British Muslim communities are increasingly anxious after a rise in hate attacks. Getty Images
British Muslim communities are increasingly anxious after a rise in hate attacks. Getty Images
British Muslim communities are increasingly anxious after a rise in hate attacks. Getty Images
British Muslim communities are increasingly anxious after a rise in hate attacks. Getty Images

Hate crimes against Muslims go unreported despite surge in cases after UK riots


Nicky Harley
  • English
  • Arabic

More than 80 per cent of victims of hate crimes since the summer riots that spread across the UK have not reported them, a survey has found.

In polls conducted by the Women’s Muslim Network charity, almost one fifth of the 200 people interviewed said they had encountered hostility since the riots, which were marked by violence against migrants and Muslim communities in towns across the country and have led to scores of people being jailed.

The charity’s chief executive, Shaista Gohir, has presented the report, titled Anti-Muslim hate: Concerns and Experiences, to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and asked the government to respond to its findings.

Hate crime numbers

Since the Home Office began collecting comparable data on hate crime in the year ending March 2013, it has increased each year except in 2020/21, when a decrease was recorded during the height of the Covid pandemic.

Annual police data for regions across England and Wales shows that where the perceived religion of the victim is recorded, Muslims are the most targeted faith group and make up between 42 per cent and 50 per cent of religious hate crime offences.

“As hate incidents are underreported, the actual number of offences are likely to be much higher,” Baroness Gohir said.

The people interviewed were asked how worried they were about their safety and that of their families, and 75 per cent of the abuse was delivered while outdoors, in the street, park or at a bus stop.

Before the recent riots, only 17 per cent were very worried, and 14 per cent were fairly worried. However, following the riots, the number of those very worried skyrocketed to 73 per cent, with 14 per cent still fairly worried, making a total of 87 per cent who were worried.

“The findings indicate that Muslims are aware of what constitutes a hate crime, but the police may be minimising their reported experiences of hostility, often failing to record these incidents as hate crimes,” Baroness Gohir wrote in the report.

“Decisions made by police officers may be influenced by their own negative biases towards Muslims. It seems that the legal institutions and government do not fully recognise or address anti-Muslim hate crimes, leaving Muslim communities feeling unprotected by the systems meant to safeguard them. This appears to be contributing to the underreporting of hate incidents.”

There has been a surge in reports to the charity's helpline since the UK was rocked by this summer's rioting, following false information circulating online that the suspect in a fatal stabbing of three young girls was a Muslim asylum seeker.

“This wave of hatred left many Muslims shocked and traumatised. Muslim women, in particular, began reaching out to Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK), seeking a safe space to process the events,” Baroness Gohir said. “In response, MWNUK launched a survey to gather the experiences, concerns and fears of Muslim men and women.”

“Feelings of anxiety and vulnerability were commonly expressed. Many respondents mentioned that they now check in on family and friends more frequently, particularly elderly parents and children.

“Some admitted they were too frightened to go out after witnessing images of the riots. Others reported altering their behaviours and lifestyles, such as avoiding public transport or local parks or changing the way they dressed such as not wearing a black headscarf. Several respondents also shared that they no longer feel safe going out alone.

Frequency of anti-Muslim hate experiences

Of those who experienced hate incidents, 82 per cent said these had taken place within the past five years. However, many were more recent, with 18 per cent experiencing hostility within one week of the riots.

Almost half of those surveyed said they were subjected to hostility in the street and 84 per cent experienced direct verbal abuse.

“Alarmingly, one in four had encountered hostility between five to 10 times, and one in 10 had experienced it more than 10 times, highlighting the widespread prevalence of hate crimes,” Baroness Gohir said.

Online abuse

Respondents were asked how worried they were about their online safety.

Before the recent riots, only 12 per cent were very worried and 13 per cent fairly worried. However, after the violence, the number of those very worried increased to 36 per cent, with 28 per cent fairly worried.

“Many Muslims mentioned that they either didn’t use social media often, had reduced their usage, or were very cautious, opting to use privacy settings and primarily interacting with people they knew,” Baroness Gohir said.

“Several expressed concerns about the toxicity of social media, noting that they had encountered racist and Islamophobic comments. They were particularly worried that such comments remained on platforms even after being reported, fearing that this could lead to increased offline hatred.”

Government promises swift action

Baroness Gohir, a life peer, has urged the government to strengthen hate crime legislation and wants a campaign to encourage women to report it.

Lord Khan of Burnley, the parliamentary undersecretary for housing, communities and local government, told the House of Lords in response to the report: “Anti-Muslim hatred is abhorrent and has no place in society. We will continue to take swift action, including to safeguard Muslim women.

“We are absolutely committed to tackling Islamophobia. During our government of only 10 weeks I have crossed the country from Southport to Sunderland to hear directly from communities, with more planned.

"I’m deeply saddened by the recent horrific scenes causing hateful attacks causing Muslims fear. We are refreshing our strategic approach to tacking all forms of hatred, including Islamophobia, and will update the house shortly.”

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MATCH INFO

Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')

Manchester City 0

ENGLAND SQUAD

Joe Root (c), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes

The biog

Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology

Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India

Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur

How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993

Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters

Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo

Fixtures

Wednesday

4.15pm: Japan v Spain (Group A)

5.30pm: UAE v Italy (Group A)

6.45pm: Russia v Mexico (Group B)

8pm: Iran v Egypt (Group B)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
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  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
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  • Price: Not announced yet
The Facility’s Versatility

Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
 
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
 
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
 
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
 
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
 
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket

The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged

Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic

Power: 445bhp

Torque: 530Nm

Price: Dh474,600

On Sale: Now

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Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

FIXTURES

Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)

Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)

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Rating: 5/5

UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

WOMAN AND CHILD

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Rating: 4/5

The specs: 2018 Peugeot 5008

Price, base / as tested: Dh99,900 / Dh134,900

Engine: 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power: 165hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 240Nm @ 1,400rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km

'Project Power'

Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback

Director: ​Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman

Rating: 3.5/5

Updated: September 12, 2024, 9:19 AM`