Muslim engagement and development (MEND) (formerly iENGAGE) is a UK Muslim community funded NGO dedicated to tackling Islamophobia. It focuses on media monitoring, advocacy in Westminster and improving the media/political literacy of grassroots British Muslims through an extensive community engagement programme.
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Background
MEND was the brainchild of British born UK Entrepreneur and Philanthropist Sufyan Ismail and was set up in 2014, building on previous work carried out by iENGAGE in the tackling Islamophobia space.
Media Monitoring
MEND monitors daily media coverage pertaining to British Muslims with a view to providing qualified commentary on stories and raising concerns where Islamophobic narratives are present. MEND has successfully lobbied to correct a number of incorrect/discriminatory headlines mainly in mainstream print press. MEND is a recognised as a 'representative body' for British Muslims with the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO).
Political Advocacy
Over the years, MEND has extensively featured at fringe events in mainstream political party conferences. In 2014, prior to the upcoming general election, MEND’s panel at the conservative conference featured the Tory election guru Lynton Crosby and Peter Oborne. MEND's panel at the Labour conference the same year featured Owen Jones, Sir Keith Vaz amongst others.
MEND (formerly as iENGAGE) contributed to the Leveson Inquiry on Press ethics. Lord Leveson included all 8 of MEND’s recommendations in his final report which was sealed as Royal Charter in October 2013.
The organisation has also produced over a dozen briefing papers on concerns to British Muslims including Stop and Search, Schedule 7, police and crime commissioners, halal slaughter, counter terror law and more.
Leading up to the 2015 general election, the organisation produced its Muslim Manifesto highlighting British Muslim concerns of policy makers regarding Islamophobia, media negativity, hate crimes against Muslims, aspects of counter terror legislation and social /welfare deprivation problems amongst British Muslims.
Community Engagement
MEND operates an extensive grassroots community engagement programme whereby is seeks to improve the media and political literacy of British Muslims. Its objective is achieved via national awareness seminars on Islamophobia coupled with masterclasses on media and political engagement. MEND has local working groups nationally in cities and towns across the United Kingdom who work with their local Muslim and non-Muslim communities to tackle Islamophobia.
In 2014, with only the Met Police in London, recording Islamophobic hate crime as a separately category of crime, MEND started working with UK constabularies to encourage them to record Islamophobia as separate category of crime similar to treatment offered to racist and anti-Semitic hate crimes. By 2015, MEND has successfully ensured one-quarter of forces would be recording Islamophobic hate crime as a separate category of crime. In late 2015, the UK Government, building on MEND’s work, announced that all UK forces will be required to record Islamophobic hate crimes in a separate category. The change comes into force on 1 April 2016.
2015 General Election
Leading up to the 2015 General Election, a Daily Telegraph columnist authored an article claiming that MEND saw itself as kingmaker in the upcoming election. MEND disputed the comments and stated the official audio of the event clearly proves that MEND was referring to British Muslims as potentially kingmakers. 2011 Census data that the voting potential of ethnic minorities (and British Muslims in particular) can bear significant impact with British Muslims consisting of 20% of more of the population is 26 Parliamentary Seats.
Accolades
In 2014, MEND (formerly iENGAGE)'s work was commended as "best practice" in "Human Rights Promotion and Protection" in a World Economic Forum report entitled Why Care about Faith?.