Nisa-Nashim - Revision history

David: /* Connections to Zionism */

2023-02-25T11:20:04Z

Connections to Zionism

David: /* Staff */

2022-04-03T13:43:13Z

Staff

David: /* People */

2022-04-03T13:40:39Z

People

David: /* Connections to counter extremism */

2022-04-03T13:39:48Z

Connections to counter extremism

David: /* People */

2022-04-03T13:39:12Z

People

David at 13:38, 3 April 2022

2022-04-03T13:38:27Z

David: /* Connections to counter extremism */

2022-04-03T13:33:48Z

Connections to counter extremism

David at 13:24, 3 April 2022

2022-04-03T13:24:31Z

David: /* Connections to counter extremism */

2022-04-03T13:21:18Z

Connections to counter extremism

David: /* Connections to counter extremism */

2022-04-03T12:31:58Z

Connections to counter extremism

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 *[[Laura Marks]], Co-Founder, Trustee and Director (27 September 2016–9 September 2019), Chief Executive Officer. Marks was Senior Vice-President of the [[Board of Deputies of British Jews]] (2012–15), which, according to its own account, has a ‘Close working relationship with the Embassy of Israel in the UK, including with the Ambassador, diplomats, and professional staff, and strengthened links to the Israeli [[Ministry of Strategic Affairs]] and the [[IDF]] [Israeli Defense Forces]’. Marks is also a trustee of the Jewish Leadership Council (JLC), chair of [[Holocaust Memorial Day Trust]] and founder of [[Mitzvah Day]] – another interfaith project seeking to normalise Zionism in the Muslim community. Marks was a member of the Zionist youth group [[Habonim Dror]], as was her husband, the TV producer [[Dan Patterson]]. In February 2020, Marks attended the [[British Islam Conference]]. This event was run by [[New Horizons in British Islam]] – an organisation with a covert connection to the [[Research, Information and Communications Unit]] (RICU), the propaganda unit of the Home Office’s [[Homeland Security Group]] (HSG, as the [[Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism]] (OSCT) became known in April 2021).
 *[[Miriam Nina Gitlin]], Trustee and Director (appointed 25 May 2018). Gitlin moved to Israel in c.2000, where she was ‘admitted to the Israeli bar’. During her five years in Israel, she worked as a government lawyer in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Environment.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20210509231812/http://pgbsolicitors.com/team.htm</ref>
-*[[Denise Joseph]], Trustee and Director (since Sept 2016). Joseph describes herself as ‘an ardent Zionist’.<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/im-an-ardent-zionist-but-israels-annexation-makes-no-sense/2020/06/25/f949e6a4-b59e-11ea-a8da-693df3d7674a_story.html</ref> She is also a trustee at the pro-Israel [[OneVoice Europe]],<ref>https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/ZEhC9z-aD-i0CRERQSFFpM3bNoU/appointments</ref> which is engaged in pushing pro-Israel propaganda in British schools.<ref>https://www.cage.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Repression-of-Palestine-solidarity-in-Schools-2021.pdf</ref>
+*[[Denise Joseph]], Trustee and Director (since Sept 2016). Joseph describes herself as ‘an ardent Zionist’.<ref> https://web.archive.org/web/20220420132914/https://www.onevoicemovement.org/delegation/testimonies-and-gallery#/list </ref> She is also a trustee at the pro-Israel [[OneVoice Europe]],<ref>https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/ZEhC9z-aD-i0CRERQSFFpM3bNoU/appointments</ref> which is engaged in pushing pro-Israel propaganda in British schools.<ref>https://www.cage.ngo/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Repression-of-Palestine-solidarity-in-Schools-2021.pdf</ref>
 *[[Judith Flacks-Leigh]], Trustee and Director (January 2017–December 2020). Flacks-Leigh has worked with a dizzying collection of Zionist organisations, including being Head of Communications and Campaigns at the [[JLC]] (April 2016–July 2019) and a trustee of the [[Union of Jewish Students]] (since August 2020). Between December 2014 and January 2016, Flacks-Leigh served as Communications Officer at the UK’s main pro-Israel lobby group, the [[Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre]] (BICOM). Immediately afterwards, she was employed as parliamentary assistant to [[John Spellar]] MP, a vice chair of [[Labour Friends of Israel]] with strong connections to BICOM. Flacks-Leigh sat on the defence division of the [[BoD]] (2018–2021), was a on the National Executive Committee of the [[Jewish Labour Movement]] (July 2017–Oct 2018) and a volunteer with the pro-Israel [[American Jewish Committee]] (2014).
 *[[Elizabeth Arif-Fear]], co-chair of one of the local groups of Nisa-Nashim.  Arif-Fear reportedly posted ‘an image of the Israeli flag on her Twitter feed with a hashtag which expresses support for Israel, #AmYisraelChai’, and has said she struggles ‘to understand Jews who are anti-Zionist’.<ref>[https://archive.ph/DMuW5 Pro-Israel, pro-LGBT activist Elizabeth Arif-Fear is employed by Islamic Relief], ''5Pillars'', 18th August 2020</ref> She has also been involved with a number of notoriously pro-Israel groups such as being a trustee of [[Muslims Against Anti-Semitism]], set up by [[Ghanem Nuseibeh]], a Palestinian supporter of Zionism and  pro-UAE lobbyist in the UK.

