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← Maslaha

2024-03-31-accounts

maslaha ANNUAL REPORT 2023-2024

The reporting period for the annual report is April 2023-April 2024.

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Contents

Contents
Foreword 5
Why Maslaha? 7
Our Strategy 8
Case Studies 11
1. Educating public service providers and wider society to better 13
understand Muslim and other marginalised communities
2. Influencing systemic change and replicating local 20
success at a national level
3. Educating and empowering Muslim and 27
other marginalised communities
4. Building a well-functioning organisation with 30
financial and organisational sustainability
Coming Up 32
Financial Summary 34
Legal and Admin 35
Report of the Trustees 36
Independent Examiner Report 37
Accounts 38

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Communities find ways to improve \ * their lives and not be intimidated

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Foreword

It has been a year when Muslim communities have felt censored and afraid to speak freely. The policing of the Muslim voice and Muslim thought is not new but this year has seen a more open form of Islamophobia denying our communities the fundamental right to have a voice and think freely.

And yet despite this context you will read in our report how communities find ways to improve their lives and not be intimidated by the challenge and struggle that lie ahead.

This includes our latest Muslim Girls Fence cohort who persuaded their school to change a uniform policy to be more sensitive to the needs of Muslim pupils playing sport. The Hands off our Hijab is a great example of young people gaining confidence through the project to challenge and importantly develop methods in how to make tangible change.

The voices of parents and carers often remain unheard but the Schools with Roots team have not only been working with families in London, Birmingham, and Coventry in making use of the wider public spaces such as galleries to create

learning spaces. These practical interventions are then used in developing training for trainee teachers with our university partners in east London and Liverpool.

The experience of Muslims in the prison system still remains largely unknown, despite now making up 18% of the prison population. In response we produced a new publication called UnCaptured, which focuses on first person testimonies and provides a more nuanced analysis compared to standard reports. We have also received wide coverage based on Freedom of Information, requests, which shows the disproportionate use of PAVA spray (pepper spray) on Muslims and Black prisoners.

We also launched a new counselling service for those harmed by the prison system, one that understands and religion and culture as a positive tool rather than one of suspicion.

The coming year will see Schools with Roots sharing continuing to work directly with parents/ carers in London and Birmingham, building on the relationships we have made this year. Alongside

parents/carers we will co-design and facilitate sessions exploring the themes of identity. This community space will bring together families to learn together and from each other in creative ways.

Muslim Girls Fence will be focusing on developing our young people’s programme and centring young people’s voices and skills in everything we do. We hope to create more youth-led resources on mental health, Islamophobia, sports, sexism and racism.

In our criminal justice work we are developing a new resource, to be launched in Autumn 2024, which provides basic information to families about how to navigate the prison system – such as how to find out where their loved one is, how to contact them and arrange visits, and send money and parcels. The aim of the resource is to help remove some of the fear and sense of isolation that comes with trying to make sense of the prison system and communicating with them.

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Why Maslaha?

The past few years have seen a heightened focus on Muslim communities and Islam across the UK and abroad. The combination of terrorist attacks, war, political decisions, and social deprivation have all shaped with an intense pace how Muslims are seen and thought of in the public imagination. It has been out of this difficult period that Maslaha began as an idea to eventually become an independent organisation.

Maslaha translates from the Arabic as ‘for the common good’ and this is the driving force behind all our work.

In all of our work we aim to challenge inequalities and racism facing Muslim and other marginalised communities, whether this is in the accessibility of health services, in curriculum and teaching practice in schools, or in the way that the criminal justice system operates.

We want communities to have influence in the systems that affect them, for systemic barriers to access, opportunity and representation to

be sustainably challenged, and for people from marginalised communities to have improved wellbeing and greater hope and aspiration. We believe that this requires a combination of the practical, grassroots work we have been doing over the past 10 years and a wider systemic analysis and intervention that allows us to influence those with power.

The power structures we influence include civil servants, ministers, teachers, foundations, senior staff in public services such as the NHS, Sports Bodies such as Sport England, the prison system, and arts institutions. By working collaboratively with those in positions of power as well as local families and communities we embed checks and balances and flows of information from the ground up into policy-making decisions and the designing of services.

Our health work, for example, recognizes that Muslim communities experience disproportionately high health inequalities around conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, pregnancy and depression. A contributing factor to this is that both health services and communities are not equipped to

appropriately tackle the root causes of these issues and engage with the complex realities of all patients’ lives

The way we approach this in our health interventions is to create resources for both patients and practitioners that combine faith advice and cultural references with medical advice. We then embed these resources in the everyday spaces of communities, as well as nationally. By doing this we have reached over 19,500 patients and health professionals and our resources are endorsed by NHS trusts across the country, the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) and medical curricula in universities.

One of Maslaha’s strengths is bringing together a diverse mix of people within and between each project: supporters and partners include the young and the elderly, nurses and teachers, artists and academics, imams and historians, policy makers and school pupils, and those who do have a faith and those who do not. Our projects straddle a number of sectors and this unusual mix of people has led to new networks of collaboration and new perspectives on how social issues can be tackled.

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Our strategy

Maslaha’s working strategy puts communities at the centre of making change happen. Our vision – that Muslim communities are empowered to overcome social inequalities – can only be truly achieved through working closely with communities, and by recognising their role as active proponents of that change. Our strategy will guide our effort over the coming years and enable us to effectively work towards our objectives of reducing levels of deprivation amongst Muslim communities and challenging stereotypes.

Maslaha has produced award-winning and groundbreaking resources, driven by an ability to engage with communities, service providers, and decisionmakers alike, to reach across perceived institutional divides, and to empower and enable motivated individuals and organisations to pursue good ideas based on a lived understanding of particular needs.

Maslaha’s working strategy puts communities at the centre of making change happen.

This approach informs all of our work, and is key to Maslaha’s ability to implement our strategy effectively.

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Our Areas of Work

HEALTH: Muslim communities frequently have trouble accessing health services. A lack of shared language between patients, communities and health practitioners contributes to challenges in accessing support, and that support being relevant and appropriate.

EDUCATION: There are high levels of underachievement and disengagement among young Muslims, which are linked to a lack of appropriate support and culturally relevant curriculums and impacted by negative stereotypes and misconceptions that surround Islam and Muslim communities, and their relationship with wider society.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE: The number

of Muslims in prison has more than doubled over the past 15 years and their experience, treatment and outcomes in prison are consistently more negative compared to non-Muslims. Negative stereotyping has been shown to act as a barrier to opportunity and engagement with services for Muslims in prison.

GENDER: Muslim women and girls face complex discrimination that arises from the intersections of their faith, race, gender and other identities. This in turn creates complex challenges and barriers for them across society including in areas such as employment and education. For example, Muslim women are 70% more likely to be unemployed than white Christian women.

Our Strategic Goals

We carry out our strategic objectives by working across three defined areas: practice, policy and public imagination. Each social issue will require a different mix of these, but by working across all of them we ensure our work can achieve real and lasting impact.

Practice – working practically with communities at a grassroots local level.

Policy – changing practice at a local level can only be sustained by sharing our learning at a strategic level and ensuring that this informs future policy decisions.

Public imagination – Influencing, and where possible shaping, public debates and media narratives. We combine creativity with everyday action and engagement to find new ways to connect and communicate.

