For These Reasons, Religious Hate Crimes Against British Muslims Have Increased During 2021

The British newspaper, The Independent, reported in early December 2021, quoting the British Home Office, an increase in the number of hate crimes against Muslims in Britain during the current year.

A report by the Muslim Center of Britain (MCB) shows that news stories in the mainstream media are fueling Islamophobia in the country, and 60% of stories depicting Muslims contain negative thoughts.

“The main motives of the increase in religious hate crimes against Muslims in Britain are that the penalties imposed on them appear lenient, in addition to the many conspiracy theories launched by the far-right and false stereotypes in the British media about Muslims and Islam,” according to researchers.

 

Growing Islamophobia

The Independent newspaper revealed in its report on December 1, 2021, that “Muslims were the target of 2,703 religious hate crimes this year and make up 45% of all religious hate crimes registered in the country,” according to Home Office statistics.

On its part, MEND organization, which opposes the phenomenon of Islamophobia in Britain, explained that “the true extent of hate crimes against Muslims is much greater.”

“The lack of a definition allowed Islamophobia against Muslim women to clearly permeate all sectors of society,” the organization said.

“Usually those who appear to be Muslims are targeted, such as women who wear the hijab or the niqab,” MEND suggested.

The Independent quoted Aisha Yaqoub (pseudonym) as receiving countless death threats and verbal abuse because of her religion.

“It is difficult to prove this, and it is difficult to report the attacks, especially since I am a doctor working in the National Health Service,” Rana Youssef (pseudonym) said to the newspaper.

Hamida Agarwal (pseudonym), who converted to Islam more than 15 years ago, also said: “I was never subjected to any form of racism until I wore the hijab. The way people view me has changed, and they even make offensive comments to me. I couldn't believe it.”

In turn, MEND Board Member Shaukat Patel said: “One of the reasons why Muslim women and Islamophobia are targeted is due to irresponsible reporting by the British media.”

On this affair, Samir Falah, head of the Council of European Muslim (CEM), said in a statement to Al-Estiklal: “British society is known for its diversity and openness; so, the numbers and statistics in the Home Office report are shocking.”

“Hate crimes have the highest number ever, also, in the aspect related to crimes motivated by religious hate, Muslims are at the forefront of racist attacks,” Falah added.

Regarding the motives for these attacks, Falah explained that “these developments cannot be understood apart from the rhetoric of incitement and hate espoused by part of the elite and promoted by part of the media.”

As for the proposed recommendations to avoid these racist attacks, Falah pointed out that “the solution lies in the concerted efforts of all to confront all forms of violence and hatred that threaten peaceful community coexistence.”

“The British authorities must take these actions and threats seriously, and strengthen the protection of Muslims and their institutions,” he added.

“Muslims must react with more openness, awareness, and fight against negative stereotypes that promote their rights,” Falah continued.

It is noteworthy that “the Muslim Council of Britain and the institutions affiliated under it have developed a six-step guide to secure mosques and Islamic institutions from potential attacks,” according to head of the CEM.

 

Negative Media Coverage

In the same context, the Center for Media Monitoring (CfMM) of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) revealed in a report on December 2, 2021, that “about 60% of published articles and 47% of TV broadcasts published between October 2018 and September 2019 in the British media insult Islam and Muslims.”

CfMM's 321-page report on British media coverage of issues relating to Muslims and Islam found shocking levels of misinformation, stereotypes and Islamophobia, after analyzing more than 48,000 online articles and 5,500 TV broadcasts during that period.

The report's author, Faisal Hanif, a former reporter for The Times, said: “We hope this will motivate journalists to engage in fairer and more responsible reporting without resorting to outdated tropes and generalizations.”

“Right-wing and religious publications have the highest percentage of articles showing bias against Islamic belief or behaviour,” the report found.

“Right-wing leaders have on many occasions been left undeterred when making generalizations against Muslims, including promoting falsehoods,” the report also noted.

“National broadcasters were more likely to display anti-Muslim bias than regional broadcasters,” the report found.

The Center’s report also found that “one in 10 articles offended Muslims or Islam, and 82% of the abuse came from news reports.”

“News agencies such as Reuters, Associated Press and AFP are among the most frequently associated with negative behavior and activism among Muslims,” according to a CfMM report.

The report reviewed the names of newspapers targeting Muslims, namely: The Spectator, Daily Mail Australia, Mail on Sunday, Christian Today, and Jewish Chronicle.

Finally, the Center’s report recommended that the media “avoid associating the ordinary Islamic faith with crime, terrorism or extremism, unless there is a specific justification for doing so, providing a platform for Muslim views and voices, and encourage awareness and reflection of potential bias, intentional or unintentional.”

In turn, the Director of the CfMM of the MCB, Rizwana Hamid, said: “The latest report does not seek to blame any newspaper or television broadcaster, nor an individual journalist or reporter.”

“It's time to admit that things often go wrong when it comes to Islam and Muslims, as a result of the stereotyped images broadcast by some media,” she added.

“The report shows how much we, as journalists, must question ourselves and what we publish regarding Muslims and Islam,” said Alison Phillips, news editor for Britain's Mirror newspaper.

On his part, Miqdad Firsi, founder of the CfMM of the MCB, in an article for the British The Guardian newspaper on December 2, called on the British media to adhere to the basic principles of journalism and responsible reporting, and taking into account the truth of the stories and more scrutiny.”

“The real social repercussions of using certain images should be considered or give certain words a prominent place in media headlines, in addition, the editors took a comprehensive look at their coverage,” he added.

 

 

 

Praying in the Cold

In a related context, a video circulated on social media, on December 3, showed 8 students at Oldham Academy North performing Friday prayers outside in cold weather, according to the British Mirror.

 

 

One of the students who participated in that prayer told The Oldham Times: “We weren't actually kicked out of the school. We were just told we couldn't pray at that time. We were praying Friday and one of the teachers came and told us that we are not allowed to pray in that room. As she closed the door, she was angry.”

The student, who did not want to be named, added: “Then we had no other choice but to pray in the cold, because the school did not provide a valid prayer room.”

In response to the incident, which sparked community outrage, Oldham School has issued an apology, and announced that it had set up a new prayer room for Muslim students.

According to the latest figures from the National Statistics Office, there are approximately 3.4 million Muslims in the UK, roughly 5% of the total population of 67.2 million.

The main problem for Muslims in Britain is the way others view them. Since anti-Islam sentiment has a long history in Europe; but Islamophobia has appeared especially since the events of September 11 in the United States.

It is noteworthy that the incidents that targeted Muslims in Britain include verbal and physical abuse and acts of sabotage and desecration of some copies of the Holy Quran.