NGO Faith Matters are launching a new and innovative programme that aims to monitor and map all anti-Muslim attacks made across the UK. The programme, entitled Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks (MAMA), will create a database of areas in the UK that suffer anti-Muslim attacks whilst providing support for victims.
The programme works by enabling victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes to log onto the website and issue a report that details the incident. Faith Matters has made the programme widely accessible by allowing victims or witnessed of attacks the opportunity to contact MAMA by telephone, SMS messaging, email, Facebook and Twitter. The victim will be asked to select from six possible categories of attack including: extreme violence, assault, damage and desecration of property, threats, abusive behaviour and anti-Muslim literature.
They will then have the opportunity to give details of the incident and will be asked to provide the location of the attack so that it can be successfully mapped. Moreover, they will be asked to provide their contact details so that a trained case worker may call them to discuss the issue further.
The MAMA project does not claim to be a substitute for the emergency services and will make this clear to potential victims who may be in grave danger. This service is for Muslim communities throughout the UK and any Muslims who suffer, or have suffered, an attack as a result of their faith. The MAMA project can also be used to record attacks by Muslims against other Muslims which may be due to inter-religious issues.
Faith Matters caseworkers will be able to log these attacks specifically so that a variety of issues can be mapped and resources provided to support different cases of anti-Muslim attacks.
“By reporting attacks, we can create a database that will help to tackle anti-Muslim crime throughout the UK; we may then map the areas in which anti- Muslim attacks are most frequent. We want to reduce faith-based crime and our service can provide Muslims with a place where they may speak freely and openly. We also work with partners that can provide support services to victims of anti-Muslim attacks if required. This is a further added value service that the MAMA project provides” explained Faith Matters Founder and Director, Fiyaz Mughal.
At present, there is very little information that monitors levels of faith-based crime against Muslims in the UK and if this problem is ever to be solved, it is vital that this information is known.
