I normally don't share my own personal experiences of discrimination. However, I was encouraged to share my story by several friends, astounded a Muslim organisation would behave in such a way. I share my account in the spirit of accountability and as it may serve as a means of protection for others. As such, I have decided to share my experiences with a prominent Muslim organisation, Aziz Foundation, who are now a part of the British Muslim Trust. The majority of what I’m sharing is straightforward and easily referenced. Little can be deflected as a matter of interpretation, save for an online video meeting with a board member. However, my case manager at CAGE was present during this meeting, taking notes. She corroborates this account.
As I’ll go on to explain, my experience with Aziz Foundation was especially disappointing, not least because of their commitment to countering Islamophobia via the newly formed British Muslim Trust, alongside the Randeree Charitable Trust. The UK Government has appointed the British Muslim Trust as a new “partner to monitor and tackle anti-Muslim hatred.” They are receiving up to £650,000 in the 2025–26 financial year, and up to £1 million per year for the next two years, through the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund. This means they may receive approximately £2.65 million across three years, with the possibility of more beyond that period.
As I’ll go on to explain, my experience with Aziz Foundation was especially disappointing, not least because of their commitment to countering Islamophobia via the newly formed British Muslim Trust, alongside the Randeree Charitable Trust. The UK Government has appointed the British Muslim Trust as a new “partner to monitor and tackle anti-Muslim hatred.” They are receiving up to £650,000 in the 2025–26 financial year, and up to £1 million per year for the next two years, through the Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund. This means they may receive approximately £2.65 million across three years, with the possibility of more beyond that period.
The Background
Aziz Foundation and I share some history. It all began many years ago, pre-Covid, when Aziz Foundation made a call for Muslim scholars to mentor their Master students. I gladly took on this role of mentorship, knowing many post-graduate researchers have a hard time finding appropriate guidance on Islamophobia and racism. This was voluntary, unpaid labour, taken from my own personal time. The lack of payment did seem strange, given many less affluent organisations do offer payment for such work, but I agreed nonetheless for students’ sake. The point of unpaid labour becomes relevant later, which is why I am bringing it up here. Otherwise, I supervised several brilliant students, dedicating quite a lot of time and effort to meeting and guiding them through their research on Islamophobia.
Then, the genocide in Gaza unfolded. As anyone who follows my work knows, I believe Palestine and Zionism have long been in integral in Islamophobia in the Global North—from the criminal justice system to counter-extremism strategies. I have only accentuated this more prominently in my work following Oct. 7th. Naturally, UK lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) are not too keen on this work. I’ve had some smear campaigns made against me in the past, which is par for the course for anyone speaking out against the genocidal settler-colonial project. As we all know, these complaints only escalated following Oct. 7th, especially in conjunction with increasing repression against Palestinian solidarity. In my case, UKLFI have issued these complaints towards my employers and towards my professional regulator as a practitioner psychologist.
Aziz Foundation and I share some history. It all began many years ago, pre-Covid, when Aziz Foundation made a call for Muslim scholars to mentor their Master students. I gladly took on this role of mentorship, knowing many post-graduate researchers have a hard time finding appropriate guidance on Islamophobia and racism. This was voluntary, unpaid labour, taken from my own personal time. The lack of payment did seem strange, given many less affluent organisations do offer payment for such work, but I agreed nonetheless for students’ sake. The point of unpaid labour becomes relevant later, which is why I am bringing it up here. Otherwise, I supervised several brilliant students, dedicating quite a lot of time and effort to meeting and guiding them through their research on Islamophobia.
Then, the genocide in Gaza unfolded. As anyone who follows my work knows, I believe Palestine and Zionism have long been in integral in Islamophobia in the Global North—from the criminal justice system to counter-extremism strategies. I have only accentuated this more prominently in my work following Oct. 7th. Naturally, UK lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) are not too keen on this work. I’ve had some smear campaigns made against me in the past, which is par for the course for anyone speaking out against the genocidal settler-colonial project. As we all know, these complaints only escalated following Oct. 7th, especially in conjunction with increasing repression against Palestinian solidarity. In my case, UKLFI have issued these complaints towards my employers and towards my professional regulator as a practitioner psychologist.
