UK government cuts funding for Islamophobia monitor as anti-Muslim hate surges

With recorded anti-Muslim hate crimes up by 165 per cent since the beginning of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, concerns are growing among Britain’s Muslim communities over the government’s decision to withdraw funding from Tell Mama, one of the UK’s longest-running organisations monitoring Islamophobia. The move leaves the group facing potential closure at a time when hate incidents are at record levels.

Tell Mama, which was founded in 2012, has played a key role in recording anti-Muslim hate crimes, supporting victims and working with police forces to prosecute offenders. The government’s decision to withdraw financial support will take effect at the end of this month, with no details provided about any replacement service.

Tell Mama founder Fiyaz Mughal criticised the government’s decision, warning that it comes at a time when “the far right and populists across Europe are growing significantly.” The Guardian quoted Moghul as saying: “There are going to be more individuals targeted, we know that in the current environment, and where are they going to go? This is an injustice at a time where I have never seen anti-Muslim rhetoric become so mainstream.”

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The group has documented nearly 11,000 reports of Islamophobic incidents over the past year alone, with 9,600 confirmed cases. Moreover, there has been a sharp rise in online abuse since October 2023. The organisation has also played a key role in identifying emerging security threats, particularly from far-right extremist groups.

Meanwhile, official police data highlights a record surge in religiously motivated hate crimes across England and Wales, with the increase largely attributed to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza. Muslims remain the most frequently targeted group, accounting for 38 per cent of all reported religious hate crimes, while Jews make up 33 per cent of cases. The threat from far-right extremism remains high; only last week, a UK court was reportedly informed of an alleged neo-Nazi terror group that had been planning attacks on mosques and synagogues in the north west of England.

Mughal questioned how the Labour government could claim to be tackling Islamophobia while cutting the only national-scale project dedicated to supporting victims and aiding police investigations. “Labour talks a lot about countering Islamophobia, but they are cutting the only project doing anything on a national scale,” he said. “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.”

He also pointed out that Tell Mama was originally intended to mirror the work of the Community Security Trust (CST), which provides similar services for British Jews, including a hotline for reporting anti-Semitic incidents, security advice and community support. CST, which receives funding from the Home Office, remains financially secure, whereas Tell Mama’s funding comes from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and has now been withdrawn.

The government’s decision is also seen to be contradictory given its recent announcement of a new working group on anti-Muslim hatred, chaired by former Conservative Attorney General Dominic Grieve. Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner insisted that tackling anti-Muslim hate crime was a priority. “The rise in anti-Muslim hate crime is unacceptable and has no place in our society,” said Rayner. “That’s why we’ve committed to defining anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia, as crucial steps forward in tackling it and creating a society where everyone feels safe and welcome.”

Mughal accused the government of “saying one thing and doing another”, highlighting the disconnect between rhetoric and action.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has yet to provide a clear explanation for the funding cut or any details about alternative provisions. A spokesperson for the department is reported as saying: “Religious and racial hatred has absolutely no place in our society, and we will not tolerate Islamophobia in any form. This year we have made up to £1m of funding available to Tell Mama to provide support for victims of Islamophobia, and we will set out our approach to future funding in due course.”

The response has done little to reassure those concerned about the loss of a vital community resource. With anti-Muslim hate at unprecedented levels and far-right terror threats increasing, the decision to pull funding from Tell Mama has raised serious questions about the government’s commitment to tackling Islamophobia.

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