Masjid Ramadan

Gillian Duncan, The National, UK's oldest Turkish mosque at risk of closure, 27 Mar 2024 "Erkin Güney, the owner of the Masjid Ramadan, in Dalston, north-east London, said the building’s bills have tripled in recent years and he is struggling to cover them alongside rising maintenance costs."

MCB 'exclusion'

Middle East Eye, How the Muslim Council of Britain was left out in the cold, 18 Mar 2024 "The MCB is the UK's largest representative Muslim organisation whose young female leader says it stands for the 'shared values of Britain'. So why does the government refuse to engage with it?"

Discussions on 'Extremism' and Politics (cont/d)

Some important comments (separately) from Zara Mohammed and Sayeeda Warsi:

🚨 WATCH | MCB Secretary-General, Zara Mohammed speaks to @SkyNews Mark Austin on the new extremism definition pic.twitter.com/vHNrhRAiKT

— MCB (@MuslimCouncil) March 15, 2024

Catching up on my listening this morning: this was an inciteful interview between @lewis_goodall and @SayeedaWarsi for the @TheNewsAgents. The word "arsonists" certainly jumped out ... https://t.co/nt5JJV3rVc

— Gary Bunt (@garybunt) March 16, 2024

After much consideration I decided to share publicly as chair of the government’s Islamophobia taskforce that we haven’t met in years.
On the UN day to combat #islamophobia it is imperative the critical work of the anti-Muslim hatred working group resumes
https://t.co/1i6Q5SqxxP

— Akeela Ahmed MBE (@AkeelaAhmed) March 15, 2024

'Extremism' Perspectives and Discussions

While this discussion is not/should not be exclusively associated with Muslims in the UK, there are underlying themes in the discourse, which I have attempted to highlight and record here for reseaarch purposes.

Adam Bienkov, Josiah Mortimer, Byline Times, Michael Gove Expected to Drop Plans to Put Muslim Council of Britain in List of ‘Extremist’ Groups, 13 Mar 2024

Hope Not Hate Report 2024 (PDF)

If Gove is confident in his views about the Muslim Association of Britain and other organisations, alleging extremist views and a threat to UK society, we challenge him to state them outside parliament. However, due to the fear of legal challenges, we know he lacks the courage… https://t.co/tXbHB80cU4

— Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) (@MABOnline1) March 14, 2024

‘We’re easy to scapegoat’: Muslim Council chief baffled by Tory ‘extremism’ label https://t.co/i1eDvF8e9m

— Zara Mohammed (@ZaraM01) March 14, 2024

Our Secretary-General @ZaraM01, on BBC Newsnight this evening on the Government’s expansion on the definition of extremism. https://t.co/ywbL50UHWT

— MCB (@MuslimCouncil) March 13, 2024

Michael Gove is asked if saying an MP should be shot is an extremist view & would it fall under his new definition of extremism. Gove won't say

Goves new definition is meant to stop govt money going to extremists & Frank Hesters company gets lots of govt contracts. pic.twitter.com/bOPmxvdl5W

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) March 14, 2024

"It's unfortunately a part of my daily life... I think it is incredibly frightening."

Apsana Begum, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, says that as an ethnic minority politician she often faces racist abuse and wants to see institutional reforms to address this. #Newsnight pic.twitter.com/FAtaEXsHDt

— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) March 13, 2024

This is a must watch to understand the thinking behind the latest announcements on extremism by Michael Gove.
Also remember his comments in his book as reviewed by @DalrympleWill - I quote
“Worth pointing out how @MicGove opposed Oslo and the Two State Solution in his terrible… https://t.co/30o5rqiGwp

— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) March 14, 2024

“Words matter, we’ve had two MPs who have been murdered… There has to be accountability…”

Labour’s @DrRosena responds to the Conservative Party’s handling of reported racist comments about Diane Abbott by Tory donor Frank Hester#Peston pic.twitter.com/IyoCObsz7c

— Peston (@itvpeston) March 13, 2024

Anti-Muslim Rhetoric in the UK

 The toxic political situation in the UK incorporates anti-Muslim rhetoric and 'Islamophobia'. I have covered some of this in my X feed, but for the record am placing some other elements below. Just a reminder - there are multiple opinions here, the posts below are for information and subsequent analysis, and inclusion never does not imply endorsement. The language is not adjusted and can be 'loaded' at times:

 

 

This tweet is magnificent.