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Case Studies li

1. Educating public service providers and wider society to better understand Muslim and other marginalised communities

Muslim Girls Fence

YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS

We have found through our work, and research also shows, that Muslim girls/women have some of the lowest levels of physical activity. This is not because of a lack of individual commitment but rather due to lack of free activities, venues being less accessible, negative experiences in sports and leisure spaces eg, people being Islamophobic, childcare needs, and cuts in local areas which has limited the availability of projects and services. All of this is also having an adverse effect on the mental health of Muslim girls/women.

We listen to the needs of Muslim women and girls and design and deliver our project alongside our community. Improving health and wellbeing and better connecting participants with friends and community, tackling social isolation and empowering participants to be in control of their health, as well as narratives about their community. We do this by making sure everything is led by Muslim women and girls, they lead sessions, design the tools and programme, create new skills and

“I do think Islamophobia has affected young people’s mental health. I think that this is something that is rising sadly, we don’t feel safe, or listened to or understood, which kind of makes it worse. That’s why it’s so nice having this club, we can just be ourselves, say what we want to say without fear of repercussion and have fun with our friends.”

MGF participant

‘Hands off our Hijab’. The campaign explored their bodily autonomy. At the time of the campaign they were not allowed to wear their hijabs in PE and dance classes, so they campaigned for the freedom to wear hijab in these classes, and for sport hijabs/comfortable hijabs to be part of their school uniform for PE and dance. They created a photography project, designed their own campaign zine and designed their own hijabs. They collected over 100 signatures from students, parents and teachers and presented their campaign to the senior leadership team. As a result, in September

knowledge or change mindsets within the systems and structures. By focusing on the leadership of the young people we work with, we support them to be able to challenge the inequalities that they face.

We take a youth-led approach in developing young changemakers in schools. We provide a platform for girls to tell their own stories, on their own terms, and challenge mainstream narratives about Muslim women and girls, to make schools a safer space for Muslim girls to be able to show their full authentic selves. This is demonstrated by the students in Tower Hamlets creating a photo campaign called

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2023, the school introduced a black sports hijab similar to what they designed, as part of the school uniform. This demonstrates the power and potential of youth voice in making change.

Muslim Girls Fence is a vital space for Muslim women and girls to voice their feelings, share their experiences and define themselves beyond mainstream assumptions and narratives about them, as well as make real change in their community.

We have also heard from MGF participants that schools are not creating enough spaces to talk about Palestine or actively censoring discussions. This has a negative impact on their mental health and creates a further barrier between school and young people. MGF sessions therefore become a valuable space for young people to express themselves without fear of censorship and within their rights to freedom of speech.

We have also had positive feedback from teachers:

“It’s a really powerful thing and for the school community and the culture within the school as well… you can definitely see the girls practising using their voices in the classroom more, willing to be the voice that’s different or has a challenging perspective to what everyone else is saying, which is really refreshing. I think one of the strengths of this programme is how it is, in terms of school subjects, it’s a cross-curricular programme where within the same two hours they’re looking at poetry and language and sharing ideas about society and their opinions and beliefs but at the same time they’re being quite physical, using their bodies as well their minds…and I think there is where we can see the girls building their identity and understanding of themselves…”

Teacher at MGF school

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Freedom 18 11 Freedom is like a bird, "/Iwith an urge to spread its Wings, To flyr up high, into the skyi And see what the future bring8 Freedorn is like a bird, Beautif ul i With grace, Of every size and colour Every Shade and sha Freedom 18 like a bir Easily caged and caught, Villains claim that it can be owned, And Simply Sold and bought Freedom 18 like a bird, With every right to soar, o sing, and chirp• and cry to the world,. I And f lap f Orevermore li I Freedom is like a bird, Roaming round by light, Spreading joy in the noon,. And singing sweet by night. •)

“An insightful and engaging session! The topics are essential and relevant to discuss but are typically avoided. Really thought-provoking.”

PGCE Student at University of Birmingham

Schools with Roots

TEACHER TRAINING

As a result of last year’s positive response and need, we have significantly expanded our training programme. This year, we have supported hundreds of trainees, class teachers and senior leaders and educators across the country.

At the University of East London, where we have worked over a number of years, we developed a series of three sessions for Primary School trainee teachers. This started with exploring how racism plays out in society and within schools, then understanding tools for building sustainable relationships with parents/carers and the wider community, and finally reflecting on safeguarding practice and how to create cultures of safety for all young people. This allowed us to embed anti-racist practice within the curriculum. Alongside this, we designed and delivered training on the intersection between Special Education Needs and racism for Apprentice Teachers in Alternative Provision

settings. We were thrilled to have been invited to run a training day for the Teaching Staff as part of their strategy for further developing anti-racist practice across the Primary Teaching Department.

“It has been wonderful working with you and your contribution to the development of our trainees has been invaluable.”

Course Lead for Primary PGCE at UEL

We also delivered sessions for trainee teachers at the University of Birmingham and Liverpool John Moores University. The focus of these sessions included ‘Building an anti-racist Classroom’ and ‘Anti-racist parent/carer engagement’.

Alongside this, it was a pleasure to be invited to deliver training for other education organisations, including for Programme Facilitators at Beyond Equality, education psychologists at the ‘Inclusion

Matters’ conference in Manchester, and the staff team at The Linking Network in Bradford. We look forward to building on our partnerships with universities and other educational organisations.

“Much needed for a predominately White course. Very inspiring, up to date, informed and challenging.”

Trainee Secondary School Teacher, Liverpool John Moores University

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Criminal Justice

INFORMING VOLUNTARY SECTOR SERVICES

We have been working with the voluntary sector for several years, including Samaritans, PACT and Prisoner Education Trust, to understand how racism and discrimination in the prison system affects uptake of their services, and to improve Muslims access to them. Services range from wellbeing and emotional support, to support with release, and relationships with families. This year we worked closely with specific organisations to practically improve accessibility – from the way materials are designed, to how resource content is presented, and the training staff receive. For some organisations it was the first time in their history that they incorporated faith and translated services into their operations.

The work included being in discussion with incarcerated Muslim men and women about how they access and use services, and the barriers they face to doing so. For Muslims that already feel under surveillance in prison, confidentiality was crucial but also most likely to be hardest to achieve. We initiated a co-creation process with people accessing the services, collating suggested adaptations to existing resources, and testing them with other groups.

In 2018, PAVA— a synthetic peppe duced into prisons in England and four prisons was deemed successfu ment announced a £2 million inveb every prison officer in the adult ma PAVA on the grounds that it could serious harm in prisons”.[2] Althoug of PAVA was temporarily slowed dIn 2019 and 20 pandemic, by July 2023, 89 prisonsand Louise Pow its rollout.[3] PAVA is known to causbirth inside p eyes, respiratory tract and skin. Inout any medica symptoms are short-lived, but the Their babies, t h e in PAVA can cause severe injury, pFirst-handBrooke, died aWe asked ties and, in rare cases, death. They describe theiraccounts prolonged effects when used in coan end to the pregnant women ers. They have ing with other were pregnant well as midwif r e a l i t i als, charitiese s group of mums Behind Bars , w outside the Ro London on Satu 26 28 16 16 17 17 18 o f r a m a d a % prison population % people impa (Muslims) PAVA (Muslims i n p r i s on

While there is specific guidance on Ramadan and Eid, we have heard from Muslims that their experiences can be very different, and that discrimination and violations of these rules often occur without accountability and challenge. The following are accounts from two people we spoke to about their experiences during Ramadan.