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 *[[Laura Marks]] Role Resigned   Director Date of birth April 1960 Appointed on  27 September 2016 Resigned on 9 September 2019 Occupation  Consultant<ref>Companies House [https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10397556/officers Nisa-Nashim: Officers]. Accessed 21 April 2020.</ref>
 ===Staff===
 ==Contact==

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 ==People==
+===Directors===
 *[[Akeela Ahmed]] Role Active Director Date of birth, August 1978 Appointed on 25 May 2018. Occupation Self Employed
 *[[Miriam Nina Gitlin]] Role Active Director, Date of birth September 1963. Appointed on 25 May 2018. Occupation Lawyer
@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 *[[Judith Flacks]] Role Resigned  Director Date of birth   July 1989 Appointed on  25 May 2018 Resigned on  31 December 2019 Occupation Head Of Campaigns
 *[[Laura Marks]] Role Resigned   Director Date of birth April 1960 Appointed on  27 September 2016 Resigned on 9 September 2019 Occupation  Consultant<ref>Companies House [https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10397556/officers Nisa-Nashim: Officers]. Accessed 21 April 2020.</ref>
 ==Contact==

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 ==Connections to counter extremism==
-* [[Julie Siddiqi]], Co-Founder, Trustee and Director (27 Sept 2016–3 Nov 2020). Siddiqi is also an advisor to Marks’ [[Mitzvah Day]], as well as being founder and director (since 2015) of [[Sadaqa Day]] – a project that emulated in the Muslim community the formula of Zionist advocacy piloted by Mitzvah Day. She was also coordinator of a similar project, [[The Big Iftar]], during Ramadan 2014. Siddiqi has spoken at receptions hosted by the British military.<ref>Greenbelt Festival [https://archive.ph/vpexH Julie Siddiqi]</ref> In 2013, she stated that ‘British Muslims should be wearing poppies, not burning them’ and that the centenary of the 1914–18 war provided an opportunity to tell young Muslims that ‘we are all in this together’.<ref>Roshan Salih [https://5pillarsuk.com/2013/11/06/some-muslim-community-leaders-urge-muslims-to-wear-the-poppy/ Some Muslim community leaders urge Muslims to wear the poppy
+* [[Julie Siddiqi]], Co-Founder, Trustee and Director (27 Sept 2016–3 Nov 2020). Siddiqi is also an advisor to Marks’ [[Mitzvah Day]], as well as being founder and director (since 2015) of [[Sadaqa Day]] – a project that emulated in the Muslim community the formula of Zionist advocacy piloted by Mitzvah Day. She was also coordinator of a similar project, [[The Big Iftar]], during Ramadan 2014. Siddiqi has spoken at receptions hosted by the British military.<ref>Greenbelt Festival [https://archive.ph/vpexH Julie Siddiqi]</ref> In 2013, she stated that ‘British Muslims should be wearing poppies, not burning them’ and that the centenary of the 1914–18 war provided an opportunity to tell young Muslims that ‘we are all in this together’.<ref>Roshan Salih [https://5pillarsuk.com/2013/11/06/some-muslim-community-leaders-urge-muslims-to-wear-the-poppy/ Some Muslim community leaders urge Muslims to wear the poppy] ''5Pillars'', 6th November 2013</ref> In 2014, Siddiqi visited the Ministry of Defence to be briefed about British armed operations in Iraq, claiming the event was ‘very useful’ and ‘it’s crucial for us to feel that we can give our concerns and feedback and to feel that they have been taken on board and taken seriously’. She added: ‘I can’t see any other country in the world where you could have something like this, so it is something we should be proud of’.<ref>[https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2014/10/10/UK-defense-ministry-briefs-Muslim-community-leaders-on-Iraq-intervention UK defense ministry briefs Muslim community leaders on Iraq mission], Al-Arabiya. 