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SearchToday in Islamophobia: In the United Kingdom, the number of hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales has risen for the first time in three years, including increases in race and religiously motivated offenses, meanwhile in Canada, the family of a Muslim man who was brutally beaten while working at a Markham hotel last month say their lives have been forever altered by what police are calling a “violent, hate-motivated” attack, and in Italy, the ruling Brothers of Italy party has said it plans to introduce legislation seeking to ban the burqa and niqab face and body coverings in all public spaces nationwide, calling it a bill against “Islamic separatism.” Our recommended read of the day is by Geneva Abdul and Rajeev Syal for The Guardian, who report on how the head of a UK Muslim charity is echoing the concerns of Muslim community members in saying that she is “deeply worried” about the unprecedented rise in hate crimes against British Muslims. This and more below:
United Kingdom
Head of UK Muslim charity ‘deeply worried’ as anti-Muslim hate crimes up by a fifth | Recommended Read
The head of a leading UK Muslim charity has said she is “deeply worried” about the unprecedented levels of anxiety in the community as government data shows hate crimes against Muslims are up by nearly a fifth. Shaista Gohir, the cross-bench peer and head of the Muslim Women’s Network has criticised ministers for being “silent” and called for a public government response to figures which she believes to be “an underestimation”. Home Office figures, released on Thursday, showed recorded hate crime in England and Wales was rising for the first time in three years, including increases in racially and religiously motivated offences. In England and Wales, where 3.9 million people identify as Muslim, anti-Muslim hate crime rose from 2,690 offences to 3,199 in the 12 months to March 2025. However, Lady Gohir believes the true figures are higher, given escalations in recent months and the normalisation of stereotyping and anti-Muslim rhetoric from politicians and public figures. “I think that’s an underestimation given what’s happened over the last few weeks and months,” she said, citing the East Sussex mosque that was set ablaze last weekend, among other recent incidents targeting the Muslim or perceived Muslim communities. “We’re deeply, deeply, worried. I don’t remember a time in all my activism where so many Muslims are collectively deeply anxious and worried and depressed.” read the complete article
Hate crime in England and Wales rises for first time in three years
The number of hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales has risen for the first time in three years, including increases in race and religiously motivated offences, Home Office figures, external show. There were 115,990 hate crime offences in the year ending March, up 2% from 113,166 the previous year - but offences recorded by the Metropolitan Police are not included in this year's figures due to changes in how the force records crimes. Religious hate crimes targeted at Muslims rose by 19%, with a spike following the Southport murders and riots that followed last summer, the Home Office said. The number of religious hate crimes directed at Jewish people fell by 18% in the year to March. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Jewish and Muslim communities "continue to experience unacceptable levels of often violent hate crime". read the complete article
Canada
Violent attack on Muslim man in Markham prompts urgent calls to combat Islamophobia
The family of a Muslim man who was brutally beaten while working at a Markham hotel last month say their lives have been forever altered by what police are calling a “violent, hate-motivated” attack that some advocates say is one of the worst they’ve ever seen. Police say the 54-year-old man was assaulted in the early morning hours of Sept. 28, following a verbal altercation where the suspect’s “demeanor changed when he learned the victim was Muslim," police said in a news release. At a news conference organized by the National Council of Canadian Muslims Thursday, the wife of the victim said she and her children have watched her husband struggling to breathe, move and eat while recovering in hospital from the life-altering injuries he suffered. read the complete article
Italy
Italy wants to ban Islamic face coverings, mosque funding
Italy’s ruling Brothers of Italy party has said it plans to introduce legislation seeking to ban the burqa and niqab face and body coverings in all public spaces nationwide, calling it a bill against “Islamic separatism.” “Religious freedom is sacred, but it must be exercised in the open, in full respect of our constitution and the principles of the Italian state,” said lawmaker Andrea Delmastro, one of the initiators of the planned bill, in a Facebook post on Wednesday. The burqa is a full-body garment covering a woman from head to toe, and includes a mesh screen over the eyes. A niqab leaves the area around the eyes clear. The ban would prohibit the wearing of garments covering the face in all public spaces, including shops, schools and offices. Those who violate the ban would face a fine of €300 to €3,000. The proposal is part of a broader bill intended to address what the right-wing party of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has described as “cultural separatism” associated with Islam. Delmastro said Italy had drawn inspiration from France, the first European country to introduce a full burqa ban in 2011. Since then, Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland and several other countries in Europe and around the world have imposed full or partial bans on women’s clothing related to Islam. read the complete article