Sadiq Khan is wary of rising Islamophobic crime in London
(Picture: PA)Sadiq Khan has said he was “shocked” to hear about Muslims being bullied and harrassed at work due to their religion.
The Mayor of London spoke out on Monday after London-based charity Islamophobia Response Unit told the BBC that Muslims have had prayer mats stolen and have been harrassed at work because of their religion.
The Met told the Standard it recorded a 12 per cent increase in the past year of hate crime offences towards Muslims, from 895 in 2020-21 to 1,000 for 2021-22.
Mr Khan pledged to work with the Met Police against Islamophobia and said hate crimes will “not be tolerated” in the capital.
The Mayor of London said in a tweet: “Islamophobia will not be tolerated in our city.
“I’m shocked to hear news today about Muslims being bullied and harassed at work because of their faith.
“I’ll continue working with the Met to ensure a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and that perpetrators are brought to justice.”
A study by Savanta ComRes found 69 per cent of UK Muslims currently in work said they had experienced some form of Islamophobia.
Met Police data shows Islamophobia hate crime has been most prevalent in the boroughs of Westminster, Tower Hamlets and Hackney.
The force said all reports of hate crime are taken seriously.
A statement added: “We saw several spikes in the number of reported hate crimes during 2021.
“These increases were influenced by high profile events that occurred both here in the US, and across the globe. Nationally, there was a sharp rise following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions across the UK in the spring and summer 2021.
“Increases in recorded hate crime over recent years will also be driven by improvements in crime recording and a better understanding of what constitutes a hate crime.
“We wants victims to feel confident to report any instances of hate crime and discrimination in any form, via a multitude of avenues available, including third party reporting.”
