https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/city-mosque-battle-save-2m-27616491
The Government has withheld a £2.2 million grant to a city mosque for a vital youth centre project after a social media clip of a preacher discussing ‘stoning women’ went viral. Leaders at Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre are now battling to overturn the decision by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to ‘pause’ the grant award.
Mosque leaders said the edited clip was out-of-context and misleading, and had triggered a deluge of hatemail and threats. Police had offered to step up patrols around the venue as a result, it said.
The DCMS confirmed it had ‘paused’ handing over £2.175 million from its Youth Investment Fund to the mosque, based in Green Lane because of the highlighted clip. It was seeking more reassurance about safeguarding and investigating online allegations.
They added: “We feel there is an insidious nature to the targeted social media campaign against us (timed to coincide) with the award of the grant. It appears like a deliberate attack on the mosque, coming after the announcement of the youth investment fund grant.
“It has now become a risk and a threat to the mosque, we are receiving hate mail and threats, as well as jeopardising a desperately needed project.”
They added: “There have been mistakes in the past. But we have gone through a lot of changes in personnel and approach, and have strict procedures that aim to support and raise up the community. We would never incite or allow others to incite violence.”…
The Government has withheld a £2.2 million grant to a city mosque for a vital youth centre project after a social media clip of a preacher discussing ‘stoning women’ went viral. Leaders at Green Lane Masjid and Community Centre are now battling to overturn the decision by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to ‘pause’ the grant award.
Mosque leaders said the edited clip was out-of-context and misleading, and had triggered a deluge of hatemail and threats. Police had offered to step up patrols around the venue as a result, it said.
The DCMS confirmed it had ‘paused’ handing over £2.175 million from its Youth Investment Fund to the mosque, based in Green Lane because of the highlighted clip. It was seeking more reassurance about safeguarding and investigating online allegations.
They added: “We feel there is an insidious nature to the targeted social media campaign against us (timed to coincide) with the award of the grant. It appears like a deliberate attack on the mosque, coming after the announcement of the youth investment fund grant.
“It has now become a risk and a threat to the mosque, we are receiving hate mail and threats, as well as jeopardising a desperately needed project.”
They added: “There have been mistakes in the past. But we have gone through a lot of changes in personnel and approach, and have strict procedures that aim to support and raise up the community. We would never incite or allow others to incite violence.”…
