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Far-right and Islamist threats made the man set to be the UK’s next anti-Muslim hatred adviser withdraw before being appointed.

Fiyaz Mughal, founder and director of Faith Matters, said he was set to be appointed by Communities Secretary Michael Gove as a liaison to help the government tackle Islamophobia.

It was first reported by GB News on Friday that he would take on the role, which Mr Mughal claimed was leaked by a member of the government.

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However, he told Sky News that he withdrew after receiving “extreme threats” in his personal emails and “racialised hatred” from far-right groups. He also said Islamist groups started a “malicious, targeted campaign against me”.

After stepping down, Mr Mughal said: “This is the state of our country, sadly, that people who try to do what is right for our country – to bring communities together, to tackle extremism – are being hounded out of government.”

He also questioned the government’s approach to Islamophobia, asking “how seriously are you actually taking anti-Muslim hatred?”

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The campaigner said he was offered to be a liaison with British Muslim communities two days a month with a “£1,000 payment – I can get that doing other work – with me getting no security protection, no support and being left out there on my own devices”.

He added: “Enough is enough. I stepped away because it is traumatising to me… I’m a working man.

“Actually it is enough that after 20 years I just can’t accept any more abuse. It is traumatising my mental health.”

While Mr Mughal said the government “has done an amazing amount of work” in tackling Muslim hatred, he said it “has not put resources behind its mouth, that is the difference”.

The Faith Matters boss added: “I am in a different environment where I need to look after my security, and [the] government doesn’t acknowledge that.”

It comes as the government prepares to publish a revised definition of extremist groups after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hit out at “forces here at home trying to tear us apart”.

Mr Gove told The Sunday Telegraph that a revised definition of extremist groups would receive “more specificity” and enable the government and others to ban funding and engagement with Islamist and far-right groups.

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins failed to name which groups or individuals would fall under the revised definition when she was interviewed on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

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Gove: Pro-Palestine marches should question potential ‘extremist organisers’
Fears government will use new lists of extremists to embarrass Labour

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Extremism ‘delicate balancing act’

Been in power for 14 years’

When asked about the changes to the definition of extremism, Mr Mughal said: “I welcome wholly this initiative government has taken.

“They’ve been in power for 14 years. They may be out of power in seven months. It is at the tail end of a government, been in power for 14 years. Where have they been on this agenda for 14 years?”

Imam Qari Asim was the last person to hold the post of independent Islamophobia adviser to the government. He was removed from the post in 2022 after calling for a film to be banned.

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Alexander Zurawski: Mum sentenced for killing six-year-old son after hearing ‘demonic voices’

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Alexander Zurawski: Mum sentenced for killing six-year-old son after hearing 'demonic voices'

A mum has been sentenced for killing her six-year-old son after hearing “demonic voices”.

Karolina Zurawska, 42, previously pleaded guilty to the manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility of Alexander Zurawski.

Alexander was found dead at a property in the Gendros area of Swansea on 29 August last year.

His mother was found next to him with a handsaw at her side.

At Swansea Crown Court on Friday, the judge also sentenced Zurawska for the attempted murder of her 67-year-old father, Krzysztof Siwi, earlier the same day.

She was handed an indefinite hospital order.

The court heard Zurawska had previously been the “best mother” to her son, who was recovering from a brain tumour which left him partially sighted and requiring a cane to walk.

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In a tribute released after his death, Alexander’s family said he was a “very kind child” who was “very clever and very mature for his age”.

“Alexander was always well behaved and never naughty,” the statement added.

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Cardinal Vincent Nichols: British cardinal who will be in the conclave says picking the next pope is ‘intimidating’

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Cardinal Vincent Nichols: British cardinal who will be in the conclave says picking the next pope is 'intimidating'

The head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales has told Sky News it’s “intimidating” to be one of those responsible for choosing the next pope.

Vincent Nichols is among four UK cardinals in Rome for the Pope’s funeral on Saturday.

Following the funeral, and after nine days of mourning, cardinals from around the world will gather in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel to cast their votes, with white smoke announcing to the world when a new pope has been elected.

