The results of the latest research show that the number of crimes related to Islamophobia in the UK has tripled since the beginning of the Gaza war. Tell Mama has defined one of its missions as measuring crimes related to Islamophobia. At the same time as the number of Islamophobia has increased since the start of Israel’s attacks against Hamas, Muslims in Britain are talking about their fear of leaving their homes in the hours of darkness. This article looks at the reaction to the rise in UK religious hate.
An increase in Islamophobia compared to last year
As the war in Gaza continues, a charity says many of the incidents involve people who take a pro-Palestinian stance. The rise in UK religious hate has become a problem for British Muslims. The charity Tell Mama announced that from October 7 to February 7, it recorded 2,100 incidents related to anti-Islam. The statistics of this charity show an increase of 600 cases compared to the same period last year. This is the highest rate in four months. It is also the highest number of Islamophobia since the Tell Mama charity started collecting Islamophobia statistics in 2011.
Increase of offensive behavior against British Muslims
The rise in UK religious hate has led to the rise of offensive behavior towards Muslims. According to a recent report by Tell Mama, half of the crimes committed in the last four months were about insulting statements on social media. 576 cases of physical attacks, insulting behavior, threats, and vandalism were recorded. Out of every three recorded crimes, two involve Muslim women. Some have been called “terrorists,” and some have experienced physical abuse.
Increase in attacks on British Islamic centers
The rise in UK religious hate has led to attacks on Islamic centers by supporters of Israel. Iman Atta, the Tell Mama director, said; since the start of the Gaza war, Muslims have experienced persecution more than ever before. According to him, “assassin,” “murderer,” and “terrorist” are among the insulting titles attributed to Muslims these days.
The rise in UK religious hate: Increase of physical abuse of British Muslims
Some Muslims have spoken to the reporters of the Independent. They say bricks are thrown at their windows because they display the Palestinian flag in their home. Also, a teenager says that his teacher questioned him at school because he supported Palestine. According to Tell Mama’s report, more than half of the Islamophobic incidents were hate speech on virtual networks. According to this report, a quarter of the events have occurred in London.
Preparing a blocklist of Islamic organizations by the British government
The British government is creating a blocklist of Islamic organizations based on a new definition of extremism. The action of the British government will finally lead to the reduction or elimination of the budget of some Islamic organizations. The government will probably put several Islamic groups in this list.
Deprivation of Islamic groups from public interests
Under the UK government’s plan, the groups will come under the supervision of Michael Gove, the Communities Secretary, as part of the extremism review. The plan will prohibit these groups from receiving public funding, interacting with government agencies, and being on university campuses. The decision to prepare this list follows the requests of Rishi Sunak to act against the so-called “poison of extremism.” He warned that the country will fall apart with the increase of internal tensions caused by extremism.
Restriction of freedom of speech by the UK government
The media said in a report that the name of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the largest Islamic group in the UK, as well as the Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) and Palestine Action, were included in this list. Groups likely on the UK government’s list have said the move restricts freedom of expression. Meanwhile, last year, the MCB received £326,000 from Kickstart, a government scheme for youth employment.
Changing the definition of extremism
Britain’s Communities Secretary plans to change the definition of extremism, which has stayed the same for over a decade. Under the new definition, there will be a stricter stance on groups and individuals he claims undermine British values. He will probably announce the details of a government unit to fight extremism. The government unit trains officials across departments to improve their ability to spot extremism. This unit will assess whether individuals or groups fall within the new definition.
British Muslim Council’s reaction to being blocklisted
Responding to the inclusion of the Islamic group in the government’s blocklist, the Muslim Council of Britain said: “We await to see how the government will expand its definition of extremism and whether they would also cover large swathes of the Conservative Party leadership who have directed divisive and hateful rhetoric against Muslims, and the large portion of the party’s membership with conspiratorial views about Muslims.”
Islamic groups demand research on structural Islamophobia
Britain’s largest Muslim group has written to the Conservative Party, calling for an investigation into “structural Islamophobia” in the party. The Muslim Council of Britain wrote a letter to Conservative Party leader Richard Holden. In this letter, it is stated that Islamophobia is institutionalized in the conservative party. Also, according to this letter, large sections of party members have approved Islamophobia.
The conservative party’s hesitation in defining Islamophobia
The rise in UK religious hate is due to the Conservatives’ unwillingness to define Islamophobia. The Labor Party officially recognized the definition of Islamophobia five years ago. According to this definition, Islamophobia refers to a type of racism that targets all forms of being Muslim. However, the conservative ruling party refuses to accept such a definition. The conservative party promised four years ago that it would provide a practical definition of Islamophobia. The delay and Islamophobic comments of members of the conservative party have increased doubts about the seriousness of Sunak’s government in this regard.
Sunak’s lack of planning to deal with Islamophobia
The rise in UK religious hate continues during Sunak’s tenure. The election of Rishi Sunak as Britain’s first Asian Prime Minister has sparked much debate about whether the racism quotient in Britain will decrease. But the reality is that racism, Islamophobia, and xenophobia in general continue and are growing. Muslims living in the UK have become second-class citizens in all aspects of life, and this situation is the result of the climate of hatred that politicians and the media are fueling.
