Following discussions with Hertfordshire Scouts, and in light of serious threats levelled at the safety of children at the camp, we regret to announce that this year’s Camp Wilayah will not proceed at Phasels Wood over the bank holiday weekend.
We know this decision will cause some disappointment; however, our first priority is to protect the safety and security of our children, and we take this matter very seriously. For foreign political lobby groups, media outlets and far right thugs to make unfounded allegations that heighten the risk and encourage harm to children in the UK is truly disgraceful.
For over a decade, Camp Wilayah has been a cherished space where our children could enjoy the outdoors, grow in their values, and form lifelong friendships. Many of those who attended Camp Wilayah are now doctors, plumbers, teachers, engineers, and public servants, proud citizens who give back to Britain every single day. No evidence of wrongdoing has ever been found at Camp Wilayah, yet our children are being punished simply for their faith.
To attack such a wholesome and positive tradition is shameful, especially when threats are made by the Reform Party to mobilise protests and disrupt children’s camps. Not only is this despicable behaviour, but it is Islamophobia in plain sight, and it should alarm every member of society. In an age where far-right hate is being normalised, it is more important than ever to stand together against prejudice in all its forms.
Britain is facing an increasingly dangerous climate of hate, driven in part by hardline pro-Israel lobby groups such as the controversial UK Lawyers for Israel, ironically a registered ‘charity’, which targets Muslim institutions and those critical of the Israeli occupation, while defending and whitewashing the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Alongside them stands an emboldened far-right seeking to normalise anti-Muslim bigotry. Together, these forces are poisoning public life and making Islamophobia not only tolerated, but encouraged. All too often, public institutions, including the police and local authorities, are either unable or unwilling to protect Muslims from harassment, abuse, and orchestrated efforts to silence us.
This is not just about a camp, it is about our right to gather, to raise our children, and to live free from fear. We will not be intimidated, we will not retreat, and we will continue to build a stronger, fairer society for everyone.
Ahlulbayt Islamic Mission
12th August 2025