A poll found that many Muslims in the UK feel less protected after far-right rioters targeted mosques and hotels sheltering asylum seekers.
92% of respondents in a study by the Muslim Census, a statistical organisation that focusses on Muslims and other ethnic minorities, said that the violent disturbance makes them feel “much less safe.” According to the poll, which was conducted on August 5 and 6 with a panel of 1,519 participants from varied backgrounds, one in every six people has personally experienced a racist attack since the riots began on July 30, while two in every three have witnessed one.
Muslims are most likely to endure verbal attacks, with 28%, followed by 16% who record abuse online. Four percent stated they had been physically attacked in the weeks following the disruption.
Sadiq Dorasat, a co-founder of the Muslim Census, claimed, “We’ve heard stories about hijabis who don’t feel safe leaving their homes or going to work.”
People are concerned for their safety because Muslims have become the target of a witch hunt in which Allah and His messenger are referenced.
Far-right groups targeted mosques, Muslim-owned businesses, and hotels housing asylum seekers in cities such as London, Liverpool, Bristol, Blackpool, and Belfast. These offences were perpetrated over a period of several days. Violent occurrences happened as a result of the spread of false information following the deadly stabbings on July 29 at a Taylor Swift-themed dance lesson in Southport.
Far-right rioters targeted several mosques, including the Southport Islamic Centre. These people are blamed for setting automobiles on fire and throwing rocks at local businesses. Over 900 people have been arrested as a result of the riots, and over 400 more have been prosecuted across the country, including with racial hatred.
In an effort to “avoid being a target,” the Leicester Islamic Centre has announced that mosques around the UK have issued a call to worshippers, encouraging people to take precautions such as not travelling alone, not leaving their homes after sunset, and thinking about travelling in groups.
The polling specialist is concerned that the number of racist crimes and general security concerns has increased even more, and he notes that the “shocking spike in Islamophobia” is not an isolated incident.
Mr. Dorasat stated that “this has been a problem that has been growing and rising.” We see it every day; therefore, some people may not be surprised if riots are taking place.
The number of incidences of Islamophobia against Muslims has surged during the last week. These events have been occurring since the beginning of this year. This should not surprise anyone.
His argument was that the surge did not happen overnight and has been progressively increasing over the last five years, similar to a “domino effect” that has resulted in the violence that has occurred across the country.
As to the findings of the poll, fifty percent of the individuals who were questioned have experienced a racist assault within the past year, and an overwhelming ninety-three percent of Muslims believe that the level of Islamophobia has increased over the course of the past five years.
The pollster is of the opinion that the government ought to have condemned the violence with more forceful language and blamed the leaders of the parties for not working towards developing a definition for Islamophobia.
In addition, he stated that the phrase has been used extremely infrequently over the past few weeks, and there is a reluctance to use it. This is due to the fact that our present government and our former government have not come to an agreement on what constitutes Islamophobia.
During the year 2019, an all-party parliamentary group in the United Kingdom came up with the concept of Islamophobia, which was “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” This definition came the closest to being called an official definition.
The word was never formally accepted by the Tory administration at the time, despite the fact that it was used by a few politicians from a variety of parties, including Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Scottish Conservatives.
According to Mr. Dorasat, “the conversation surrounding the term needs to be brought to the table so that when we are discussing these events, we can correctly label them so that we can deal with them in an appropriate manner.” At the moment, there are some individuals who are simply utilising the term “anti-Muslim hatred.”
In the aftermath of the disturbance, Sir Keir Starmer reaffirmed that his administration is dedicated to combating acts of violence and hatred directed towards “those affected,” and the home secretary pledged to provide mosques across the nation with increased safety.
Regardless of the actions that have been taken, Mr. Dorasat has encouraged the Prime Minister to articulate the danger that racism poses to ethnic communities and to “properly call out and punish” those who are responsible for it.
As an additional point of interest, he stated, “We hope that what we are seeing on the streets causes a real reaction in order to prevent this from happening in the future.” In addition, it establishes a precedent that the targeting of a particular religious group would be called out and appropriately punished with appropriate consequences.
“I strongly encourage those individuals to speak with the police and with the reaction unit for Islamophobia. You should not believe that this is acceptable or expected, and you should just please remain silent. It is imperative that you sound the alarm since these situations require appropriate management.