UK govt cuts funding to anti-Islamophobia charity Tell Mama

The UK government has announced that it will withdraw all funding for the anti-Islamophobia charity Tell Mama, leaving the organisation facing closure just weeks after it reported a record number of anti-Muslim hate incidents in Britain.

Since its founding in 2012, Tell Mama has been fully funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to provide a vital service for reporting anti-Muslim hate crimes, supporting victims, and working with police to prosecute offenders.

The government’s decision to cut funding will take effect at the end of this month, with no alternative support system announced.

The charity revealed that it had received 10,700 reports of anti-Muslim hate in 2023, of which 9,600 were verified incidents.

These figures showed a marked increase in street-based abuse and a surge in online hate following the Southport attack and related riots.

Separate police figures show that Muslims were the most targeted group in England and Wales, accounting for 38 percent of religious hate crimes recorded up to March 2024, followed by Jews at 33 percent.

Police sources have raised concerns about the impact of the funding cut, warning that Tell Mama’s data-sharing agreement, signed in 2015, has played a crucial role in helping authorities track rising tensions and prevent potential threats.

One source described the charity’s contributions as “invaluable” in providing insights into community tensions and informing police responses.

Tell Mama’s founder, Fiyaz Mughal, criticised the funding cut, warning that vulnerable victims of anti-Muslim hate would lose a crucial point of contact.

“There are going to be more individuals targeted, we know that in the current environment, and where are they going to go?” Mughal told The Guardian.

The government’s move also comes at a time when the discussion around Islamophobia and hate crime prevention gained renewed urgency in Britain.

Last month, the government announced the formation of a working group to define Islamophobia and create a framework for addressing the growing hate against Muslims.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said at the time: “The rise in anti-Muslim hate crime is ­unacceptable and has no place in our society. That’s why we’ve committed to defining anti-Muslim hatred/Islamophobia, as crucial steps forward in tackling it and creating a ­society where everyone feels safe and welcome.”

The Labour Party has pledged to introduce a new definition after the previous Conservative government rejected a cross-party proposal in 2019.  Dominic Grieve, who served as a Conservative MP from 1997 to 2019, has been nominated to lead a 16-member committee tasked with defining anti-Muslim prejudice.  

But charity bosses argue that the withdrawal of funding for the one organisation tackling these issues on the ground will inevitably impact the community. 

Mughal accused the government of “saying one thing and doing another”, adding: “Labour talks a lot about countering Islamophobia but they are cutting the only project doing anything on a national scale – supporting victims, working with numerous police forces and supporting prosecutions.

“I’m not aware of any other organisation that can do this work and even if a new agency tried, it would take them 10 to 15 years to reach where Tell Mama is.”