by the Aziz Foundation and the Randeree Charitable Trust. Its chief executive, Akeela Ahmed, also co-founded the British Muslim Network (BMN), which seeks to raise the profile of Muslim voices in UK policy. However, BMT has clarified that it operates separately from the BMN and that its sole focus will be delivering its government mandate.
“For too long, anti-Muslim hate has been under-recognised and under-reported,” said Ahmed. “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.”
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Minister for Faith, Lord Wajid Khan, welcomed the partnership. “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,” he said.
Source: Agencies