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CAPTURING PUBLIC IMAGINATION:

better understand and respond to the impact of discrimination and Islamophobia on delivery of services, mental health and wellbeing. We also highlight gaps in current equalities regulations and practices that are being rolled out across the prison estate. Importantly, the pamphlet brings together and highlights the work of Black and brown-led organisations, practitioners, and scholars, whose work or voices are not always given sufficient prominence in the sector.

UNCOVERING THE EXPERIENCES OF MUSLIMS IN PRISON

Documenting and disseminating evidence based on real life stories has been a core part of Maslaha’s work. There is a lack of racial literacy in the criminal justice sector, which means that data and insights on the specific experiences of Muslims is either absent or shallow in formal reports. Such a lack of data contributes to the systemic racism we often highlight, as problems are not made visible or

The publication, launched in April 2023, has been shared widely online and in print to over 250 people, including voluntary service providers, racial justice organisations, other probation and prison services, mosques, community groups, and importantly, those who have experienced incarceration directly or indirectly e.g. families.

transparent. shared widely online and in print to over 250 people,

In response, we produced a new pamphlet series called UnCaptured to expand the knowledge produced and narratives told about incarcerated Muslims, and understand the granularity of religious identity for Muslims in prison. This is partly to better hold prisons to account for failing to fully deliver services to and ensure less harmful outcomes for Muslim people, and help practitioners, services and the prison system

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2. Influencing systemic change and replicating local success at a national level

Muslim Girls Fence

PUBLIC IMAGINATION, POLICY, PRESS AND CAMPAIGNS

In January, a portrait of Tasmia Haq, a MGF Birmingham fencer was among the winning photographs of 2023 Portrait of Britain from across the West Midlands that ‘celebrates the faces of modern Britain’ and ‘captures the tapestry of life’. Her beautiful photograph is currently on display on digital advertising screens located in high streets, shopping centres and transport hubs across the country: bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czv52g1w1x7o It is incredible to see fencers from the Birmingham sessions being platformed on a national level and changing the narrative of Muslim women.

In November we delivered a MGF celebration and fencing competition in Birmingham to 52 MGF fencers and coaches from across Birmingham, Doncaster, Bradford and London. It was an opportunity to provide training to upskill fencers in coaching skills and fencing skills. A chance to socialise and build community. As well as the first

time hosting a MGF fencing competition with prizes. At the same time we carried out a photography project with Sarah Ali, a local photographer who has previously worked with the MGF exhibition.

Alongside this competition, two clubs ‒ Binni’s Bladez in Birmingham and Sunnah Sports in Bradford ‒ have become registered and recognised fencing clubs. This is part of our ongoing work to influence and change practice in the sport sector in relation to Muslim women.

“Going to these sessions means a lot to me because it’s a bonding moment with my daughter. I wanna be a role model to my daughter, to show her that women can be strong and independent and that they can achieve whatever they want.”

Amreena, fencer from Birmingham

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T4]W8 Portrait of Britain

“I think it’s very important that women from all communities, of all ages, of all origins come out and join each other to do activities together. I feel very inspired by the other ladies in the group and seeing what they are capable of.”

Ani, fencer from Birmingham

Muslim Girls Fence is now seen among the sports sector, education sector, and the intersection with health, physical and mental wellbeing, as an example of good practice, influencing a culture change nationally in order to share resources and approaches that address systemic inequalities faced by Muslim women, girls and communities.

In January we delivered a guest lecture at SOAS on a module called ~~ee~~ ‘How to change things’ to discuss Nobody’s Metaphor flm and how we use radical storytelling and film for making change in our communities to 70 master students. Again trying to address systemic inequalities and create better services for Muslim women and girls by providing an alternative version of what it is like to be a young woman in the UK today, and providing a platform for them to create their own stories.

In January we delivered an anti-racist session called, “What does liberation look like for Muslim communities?” at Mind’s Information Team miniconference. It was a chance for Mind staff to be

inspired by new ideas, to hear concepts and ideas that will inform their work in the next year.

We continue to use MGF work to show the importance of taking an anti-racist approach to mental health for young people. This requires not only creating culturally sensitive resources but also understanding how systemic racism and policies such as Prevent can harm a young person’s mental health and sense of belonging.

YOUTH-LED APPROACH

We are developing a MGF national ambassador programme for young people. We have been piloting the programme this year with two young facilitators, 16-year-old Aisha B, and 17-year-old Aisha H co-designing, and facilitating MGF sessions in school and in community spaces.

Aisha B led on delivering a community iftar in Shepherd’s Bush. It was a place for women and

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girls to come together to share learning, wisdom and awareness of pressing issues, particularly the crises in Palestine and Sudan, with the aim to inspire action and support for those in need while celebrating the richness of our faith.

Aisha H also delivered two community iftars in partnership with Pelican House in Tower Hamlets. The first community iftar was a migrant-centred space in collaboration with Revoke, a grassroots organisation advocating for the rights and welfare of displaced people and connecting them with wider social justice movements.

Our second community iftar was a queer-centred space, again Aisha H helped to lead on the day, with over 40 people attending.

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Criminal Justice

In order to ‘bridge the data gap’ on Muslims experience of prison, we have used Freedom of Information requests to spotlight racial disparities in the prison system. We have been able to highlight where government policy and practices fall short, and challenge the reliance on ‘cultural competency’ and ‘unconscious bias’ trainings within the sector as an adequate response to racial injustice. Some of the data requests include: Exclusion from access to worship; Use of segregation; Adjudications in prison (which suggests Muslims are more likely to be punished by removing them from activity and living units).

In March 2023 we published a briefing on the use of pava spray in prisons against Muslims, showing the disproportionate and increased use on Muslims in prison (The Hidden Lives of Muslims in Prison). The briefing was shared widely across the sector and was reported by the Guardian (read the article here).

We also tabled Prime Minister Questions on Muslims in prison to HMPPS through the former Labour Shadow Secretary for Prisons. This was another effective source of data, and allowed us to use FOI data we received to hold government accountable for conditions in prisons, e.g. access to corporate worship post-covid.

We participate in a number of working groups and networks to influence and shape criminal justice policy – through which we can share our work more widely, inform policy processes and outputs, and make sure the experiences of Muslims and other racialised groups are recognised and drawn on to create meaningful changes in the criminal justice system. Some of these networks are:

Female Offender Minority Ethnic (FOME) A Ministry of Justice working group bringing together specialised organisations to develop guidance aimed at improving outcomes for ethnic minority women in the criminal justice system.

EQUAL National Independent Advisory group Created out of the 2014 Young Review, the advisory group brings together a range of people from government, charitable, research and community settings to break down the multiple barriers and challenges experienced by people racialised as Black, Asian, minority ethnic or Muslim in the criminal justice system.

