Ro & SuZ Award 2025

Awarded to Iman Atta, Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks)

[ Jury report ] Why the choice of Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) & Iman Atta?

• What is Tell MAMA?

• Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) is an independent UK charity founded in 2012, specializing in reporting any form of Anti-Muslim abuse.

• What does Tell MAMA do...?

• Tell MAMA records and verifies anti‑Muslim hate, both online and offline, across England, Wales, and Scotland.

• Tell MAMA supports victims, by offering caseworkers, referrals, and emotional and legal support.

• Tell MAMA collaborates closely with police forces, sharing anonymized data through formal agreements, that help law enforcement understand and address hate crime.

• Tell MAMA informs public policy, including manifestos and recommendations.

• The work of Tell MAMA is based on ensuring universal human rights, and empowers, educates and advocates for victims of anti-Muslim hatred and against all forms of hatred. This means advocating and countering anti-Muslim hatred but also supporting and advocating for minority groups within Muslim communities.

• What is the impact of Tell MAMA...?

• In 2024 alone, Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) has verified 5,837 anti-Muslim incidents, which is a sharp rise from 3,767 incidents in 2023 and 2,201 in 2022.

• Tell MAMA has supported over 28,000 victims since its inception. (Numbers: 2024)

• The data collected by Tell MAMA is widely cited by police forces and government bodies. The National Police Chiefs’ Council calls it invaluable, MPs and hate crime chiefs confirm this.

• Why does Tell MAMA, deserve recognition?

• Tell MAMA has an easy to use and widely accesible portal to report anti-Muslim incidents. All testimonies are reviewed, documented, classified in 6 classes (from 1. Extreme Violence to 6. Anti-Muslim Literature), and support is offered.

• Tell MAMA offers victim support at scale. Their advocacy includes legal triage, emotional aid, and referrals to partner agencies.

• Tell MAMA offers actionable data for law enforcement. This means that Tell MAMA shares anonymized incident maps. These data-maps directly assist in policing and community safety.

• Tell Mama participates in proactive policy making. The Tell Mama 2024 manifesto urges measures like appointing hate crime tsars, social-media company accountability, and interfaith dialogue frameworks.

• Tell MAMA is defying funding challenges. Despite facing government cuts in early 2025, headwinds, smears and conspiracies aimed at Tell MAMA from multiple directions, the role of TellMAMA remains crucial, especially in highly polarized times like ours. There is a sharp rise in anti-Muslim incidents. There are xenophobic riots in cities like London and The Hague, anti-immigration protests across England, Northern Ireland, Spain and Poland, far-right demonstrators clashing with anti-racism groups and local residents. In times like these an organisation like Tell MAMA who consistantly addresses anti-Muslim hatred and advocates de-polarization and interfaith dialogue, is —note only hard to find, but also— critical.

• Why recognise Tell MAMA Now?

• Tell MAMA responds to growing online and offline abuse, and is actively mapping narratives and threads that fuel hatred. In 2024, Tell MAMA recorded a record high of 6,313 incidents, with men targeted more than women for the first time. Tell MAMA has sounded the alarm during volatile times like ours, with the Israel-Gaza war and the Southport tragedies, prompting national awareness in the UK. The model that Tell MAMA created, serves as a template for other minority-focused anti-hate efforts. The model aligns with best practices in data collection and victim support.

Conclusion

In highly polarized times like ours, the work of Tell MAMA is critical. Although the importance of the work of Tell MAMA is widely recognized, Tell MAMA faces funding cuts, headwinds, smears and conspiracies aimed at Tell MAMA from multiple directions.

Tell MAMA consistantly combines methodical monitoring, victim support, de-polarizing collaboration, and policy leadership to combat online and offline hate. The impact of Tell MAMA is both measurable, like in: surging incident counts, police partnerships, and profound, as in: victim well-being, public awareness.

Tell MAMA represents a model for targeted, tech-savvy and community-rooted anti-hate strategy... precisely the kind of initiative the Ronald and Suzette Award would uplift.

On behalf of the Jury, our heartfelt congratulations to Iman Atta and Tell MAMA!

Links and sources:

• Tell MAMA
• Islamophobia - Series of Reports & Resources by Tell MAMA
• Academic Reports by Tell MAMA
• ‘Manifesto Against Hate’ 2024 by Tell MAMA
• Catch — Community Alliance To Combat Hate
• Israel-Gaza war fuels record level of anti-Muslim hatred in Britain, monitoring group reports show
• Anti-Muslim hate at record level in UK, report says
• Anti-Muslim hate reaches record levels
• In 2024, Tell MAMA had already supported over 28,000 victims since its inception
• Invaluable data, according to National Police Chiefs’ Council, MPs and hate crime chiefs, but still facing cuts
• Anti-Muslim hatred charity loses funding, even as incidents soar
• Funding cuts for anti-Muslim hatred Monitor as anti-Muslim hate surges
• Headwind for Tell MAMA — by Middle East Forum, Hannah Baldock
• Parliamentary privilege, smears and conspiracies aimed at Tell MAMA
• Tell MAMA, independent and confidential service which works to tackle anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia, London Victim and Witness Service

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Student dorm, 1985...

Words on behalf of the Jury, by Jolie Martin-van der Klis

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