During the May local elections in England, a canvasser in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham was told by a doorstep occupant that she should be hanged after revealing she was Muslim. This is one of many stories collected by Akeela Ahmed, head of the British Muslim Trust (BMT), the government's official partner for monitoring anti-Muslim hatred.
Unprecedented rise in anti-Muslim hatred
Ahmed said the scale of anti-Muslim hatred in Britain has not yet fully registered with the public and political class. "We're in an unprecedented situation since the Southport riots of 2024," she said. "My parents suffered racism in the late 70s and early 80s after coming to this country. The violence we're seeing now really reminds me of that kind of racism, but this is also another level."
Her concerns are echoed by Muslim leaders across the UK, who describe a growing sense of fear and mounting frustration that the increase in attacks has not been matched by a coordinated response from the government, police, media, and other institutions.
Recent attacks and official response
The attack near a mosque in Edinburgh last weekend, in which five people were injured, crystallised these concerns. A man has been charged with five counts of attempted murder aggravated by a terrorist connection. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament that the attack appeared motivated by anti-Muslim hatred. However, broadcaster Mishal Husain questioned the level of initial press attention, and independent MP Shockat Adam asked why a Cobra meeting had not been called.
Anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales rose by 19% in the 12 months to March 2025, according to Home Office figures. Over a three-month period last year, Ahmed's team documented 27 attacks against 25 mosques in 23 different parts of the country. In Scotland, Muslims were the target of nearly a third of religious hate crime.
Incidents across the UK
In the past six months, incidents have included attempted firebombings, vandalism, and violent attacks targeting mosques in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Blackburn, Manchester, Liverpool, Shrewsbury, and east London. There was also an alleged firebomb attack on an imam's family home in Bolton, the torching of activist Salma Yaqoob's car in Birmingham, and a pig's head left outside a Muslim family's home in Stockport.
Official figures are widely regarded as an undercount. A recent BMT survey found that more than half of Muslims (56%) had experienced religious prejudice in the past year. Muslim women appear to bear the brunt, with reports of hijabs being ripped off, abuse on public transport, and harassment in public.
Government response criticised
While campaigners welcomed the government's adoption of a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hatred earlier this year, some were frustrated by the pace of progress. Shaista Gohir, founder of the Muslim Women's Network, said ministers acted "quickly and swiftly" after the 2024 racist riots but became increasingly hesitant as Reform UK rose in the polls. "They lacked courage to actually speak out," she said. "If any community is under attack, the government should be robustly coming out and protecting communities. Instead, they've been really weak and feeble."
Earlier this year, Labour insiders admitted Downing Street had hesitated to challenge anti-immigrant language due to concerns about appearing "soft on immigration." Campaigners argue that far-right groups have effectively fused anti-immigration and anti-Muslim narratives, portraying Muslims as outsiders regardless of citizenship.
Demands for stronger action
In the House of Lords, Lady Gohir asked when the government would renew its hate crime strategy, which lapsed in 2020, and why it had failed to strengthen hate crime laws to close loopholes exploited by extremists. A government spokesperson said ministers were taking "decisive action," pointing to the adoption of a definition of anti-Muslim hatred, a record £40m for protective security at places of worship, and £4m for programmes tackling anti-Muslim hatred. Ministers have also launched a social cohesion action plan.
But Gohir believes the measures are insufficient and criticised a "postcode lottery" in policing, where some forces act swiftly while others fail to take victims seriously.
Impact on communities
Naomi Green, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), said many people felt abandoned by institutions. "I literally felt like I was in a dystopia. I was getting messages from people saying: 'I'm here in the house. My six-year-old daughter is here. Our house is on fire. Nobody's coming,'" she said. Green noted that since the riots, some politicians have doubled down on rhetoric around illegal migration, conflating Muslim communities with illegal migration.
Green, who is white and converted to Islam 20 years ago, said students at her son's school told him he would be next, saying "Foreigners like you are going to go home." Her son messaged her: "Mum, come get me." Her daughter said: "I have to work twice as hard to prove that I belong here."
Ahmed has received repeated requests from parents for support on how to talk to their children about rising anti-Muslim hatred. Her 13-year-old son recently experienced an incident where a boy called him "al-Qaida" after sharing his middle name in class.
Fear in daily life
In Scotland, Zara Mohammed, former secretary general of the MCB, said communities are in shock after recent attacks. "It is a bit of a gamechanger because traditionally we have focused on mosques being secure. Now we're talking about people walking back from university, or in a restaurant, or having to hide in a shop," she said. Muslims are avoiding certain areas, changing travel plans, limiting evening outings, altering how they dress, skipping mosque activities, or asking relatives to accompany them due to safety fears.
Despite everything, Ahmed rejects the idea that communities should retreat. "The majority of people in this country are good people," she said. "We need to be able to come together as allies and draw boundaries around what we will not tolerate. We will not tolerate violence against people, hateful views against people."
