Three quarters of Muslims worried about their safety after far-right riots, poll finds | UK news
Three-quarters of Muslims say they are worried about their safety, according to a new poll, a rise of almost 60 percent since the week of far-right riots that took place across the UK.
The Muslim Women’s Network surveyed 200 of its members about how safe they felt in Britain before and after the unrest.
About 75 percent of respondents said they were now very concerned about their safety, compared to just 16 percent before the unrest.
Almost one in five said that since the Stabbings in Southportwhereupon misinformation about the main suspect in the attack sparked days of violence across the UK.
Mounted police patrol outside the Southport Islamic Centre mosque following unrest. Image: PA
Lila Tamea, who sought refuge in Liverpool’s Abdullah Quilliam Mosque as far-right protesters and counter-protesters clashed on Friday 2 August, said that even before the riots she felt she could not rely on police protection when it came to her own safety and that of her community.
The 26-year-old PhD student told Sky News: “It almost felt like the police weren’t protecting us.”
“That’s why it was really important that there was this show of solidarity not only from the Muslim community. There were quite a few from the non-Muslim community who came together that Friday to defend the mosque.”
Amina Atiq, a 29-year-old poet, said: “I felt it was not fair that we as a Muslim family were not given a chance to mourn the three little girls.
“Because shortly afterwards we had the feeling that we were more likely to be suspected of this attack.”
Lila Tamea and Amina Atiq told Sky News about their fears after the unrest
Amina also expressed her anger at the rioters’ rhetoric, saying: “How am I supposed to convince you to see me as a human being?”
Baroness Shaista Gohir, executive director of the Muslim Women’s Network, called on the government to review its hate crime legislation.
“The number of hate crimes has increased over the last decade and the strategy to combat hate crimes is outdated,” she said.
“I want to see hate crime legislation strengthened and the term ‘hostility’ defined.”
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Baroness Gohir is also pushing for more hate crimes to be reported, particularly by Muslim women, to better understand the prevalence and impact of anti-Muslim hatred.
“What really worries me is when women call and say, ‘We were abused and we were with our children.'”
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The charity is setting up a separate hotline to combat hate crimes in the Muslim community.
In a statement to Sky News, Merseyside Police said of the unrest in Southport: “We had police officers on site to reassure our community and address potential crime and disorder. At the end of the gathering, both groups dispersed without incident.”
