A growing culture of intimidation egged on by Islamists and far-right extremists is casting a chill over democratic freedoms in Britain, a major report has found.
Counter-extremism tsar Dame Sara Khan said the UK needs a special response unit to tackle “live flashpoint incidents” threatening social cohesion.
An ugly episode in which a teacher was forced into hiding after showing a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed in class shows the “devastating impact” such harassment can have, she said.
Her report warns that many Muslims and other religious believers who engage in public life are harassed by both the far right and hardliners in their own community.
Dame Sara warns police must be alive to intra-faith divisions to avoid inadvertently taking sides with extremists in the name of inclusion.
She warns of threats to British society that are “chronic, insidious and often sit below the radar”, with extremists pouncing on social and economic malaise during a cost-of-living crisis.
“The current winds of extremism, polarisation and democratic disruption combined with social and economic issues may cause even more unrest,” it says.
Key findings
Among the findings in the 150-page Khan Review:
· A majority (60 per cent) of people in Britain say the problem of “freedom-restricting harassment” has worsened in the past five years
· The problem extends well beyond abuse of politicians, with journalists, teachers, faith leaders, artists and community activists also subject to harassment
· A growing number of students think academics should be sacked for teaching offensive content, while a third of librarians have been asked to remove books
· The Israel-Palestine conflict has been a “radicalising moment”, with both far-right and Islamist extremists deliberately stoking tension
· The banned Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir discouraged Muslims in Stoke-on-Trent from taking part in elections, for example by distributing anti-democratic literature
· There was a “considerable lack of leadership” over the Batley Grammar School cartoon incident, with the teacher involved suffering long-term distress.
Dame Sara, who was appointed adviser for social cohesion and resilience in 2021, called for a five-year strategy to address the worrying trend.
One recommendation is for a “cohesion response unit” to be set up across departments to “respond to early tensions in live flashpoint incidents in a quicker and effective manner”.
The unit could also undertake “horizon-scanning initiatives” to raise preparedness.
A second suggestion is that protesters be kept 150 metres away from schools, the same buffer zone that applies to abortion clinics.
Intra-faith tension
The review also raises the alarm about harassment within faith communities. One Muslim official who works for a local authority said they were called a “traitor” and a “snake”.
“My children have been harassed and have had to move school. My tyres have been slashed and my house is red-flagged,” they were quoted as saying.
“I don’t have confidence that either the police or the local authority understand the intra-community abuse I and other Muslims experience and how frightened we are.”
An imam said he received death threats from hardliners. A Muslim woman said she feared sharing the fact she had attended an interfaith event with Britain's chief rabbi.
At the same time, the far right adds to harassment of Muslims, for instance, by leaping on to allegations about grooming gangs, which in some cases proved to be false.
In Stoke-on-Trent, there is concern both about Hizb-ut Tahrir supporters trying to infiltrate schools and mosques, and neo-Nazi elements who also have a foothold, the report says.
Equally, the tension in Batley was fuelled both by Islamist and far-right elements who “hijacked the incident” on social media.
The report suggests police should have safety officers with expertise in the religious narratives used to incite hatred.
Police forces “must have a thorough understanding of the diversity among a local faith or minority community to ensure effective policing”, it says.
“It is vital that police forces do not inadvertently support hate preachers and extremist actors in the misguided belief that such activity supports social cohesion or diversity and inclusion principles.”
The five pillars of Islam
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2.
3.
4.
5.
School uniforms report
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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Our commentary on Brexit
- Alistair Burt: Despite Brexit, Britain can remain a world power
- Con Coughlin: Choice of the British people will be vindicated
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tomorrow 2021
Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
Tomorrow 2021
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
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RESULTS
5pm: Watha Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
Winner: Dalil De Carrere, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m
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6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Pharitz Al Denari, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mahmood Hussain
6.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Oss, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Almajhaz, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AF Lewaa, Bernardo Pinheiro, Qaiss Aboud.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD5
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While you're here
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
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5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,400m
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6pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 1,400m
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6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Listed (PA) Dh180,000 1,600m
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Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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