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2 ISLAMOPHOBIA IN THE PRISON SYSTEM a=lA —— 3 Ge MASLAHA #1 Our analysis relies on being in close proximity to and Sn HOW TO READ THE DATA If we read the data without this understanding, we in community with Muslims in prison rather than just relying on Government and standard charity/academic analysis. This ee 4 Oe is accepted as everyday practice when sament. And PAVA is just one of many tools that are emplowithin the prison system to control and dehumanise if your collective identity is viewed as a threat. people in prison is not just disproportionate, but that this disproportionality rises with each year, should provide a wake-up call to those responsible for its rollout and for implementing and enforcing equality legislation.Our evidence that the use of PAVA against Muslim[v] ea how should we scrutinise the so-called safeguards meant to regulate the use of PAVA? Mandatory guidance from the Minis-try of Justice states that a Use of Force statement is written after the use of PAVA. How accurate will such a statement be if a prisoner officer views any sign of religiosity as a threat and speaking Arabic as a form of ‘extremist’ behaviour? have heard repeatedly from incarcerated Muslims, threatenethem with not being allowed to attend Friday pcoPAVA used directlPAVA? How often was the individual checked to see the impact of that violent encounter on their physical and mental health?riences of the prison system and a constant surveillance of their “Muslimness”, what impact is the increasing use of PAVA against them going to have? out, 9 October 2018 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/clinical effects and management, Jan 2021, fflm.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Irritant-sprays-clinical-effects-and-management-Dr-J-McGorrigan-Prof-J-Payne-James-Jan-2021.pdfprison-officer-safety-equipment-rolled-out i ii iii iv December 2022; MOJ Offender Equalities Annual Reports; MOJ response to Maslaha FOI request, 8 January 2024.debate 4 July 2023, Col757Ministry of Justice, Prison officer safety equipment rolled Minister of State, MOJ, Damian Hinds, Hansard, HMPPS Data sources: MOJ response to Maslaha FOI request, 16 Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Irritant sprays: n ctioned by Govern-trol? What negative impact did this have on the prisoner? Was HOLDING THE USE OF PAVA TO ACCOUNT Where do we go with this fresh understanding, and In oral evidence to the Justice Select Committee in When Muslims consistently report negative expe- y on the eyes? What happened after the use of ed https://6 risk compressing anhistoor actions that are labelled ‘criminal’ or ‘risky.’of the split-second decision. In 2011, Mark Duggan was killed by police. Officers believed Duggan was holding a firearm – a belief that proved fatal, and that an inquest found to be untrue. group based at Goldsmiths University, London, analysed the killing and the defence of making decisions in a split-seconTheir findings were: r ayer as a form of ies of racism and discrimination into isolated moments At the sharpest and most tragic end of this is the logic Forensic Architecture, a multidisciplinary research pre-emptive. It does not refer to situations of all-out confron-tation, but to those supposedly pregnant with the potential for violence to erupt. In a split-second, the officer must decide which of multiple possible futures is most likely to take place.” teaching, and training. They ar d decontextualising a community’s complex . “The logic of the ‘split second’ argument is entirely “But police responses are learned, acquired through 5 means, for instance, that we understand how Islam can provide a sanctuary and sense of community in a violent environment. This aspect of prison life is omitted or silenced from Govern-ment and charity/academic reports. Instead, paranoia has spread through the prison system about Muslims who practise their religion in their cells or in a communal space.creates a culture of Islamophobia and racism across the pris-on system that neeincreased use of PAVA and the denial of basic human rights. In Time to end the Silence we show how Muslims can be seen as objects of risk for simple acts of worship like prayer or read-ing the Quran. Prison officers can view these acts as a sign of extremism based on stereotypes of the “radical Muslim” or “terrorist Muslim”, and react in a punitive manner, including a denial of access to vital services e.g. for mental health. Not only do st e Our analysis shows how policy and daily practice also culturally and politically reotypes go unchallenged across the sector but offi- d . s to be understood alongside data on the isYZ|, THE DATA SHOWS CLEARLY THAT:PAVA is used disproportionately on Muslim people in prison -——¥a The Hidden Lives of Muslims in PrisonA split-second reaction? Uncovering the higher use of pepper spray on Muslims in prisonPrison officers are increasing their use of “pepper spray” against Muslims in prison year on year making them one of the most targeted groups. Called PAVA, this spray can cause severe injury and permanent disabilities.briefing June 2020, he then Secretary f State for Justice, Robert Buck-land, made it clear that his priority was to protect prison officers: unlawful use of PAVA spray in prisons, https://legal.equalityhumanrights.com/en/case/preventing-unlawful-use-pava-spray-prisonsvsupported a legal challenge to the decision to roll-out PAVA nationally, citing the high risk that PAVA would be used unlawfully and that significant additional safeguards were needed to prevent discrimination in its use. The EHRC cited concerns that disabled people with mental health conditions and learning disabilities could be particularly at risk, but also that the Ministry of Justice was unable to explain why younger people, Black and Muslim people were also subject to disproportionate use of force. This case was withdrawn in October 2020 after the government gave assurances that it would introduce a range of measures to monitor and scrutinise the use of PAVA, which the EHRC was satisfied would help prevent its disproportionate use. The data we have presented demonstrates the contrary.Equality and Human Rights Commission, Preventing the In 2019, the Equali t y and Human Rights Commissirolled out as quickly as possible across the estate with the need to ensure there is appropriate training and support for officers in their use of it [….] I know that the unions are very anxious for me to get on with it and they make their case very powerfully to me regularly. At the same time, I have to recognise that I would not inadvertently want to expochallenge, whether direc“We have sought to balance the need to get it [PAVA] o n past trauma with the notion of ‘threat’, and excludes the personal and cultural history a person carries with them. It also excludes the racist history embedded in policing whether on the streets or in prison, and the learned assumptions that might guide how an officer perceives and chooses to respond to a situation.da t or inde a pr son officer’s use of PAVA and also prevents account- i rect…[…].” This ‘split-second timeframe’ replaces a community’s Thi s context is mportant as it can encourage and vali-e prison offconditioned, and prey to racial bias and political context.” i cers to legal cial reports and guidance reinforce them and provide cover for the exercise of discretion. NY Disproportionality is highest in instances when PAVA has been drawn and deployed (rather than just drawn)seeing an increase in state sanctioned violence against Muslims through the use of PAVA spray. This is coupled with a signifi-cant increase in the Muslim population, now making up 18% of those incarcerated in 2023.Through Freedom of Information requests, we are e In 2018, PAVA — a synthetic pepper spray — was ability. Choices and ‘discretion’ are then not based solely on a “There is growing evidence that Muslim prisintroduced into prisons in England and Wales. A pilot in four accountability both within the prison system and the public sphere, also reveals how inadequate mandatory guidelines and equality/risk assessments are in regulating prisons. In fact, written policies by civil servants help to obscure the daily prac-tice of racism in prisons, as if the presence of a document in itself is the solution to preventing systemic racism. What does The continued rise in the use of PAVA, the lack of actual risk or threat of immediate harm from an individual, but imagined risk from a particular group of people.preceded the use of PAVA spray? Not just in the seconds or minutes but weeks and months before. Are the prison officers reacting to a sudden moment of violence or does it reflecWhen reading the data we should therefore ask: what oners have become the new ‘security threat group’ as religious identity, ideology and practice — dispro-portionately Islam — is subject to increasing scruti-ny by security departments. This creates an immedi-a t a e tension between the journey Muslims go through a-prisons was deemed successful and the government announced a male estate with PAVA on the grounds that it could “help to reduce serious harm in prisons”.a male estate with PAVA on the grounds that it could “help to reduce serious harm in prisons”.male estate with PAVA on the grounds that it could “help to reduce serious harm in prisons”.reduce serious harm in prisons”. £ 2 million investment to equip every prison officer in the adult[[i]] | E: INFO@MASLAHA.ORG X: @MASLAHA it say about the Ministry of Justice that these numbers and IG: @MASLAHA_UK W: MASLAHA.ORG build up and why? What environmental factors, such as culture, in prison and the way the prison system responds to the violence they clearly point to, is not enough to take action pervasive racist media coverage, or prison policy influenced the Although the introduction of PAVA was temporarand halt the use of PAVA? It appears that violence in prison use of PAVA spray? What was the prisoner officer’s relationship to the them. We found that many Muslims become more reli-gious during their time in prison because of the support ily slowed during the COVID pandemic, by July 2023, 89 prisprisoner before the use of PAVA? Had the prison officer, as we it provides them, but the prison system sees this as a ons had completed its rollout.[[ii]] PAVA is known to cause injurisk to be managed and even prevented.” This disproportionality is growing year on yearry to the eyes, respiratory tract and skin. In many cases these MASLAHA, TIME TO END THE SILENCE symptoms are short-lived, but the chemical irritants in PAVA can NY cause severe injury, permanent disabilities and, in rare cases,