Image of the Jewish News article
One of the central thrusts of UKLFI’s complaint, as reported by Jewish News, was my expert report and endorsement for the legal case to deproscribe Hamas, as submitted by Riverway to the Sea (it is lawful to read the case). My expert contribution sits alongside such illustrious scholars as Dr Azzam Tamimi and Professor Avi Shlaim. I have explained my rationale for my endorsement here, which I will not repeat, but anyone who follows my work will know why it is essential we abolish terrorism frameworks. This expert legal report is the primary focus of the Jewish News hit piece, and therefore the principal grievance they presented to Aziz Foundation. Of course, UKLFI’s portfolio of dissatisfaction with me draws on a host of other reasons, some of which are Jewish News piece (like the tweet above), but not everything. I know this because I submitted a Subject Access Request following my deplatforming to speak at a British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy conference. UKLFI also submitted their complaints to the regulating body for my clinical psychological practice, the Health and Care Professions Council. UKLFI’s portfolio includes more social media posts and one incidence which occurred while teaching. I’ll share this incident as it is quite revealing of our current context. Though it was not raised in the Jewish News piece below, and Aziz Foundation may not have been made aware of it, I believe it is relevant nonetheless to frame the context.
Image of the Telegraph article [note: these are the student’s words, not what I actually said]
For many years, I’ve taught a class called “Politics in the Clinic.” It’s a particular class I developed, often well received, that underlines the significance of politics in mental health. The teaching in this class is on auto-pilot more or less, whereby I eventually arrive to the securitisation of mental health, and raise a number of scholarly concerns with terrorism as a construct (for anyone wondering, why as a psychologist I teach on this subject, the politics of healing maps closely unto the politics of violence). One student, astounded someone would critique terrorism at all, raised her hand with astonishment and said, “how can you say there's no such thing as terrorism?” Given the reaction, I was certain the student was going to make a complaint. So, I explained the purpose of a post-graduate programme was to engage critically on concepts we take for granted, especially those galvanised by the State. Such is the point of academia. I added, noting the student’s disapproval, they could also make a complaint against me with the module leader or the department. The student filed a complaint with the university as well as UKLFI. From my understanding, the student has received full compensation for their tuition that year, as reparation for my comment.
Such experiences have been the bane of my academic work. I continuously navigate complaints as soon as I discuss the War on Terror, Palestine, racism or Islamophobia—which is about everything I teach and write about. I increasingly have to with students who adamantly support racist ideologies and ethno-nationalism. For example, one student questioned, as I was discussing the French colonisation of Algeria and how they introduced mental health system there, “what about the Algerian colonisation of France?” Such experiences with students have left me quite disillusioned with academia. Yet, I persisted because, overall, I didn't receive the harsh disciplinary treatment countless friends and colleagues have received over the years. In this line of work, you expect to be debased and de-platformed. Not by Muslim organisations, however.
Such experiences have been the bane of my academic work. I continuously navigate complaints as soon as I discuss the War on Terror, Palestine, racism or Islamophobia—which is about everything I teach and write about. I increasingly have to with students who adamantly support racist ideologies and ethno-nationalism. For example, one student questioned, as I was discussing the French colonisation of Algeria and how they introduced mental health system there, “what about the Algerian colonisation of France?” Such experiences with students have left me quite disillusioned with academia. Yet, I persisted because, overall, I didn't receive the harsh disciplinary treatment countless friends and colleagues have received over the years. In this line of work, you expect to be debased and de-platformed. Not by Muslim organisations, however.
Image of Jewish News article and where Aziz affirmed they will no longer work with me
The Incident
Part of UKLFI’s strategy to vilify my name involves, of course, media outlets like the Telegraph and the Jewish News. This is where Aziz Foundation comes in. The Jewish News—a Zionist media outlet—reached out to my employers for comment. Institutions should always employ rigorous internal mechanisms of consultation and accountability before engaging with sensationalised claims. No one, including my university, provided comments to Jewish News, which is the proper reaction with smear campaigns. Except for Aziz Foundation. I was surprised Jewish News contacted them in the first place. Most likely, given Aziz Foundation’s proximity to the UK government via British Muslim Trust, Jewish News found it opportune to hear their views on the matter.
Aziz Foundation casually threw me under the bus. As you can read above, they said they’ll never work with me again and removed me from their site. They never once reached out to me for comment, or even inform me of my removal—I only learned of it through the Jewish News. That is egregious, of course, because my removal legitimises UKLFI’s complaints, notwithstanding how simple and obvious it was to issue a “no comment,” like everyone else. But the story doesn't end there.
As our faith encourages, I decided to engage with Aziz Foundation in a dialogue. Engaging with them made it worse. I emailed them on June 18th, 2025, and after some delayed correspondence, I was told a board member was willing to meet me. We met on Teams on July 25th. Before our meeting, I had a feeling I needed a 3rd party present as a witness. I asked my CAGE case manager if she could join the meeting, which she graciously agreed to. As soon as the meeting began, I also requested for the meeting to be recorded, but the board member disapproved.
In summary, I explained to the board member everything you read thus far, including how much I had dedicated of my own time and labour to the Aziz Foundation—without payment. As such, it is especially egregious to throw me under the bus when Jewish News first reached out to them, neither verifying the veracity of the claim nor at least informing me personally they will never work with me again.
