UK Reports 19% Surge in Muslim Hate Crimes — What’s Fueling the Backlash?

Religion, the holy war between Jews, Muslims, and Christians, has divided the world since time immemorial. And it rages on.

Hate crimes against Muslims in England and Wales surged by nearly a fifth, with Home Office data revealing 3,199 anti-Muslim offences in the year ending March 2025, up from 2,690 the previous year, the Guardian reports.

This marks the highest annual total of religiously motivated hate crimes on record, with 7,164 incidents, a 3 percent increase from 6,973.

Shaista Gohir, a cross-bench peer and head of the Muslim Women’s Network, slammed the government’s silence, calling the figures "an underestimation."

"We’re deeply, deeply worried," Gohir said. "I don’t remember a time in all my activism where so many Muslims are collectively deeply anxious and worried and depressed."

She pointed to recent attacks, including a mosque set ablaze in East Sussex, and criticized the lack of response from ministers.

"I’m so disappointed in the government, they’re silent," she added. "The funny thing is, when it comes to voting in four years’ time they will be then wanting to speak to Muslims. It’ll be too late. We need support now, when we’re actually enduring the worst possible time it is to be a Muslim in Britain."

The data follows a deadly Manchester synagogue attack, killing two and injuring others, amid heightened tensions from the Israel-Gaza conflict.

A "clear spike" in offences occurred after the Southport murders last summer, which sparked riots fueled by false social media claims that the attacker, Axel Rudakubana, was Muslim.

Rudakubana, born to a Christian family, possessed anti-Islam literature.

Total hate crimes reached 137,550, with race-based incidents up 6 percent.

Illegal immigration fuels tensions, with the UK grappling with over 30,000 irregular migrants annually, many crossing the Channel in small boats, according to Home Office estimates.

Europe sees significant Muslim immigration, with roughly 1.5 million Muslims entering legally and illegally each year, primarily from the Middle East and North Africa, per Eurostat data.

This dwarfs inflows to countries like the U.S., which admits about 100,000 Muslim immigrants annually, or Canada, with around 80,000.

High-profile incidents, like a February case where Hamit Coskun burned a Qur’an outside London’s Turkish consulate while shouting "fuck Islam" and "Islam is religion of terrorism," highlight rising hostility.

An appeal court heard Coskun’s free speech defense Thursday.

Shabana Mahmood, responding to the data, acknowledged "too many people" live in fear, announcing £50m for worship site security and increased police patrols at synagogues and mosques post-Manchester attack.

Gohir, however, demanded stronger condemnation from all parties, warning of lasting community distrust.