The Hard-Right have weaponised the murder of Lee Rigby for years, to justify anti-Muslim hatred BUT denied hating Muslims.

Yet here's hard-right mouthpiece Mahyar Tousi attacking Lee Rigby's widow for telling people not to hate Muslims.

MAGNIFICENT pic.twitter.com/rLrGz1E9Me

— Femi (@Femi_Sorry) March 11, 2024

Conservative MP Mike Fabricant believes that Islamophobia from an MP does not even need to be apologised for...

Seriously. https://t.co/7BEvZeWwH9

— Miqdaad Versi (@miqdaad) March 12, 2024

Sadiq Khan, "We have another example, of a senior Conservative, a Conservative donor, making comments that are clearly racist and clearly misogynistic"

"What Rishi Sunak needs to do. Is to grow a backbone. To have courage. He failed to call out the Islamophobia, the anti-Muslim… pic.twitter.com/6CKehK0jR6

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) March 12, 2024

Gove who once described the indigenous population of over seas colonies as Fuzzie Wuzzies - has decided to hand pick an Islamophobia advisor. Mr Mughal - whose skill sets include : telling his pay masters what they want to hear, criticising his own community incessantly and… pic.twitter.com/Sshl7IS5y0

— Akunjee 🖋 (@mohammedakunjee) March 9, 2024

Yet another desperate attempt to smear the First Minister of Scotland, and his family.

It seems the leadership shown by @HumzaYousaf to get urgently needed aid to 2.2million starving Gazans must be viewed with suspicion, I’m sure his being Muslim has nothing to do with it? https://t.co/TIz4COXXTL

— Zara Mohammed (@ZaraM01) March 9, 2024

Archbishops of Canterbury and York warn against new extremism definition. Clerics say Michael Gove’s anti-extremism strategy risks targeting Muslims and may threaten freedom of speech and peaceful protesthttps://t.co/BEFKhJF8KW

— William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) March 13, 2024

There should never be a hierarchy of racism. But under this government there clearly is.

Islamophobia body has not met for 4 years, despite the rise in anti-Muslim hate crimehttps://t.co/0FDv3fqsAU

— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) March 11, 2024

🧵1/10 Apparently, the government are going to appoint Fyaz Mughal as their “anti-Muslim hatred” adviser! A thread on why this is gaslighting of the highest order, even for this government!! (more to follow) pic.twitter.com/xog00AN3lG

— MEND Community (@mendcommunity) March 8, 2024

For months Sunak and many of his cabinet pushed divisive commentary against the Muslims community. He now talks about tackling anti Muslim hatred rates of which his party directly contributed towards. Disgusted by it but disappointed that a mosque just let him waltz in. Shameful https://t.co/mICn30zs5C

— Bushra Shaikh (@Bushra1Shaikh) March 12, 2024

STATEMENT ON REPORTS THAT FIYAZ MUGHAL IS TO BE THE NEW ANTI-MUSLIM HATRED TZARhttps://t.co/mGezYmmSyH pic.twitter.com/f7f9SGtIOX

— MEND Community (@mendcommunity) March 8, 2024

Mosque Protection

 ITV News, Government commits £117 million to protect UK Muslims from hate attacks, 11 Mar 2024 "More than £117 million will be spent by the government to protect mosques, Muslim schools and community centres from hate attacks over the next four years."

Also see: Sky News, More than £117m taxpayers' money to be spent on protecting UK Muslims, 11 Mar 2024

Sheffield British-Yemenis

Lemma Shehadi, Nicky Harly, Marwa Hassan, The National, Steeled for worse: Sheffield's British-Yemenis conflicted over crisis in the Red Sea, 8 Mar 2024. "For British-Yemenis, who are the UK's oldest Arab community, the crisis leaves them in a difficult place. Though they support the Palestinian cause, they are also opposed to the Houthi militia – which took control of the capital Sanaa and parts of north Yemen in 2014."

School "prayer ban"

BBC News, Michaela School made being Muslim seem toxic, former pupil says, 5 Mar 2024 "

"The "prayer ban" by a school facing a court challenge made being Muslim "seem toxic" and "evil", former pupils claim."

'Islamophobia incidents skyrocket'

Independent, ‘I’m too scared to leave my house’: Muslim fears as Islamophobic incidents skyrocket by 365%, 4 Mar 2024 "London charity Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) says many of the incidents have involved people being targeted over their support for Palestine, as the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage.' Islamophobia Response Unit