The number of reported Islamophobic incidents in the UK surged in the four months following the Hamas attacks in Israel last year, according to data from Tell Mama, a prominent organization monitoring anti-Muslim sentiment and abuse.
Between October 7, 2023, and February 7, 2024, Tell Mama documented 2,010 cases of Islamophobic incidents. This marked a significant increase compared to the 600 cases reported during the same four-month period the previous year.
Tell Mama, self-described as the leading agency for measuring anti-Muslim hate, highlighted the alarming rise in such incidents during this timeframe.
“We are deeply concerned about the impacts that the Israel and Gaza war are having on hate crimes and on social cohesion in the UK.”
Iman Atta, Tell Mama director
From the data collected, it was revealed that, following the Hamas attacks on October 7, 1,109 cases were classified as online incidents, while 901 occurred offline.
Incidents it recorded included a Muslim woman in Islamic clothing being assaulted on a bus in east London and told “you Muslims are troublemakers”; a written death threat to worshippers at a mosque; a woman whose car was vandalized with a Nazi swastika; and cases of Muslim women being called “terrorists”.
In almost two-thirds of cases, women were the target of attacks, which the organization said: “once again demonstrates that British Muslim women have borne the majority of the brunt of anti-Muslim hate during this time”.
Iman Atta, the organization’s director, said, “We are deeply concerned about the impacts that the Israel and Gaza war are having on hate crimes and on social cohesion in the UK.”
“Hate crimes against British Muslims have substantially risen and our data clearly demonstrates this. This rise in anti-Muslim hate is unacceptable and we hope that political leaders speak out to send a clear message that anti-Muslim hate, like antisemitism, is unacceptable in our country. There really is no space for hate and, more than ever, it is essential that we sustain, nurture and protect the bonds that we have between communities, so that we all feel valued and safe in our communities and in our country.”
Iman Atta
Tell Mama was founded in 2012 and is supported by the Department for Leveling Up, Housing, and Communities.
Antisemitism Equally On The Rise
Earlier this month, the Community Security Trust (CST) said it had recorded an “explosion in hatred” against the Jewish community since the October 7 attacks.
More than 4,000 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the UK by the Community Security Trust (CST) in 2023, with the all-time high being put down to the “sheer volume” that took place following the Hamas attacks.
The CST said there was a total of 4,103 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2023, up from the previous annual record of 2,261 incidents which had been reported two years previously.
Also, of the 4,103 instances of anti-Jewish hate reported, 66% occurred on or after the Hamas attack.
Before October 7, CST recorded an average of five antisemitic incidents per day. After the attack, this number skyrocketed to an average of 31 incidents per day.
The first incident inspired by Hamas’ attack occurred when a vehicle drove past a synagogue in Hertfordshire with a Palestinian flag attached, windows wound down, and an occupant shaking their fist in the air towards the synagogue where congregants were celebrating the festival of Simchat Torah.
Daily totals increased over the coming days, peaking on October 11 with 80 antisemitic incidents – the highest number ever reported to CST on a single day.
While conflicts involving Israel have historically led to spikes in antisemitism, the increase following the Hamas attack in 2023 was on a larger scale.
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