REPORTS of anti-Muslim hate have risen sharply in the UK over the summer, with mosques targeted and individuals abused on the streets, new figures from a charity revealed last week.
Tell MAMA, which monitors anti-Muslim incidents, said last Friday (26) it recorded 913 cases between June and September this year. Seventeen mosques and Islamic institutions were also targeted in attacks that, the charity warned, spread fear across communities who use them.
Victims frequently reported being told to “leave the UK” or “go back to your country” – language that Tell MAMA linked to political debates about migration. The group said such abuse echoed the hostility directed at minorities after the Brexit vote and was fuelling mistrust and division.
According to the charity, there was a sharp spike in reports following the Unite the Kingdom rally led by Tommy Robinson in London last month.
More than 100,000 people attended the event in Parliament Square, while about 5,000 joined a counter-demonstration. In the seven days after the rally, Tell MAMA received 157 reports of anti-Muslim hate.
Iman Atta, director of the charity, described the figures as “shocking” and warned that the full year’s total could exceed 6,000 cases, a record high. “We are looking at a serious problem of anti-Muslim hatred that is pervasive in parts of our country,” Atta said. “This comes at a time when real political leadership on this matter is missing.”
Tell MAMA has been documenting anti-Muslim hate for more than a decade and said it had seen consistent year-on-year rises. It accused ministers of failing to act decisively, arguing that long-running debates over definitions of Islamophobia had distracted from the urgent need to enforce existing laws.
Earlier this year, the charity announced it would no longer apply for government funding after a dispute over the handling of a new scheme. In July, the government said money from its Combatting Hate Against Muslims Fund would instead go to the British Muslim Trust, which brings together the Aziz Foundation and Randeree Charitable Trust.
The charity said that while community groups can play a role, the scale of the problem requires stronger national leadership.
“Attacks on mosques and faith institutions send a much wider message to those who worship there – that they are not safe,” Atta added. “This is toxic to community relations and to social cohesion going forward.”
