The UK government has suffered a blow to its long-awaited appointment of an adviser against anti-Muslim hatred after one of the country’s leading campaigners stepped back from the role.
Anti-hate campaigner Fiyaz Mughal, who founded Faith Matters, ruled himself out as a frontrunner for the role after facing a barrage of abuse.
It is an embarrassing setback for the government in the week the Levelling Up and Communities Secretary Michael Gove prepares to unveil a long-awaited overhaul of the UK’s extremism policies.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited a mosque in London today to "spread the message that anti-Muslim hatred has no place in UK society". He was announcing £117 million in new security measures to protect Muslim schools, centres and mosques around the country.
Last week, he called for the UK to draw a line against the "poison of extremism" as he warned the country was being torn apart by rising domestic tension.
Alan Mendosa, the director of the Henry Jackson Society think tank, told The National anyone who wanted the role of anti-Muslim hate adviser would need a “hide of steel”, and that the government will face a mammoth task to fill it.
The government has come under mounting pressure to appoint a new anti-Muslim hatred czar due to the role being vacant for more than two years despite recent figures showing anti-Muslim hate in the UK has more than tripled since Hamas’s attack on Israel.
Just last week Felicity Buchan, Under Secretary of State in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, announced in the House of Commons that an appointment was imminent.
Mr Mughal said that since his name as a potential frontrunner was leaked last week, he had received "extreme threats", and said he has faced a "malicious, targeted campaign" against him from Islamist groups.
"This is the state of our country, sadly, that people who try to do what is right for our country – to bring communities together, to tackle extremism – are being hounded out of government,” he told Sky News.
"Enough is enough. I stepped away because it is traumatising to me ... I'm a working man.”
Mr Mughal – who also founded Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), a national project which records and measures anti-Muslim incidents in the UK – said the adviser post involved two days' work a month for £1,000 with no security protection, and accused the government of not taking the situation “seriously”.
Mr Mendosa told The National whoever took on the role will be “attacked” from all sides.
“It was never going to be an easy task to find an anti-Muslim hate crime czar given that the person will inevitably be attacked by those on the Islamist fringe who are worried that their extremism will be exposed by a moderate in the role, and by those on the Far Right who revel in their racism,” he said.
“Similar roles, like the UK’s anti-Semitism position, are unremunerated despite the massive rise in anti-Semitism since October 7.
“Any person who undertakes it will therefore need to have a hide of steel and be motivated by the mission, as well as being in a position to support themselves.
“While difficult, this is somewhat essential as the role is inherently an independent one where the person will need to sometimes criticise government as well as face down external critics.”
Imam Qari Asim was the last person to hold the post but he was removed in 2022 after calling for a film to be banned.
On Thursday, Mr Gove is due to announce his strategy for taking a tougher stance on groups and individuals “undermining” British values when he changes the UK’s definition of extremism, which has not been altered for over a decade.
Under Mr Gove’s plans to redefine extremism, the government is drawing up a list of organisations which will be banned from receiving public funds and engaging with government, and banned from university campuses.
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETelr%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E65%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20and%20payments%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enearly%20%2430%20million%20so%20far%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Anna and the Apocalypse
Director: John McPhail
Starring: Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Mark Benton
Three stars
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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