UK founder of Muslims Against Antisemitism challenges coreligionists to fight rising hate

Fiyaz Mughal, the founder of Muslims Against Antisemitism, has publicly urged his coreligionists to actively combat rising antisemitism, even when it means speaking out against their own community. Mughal attended a large rally in London protesting antisemitism, where he was one of only a few British Muslims present and the sole Muslim speaker addressing the crowd alongside politicians and leaders.

“

I decided to attend and speak at that rally because I have been quite downcast about the way that some within my community have made no attempt to deeply empathize or stand with Jewish communities publicly when it is needed.

He expressed his disappointment with the public silence from some within the Muslim community regarding the surge in antisemitism. Mughal recounted instances of private sympathy offered to Jewish individuals, contrasting it with a reluctance to offer public support. "You either live by your values or you get called out for being a hypocrite," he stated, stressing that doing the right thing sometimes requires public action.

“

Some within my community will make calls to members of Jewish communities and give them sympathy over the phone, but they’re not willing to make that publicly available and to set a precedent.

Mughal, a former government adviser with a background in combating extremism and hate crimes, has long advocated for Muslim-Jewish interfaith work. His organization, Muslims Against Antisemitism, focuses on educating British Muslim communities about antisemitism and the Holocaust, while another, Tell MAMA, addresses anti-Muslim hate crime.

“

You either live by your values or you get called out for being a hypocrite, and living by your values means sometimes you need to do the right thing.

He sharply criticized what he calls the "weasel-wording" of some Muslim leaders, asserting that simple condemnations of antisemitism are insufficient. Mughal firmly believes that denying the State of Israel's right to exist is a form of antisemitic rhetoric that must be challenged, including within parts of the Muslim community.

“

I stand in complete unity and solidarity with the Jewish community [and] I stand firmly with my position that the wholesale denial of the State of Israel is a part of the antisemitic rhetoric and that needs to be challenged, including in some parts of my community.