The board member then explained: they had to make several strategic changes to Aziz Foundation, especially as they developed stronger links to government. I asked, and he affirmed, this is considering the new British Muslim Trust, of which they are a part of. In other words, Aziz Foundation is trying to maintain its position in the corridors of power. They want to play a more active role against Islamophobia. So, they couldn’t be seen to associate with someone like me—someone Zionists clearly disapprove of.
The irony was glaring. I asked, how can Aziz Foundation justify denouncing a Muslim scholar of Islamophobia, when vilified by an Islamophobic media outlet, in the name of countering Islamophobia? The board member couldn't respond, other than it being the decision of the board. I then asked, now that the damage is done, what support they can offer me considering he admitted they denounced me to maintain positive relations with the government. Nothing, he replied. I told him, if you’re affirming Islamophobic strategies to counter Islamophobia, then there's no blessing in your work. And without offering any form of reparation or support, I would have no other choice but to eventually go public. Do what you want, he said.
There is also a particular ignorance in Aziz Foundation’s strategy to be in the good graces of the Labour government, who have displayed nothing but contempt for immigrants, Palestine and the Muslim community. As el-Hajj Malik el-Shabaaz (Malcolm X), said about the Democrats, “You put them first and they put you last. Because you're a chump! A political chump.”
You may wonder why I didn’t go public with this right away. The simple answer to that is that I've been so preoccupied supporting people impacted by Islamophobia, the War on Terror and repression around Palestine, I’ve made it a habit to brush away these experiences when they happen in my direction. You may disagree with that, and you’d be right. But the truth is, if we spent our days calling out the charlatans in our community, we’d live and die entirely on that hill. As everyone knows, racism is distraction—I'd rather maintain my focus elsewhere. As far as things go, Aziz Foundation’s behaviour reflects terribly on them, but otherwise Zionists are going to keep going after myself and others, and I’m grateful to have been protected so far by the brunt of it.
However, given that, over the last few months, it seems as though Aziz Foundations is growing more prominent in combating Islamophobia. Close friends have thus encouraged me to go public—especially because I said I would—to warn others not to engage with Aziz Foundation or the British Muslim Trust. You should consider: if they can so easily denounce a Muslim scholar, who writes and campaigns extensively on Islamophobia, is anyone safe from their mistreatment? We don't need organisations like Aziz Foundation to protect us. And our community certainly won’t benefit from losers clawing up the corridors of power at all costs.
As a scholar, I think there are a few analytical points to underline as well. First, organisations like Aziz Foundation and its ill behaviour are a mainstay among marginalised communities. The very nature of marginalisation in racist times means there will always be coconuts who serve the State in the name of their community, because they cannot imagine any salvation outside of the State itself. Those who aspire towards the corridors of power in these racial formations will always have to sacrifice something: themselves or their community, in some way, shape, or form. This was just one of many egregious accounts. The reader is encouraged to consider this as an integral issue in the Muslim community as a whole and not only make it about Aziz Foundation.
Second, our Islamic traditions warn against the corruption arising from proximity to power. And so, for anyone reading this who still believes our only strategy through fascist times ought to be a politics of acceptability and respectability, that is both ahistorical and delusional. True power comes from our shared solidarity and commitment to one another. And let’s be clear: this is an ethical issue as well. What Aziz Foundation and others do is not only problematic in terms of their strategy. It was unethical from an Islamic perspective, one in which they will be accountable for with the Most Just. And if we can't hold true to our values, and hold ourselves accountable to a higher standard, then we simply have nothing left to hold onto. Don’t forget this as Reform grows and racist fascism is increasingly more likely.
As to what we should do with Aziz Foundation, I leave that to Allah for accountability and for the community to decide. If you ask me, anyone working planning to work with Aziz Foundation should question their decision.
Part of UKLFI’s strategy to vilify my name involves, of course, media outlets like the Telegraph and the Jewish News. This is where Aziz Foundation comes in. The Jewish News—a Zionist media outlet—reached out to my employers for comment. Institutions should always employ rigorous internal mechanisms of consultation and accountability before engaging with sensationalised claims. No one, including my university, provided comments to Jewish News, which is the proper reaction with smear campaigns. Except for Aziz Foundation. I was surprised Jewish News contacted them in the first place. Most likely, given Aziz Foundation’s proximity to the UK government via British Muslim Trust, Jewish News found it opportune to hear their views on the matter.
Aziz Foundation casually threw me under the bus. As you can read above, they said they’ll never work with me again and removed me from their site. They never once reached out to me for comment, or even inform me of my removal—I only learned of it through the Jewish News. That is egregious, of course, because my removal legitimises UKLFI’s complaints, notwithstanding how simple and obvious it was to issue a “no comment,” like everyone else. But the story doesn't end there.
