My name is Umair Tariq, civil engineer by profession, and I live on Madeira Island, Portugal, with my Portuguese wife (social worker by profession) and our three young children.

For years, we lived a peaceful and fulfilling life here. I have always been deeply involved in the community and in trail running competitions, something that brought me great joy and helped me stay strong physically and mentally.

One of the biggest challenges for Muslims on the island is that Madeira has no Islamic cemetery. This creates deep emotional and financial hardships for families, as transporting a loved one outside the island is extremely expensive—and our children lose the ability to stay connected to their father’s resting place.

To address this, I worked with others to create a local association with a simple mission:

to establish an Islamic cemetery and a small mosque, a place of peace, dignity, and spiritual support for our community.

We named it:

Centro Cultural Islâmico da Madeira.

What Went Wrong

Shortly after we opened the association, few far-right politicians (Miguel Castro and Francisco Gomes) from chega party began spreading misinformation, slander, and hateful propaganda against us. We were falsely accused of things like drug trafficking and money laundering—claims with absolutely no basis.

This targeted harassment quickly escalated:

• My photos were shared across groups calling for people to attack or threaten me.

• A politician recorded and shared videos of my wife’s car, our home, and even our address.

• My wife fell into depression, and we had to install security cameras around our house for our safety.

• I stopped training, my work suffered, and our entire community now lives in fear.

• Despite filing two police reports, nothing has been done so far.

• Several lawyers refused to take our case out of fear of going against this political group.

I even appeared in the JM & Diario newspaper and TV (RTP) to clarify the truth and defend our rights, but the harassment continues. It has been months, with no sign of these attacks stopping.

Why I Need Your Help

After searching for a long time, I finally found a lawyer willing to stand up to this political intimidation and help us take legal action. I have already invested all my savings to protect my family and my community—but it is not enough.

We need help to:

• Fund the legal case against the politician spreading hate and disinformation

• Protect our association, which legally exists and is fully within our constitutional rights

• Ensure the safety of my wife, children, and the community in Madeira

• Stand against misinformation so others do not suffer the same attacks

All members of our association have clean criminal records in Portugal and in their home countries. Yet because of the ongoing smear campaign, even banks now refuse to open an account for our association.

together we Can Make a Difference

This is not just about one family. It is about standing up for freedom of religion, human dignity, and the right to live without fear.

If we do nothing, these extremist voices will continue to destroy the lives of innocent people.

Your support—no matter the amount—will help us fight this injustice and protect a vulnerable community.

If you would like to know more or verify anything, you can reach us through our official Facebook page.

Thank you for reading, and thank you for standing with us.

Umair Tariq

President CCIM

Madeira Island, Portugal

my TV interview link : https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ZUesGNqx6/