10 October ,2014. </ref> Previously, Siddiqi was a member of the UK government’s [[National Muslim Women’s Advisory Group]] – an attempt to undermine Muslim opposition to foreign wars. She also sits on the UK government’s national [[Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group]] as an ‘independent’ member along with a host of other government-funded apologists for the PREVENT programme. In December 2019, Siddiqi and Nisa-Nashim ran a session with [[Judy Silkoff]], Director of Operations at the [[Board of Deputies of British Jews]] (BoD), at the [[Limmud conference]], titled ‘Hands off our headscarves’. Limmud is funded by a wide range of key Zionist groups, foundations and individuals, including the [[United Jewish Israel Appeal]] (UJIA), the largest pro-Israel funding group in the UK, and its long-time head, [[Trevor Chinn]].<ref>Limmud [https://web.archive.org/web/20200806220855/https://limmud.org/inside-limmud/partners/ Partners]. retrieved from the Internet Archive of 6 august 2020.</ref> Siddiqi’s husband, [[Naved Siddiqi|Naved]], is a trustee at [[New Horizons in British Islam]], which hosted the [[Britain Islam conference]] attended by Marks. Since resigning as a trustee in November 2020, Siddiqi has continued to ‘remain involved’ with the charity.<ref name="2020accounts"> Nisa-Nashim [https://powerbase.info/images/c/cd/Nisa-Nashim-Annual_Report_2020.pdf Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2020], Companies House.</ref>
 *[[Akeela Ahmed]], Trustee and Director (25 May 2018–4 Jan 2021). In the accounts for 2020, Ahmed was said to ‘remain involved’ with Nisa-Nashim despite her resignation as a Trustee.<ref name="2020accounts"/> Her main claims to public notice are being involved in the [[Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group]] with a whole hoist of other apologists for British counter-terrorism policy; and occupying a role in the [[Muslim Youth Helpline]], which ended in acrimony in 2009 when she and her husband (the journalist [[Nafeez Ahmed]]) reportedly contacted the police to report charity colleagues to PREVENT.<ref>Assed Baig [http://assedbaig.com/muslim-youth-helpline-closes-and-ceo-stands-down-amid-police-leak-row/ Muslim Youth Helpline Closes and CEO Stands Down Amid Police Leak Row] Posted on June 12, 2012. Accessed 13 April 2020.</ref>
 ===Connections to British intelligence===

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 *[[Hifsa Haroon-Iqbal]] Role Active Director. Date of birth July 1964 Appointed on 25 May 2018. Occupation  Civil Servant
 *[[Denise Nicole Joseph]] Role Active   Director Date of birth   November 1962 Appointed on 27 September 2016. Occupation Chartered Accountant
-*[[Ahmereen Reza]] Role Active  Director Date of birth   November 1961 Appointed on    25 May 2018. Occupation   Housing And International Development Consultant. Reza was Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hodge Hill Birmingham at the 2017 general election and a Conservative List candidate for the Greater London Assembly in 2019.<ref>Conservative Friends of Pakistan [https://web.archive.org/web/20211103142010/https:/www.cfop.org.uk/people/ahmereen-reza-obe< Ahmereen Reza]/ref>  Since March 2014, she has been Director of [[Conservative Friends of Pakistan]].<Ref>Companies House [https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/DmVmtScOAUfOXsOmDuQ_2D9vUfs/appointments Ahmereen Reza]</ref>
+*[[Ahmereen Reza]] Role Active  Director Date of birth   November 1961 Appointed on    25 May 2018. Occupation   Housing And International Development Consultant. Reza was Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hodge Hill Birmingham at the 2017 general election and a Conservative List candidate for the Greater London Assembly in 2019.<ref>Conservative Friends of Pakistan [https://web.archive.org/web/20211103142010/https:/www.cfop.org.uk/people/ahmereen-reza-obe< Ahmereen Reza]</ref>  Since March 2014, she has been Director of [[Conservative Friends of Pakistan]].<ref>Companies House [https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/DmVmtScOAUfOXsOmDuQ_2D9vUfs/appointments Ahmereen Reza]</ref>
 *[[Julie Margaret Siddiqi]] Role Active Director Date of birth   October 1971 Appointed on 27 September 2016 Occupation  Consultant
 *[[Judith Flacks]] Role Resigned  Director Date of birth   July 1989 Appointed on  25 May 2018 Resigned on  31 December 2019 Occupation Head Of Campaigns

