Hate crime statistics due to be released shortly show a soaring in religiously and racially motivated hate crime. This is in keeping with the soaring of Islamophobic hate crimes which was recorded in London last month. The Muslim Council of Britain has welcomed the new proposal to record Islamophobic hate crimes, this has been a long held point of campaigning by groups such Mend, and will bring Islamophobic hate crimes in line with the reporting of anti-Semitic attacks.
The brutal murder of Mushin Ahmed, an 81 year old grandfather from Rotherham, who died in hospital from his injuries, demonstrates the need to tackle Islamophobic hatred. More recently, a number of cases highlight the impact on Muslim women who are subjected to hatred following a hostile climate that exists around the wearing of the veil. In one instance, a Muslim woman was doused in alcohol on a train whilst other passengers sat by
Stand up to racism has long supported the call for Islamophobic hate crime to be recorded as such by the police. This will mean it will be possible to obtain a more accurate picture of the impact of Islamophobia which has been rising in recent years.