Threefold increase in anti-Muslim incidents since Hamas attack, finds charity

ANTI-MUSLIM hate incidents have increased threefold in the UK since Hamas attack on Israel last year, a charity has found.

Tell Mama has documented 2,247 anti-Muslim hate incidents, 1,001 offline and 1,246 online, in the four months between 7 October and 7 March. There were 721 incidents, 401 offline and 320 online, during the same period last year.

According to the charity, this is the largest rate of reporting such incidents since the charity was founded in 2011.

The latest statistics, published on Thursday (14) ahead of UN Action on Islamophobia Day, revealed that women were the targets of abuse in 65 per cent of recent cases.

The Islamophobia Day on Friday (15) commemorates the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attack that killed 51 people at two mosques five years ago in New Zealand.

Recent data indicated that, contrary to expectations of a decrease, there has been a persistent rise in reported cases, with record levels continuing even after Christmas.

Maysoon Salama, who lost her son Atta in the Christchurch attack said, “Attacks and prejudice against Muslims are on the rise in the UK and around the world. Politicians have an important role to play in not using hateful language and stopping the spread of hate"

Tell Mama data revealed that reported incidents involve harassment, abuse, and threats against Muslims in public areas, as well as the use of degrading language and stereotypes linking the community to terrorism and violence.

In one incident in east London, a Muslim woman wearing Islamic cloths was physically assaulted on a bus, with one attacker making inflammatory remarks like "you Muslims are troublemakers."

In another incident, a woman recounted how her car was vandalised with a swastika. Street-level harassment also included cases of Muslim women being verbally abused in public, being called "terrorists."

According to Julie Siddiqi, Muslim and interfaith advisor, British Muslims are part of the country in the same way that Jews, Hindus, Christians and atheists are.

"Yet anti-Muslim prejudice is too often treated as an acceptable form of prejudice - including by mainstream politicians and media outlets," Siddiqi said.

Ruzina Akhtar, whose father was killed at the terrorist attack close to Finsbury Park Mosque, said, “The vast majority of British people are respectful and judge people on who they are, not where they come from or which God they worship. It’s one of the great things about our country. We mustn't let the small minority of extremists divide us by driving hatred between communities. My family know where that can end.”

Iman Atta, director of Tell Mama, said that the ongoing increase in anti-Muslim attacks should raise alarms for everyone.

She urged politicians to set an example by addressing prejudice and hatred in all its forms.