In 2018, PAVA — a synthetic pepper spray — was introduced into prisons in England and Wales. A pilot in four £ 2 million investment to equip every prison officer in the adult prisons was deemed successful and the government announced a male estate with PAVA on the grounds that it could “help to reduce serious harm in prisons”.a male estate with PAVA on the grounds that it could “help to reduce serious harm in prisons”.male estate with PAVA on the grounds that it could “help to reduce serious harm in prisons”.reduce serious harm in prisons”.[[i]] |

Although the introduction of PAVA was temporarily slowed during the COVID pandemic, by July 2023, 89 prisons had completed its rollout.[[ii]] PAVA is known to cause injuThis disproportionality is growing year on yearry to the eyes, respiratory tract and skin. In many cases these ry to the eyes, respiratory tract and skin. In many cases these symptoms are short-lived, but the chemical irritants in PAVA can cause severe injury, permanent disabilities and, in rare cases, death. They have enhanced or prolonged effects when used in confined spaces.[iii]

E: INFO@MASLAHA.ORG X: @MASLAHA IG: @MASLAHA_UK W: MASLAHA.ORG

25

“It was a pleasure sitting with parents and hearing 4a the great ideas they had related to our topic. éa AAC | S It’s important that we are engaging with our parents and involving them in their children’s learning.” Class Teacher, Welford Primary School y y Me, . : " a? om . mE ww \ ‘

26

3. Educating and empowering Muslim and other marginalised communities

Schools with Roots

IN-DEPTH SCHOOLS WORK

We are grateful to be able to continue working in partnership with one of the founding schools of the project, Sandringham Primary School in Newham, London. We are building on previous work around bringing in parents and carers into school life in meaningful ways. This year, we continued to work in partnership with Nazia, who runs the community organisation Sustainably Muslim, to deliver sessions for families on the theme of environment. Nazia is a former pupil of Sandringham Primary and is also based in Newham. Her creative sessions were enthusiastically received by children and parents shared that they enjoyed making connections with others in the school community.

This year we began our partnership with a new school in Birmingham, Welford Primary. It was great to meet so many parents/carers from Reception and Year Three classes. We supported teachers to create spaces where families can be involved in classroom learning and where their unique skills and

experiences are recognised. In Reception, teachers opened up classes for families to participate in a range of activities alongside their children, from reading stories from their cultures to planting herbs that come from different parts of the world. In Year Three, it was the first time that parents/carers were invited to share their experiences and knowledge with class teachers. The response from parents was overwhelmingly positive and many shared how important it was to them that teaching in school reflected their identities and backgrounds.

We also began working at Archbishop Blanch School in Liverpool to understand how our tools can be translated to a Secondary School context. We delivered anti-racism training for the whole school team, including Support Staff, Kitchen and Lunch-time Staff and the Pastoral Team. With class teachers, we began reflecting on why and how teaching can be socially, locally and culturally relevant to all students. We look forward to continue working with staff on building positive relationships with the wider community.

27

Criminal Justice

BUILDING COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO THE HARMS OF PRISON

It is important Islam is seen as a supportive factor to rehabilitation within the criminal justice system rather than perceived through a lens of fear and risk. In November 2023, we launched Coming Home, a counselling service offered by Muslim therapists for Muslims harmed by prison, criminalisation and surveillance. It came about as a community response recognising faith as a vital and practical tool in supporting those affected by the prison system, and mobilising community partners including faith-based organisations, local mosques, community groups, and other Muslim civil society. It is available for those directly imprisoned, as well as families – recognising the profound impact that having a loved one taken away has.

The on-line sessions, conducted by Muslim therapists are faith and culture positive, providing a safe space for people to talk about their experiences without fear of being securitised and

28

“Thank you for the booklet, it has really made me realise that these issues within prison are not just isolated problems and they are issues within the whole prison estate.”

Muslim Woman, HMP Foston Hall

misunderstood. We started delivering counselling sessions in December 2023 and have had over twenty people accessing the service since then. We have had positive responses from:

IN SOLIDARITY WITH THOSE IN PRISON

In April 2023, we launched UnCaptured, to spotlight the experiences of Muslims in prison. It was important that the pamphlet was also useful and relevant to those currently in prison. For example, the first edition focused on Ramadan, and included a ‘Know your Rights’ section, sharing sections of official prison guidance on rights to worship. The aim was to provide people in prison with knowledge about what they should be able to expect from prison and staff during Ramadan and Eid, so they can hold them to account.

We were able to share the publication with around 50-60 Muslim men and women currently in prison,

and received letters in response welcoming the publication, with many stating it was reassuring to know they were not alone in this experience and that someone was speaking about it. We have invited those currently in prison and those that have been in prison previously to contribute to the next edition through writing, art, poetry.

“I enjoyed reading the first issue and I think it’s a very helpful guide for all the brothers and sisters to use to understand better their rights as Muslims and the reality of our situation.” Muslim Man, HMP Guys Marsh

“The talking and understating what is going on in my head, breaking it down for me in terms I can understand. I also found that having that support reassured me that I am not going through this alone.” Coming Home serviced user

“Thanks for all the support. We need more services like this for Muslim ex-prisoners coming out.”

