One third of Muslims in UK consider leaving due to far-right riots: survey

LONDON (AA) – A third of Muslims in the UK say the recent far-right riots have led them to consider leaving the country.

A survey, conducted by Survation on behalf of Tell Mama, an NGO that tracks hate crimes targeting Muslims, revealed rising concerns within British Muslim communities following the violent unrest that swept across the UK this summer.

One in four Muslims interviewed, either online or by phone, reported experiencing anti-Muslim hate or Islamophobia after July 30, the day following a mass stabbing in Southport, which was falsely blamed on Muslims.

The violence, which was sparked by false online claims that a Muslim asylum seeker was responsible for the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport, led to a significant surge in hate crime as authorities tried to calm the unrest.

Two-thirds of survey respondents said they felt the risk of harm to Muslim communities had increased since July 30, with more than two-thirds expressing that anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia had become more prevalent.

Nearly four in 10 participants also said they believed their local mosque was at risk from far-right groups and extremists, according to the survey.

However, despite the hostility, half of the respondents said the riots had made them feel “more open about their Muslim identity,” and six out of 10 said they still felt safe in the UK.

In a statement, Tell Mama said: “The poll findings demonstrate that anti-Muslim hate or Islamophobia is having significant impacts on Britain’s Muslim communities.”

It added that in the weeks following the white supremacist riots in late July, Tell Mama had been inundated with reports from the public, many of whom had been shouted at, threatened with death, spat at or physically assaulted.

The survey, which contacted 750 Muslims in the UK between September 30 and October 14, highlights the ongoing challenges faced by British Muslims that makes the sizeable community increasingly insecure.