UK Muslim Leaders Report Surge in Hate Crimes; Starmer Says Racism Worsening

Muslim leaders across the UK are reporting a sharp increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes, including physical attacks, vandalism, and verbal abuse, according to accounts gathered by The Guardian. The Home Office recorded a 19% rise in anti-Muslim hate crime in England and Wales in the 12 months to March 2025, with incidents ranging from attempted firebombings to assaults on women wearing hijabs.

Akeela Ahmed, head of the British Muslim Trust, a government-backed monitoring body, told The Guardian that she has heard dozens of stories of abuse in recent weeks. She recounted an incident during the May local elections in which a canvasser in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham was told by a resident that she should be hanged after revealing she was Muslim.

Ahmed said the current climate reminds her of the racism her parents faced in the 1970s and 1980s, but added that "this is also another level." She rejected the idea that communities should retreat from public life.

Her concerns are echoed by other Muslim leaders, who describe a growing sense of fear and frustration that the increase in attacks has not been met with what they see as a coordinated response from government, police, the media, and other institutions.

The sense of alarm has been heightened by an attack in Edinburgh last weekend, in which five people were injured near a mosque. Police have charged a man with five counts of attempted murder aggravated by a terrorist connection. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament that the attack appeared to have been motivated by anti-Muslim hatred.

Broadcaster Mishal Husain questioned the level of media attention the attack initially received. At Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, independent MP Shockat Adam asked Starmer why a Cobra emergency meeting had not been called.

In a separate development, Starmer said on Wednesday that racism and intolerance had worsened in Britain over the past decade, warning that it was damaging social cohesion and deterring people from public life. His remarks came in response to a lawmaker who expressed concern that racism and the incitement of violence were being normalized, including by some politicians.

"Racism and intolerance is permeating everywhere," Starmer said, adding that "it should be called out by every single person who is a politician at any level in this country."

Starmer linked the rise in intolerance to the 2016 murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was killed by a far-right extremist days before the Brexit referendum. He said her death was a reminder of the dangers of hate.

The prime minister's comments followed a Reuters report that found some Britons of color fear a resurgence of racism linked to anti-migrant rhetoric and a political focus on crime, after recent unrest including protests in Southampton and rioting in Belfast.

Separately, Starmer dismissed claims by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage that British institutions discriminate against white people, rejecting the assertion without elaboration.