Almost 50% of Mosques in UK Faced Islamophobic Attacks in Last 3 Years: Study
This is according to a study by the Muslim Engagement and development group (MEND).
The report, which studied data from more than 100 mosques across the country, also found that 35% of Islamic institutions experienced a religiously motivated attack at least once a year.
The most common form of attack is vandalism, followed by theft.
The chair of Finsbury Park Mosque, which fell victim to a terrorist attack in 2017, says the situation now is even worst.
"Our community still feels the fear and intimidation, and they expect an attack at any time. What happened was not a one off," says Mohammed Kozbar.
"The situation is even worse than it was five years ago. Islamophobia is on the rise, and no one can deny that." He continued.
He argues that Islamophobia has not been taken seriously, and until this happens - nothing will change.
"We don't even have a definition of Islamophobia yet. We don't have laws or legislation to protect the community yet. So we hope the government will take action," says Mr Kozbar.
It comes as new government data for England and Wales show that religiously aggravated offences are at an all time high.
There were a total of 76,884 racially and religiously aggravated offences recorded in 2021, up 15% from 66,742 in 2020.
'Our community is resilient'
For the regional manager of MEND, this data is "indicative of a wider trend of Islamophobia."
Nayeen Haque said: "We believe the Islamophobic narrative being peddled in wider society is to blame for the rise in attacks we've seen in the Muslim community."
He says there is a "level of anxiety" that many Muslims now face when visiting their places of worship.
"But overwhelmingly our community is resilient and we want to show this message of resilience and that this won't impact our faith," adds Mr Haque.
The government launched the Places of Worship (POW) Protective Security Scheme for England and Wales in 2016, aimed at supporting places of worship which are at risk of attacks and hate crimes.
However, according to MEND, only a third of mosques who applied for the scheme managed to secure funding.
Mr Haque says it is asking for a streamlined process so mosques in need of security get access to the funding.
The government said: "We take a zero tolerance approach to all forms of hate crime and we are committed to rooting it out wherever it exists.
"In addition to funding for projects and organisations which promote diversity and tolerance, we're taking steps to safeguard places of worship with a grant of over £24.5 million available this year."
Source: Sky News
