A new study titled A Decade of Anti-Muslim Hate has revealed a concerning increase in Islamophobia in Britain over the past ten years.
Published by the organization Measuring Attacks Against Muslims (Tell MAMA UK), the detailed study highlights that “confirmed cases of hate against Muslims have been rising annually.”
During the past decade, the organization received over 20,000 reports from individuals who experienced Islamophobic incidents. It also supported and assisted more than 16,000 cases where Muslims faced hatred and bigotry.
Tell MAMA UK reported documenting 584 cases in 2012, whereas confirmed cases reached 1,212 in 2021. The closures following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated the promotion of Islamophobia online, with 2020 registering the highest rate related to Islamophobic incidents.
The study indicates that incidents of Islamophobia peaked worldwide between 2016, 2017, and 2019. These years witnessed a series of terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom, the Christchurch terrorist attacks in New Zealand, and the outcome of the Brexit referendum.
According to the organization, the escalation of such hatred against Muslims can be attributed to several factors, most notably the activities and political rhetoric of far-right movements. The increased anti-Muslim attacks in different countries worldwide played a significant role.
Furthermore, the results of the Brexit referendum and the rise of the Islamic State paved the way for campaigns targeting Muslims.
In response to the study, the Muslim Council of Britain stated on Twitter that “the shocking new data shows a 30% rise in anti-Muslim hate crimes, highlighting a serious, ongoing, and widespread issue in our society.”
The council urged the British government to address the “lack of real action to tackle Islamophobia.”
In the United Kingdom, concerns have been growing over the discrimination faced by Muslims during the tenure of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the first person from an ethnic minority to hold this position.
Opposition parties and public opinion in Britain have sharply criticized Sunak for his discriminatory speeches against Muslims and undocumented immigrants and for linking Islam with terrorism.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the number of Muslims in England and Wales has increased by 1.2 million over the past ten years, reaching 3.9 million in 2021.
Muslims in Britain are concentrated in five cities, including Birmingham, Bradford, and Manchester. The country is home to more than 250 mosques.
