LONDON: Three-quarters of Muslims in the UK are now fearful for their safety following a series of far-right riots, a survey by the Muslim Women’s Network revealed. Prior to the violence, only 16 percent of respondents reported feeling unsafe, highlighting a significant rise in anxiety within the community.
The unrest began after a mass stabbing at a youth club in Southport on July 30, which left three young girls dead and several others injured. Misinformation quickly spread on social media, falsely attributing the attack to either a Muslim or an asylum-seeker. The alleged attacker was later identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana, a Cardiff-born youth.
The riots escalated across the country, with mosques being targeted in various cities. At the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in Liverpool, two Muslim women shared their concerns in an interview with Sky News. Lila Tamea, a 26-year-old student, expressed the community’s fears: “There was almost a sense that the police aren’t going to protect us. And so, it was really important that there was that show of solidarity from not just the Muslim community. It was quite a lot of the non-Muslim community who came out that Friday to defend the mosque.”
Amina Atiq, a 29-year-old poet, voiced her distress over the situation: “I felt as if it was not fair that we didn’t get a chance as a Muslim family to grieve for the three little girls. Because soon after that, we felt as if we were more suspect to that attack.”
Baroness Shaista Gohir, CEO of the Muslim Women’s Network, told Sky News that hate crime has been on the rise over the last decade, and current strategies are outdated. She called for stronger hate crime legislation, with a clear definition of ‘hostility.’ Gohir emphasized the need for more hate crimes to be reported, particularly by Muslim women, to better understand the scale of the issue. “What’s really worrying me is when women are calling up saying, ‘we were abused, and we were with our children,’” she added.
The charity is now setting up a helpline to support those affected and to encourage more victims to come forward.