Cardinal Nichols told Sky’s Anna Botting: “I hope nobody goes into this conclave, as it were, with the sole purpose of wanting to win. I think it’s very important that we go in wanting to listen to each other… It has to be together, trying to sense what God wants next. Not just for the church.”

Becoming emotional, he also said the final message he would like to have given Pope Francis is “thank you”.

The 88-year-old died peacefully on Easter Monday, the Vatican confirmed.

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Pope’s cause of death confirmed .

Heads of state – including Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron – have all confirmed their attendance at his funeral, which takes place on Saturday at St Peter’s Square.

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Prince William will attend on behalf of the King, Kensington Palace has said.

Cardinal Nichols explained that the funeral would be “exactly the same Catholic rite as everyone else – just on a grander scale”.

In a break from tradition, Pope Francis will be the first pope in a century to be interred outside the Vatican – and will instead be laid to rest at his favourite church, Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica in Rome’s Esquilino neighbourhood.

He will also be buried in just one simple wooden coffin, instead of the traditional three coffins which are usually used for pontiffs.

Born in Crosby near Liverpool, Cardinal Vincent Nichols hoped to be a lorry driver as a child – but as a teenager reportedly felt the calling to join the priesthood while watching Liverpool FC.

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Where will Pope Francis be buried?

As cardinal, he is known for leading the church’s work tackling human trafficking and modern slavery, for which he received the UN Path to Peace Award.

He was criticised by the UK’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, which said he “demonstrated a lack of understanding” of the impact of abuse and “seemingly put the reputation of the church first”.

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3D map shows pope’s funeral route

Cardinal Nichols, responding to the findings, previously told Sky News he was “ashamed at what has happened in the context of the Catholic Church” and promised to improve the church’s response.

He has appeared to rule himself out of the running for pope, telling reporters he was “too old, not capable”.

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Man shot dead by police had called 999 himself, preliminary report indicates

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Man shot dead by police had called 999 himself, preliminary report indicates

A man who was shot dead by police had called 999 himself, an initial investigation into the death has suggested.

David Joyce was killed by “a single gunshot wound to the abdomen” after officers shot him at close range outside Milton Keynes railway station on 1 April, according to preliminary findings.

The 38-year-old, who lived in the town, was given first aid by officers but died at the scene.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the circumstances leading up to the death and revealed its initial findings.

It said it had established that Mr Joyce was armed with a 12cm steak knife when he “ran at two officers” before being shot by an officer from a Thames Valley Police armed response unit.

The IOPC said police had been alerted to the incident following a 999 call “from a man reporting that ‘there is a man with a gun down at the train station in Milton Keynes'”.

“The call handler rang back after the caller hung up during the call and spoke to the man again who said the man with the gun was acting suspiciously, looked like he was about to do something bad and ‘definitely’ had a gun,” it said in a statement.

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“Records show that the mobile phone number used to make the 999 call had been used to call police before and was linked to Mr Joyce.

“CCTV footage shows Mr Joyce making a phone call at a time which matches with when the 999 call to police was made.”

Police at the scene of the incident. Pic: PA
Image:
Police at the scene of the incident. Pic: PA

An inquest into his death was opened and adjourned at Milton Keynes Coroners’ Court earlier in April and a full hearing will follow after the IOPC investigation concludes.

IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: “We again extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of David Joyce and all those affected by this incident. We continue to keep his family informed of our progress.

“Our investigators are working hard to piece together the circumstances leading up to Mr Joyce being shot by a police officer and have already carried out a significant amount of enquiries.”

He said the enquiries included accounts from the police officers involved, CCTV from inside and outside the station, footage from officers’ bodyworn cameras and police vehicle dashcam footage, and statements from members of the public who witnessed the shooting.

The IOPC added that, as is standard in investigations following a fatal police shooting, it would “look at the decisions and actions of officers prior to and during their interaction with Mr Joyce – including the medical care they provided at the scene; if the lethal force was necessary, justified and proportionate; and whether the officers followed policy”.

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