‘Entrenched anti-Muslim hate’ must be tackled, says Tell Mama
An organisation monitoring Islamophobia said its research shows there was already “entrenched anti-Muslim hate” ahead of the violent disorder which has broken out across parts of the UK in the past week.
Six in 10 British Muslims who took part in a survey for Tell Mama which was carried out in the two-week period before the Southport stabbings said they felt anti-Muslim hate in British society has increased in the past year.
The killings at a dance studio in the Merseyside town on July 29 led to days of violent unrest after false speculation about the identity of the teenage suspect spread online.
Mosques
Mosques have come under attack during a series of riots, prompting the Government to bring in urgent measures to provide extra protection to the places of worship.
Tell Mama, which stands for measuring anti-Muslim attacks, said it had carried out a survey of 550 British Muslims from July 15 to July 29, to track experiences of people since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and subsequent war in Gaza.
The polling, by Survation, found that more than a quarter (27%) of those who took part had experienced an anti-Muslim hate incident in the past year, something the organisation described as a “concerning statistic”.
Tell Mama said its findings also showed a rise in verbal abuse and anti-Muslim prejudice, but that more than two-thirds (69%) of British Muslims who were victims of such abuse did not report these to police or other authorities.
Asked on a scale of one to 10 how safe they feel since October 7, with 10 being associated with feeling very safe, almost one in three (28%) of those questioned said under five.
Trepidation
Iman Atta, Tell Mama director, said: “These findings demonstrate that British Muslims feel a sense of trepidation and a growing sense of the toxic nature of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia.
“This is even before the recent events and the attacks on mosques like Southport mosque by members of the far right.
“We have a real problem now and that is entrenched anti-Muslim hate in the minds of some in our communities.
“We need to actively and pro-actively challenge this hate wherever and whenever we come across it through peaceful dialogue, engagement and law enforcement where necessary.”
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Speaking as both a British born person and a white man, I am ashamed of violent white supremacist terrorists cynically exploiting a tragedy to promote the idea that a person’s race makes them subhuman scum. THEY are the subhuman scum. We used to have ways of dealing with nazi collaborators in the 1940s.
These heartbreaking scenes in recent days genuinely make me ashamed and embarrassed to call myself British.
We could make a start by bringing prosecutions against people like Jenrick et al.
When countries are warning agains travel to the UK, you know the likes of farage, Braverman, 30p, ARTD and supporters have to answer for their words and actions. Canada the latest.
https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/united-kingdom
Yellow-press papers like the Daily Mail have been stoking up the hatred for years. Decades even. Then the late and unlamented Tory government took up the refrain and began race-baiting in the hope of gathering a few votes. Then we have the role of social media in fanning the flames. So it is no wonder we live in a poisonous atmosphere of hatred. The rioters are very much in a tiny minority. Most people’s reactions in the communities that have suffered seem to be that they aren’t local and aren’t welcome. But they cause a nuisance out of all proportion… Read more »
This is difficult. Paradoxically I note that the antisemitism exhibited by Moslems partly ongoing and more recently due to the war in Palestine seems to induce concurrent Islamophobia in non Moslems especially right wing elements. More research needed here. Locally in some areas Moslems are quite confrontational sometimes inappropriately wanting to impose aspects of their lifestyle on non Moslems which leads to resentment. This includes dietary demands in schools and other cultural and religious requirements. The UK is generally not religious and I believe as a legacy of the Civil War uncomfortable with weekday religion. Finally the elephant in the… Read more »
Known to Social Science as the Fat Shanks Effect brought to us by the BBC…