Coming Home service user

29

4. Building a well-functioning organisation with financial and organisational sustainability

MEDIA/ APPEARANCES

EVENTS

• Women of the World (WOW) Festival in Leed s - Barn will be built by 300 women and non-binary people in a spectacular 24-hour Barn Part of the barn raising and delivering fencing workshop to over 300 people in Leeds. Akeela Mohammed was part of ‘Big Ideas’ panel, Muslim Girls Fence participants closed the festival with spoken word poetry and fencing performance (May 2023) - Akeela Mohammed, Muslim Girls Fence - Doncaster

30

'How to change things' to discuss Nobody’s Metaphor flm and how we use radical storytelling and film for making change in our communities to 70 master students (January 2024) - Allia, Muslim Girls Fence

A place for women and girls across different ages, to come together to share learning, reflections (March 2024) - Allia, Aisha B, Muslim Girls Fence

House, Tower Hamlets. Partnered with a young person from Revoke a grassroots organisation advocating for the rights and welfare of displaced people and connecting them with wider social justice movements for over 50 people (March 2024) - Allia, Aisha H (young ambassador for Muslim Girls Fence), Revoke

“Palestine Liberation in Schools: Know Your

Rights" in March to over 200 people. Young Ambassador Aisha Bafo and Muslim Girls Fence spoke about resistance and solidarity strategies for young people, parents, carers and educators (March 2024) - Aisha B (Muslim Girls Fence Young Ambassador) and Allia, Muslim Girls Fence

31

Coming Up

SCHOOLS WITH ROOTS

We will be continuing to work directly with parents/ carers in London and Birmingham, building on the relationships we have made this year. Alongside parents/carers we will co-design and facilitate sessions exploring the themes of identity. This community space will bring together families to learn together and from each other in creative ways.

We will also be completing resources that support teachers to create cultures of safety for all students through safeguarding practices rooted in care and as well as examples for socially, locally and culturally responsive teaching.

We will continue to work closely with the Muslim Girls Fence Project Team to develop the provision for Secondary Schools they will be supporting, through tailored teacher training and study sessions. We are excited to develop partnerships with other education and community organisations including The Linking Network in Bradford and Ort Gallery in Birmingham.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

We will continue to work with partners to improve access to services for Muslims in prison, as well as increase religious and racial literacy within these organisations. We also expect to start a new venture with Prisoners Education Trust (PET) and Cambridge Muslim College to co-develop content for a distance learning option for Muslim prisoners, which will be piloted in a prison in Spring-Summer 2025. We will also be continuing to build and disseminate evidence on Muslim’s experiences of data through various creative ways, to inform and influence institutions, policies, and procedures.

Supporting y prison families affected b

We’ve heard from many Muslims that when a loved one has been taken to prison, they have not received proper support to understand prison administrative processes, did not know where to ask for help, or were reluctant to challenge a discriminatory system that community members have had negative experiences with. In response, we have developed a new resource, to be launched in Autumn 2024, which provides basic information to families about how to navigate the prison system – such as how to find out where their loved one is, how to contact them and arrange visits, and send money and parcels. The aim of the resource is to help remove some of the fear and sense of isolation that comes with trying to make sense of the prison system and communicating with them.

We look forward to developing our provision for schools to embed anti-racism into their cultures and teacher practice.

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MUSLIM GIRLS FENCE

Muslim Girls Fence will be focusing on developing our young people’s programme and centring young people’s voices and skills in everything we do. We hope to create more youth-led resources on mental health, Islamophobia, sports, sexism and racism. We hope through this work to showcase new ways of working and influence policymakers and leading youth and mental health organisations to have a multi-dimensional and accurate reflection of the mental health needs and experiences of Muslim women and girls through our findings, evidence and research. This includes creating a podcast young people are currently recording about the realities of being a Muslim girl covering issues of mental health, school, family and Islamophobia.

We will be developing youth-led resources for teachers, educators and parents to understand the realities of Muslim girls, providing alternatives to what is being provided in schools and developing more anti-racist practices for educators.

We hope to support a young person to deliver in her community of Newham fencing sessions for older Muslim women (50+) to introduce them to the sport of fencing and get them active and become campaigners in their local community.

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Thanks

Maslaha gratefully acknowledges funding in 2023/2024 from:

Pears Foundation National Lottery Barrow Cadbury Lloyds Foundation A B Charitable Trust Network for Social Change Sport England Comic Relief Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust Tudor Trust Esmee Fairbairn

Muslim Girls Fence gratefully acknowledges funding in 2023/2024 from:

Go London Funding – The Mayor of London, London Marathon Foundation and Sport England National Lottery

34

Financial Summary

Financial Review

During the year 2024 Maslaha made a net loss of £29,817 (2023: net surplus £188,452) resulting in net assets of £713,978 (2023: £743,795).

The organisation has a number of multi-year grants with principal sources of funding from a variety of charitable foundations, as well as donations and consultancy work. All expenditure for the year is directly related to fulfilling the aims and objectives of the funder’s requirements.

Reserves Policy

In the Trustees’ view, the reserves should provide the charity with adequate financial stability through maintaining sufficient reserves in liquid form to meet short term obligations. As Maslaha develops its own internal infrastructure, the reserve level will be reviewed to ensure sufficient to support the organisation to meet its charitable objectives for the foreseeable future. The trustees propose to maintain the charity’s reserves at a level which is at least equivalent to three months overhead expenditure. This level has been set giving due regard to its manner of operation & likely funding streams. At present, this is taken as £126k.

The Trustees acknowledge that as a small & growing organisation Maslaha may need to utilise reserves to support cash flow; this is permitted in the following circumstances:

To support cash flow during a timing discrepancy within a project which is demonstrably on budget overall

To cover unexpected or unforeseen costs that need to be borne by the organisation.

If either of the above are triggered and would be deemed to de-stabilise the organisation, a case is to be put to trustees for consideration and authorisation prior to spend.

The Trustees regularly review the amount of reserves that are required to ensure that they are adequate to fulfil the charity’s continuing obligations.

Please note, surpluses are retained as reserves for the future operating activities of the charity.

36

Legal and Admin

The objects of the Charity are:

(a) raising public sector awareness and understanding of Islam and the need for services that are appropriately tailored for and sensitive to the practices of Muslim communities; and

(b) promoting and informing dialogue, debate and greater understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims on issues of cohesion and integration. In practice this is achieved through our approach.

Our team

Raheel Mohammed – Director

Sahra Mohamed – Head of Operations Zahbia Yousuf – Senior Project Manger Saara Quested – Senior Project Manager Allia Fredericks – Senior Project Manager Suleman Amad – Project Manager Nirad Abrol – Project Manager Fabiolla Lorusso – Project Manager

Our trustees

Alia Alzougbi

Jane Earl

Jodie Beck

Sameer Rahim

Our address

Maslaha

Oxford House Derbyshire Street London E2 6HG

Bank details

HSBC Bank PLC

465 Bethnal Green Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 9QW

Independent examiner

Shereen Fernandez

Anthony Epton BA FCA CTA FCIE

Thank you to all the staff who have contributed their hard work and expertise to our work and have moved on, and excited to be working with new colleagues.

Goldwins Chartered accountants 75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London NW6 2EG

37

Report of the trustees

The Trustees are required by law to prepare financial statements for each financial year, which show a true and fair view of the financial activities of the company and of its financial position at the end of that year.

In preparing those financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper accountancy records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time, the financial position of the company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The principle objects of the charity during the year are stated in the Legal & Admin section of this report. The trustees are aware of the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit reporting as set out in Section 17 Charities Act 2011. The Trustees believe that the charity achieves a public benefit as detailed elsewhere in this report.

