PRESS RELEASE
The Muslim Council of Britain marks the start of Islamophobia Awareness Month, a somber time for British Muslims amidst the backdrop of an increasing climate of Islamophobia. This year’s theme ‘Seeds of Change’ centres on the critical role of allyship the greater need to tackle hatred together.
In the past year, Islamophobic hate crimes in the UK have experienced a worrying surge. The Home Office reported 40% of all religiously motivated hate crimes target Muslim communities, making Muslims the most affected faith group. This has been further exacerbated by deeply Islamophobic rhetoric shared by far-right commentators, key political figures including those standing for Conservative Party leadership.
This disturbing trend is not isolated in the UK. The rise of far-right ideologies in Europe has legitimised anti-Muslim sentiment, leading to over half of Muslims born in Europe reporting experiences of racial discrimination while seeking employment, and 58% of Muslim women facing discrimination for wearing the hijab. The U.S. elections have left Muslims apprehensive about what the outcome will mean for the country’s politics.
MCB Secretary-General, Zara Mohammed, said:
“Islamophobia Awareness Month comes at a challenging time for British Muslims, both nationally and globally. We continue to witness a rise in extreme far-right views, legitimised by key political figures and mainstream media outlets. Campaigns of misinformation, anti-immigrant, and Islamophobic rhetoric, often driven by leaders from the previous government, as well as the Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage. Such rhetoric helped incite the terrifying violent riots and attempted arson attacks on mosques we saw on our streets.
This trend was highlighted recently when a British Muslim journalist was attacked by far-right commentators for expressing pro-Palestinian views, with one remarking that he ‘hoped his beeper doesn’t go off.’ This is part of a concerning normalisation of Islamophobia and dehumanisation of Muslims.
The systemic nature of Islamophobia is deeply rooted and demands a robust response from our government. We call for the adoption of the APPG on British Muslims definition of Islamophobia and the development of a meaningful strategy to address it, in partnership with British Muslim communities.
The MCB will continue to challenge Islamophobia at all levels of society and strengthen partnerships to combat this hatred. I am confident that many will join us this month in these efforts, as it has never been more important to unite and build a Britain where everyone truly belongs.”
For more information and MCB resources on Islamophobia: view our guides and our work.
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- For any media enquiries, please contact: media@mcb.org.uk
- The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is the UK’s largest and most diverse Muslim umbrella organisation with membership spanning national, regional local organisations, mosques, charities and professional networks. It is independent, cross-sectarian and democratic with the leadership team accountable to the membership.