LONDON: British Muslims fear “an attack at any time,” a leading member of the community has claimed, as new research revealed an increase in anti-Muslim hate crime.
Mohammed Kozbar, chairman of Finsbury Park Mosque, in London, which was the target of a fatal terrorist attack in 2017, said the number of cases of Islamophobia in the UK was on the rise.
One person died and several others were injured when a van was driven into pedestrians just yards from the north London mosque on June 19, five years ago.
“Our community still feels the fear and intimidation, and they expect an attack at any time. What happened was not a one off. The situation is even worse than it was five years ago. Islamophobia is on the rise, and no one can deny that,” Kozbar added.
His comments came as a new study found that many mosques throughout Britain had experienced attacks in the last three years.
The report, conducted by the Muslim Engagement and Development group (MEND), analyzed data from more than 100 UK mosques which revealed that 35 percent of Islamic centers faced at least one anti-Muslim attack every year.
Kozbar said: “We don’t even have a definition of Islamophobia yet. We don’t have laws or legislation to protect the community yet. So, we hope the government will take action.”
The MEND study found that theft and vandalism were the most common crimes affecting Muslim institutions.
The latest data reflected other recent statistics showing a wider anti-Muslim trend In England and Wales, where 76,884 racially and religiously aggravated offences were recorded in 2021, up 15 percent from 66,742 in 2020.
MEND regional manager, Nayeem Haque, told Sky News that the figures were “indicative of a wider trend of Islamophobia,” in Britain.
He said: “We believe the Islamophobic narrative being peddled in wider society is to blame for the rise in attacks we’ve seen in the Muslim community.”
Haque pointed out that there was now more anxiety among Muslims about visiting a place of worship.
“But overwhelmingly our community is resilient, and we want to show this message of resilience and that this won’t impact our faith,” he added.