PRESS RELEASE
5 OCT 2023
Today, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) responded to the Home Office’s latest hate crime statistics (England and Wales), expressing profound alarm at the 9% increase in religious hate crime offences, from 8,602 to 9,387, in the year ending March 2023 – the highest number of religious hate crimes since the time reporting began.
Of particular distress is that as of March 2023, where the perceived religion of the victim was recorded, 2 in 5 of all religious hate crime offences were targeted against Muslims. As such, 39% of all religiously motivated hate crimes (3,452 offences) targeted Muslims, making Muslims the most targeted faith group.
Indeed, official Home Office statistics documenting hate crime in England and Wales confirm that Muslims have remained consistently, and especially, vulnerable to religiously motivated hate crime offences; in the year ending March 2021, 45% of all recorded religious hate crime offences in England & Wales were targeted against Muslims, and in the year ending March 2019, 47% of all recorded religious hate crime offences in England & Wales were targeted against Muslims.
Furthermore, hate crimes are significantly underreported, with suggestions less victims come forward. The number of religiously motivated hate crimes targeting Muslims is likely, in fact, to be much higher than otherwise documented.
In light of these alarming statistics, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), Zara Mohammed said:
“Though alarming, the figures are unsurprising. In recent days, we have borne witness to highly divisive rhetoric dominating political discourse which is devastating impact on the lives and lived experience of British Muslims.
It has been troubling to see the Conservative London Mayoral candidate deploying dog whistle Islamophobia in her campaign against London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The Home Secretary’s has also been stoking divisions with her misplaced comments on immigration, stating multiculturalism has failed.
The normalisation of Islamophobia across sectors of society only serves to foment and exacerbate anti-Muslim sentiment. It is therefore not surprising which such a backdrop, the rise in hate crimes against Muslims.
“The MCB urges our government to show leadership by tackling Islamophobia head on starting with decisive rhetoric by some in the party.”
[ENDS]
Notes to Editors:
- 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.