As our faith encourages, I decided to engage with Aziz Foundation in a dialogue. Engaging with them made it worse. I emailed them on June 18th, 2025, and after some delayed correspondence, I was told a board member was willing to meet me. We met on Teams on July 25th. Before our meeting, I had a feeling I needed a 3rd party present as a witness. I asked my CAGE case manager if she could join the meeting, which she graciously agreed to. As soon as the meeting began, I also requested for the meeting to be recorded, but the board member disapproved.
In summary, I explained to the board member everything you read thus far, including how much I had dedicated of my own time and labour to the Aziz Foundation—without payment. As such, it is especially egregious to throw me under the bus when Jewish News first reached out to them, neither verifying the veracity of the claim nor at least informing me personally they will never work with me again.
The board member then explained: they had to make several strategic changes to Aziz Foundation, especially as they developed stronger links to government. I asked, and he affirmed, this is considering the new British Muslim Trust, of which they are a part of. In other words, Aziz Foundation is trying to maintain its position in the corridors of power. They want to play a more active role against Islamophobia. So, they couldn’t be seen to associate with someone like me—someone Zionists clearly disapprove of.
The irony was glaring. I asked, how can Aziz Foundation justify denouncing a Muslim scholar of Islamophobia, when vilified by an Islamophobic media outlet, in the name of countering Islamophobia? The board member couldn't respond, other than it being the decision of the board. I then asked, now that the damage is done, what support they can offer me considering he admitted they denounced me to maintain positive relations with the government. Nothing, he replied. I told him, if you’re affirming Islamophobic strategies to counter Islamophobia, then there's no blessing in your work. And without offering any form of reparation or support, I would have no other choice but to eventually go public. Do what you want, he said.
There is also a particular ignorance in Aziz Foundation’s strategy to be in the good graces of the Labour government, who have displayed nothing but contempt for immigrants, Palestine and the Muslim community. As el-Hajj Malik el-Shabaaz (Malcolm X), said about the Democrats, “You put them first and they put you last. Because you're a chump! A political chump.”
You may wonder why I didn’t go public with this right away. The simple answer to that is that I've been so preoccupied supporting people impacted by Islamophobia, the War on Terror and repression around Palestine, I’ve made it a habit to brush away these experiences when they happen in my direction. You may disagree with that, and you’d be right. But the truth is, if we spent our days calling out the charlatans in our community, we’d live and die entirely on that hill. As everyone knows, racism is distraction—I'd rather maintain my focus elsewhere. As far as things go, Aziz Foundation’s behaviour reflects terribly on them, but otherwise Zionists are going to keep going after myself and others, and I’m grateful to have been protected so far by the brunt of it.
However, given that, over the last few months, it seems as though Aziz Foundations is growing more prominent in combating Islamophobia. Close friends have thus encouraged me to go public—especially because I said I would—to warn others not to engage with Aziz Foundation or the British Muslim Trust. You should consider: if they can so easily denounce a Muslim scholar, who writes and campaigns extensively on Islamophobia, is anyone safe from their mistreatment? We don't need organisations like Aziz Foundation to protect us. And our community certainly won’t benefit from losers clawing up the corridors of power at all costs.
As a scholar, I think there are a few analytical points to underline as well. First, organisations like Aziz Foundation and its ill behaviour are a mainstay among marginalised communities. The very nature of marginalisation in racist times means there will always be coconuts who serve the State in the name of their community, because they cannot imagine any salvation outside of the State itself. Those who aspire towards the corridors of power in these racial formations will always have to sacrifice something: themselves or their community, in some way, shape, or form. This was just one of many egregious accounts. The reader is encouraged to consider this as an integral issue in the Muslim community as a whole and not only make it about Aziz Foundation.
Second, our Islamic traditions warn against the corruption arising from proximity to power. And so, for anyone reading this who still believes our only strategy through fascist times ought to be a politics of acceptability and respectability, that is both ahistorical and delusional. True power comes from our shared solidarity and commitment to one another. And let’s be clear: this is an ethical issue as well. What Aziz Foundation and others do is not only problematic in terms of their strategy. It was unethical from an Islamic perspective, one in which they will be accountable for with the Most Just. And if we can't hold true to our values, and hold ourselves accountable to a higher standard, then we simply have nothing left to hold onto. Don’t forget this as Reform grows and racist fascism is increasingly more likely.
As to what we should do with Aziz Foundation, I leave that to Allah for accountability and for the community to decide. If you ask me, anyone working planning to work with Aziz Foundation should question their decision.
RSS Feed