Since 9/11, over 1900 Muslims have been arrested on terrorism charges. Most have been released, a few have been charged and are currently awaiting trial, while only a handful have actually been convicted of any terrorism offenses. Many foreign nationals have been placed under 'control orders' while others have been deported back to their home countries along with their wives and children.
For every arrest and detention, a home has been raided and ravaged and a family has suffered the loss of a loved one, a bread winner, a dear husband. a much loved son. These are homes where life will never be the same.
For many of these families, daily tasks have become difficult, they are struggling to make ends meet and transport to visit their loved ones is infrequent. On top of this, their friends have disowned them, their Mosques have abandoned them, and their communities have shunned them. They are lonely, vulnerable, and desperately in need of help.
HHUGS, Helping Households Under Great Stress, is a registered charity that was setup in September 2004 in response to the increasing number of 'anti-terror' arrests across the country.
HHUGS provides practical support and advice to households devastated by the arrest of a family member under UK anti-terror legislation.
OUR SERVICES
• Household help
• Emotional support
• Childcare
• Transporting families to prison visits
• Media advice and support
• Food vouchers
• Food rotas
• Driving lessons
• Educational and vocational courses
• Arranging professional/specialist help and assistance
• Arranging trips, outings and parties for the families of the detainees
• Gifts on special occasions such as Eid
• Financial grants in the form of:
- Special payments to relieve sudden distress
- Weekly allowances for a limited period to meet a particular need, or household expense e.g. groceries.
- Payment of travelling expenses for visiting imprisoned family members or volunteers to assist families with prison visits
- Payments to meet expenses associated with visiting imprisoned family members, for example, child-minding, accommodation or other situations pertaining to our remit, for example, travel or accommodation to attend a trial
- Payments to assist in meeting utility bills electricity, gas, and water bills
- Payments towards part of their rent
- Assistance with the purchase of furniture, bedding, clothing, food, fuel, heating appliances.
- Payments towards education e.g. school fees for children of detainees, courses for released detainees or wives, driving lessons for wives of detainees
OUR BENEFICIARIES
• Prisoners held under Anti-Terrorism Laws in the UK (excluding convicted prisoners)
• Prisoners detained without trial in the UK
• Prisoners held on remand in the UK
• Control order detainees in the UK
• Detainees held under deportation bail in the UK
• Families resident in the UK where a relative is detained in the UK or abroad, in Guantanamo or other prisons, as a result of the ‘War on Terror’
• Former prisoners from Guantanamo or other prisons resident in the UK
• Rehabilitating convicted prisoners following the completion of their sentence and release from prison
OUR PATRONS
Moazzam Begg: Ex-Guantanamo Detainee, Director of CagePrisoners
Mozzam was detained in Guantanamo Bay for nearly three years before being released without charge or trial. Since then Mozzam has been campaigning tirelessly for the detainees of the ‘War on Terror’ and their families.
Gareth Peirce: Renowned Human Rights Lawyer
Gareth Peirce is an English solicitor, and was educated at the independent Cheltenham Ladies' College, the University of Oxford and the London School of Economics. She is known for her work in high profile cases representing people with Irish and Muslim backgrounds accused of terrorism.
Imam Wasim Kempson: Imam of Al-Muntada Al-Islami
Imam Wasim Kempson graduated from Madinah Islamic University with a BA Hons in Shari'ah. He is currently the Imam of Al Muntada Al Islami.
Rizwan Hussain: Barrister, Human Rights Activist, and Presenter on Islam Channel and Channel S
Rizwan Hussain is a British barrister, television presenter and an international humanitarian worker. He best known for being a television presenter on Islamic programs on Islam Channel and Channel S.