Approved by and signed on behalf oh the trustees, on 3 December 2024:

Alia Alzougbi

38

Independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of Maslaha for the year ended 31 March 2024

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2024.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the Company’s gross income exceeded £250,000, I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for

accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Anthony Epton BA FCA CTA FCIE

Goldwins Chartered accountants

75 Maygrove Road, West Hampstead, London NW6 2EG

3 December 2024

39

Accounts

Maslaha
Statement of financial activities (incorporating an income and expenditure account)
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 2024
2023
Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
Funds
Total
Funds
Note
£
£
£
£
Income from:
3
75
-
75
1,500
4
201,400
226,658
428,058
524,805
5
1,050
500
1,550
2,300
202,525
227,158
429,683
528,605
6
90,967
368,533
459,500
340,153
90,967
368,533
459,500
340,153
7
111,558
(141,375)
(29,817)
188,452
-
-
-
-
111,558
(141,375)
(29,817)
188,452
Reconciliation of funds:
381,989
361,806
743,795
555,343
493,547
220,431
713,978
743,795
Donations and legacies
All of the above results are derived from continuing activities. There were no other recognised gains or
losses other than those stated above. Movements in funds are disclosed in Note 16 to the financial
statements.
Charitable activities
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
Net income for the year
Transfers between funds
Total expenditure
Total income
Expenditure on:
Charitable activities
Other trading activities

41

Maslaha Balance sheet As at 31 March 2024 2024
2024
2023
2023		 Note
£
£
£
£		 Current assets: 12
50,000
55,000
Debtors		 673,070
699,265
Cash at bank and in hand		 723,070
754,265		 Liabilities: 13
9,092
10,470
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year		 713,978
743,795
Net current assets		 14
713,978
743,795
Total net assets		 15
Funds		 220,431
361,806
Restricted funds		 Unrestricted funds: 493,547
381,989
General funds		 Total unrestricted funds
493,547
381,989		 713,978
743,795
Total funds		 For the year ending 31 March 2024 the company was entitled to exemption from audit under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006.The directors acknowledge their responsibility for.complying with the requirements of the Act withrespect to accounting records and for the preparation of accounts.These accounts have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companiessubject to the small companies regime. Approved by the trustees on ………………………………
December 3rd 2024		 and signed on their behalf by: Company registration no. 7309979
The attached notes form part of the financial statements.
Trustee
Alia Alzougbi
\
|

42

2023 £ 184,543 - 184,543 514,722 699,265 2023 £ 188,452 (5,009) 1,100 184,543 At 31 March 2024 £ 673,070 673,070
Other changes £ - -
2024 £ (26,195) - (26,195) 699,265 673,070 2024 £ (29,817) 5,000 (1,378) (26,195) Cash flows £ (26,195) (26,195)
At 1 April 2023 £ 699,265 699,265
Note a b
Maslaha Statement of cash flows For the year ended 31 March 2024 Cash flows from operating activities: Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities Cash flows from investing activities: Sale/ (purchase) of fixed assets Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year a)
Reconciliation of net income /		 (expenditure) to net cash flow from Net income / (expenditure) for the reporting period(as per the statement of financial activities) Decrease / (Increase) in debtors Increase / (Deccrease) in creditors Net cash provided by / (used in) operating activities b) Analysis of cash and cash equivalents Cash at bank and in hand Total cash and cash equivalents

43

Maslaha
Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 1
Accounting policies
a) Basis of preparation
b) Reconciliation with previously Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (GAAP)
c) Going concern
d) Income
e) Donations of gifts, services and facilities
f)
Interest receivable
g) Fund accounting
The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going
concern.
Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the income have
been met, it is probable that the income will be received and that the amount can be measured reliably.
Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has
entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will
be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred. Income received in advance for the provision of
specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.
For legacies, entitlement is taken as the earlier of the date on which either: the charity is aware that probate has been
granted, the estate has been finalised and notification has been made by the executor(s) to the charity that a distribution will
be made, or when a distribution is received from the estate. Receipt of a legacy, in whole or in part, is only considered
probable when the amount can be measured reliably and the charity has been notified of the executor’s intention to make a
distribution. Where legacies have been notified to the charity, or the charity is aware of the granting of probate, and the
criteria for income recognition have not been met, then the legacy is a treated as a contingent asset and disclosed if material.
Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item or
received the service, any conditions associated with the donation have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use
by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities
SORP (FRS 102), volunteer time is not recognised so refer to the trustees’ annual report for more information about their
contribution.
On receipt, donated gifts, professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the
charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic
benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is
normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity. Designated funds are
unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose.
Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or
for specific projects being undertaken by the charity.
In preparing the accounts, the trustees have considered whether in applying the accounting policies required by FRS 102 and
the Charities SORP FRS 102 a restatement of comparative items was required.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of
Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard
applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102 - effective 1 January 2015) - (Charities SORP FRS 102) and the Companies
Act 2006.

44

1
Accounting policies (continued)		 h) Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings: ●
Costs of raising funds comprise of trading costs and the costs incurred by the charitable company in inducing third parties		 to make voluntary contributions to it, as well as the cost of any activities with a fundraising purpose. ●
Other expenditure represents those items not falling into any other heading.		 Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred. i)
Allocation of support costs		 Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support the activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated are set out in note 6. j)
Tangible fixed assets		 Items of equipment are capitalised where the purchase price exceeds £500. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write down the cost of each asset to its estimated residual value over its expected useful life. The depreciation rates in use are as follows: Computer equipment
on 3 years straight line basis		 k)
Debtors		 Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due. l)
Cash at bank and in hand		 Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account. m)
Creditors and provisions		 Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

45

Maslaha
Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 2
2023
Restricted
Funds
Total
Funds
£
£
£
Donations and legacies
500
1,000
1,500
Charitable activities
169,000
355,805
524,805
Other income
2,300
-
2,300
171,800
356,805
528,605
Charitable activities:
67,891
272,262
340,153
67,891
272,262
340,153
103,909
84,543
188,452
-
-
-
103,909
84,543
188,452
-
-
-
103,909
84,543
188,452
103,909
84,543
188,452
278,080
277,263
555,343
381,989
361,806
743,795
3
2024
2023
Unrestricted
Funds
Total
Funds
Total
Funds
£
£
£
£
Donations
75
-
75
1,500
75
-
75
1,500
Net income before other recognised gains and losses
Net income
Total expenditure
Income from:
Detailed comparatives for the statement of financial activities
Unrestricted
Funds
Total income
Expenditure on:
Net income before gains / (losses) on investments
Net gains / (losses) on investments
Transfers between funds
Income from donations and legacies
Restricted
Funds
Net movement in funds
Total funds brought forward

