‘Anti-Muslim hate crimes make almost half of religiously aggravated offences’

MUSLIMS have been the target of almost half of recorded religious hate crimes, according to a Census 2021 report from Home Office.

Hate crime offences recorded against Muslims reached 45 per cent of all recorded religious hate crimes in the year ending March 2021 – a similar proportion to the previous year.

The 2,703 offences against Muslims included acts targeted towards more than one religious group and instances where the assumed religion of the victim was not the same as their actual faith group..

Racially motivated hate crimes saw an increase of 12 per cent while the volume of charges has seen a decrease in recent years, suggesting a need for further action.

This November has seen the start of Islamophobia Awareness Month (IAM), with Muslim organisations calling for wider awareness and tolerance to help tackle this issue of racially and religiously motivated hate crimes.