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 ==Connections to counter extremism==
 * [[Julie Siddiqi]], Co-Founder, Trustee and Director (27 Sept 2016–3 Nov 2020). Siddiqi is also an advisor to Marks’ [[Mitzvah Day]], as well as being founder and director (since 2015) of [[Sadaqa Day]] – a project that emulated in the Muslim community the formula of Zionist advocacy piloted by Mitzvah Day. She was also coordinator of a similar project, [[The Big Iftar]], during Ramadan 2014. Siddiqi has spoken at receptions hosted by the British military.<ref>Greenbelt Festival [https://archive.ph/vpexH Julie Siddiqi]</ref> In 2013, she stated that ‘British Muslims should be wearing poppies, not burning them’ and that the centenary of the 1914–18 war provided an opportunity to tell young Muslims that ‘we are all in this together’.<ref>Roshan Salih [https://5pillarsuk.com/2013/11/06/some-muslim-community-leaders-urge-muslims-to-wear-the-poppy/ Some Muslim community leaders urge Muslims to wear the poppy
-''5Pillars'', 6th November 2013</ref> In 2014, Siddiqi visited the Ministry of Defence to be briefed about British armed operations in Iraq, claiming the event was ‘very useful’ and ‘it’s crucial for us to feel that we can give our concerns and feedback and to feel that they have been taken on board and taken seriously’. She added: ‘I can’t see any other country in the world where you could have something like this, so it is something we should be proud of’.<ref>https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2014/10/10/UK-defense-ministry-briefs-Muslim-community-leaders-on-Iraq-intervention </ref> Previously, Siddiqi was a member of the UK government’s [[National Muslim Women’s Advisory Group]] – an attempt to undermine Muslim opposition to foreign wars. She also sits on the UK government’s national [[Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group]] as an ‘independent’ member along with a host of other government-funded apologists for the PREVENT programme. In December 2019, Siddiqi and Nisa-Nashim ran a session with [[Judy Silkoff]], Director of Operations at the [[Board of Deputies of British Jews]] (BoD), at the [[Limmud conference]], titled ‘Hands off our headscarves’. Limmud is funded by a wide range of key Zionist groups, foundations and individuals, including the [[United Jewish Israel Appeal]] (UJIA), the largest pro-Israel funding group in the UK, and its long-time head, [[Trevor Chinn]].<ref>Limmud [https://web.archive.org/web/20200806220855/https://limmud.org/inside-limmud/partners/ Partners]. retrieved from the Internet Archive of 6 august 2020.</ref> Siddiqi’s husband, [[Naved Siddiqi|Naved]], is a trustee at [[New Horizons in British Islam]], which hosted the [[Britain Islam conference]] attended by Marks. Since resigning as a trustee in November 2020, Siddiqi has continued to ‘remain involved’ with the charity.<ref name="2020accounts"/>
+''5Pillars'', 6th November 2013</ref> In 2014, Siddiqi visited the Ministry of Defence to be briefed about British armed operations in Iraq, claiming the event was ‘very useful’ and ‘it’s crucial for us to feel that we can give our concerns and feedback and to feel that they have been taken on board and taken seriously’. She added: ‘I can’t see any other country in the world where you could have something like this, so it is something we should be proud of’.<ref>https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2014/10/10/UK-defense-ministry-briefs-Muslim-community-leaders-on-Iraq-intervention </ref> Previously, Siddiqi was a member of the UK government’s [[National Muslim Women’s Advisory Group]] – an attempt to undermine Muslim opposition to foreign wars. She also sits on the UK government’s national [[Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group]] as an ‘independent’ member along with a host of other government-funded apologists for the PREVENT programme. In December 2019, Siddiqi and Nisa-Nashim ran a session with [[Judy Silkoff]], Director of Operations at the [[Board of Deputies of British Jews]] (BoD), at the [[Limmud conference]], titled ‘Hands off our headscarves’. Limmud is funded by a wide range of key Zionist groups, foundations and individuals, including the [[United Jewish Israel Appeal]] (UJIA), the largest pro-Israel funding group in the UK, and its long-time head, [[Trevor Chinn]].<ref>Limmud [https://web.archive.org/web/20200806220855/https://limmud.org/inside-limmud/partners/ Partners]. retrieved from the Internet Archive of 6 august 2020.</ref> Siddiqi’s husband, [[Naved Siddiqi|Naved]], is a trustee at [[New Horizons in British Islam]], which hosted the [[Britain Islam conference]] attended by Marks. Since resigning as a trustee in November 2020, Siddiqi has continued to ‘remain involved’ with the charity.<ref name="2020accounts"> Nisa-Nashim [ Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2020], Companies House.</ref>