46

Maslaha
Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 4
2024
2023
Unrestricted
Funds
Total
Funds
Total
Funds
£
£
£
£
Pears Foundation
50,000
-
50,000
50,000
Barrow Cadbury Trust
-
10,750
10,750
10,250
Sports England
-
27,616
27,616
63,157
Esmee Fairbairn
50,000
-
50,000
65,000
Tudor Trust
50,000
-
50,000
-
Lloyds Foundation
-
-
-
130,441
King's College
2,400
-
2,400
-
Joseph Rowntree
20,000
-
20,000
29,000
National Lottery
-
49,991
49,991
49,991
Baring Foundation
-
-
-
1,954
National Lottery - SWR
-
100,012
100,012
100,012
Noel Buxton Trust
-
-
-
-
AB Charitable Trust
29,000
-
29,000
25,000
The Bromley Trust
-
10,000
10,000
-
Network For Social NSCCT
-
8,016
8,016
-
Go London
-
20,273
20,273
-
201,400
226,658
428,058
524,805
5
2024
2023
Unrestricted
Funds
Total
Funds
Total
Funds
£
£
£
£
1,050
500
1,550
2,300
1,050
500
1,550
2,300
Restricted
Funds
Income from charitable activities
Consultancy fees
Restricted
Funds
Total income from charitable activities
Income earned from charitable activities
Income from other trading activities
Grants

47

Maslaha
Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 6
Charitable
activities
2024
Total
2023
Total
£
£
£
Staff costs
325,516
325,516
268,864
Direct cost
Project costs
102,861
102,861
45,190
Publicity & Reports
-
-
300
Support cost
Office costs
18,766
18,766
19,644
Governance cost
Bank charges
132
132
130
Examiner's fees
1,200
1,200
1,100
Accountancy fees
11,025
11,025
4,925
Total expenditure 2024
459,500
459,500
340,153
Total expenditures 2023
340,153
340,153
Charitable
activities
2023
Total
2022
Total
£
£
£
Staff costs
268,864
268,864
260,457
Direct cost
Project costs
45,190
45,190
95,114
Publicity & Reports
300
300
475
Support cost
Office costs
19,644
19,644
7,058
Governance cost
Bank charges
130
130
144
Examiner's fees
1,100
1,100
980
Accountancy fees
4,925
4,925
12,200
Total expenditure 2023
340,153
340,153
376,428
Total expenditures 2022
376,428
376,428
Analysis of expenditure-prior year
Analysis of expenditure
Of the total expenditure, £90,967 was unrestricted (2023: £67,981) and £368,533 was
restricted (2023: £272,262).

48

Maslaha
Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 7
2024
2023
£
£
1,000
900
8
2024
2023
£
£
283,846
238,633
22,802
20,926
13,806
8,132
5,062
1,173
325,516
268,864
2024
2023
1
1
9
2024
2023
No.
No.
3.0
3.0
1.5
1.5
0.5
0.5
5.0
5.0
£70,000 -£79,000
Analysis of staff costs, trustee remuneration and expenses, and the cost of key management personnel
Staff costs were as follows:
Net incoming resources for the year
This is stated after charging / crediting:
Independent Examiner's fees net of VAT
The total employee benefits including pension contributions of the key management personnel were
£86,623 (2023: £81,955).
Social security costs
Salaries and wages
Other staff costs
Staff pension costs
The charity trustees were not paid or received any other benefits from employment with the charity in the
year (2023: £nil). No charity trustee received payment for professional or other services supplied to the
charity (2023: £nil).
No trustees received any payment or reimbursement of travel and subsistence costs.
Staff numbers
The average number of employees during the year was as follows:
Support
Governance
The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension) during the
year between:
Charitable activity

49

Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 10
11
12
2024
2023
£
£
50,000
55,000
50,000
55,000
13
2024
2023
£
£
6,892
7,689
-
881
2,200
1,900
9,092
10,470
Taxation
The charitable company is exempt from corporation tax as all its income is charitable and is applied for
charitable purposes.
Debtors
Pension liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
Accured income
Taxation & social security
Accruals
The charity is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. The liability of each member in the
event of winding up is limited to £1.
Legal status of the charity

50

Maslaha
Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 14
General
Unrestricte
d funds
Designated
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
funds
£
£
£
£
Tangible fixed assets
-
-
-
-
Net current assets
493,547
-
220,431
713,978
Net assets at the end of the year
493,547
-
220,431
713,978
General
Unrestricte
d funds
Designated
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Total
funds
£
£
£
£
Tangible fixed assets
-
-
-
-
Net current assets
381,989
-
361,806
743,795
Net assets at the end of the year
381,989
-
361,806
743,795
15 Movements in funds
Transfers
£
£
£
£
£
Restricted funds:
Barrow Cadbury
-
10,750
(10,750)
-
-
National Lottery - SWR
53,727
100,012
(94,315)
-
59,424
National Lottery
70,748
49,991
(84,686)
-
36,053
Sports England
41,076
27,616
(68,692)
-
-
Lloyds Foundation
165,575
500
(65,528)
-
100,547
Baring Foundation
30,680
-
(30,680)
-
-
The Bromley Trust
-
10,000
(10,000)
-
-
Go London
-
20,273
(3,882)
-
16,391
Network For Social NSCCT
-
8,016
-
-
8,016
Total restricted funds
361,806
227,158
(368,533)
-
220,431
General funds
Total Unrestricted Funds
381,989
202,525
(90,967)
-
493,547
Total unrestricted funds
381,989
202,525
(90,967)
-
493,547
Total funds including pension fund
743,795
429,683
(459,500)
-
713,978
At the start
of the year
Incoming
resources
& gains
Outgoing
resources
& losses
At the
end of
the year
Analysis of net assets between funds-prior year
Analysis of net assets between funds

51

Maslaha
Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 Movements in funds-prior year
Transfers
£
£
£
£
£
Restricted funds:
Barrow Cadbury
3,139
10,250
(13,389)
-
-
National Lottery - SWR
-
100,012
(46,285)
-
53,727
National Lottery
79,968
50,991
(60,211)
-
70,748
Evens Foundation
10,653
-
(10,653)
-
-
Sports England
1,184
63,157
(23,265)
-
41,076
Porticus Foundation
11,260
-
(11,260)
-
-
Lloyds Foundation
124,210
130,441
(89,076)
-
165,575
Baring Foundation
46,849
1,954
(18,123)
-
30,680
Total restricted funds
277,263
356,805
(272,262)
-
361,806
General funds
Total Unrestricted Funds
278,080
171,800
(67,891)
-
381,989
Total unrestricted funds
278,080
171,800
(67,891)
-
381,989
Total funds including pension fund
555,343
528,605
(340,153)
-
743,795
At the start
of the year
Incoming
resources
& gains
Outgoing
resources
& losses
At the
end of
the year

52

Notes to the financial statements
For the year ended 31 March 2024		 Barrow Cadbury
Baring Foundation
Sports England
Lloyds Foundation
Improving vital services for Muslims in the prison system and highlighting systemic racism.
National Lottery- continuation of the Muslim Girls Fence project and National Lottery
Connecting communities to schools
16
17.
Operating lease commitments
At the balance sheet date, the charity had no financial commmitment under non-cancellable operating
leases.
Related party transactions
There are no related party transactions to disclose for the year (2023: none).
This is a continuation of Muslim girl Fence in the context of inactivity and economic disadvantage.
Developing Maslaha methodologies and tools to challenge educational inequality in UK primary schools.
Using legal tools to highlight the discrimination faced by Muslims in prison.
Porticus Foundation
The purpose of this grant is to improving vital services for Muslims in the prison system and highlighting
systemic racism.

53

Maslaha was incorporated as a limited liability company (7309979) on July 9[th] 2010 and was registered as a charity in England and Wales (1139560) on December 29[th] 2010.

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54