UK hotline established to report hate crimes against Muslims

Due to the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes reported in the UK, the government will provide funding for a hot line where concerned citizens can report Islamophobic crimes and related activities.

Called MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), the hotline project is being spearheaded by Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, a not-for-profit group. According to BBC News, Mughal hopes that by collating call data, he can form a clearer picture of the frequency with which Muslims are targets of violence. Under current practices in the UK, the police report all hate crime activity to the Home Office. However, the hate crimes against various religious orders are all lumped together, with the exception of anti-Semitic activity, which is reported separately. "This is a chance for the Muslim community to say: 'Let us present the case, in terms of the facts, let somebody collate it and present it to the authorities,'" he said. "If someone has suffered abuse, been attacked or received a leaflet with inflammatory comments about Muslims in it, I want to hear about it." The free helpline can be reached by calling 0800 456 1226. Alternatively, you can reach out to the organization at tellmamauk.org. The International Islamic News Agency says there were 51,187 racist incidents reported to the Home Office in England and Wales during 2010-2011.