-*[[Akeela Ahmed]], Trustee and Director (25 May 2018–4 Jan 2021). In the accounts for 2020, Ahmed was said to ‘remain involved’ with Nisa-Nashim despite her resignation as a Trustee.<ref>Nisa-Nashim [ Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2020], Companies House.</ref> Her main claims to public notice are being involved in the [[Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group]] with a whole hoist of other apologists for British counter-terrorism policy; and occupying a role in the [[Muslim Youth Helpline]], which ended in acrimony in 2009 when she and her husband (the journalist [[Nafeez Ahmed]]) reportedly contacted the police to report charity colleagues to PREVENT.<ref>Assed Baig [http://assedbaig.com/muslim-youth-helpline-closes-and-ceo-stands-down-amid-police-leak-row/ Muslim Youth Helpline Closes and CEO Stands Down Amid Police Leak Row] Posted on June 12, 2012. Accessed 13 April 2020.</ref>
+*[[Akeela Ahmed]], Trustee and Director (25 May 2018–4 Jan 2021). In the accounts for 2020, Ahmed was said to ‘remain involved’ with Nisa-Nashim despite her resignation as a Trustee.<ref name="2020accounts"/> Her main claims to public notice are being involved in the [[Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group]] with a whole hoist of other apologists for British counter-terrorism policy; and occupying a role in the [[Muslim Youth Helpline]], which ended in acrimony in 2009 when she and her husband (the journalist [[Nafeez Ahmed]]) reportedly contacted the police to report charity colleagues to PREVENT.<ref>Assed Baig [http://assedbaig.com/muslim-youth-helpline-closes-and-ceo-stands-down-amid-police-leak-row/ Muslim Youth Helpline Closes and CEO Stands Down Amid Police Leak Row] Posted on June 12, 2012. Accessed 13 April 2020.</ref>
 ===Connections to British intelligence===
 Nisa-Nashim has multiple connections to British intelligence.
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 ==The future?==
-Nisa-Nashim has had some success in encouraging participation in its events and in its main aim of presenting itself as an innocent interfaith endeavour. However, it has faced significant criticism in the Muslim community, as is admitted in their annual report in both 2019 and 2020, the latter of which states: ‘The climate of suspicion that our work is motivated by a political agenda continued in 2020’.<ref>Nisa-Nashim [https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-search?p_p_id=uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet&p_p_lifecycle=2&p_p_state=maximized&p_p_mode=view&p_p_resource_id=%2Faccounts-resource&p_p_cacheability=cacheLevelPage&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_objectiveId=A10671892&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_mvcRenderCommandName=%2Faccounts-and-annual-returns&_uk_gov_ccew_onereg_charitydetails_web_portlet_CharityDetailsPortlet_priv_r_p_organisationNumber=5097605 Annual Report and Unaudited Financial Statement for the year ended 31 December 2020]. Charity Commission.</ref> As a result, the organisation bemoans the difficulty of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic with reduced access to ‘opinion leaders’ and ‘potential donors’.  Total income declined from £82,359 in 2018 to £54,685 in 2019 and down to only £427 in 2020.  This would appear to suggest that the project may be heading for difficult times or possible extinction.
+Nisa-Nashim has had some success in encouraging participation in its events and in its main aim of presenting itself as an innocent interfaith endeavour. However, it has faced significant criticism in the Muslim community, as is admitted in their annual report in both 2019 and 2020, the latter of which states: ‘The climate of suspicion that our work is motivated by a political agenda continued in 2020’.<ref name="2020accounts"/> As a result, the organisation bemoans the difficulty of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic with reduced access to ‘opinion leaders’ and ‘potential donors’.  Total income declined from £82,359 in 2018 to £54,685 in 2019 and down to only £427 in 2020.  This would appear to suggest that the project may be heading for difficult times or possible extinction.
 ==Funding==