Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Increase Five-Fold Since London Bridge Attacks

Spike in attacks is the highest compared to past incidents; incidents may actually be more than what is reported

The London stabbing has instigated a radical rise in the number of anti-Islamic crimes in Britain.[/tweetit] Even as Muslims across the UK condemned the attack and clerics refused to carry out the final rights of the attackers, crimes against Muslims suddenly shot up across the nation, with many incidents even going unreported.

Anti-Muslim Hate Crimes Increase Five-Fold Since London Bridge Attacks[/tweetthis]

The number of crimes has risen five-fold ever since the attack, figures released by London’s first Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, revealed. Besides the crimes, racist attacks are seen to have increased by 40%. The anti-Islamic attacks are more this time than they were after the 2013 murder of Lee Rigby and the massacre in Paris in 2015.

Tell Mama, an anti-Islamophobia group, recounts harrowing tales of how Muslims have been attacked after the London Bridge stabbing. They note that 63 incidents have been reported in a period of just three days. The attacks range from verbal slurs and threats to actual physical attacks. Muslim leaders revealed how Muslims have been attacked on buses, including incidents where women have been verbally abused on buses, spat on and even grabbed by the throat. A number of Muslims even recount how they were threatened of getting attacked. In addition, there have been incidents of threatening phone calls as well. The Sutton Islamic centre reported graffiti sprayed on their wall that says, “terrorise your own country.”

Trump is quick to tweet suspected terror attacks, slow to respond to anti-Muslim violence. https://t.co/HxTIv7i43d

— Philip Bump (@pbump) June 3, 2017

The secretary of Barking’s Al Madina mosque, Ash Siddique, revealed that many more Muslims in his area have suffered from anti-Islamic attacks than are reported. He added that the victims are afraid to report the attacks for fear that they will be ignored. Barking also happens to be the area from where two of the three attackers come.

Taking lives: Not Islam.

Saving lives: Islam.

— True Islam (@TrueIslamUSA) May 22, 2017

Following the attack, more than 200 Muslim leaders came together to sign an agreement condemning the attacks and to deny last rites to the attackers, Rachid Redouane, Khuram Butt and Youssef Zaghba. Khan has called on the citizens of London to stand together and to resist Islamophobia in order to send out a message that Londoners cannot be divided by such incidents. Similarly, the Muslim Council of Britain said that they will ensure to foil the plans of such terrorist groups to divide the people, adding “We implore everyone to unite: we are one community. In the face of such dastardly cowardice, unlike the terrorists, we must uphold love and compassion.”

Resources

• Newsweek
• The Guardian

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