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Telegraph
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Activist advising Rayner over Islamophobia definition sparks conflict of interest row
A businesswoman who is helping to draw up a definition of Islamophobia for Angela Rayner has become embroiled in a conflict of interest row after being offered a key role in policing it. Akeela Ahmed is one of five people on a working group advising the Deputy Prime Minister on a new definition of Islamophobia. On Monday, Ms Rayner's department announced that the British Muslim Trust (BMT) – which Ms Ahmed is due to lead as chief executive – would receive up to £1m a year to monitor incidents of Islamophobia and 'raise awareness' of hate crime. It follows a decision by Ms Rayner's department to cut funding for a rival Islamophobia reporting service, the Tell Mama organisation, which was founded by Fiyaz Mughal, an outspoken critic of creating a new official definition of Islamophobia. The disclosures follow criticism of the 'secretive' process to draw up a definition and warnings that the proposals to define anti-Muslim hatred could have a 'chilling effect' on free speech. Lord Toby Young, the director of the Free Speech Union, said Ms Ahmed should step down from the working group. 'This is a clear conflict of interest since Akeela Ahmed's new job will be to monitor and tackle Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred,' he said. 'And the more broadly the working group defines it, the more work there will be for the BMT to do and the more money it will be given by the Government. I think she has no choice but to step down from the working group.' He said it was 'odd' that Tell Mama, an organisation which had recorded anti-Muslim hatred for a decade, had been dropped because its founder opposed the Government's attempt to define Islamophobia. 'It suggests that the Government has already decided to impose a dangerously authoritarian definition, zealously monitoring social media posts for traces of 'Islamophobia' and then petitioning Ofcom to take them down, before it has even read any of the consultation responses,' he said. Claire Coutinho, the shadow communities secretary, said: 'I've been saying for weeks that a definition being cooked up behind closed doors by activists with extreme views on how to define Islamophobia is only going to create more division. ' Labour have even refused my requests to open up the working group to let counter-terror experts, free speech advocates and grooming gang victims join the working group. 'Now it looks like one of the members is set to benefit financially from taxpayers' money being handed out by the government she's supposed to be independently advising. It's almost like the process was designed to lose public support.' The selection of the BMT to receive the funding to develop a 'robust' reporting system for anti-Muslim hatred was announced by Lord Khan, the minister for faith. The Government said the money would also enable BMT to 'provide direct support to victims, raise awareness of what constitutes a hate crime, and encourage greater reporting from affected communities'. Ms Rayner's department said the BMT had been established by the Aziz foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust, who had worked closely with Ms Ahmed, MBE, who they 'intend to appoint as chief executive officer'. It said they aimed to draw on 'her decades of experience in working with grassroots organisations and policy-level anti-hate work'. Lord Khan said: 'The rise of anti-Muslim hatred in this country is alarming and deeply concerning. That's why we established this new fund: to ensure we're doing everything we can to deeply understand the situation our Muslim communities are facing, provide them with the support they need and give us the tools needed to tackle this unacceptable hatred. 'I look forward to working with the BMT on our shared ambition to create a safer, more tolerant society for everyone as part of our Plan for Change.' Critics are concerned that the new definition, if too broadly drawn, would threaten free speech, act as a de facto blasphemy law and stifle legitimate criticism of Islam as a religion. The working group is being chaired by Dominic Grieve, a former Tory attorney general. A spokesman for Ms Rayner's department said: 'The BMT was appointed as the recipient of the Combatting Hate Against Muslims fund following a rigorous and transparent application process, in which it was the highest scoring applicant. 'Akeela Ahmed brings critical expertise and experience in this area and commitment to improving experiences for Muslim communities. The working group is independent and will provide independent, evidence-based advice to ministers.'
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
New trust to monitor anti-Muslim hatred in UK after funding to Tell Mama paused
The UK government has appointed a new partner to monitor anti-Muslim hatred, months after its relationship with the Islamophobia reporting service Tell Mama broke down. The British Muslim Trust (BMT) – a new organisation – is expected to begin receiving reports and monitoring incidents from early autumn, after being 'selected as the recipient of the government's new Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund', a statement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said on Monday. The appointment ends a period in which there has been no government-funded group carrying out anti-Muslim hate monitoring in the UK, after the collapse of the Labour administration's relationship with Tell Mama, who received £6m in funding 13 years. In March, it emerged that the organisation's government funding had been paused amid questions over its relationship with previous Conservative governments and how it spent public money and collated its data. In April, a Muslim peer, Shaista Gohir, said it should face an inquiry. Tell Mama denied the claims at the time and described the idea it was secretly being used to tackle Muslim extremism as a 'slur'. It said it regularly reported 'according to the government's due processes' and that no issues had been raised with the group by officials. No inquiry was ever launched. Tell Mama's director said in May that they had rejected a further six months of funding from government, alleging a strained relationship with the Labour faith minister Wajid Khan and 'malicious campaigns' from rivals, although it has continued to operate independently. The row came against a backdrop of surging hate crimes against British Muslims. The government said it had set up the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund 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'. It added that the BMT will use the funding to 'develop a robust reporting system that captures both online and offline incidents of anti-Muslim hatred, including those that may go unreported to the police … provide direct support to victims, raise awareness of what constitutes a hate crime, and encourage greater reporting from affected communities.' The window to bid for the funding ran for six weeks from 7 April. The BMT has been founded by the Aziz Foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust, with activist Akeela Ahmed leading as chief executive. Ahmed is co-founder of the British Muslim Network (BMN) – set up earlier this year to amplify the voices of the UK's Muslims to policymakers and highlight their positive contribution to society. A spokesperson for the BMT said it was separate from the network, which does not receive government funding, and that its focus would be solely on the work it was contracted to for government, while BMN had a 'broader remit'. Ahmed said: 'For too long, anti-Muslim hate has been under-recognised and under-reported. 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. 'We are here to stand with victims and help shape a more inclusive, united Britain for all.' Lord Khan said: '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.'
