Now is the “most dangerous” time to be a Muslim in the UK, the head of a leading anti-hate crime charity has warned, as she revealed that Islamophobic assaults surged by 73% in 2024.
Iman Atta, director of Tell MAMA, said the normalisation of Islamophobic rhetoric in political discourse – as well as the spread of the far-right “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory on social media – meant the UK is entering uncharted territory regarding the scale of anti-Muslim hatred.
She added that rightwing extremists “share tips on how to target Muslim communities, attack mosques, evade police, avoid leaving forensic evidence – and even offer financial incentives for carrying out attacks”.
Calling the current situation a “nexus point”, Atta said the intensity and regularity of incidents has shocked her team.
“You have families, and specifically women calling, saying I’m not going to take my kids to the park. I fear being attacked … people telling you, I’m not going to go out on my own, and specifically the ones that are visibly Muslim,” she added.
Her comments came as new figures revealed 2024 saw the highest number of anti-Muslim hate cases recorded in the history of Tell MAMA, which monitors community safety and provides victim support. The team received 6,313 reports, a 43% increase on the previous year. A total of 5,837 cases were verified.
The organisation, which shares its data with police, said its research had recorded “disproportionate” hatred directed towards Muslim politicians, with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, the former Scottish first minister, Humza Yousaf MSP, and MP Zarah Sultana most likely to be targeted, respectively.
Despite the growing challenges, Atta said Tell MAMA’s research showed Muslims were more likely to openly express pride in their identity.
Meanwhile, the aftermath of the riots that followed last summer’s Southport attack showed solidarity was thriving in Britain, Atta said, and she praised the criminal justice system’s response to the violence.
Meanwhile, the Community Security Trust, which monitors safety in the UK’s Jewish communities recorded 3,528 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2024. While this represented an 18% decrease from the record 4,296 antisemitic incidents recorded in 2023, it marks the second-highest total ever reported to the charity in a single year.
Atta, who is Palestinian, called for solidarity between Muslim and Jewish communities in the face of the common threat from rightwing extremism.
Between 2012 and 2022, Tell MAMA recorded more than 20,000 hate incidents. In the two years since, there have been 10,719 reports, of which 9,604 have been individually verified, representing an “unprecedented” increase.
The figures reveal that assault cases rose by 73% between 2023 and 2024, while incidents of vandalism increased by 60% (from 131 cases in 2023 to 209 in 2024). The most dramatic rise was in reports of threatening behaviour, which surged by 328% in the same period.
The 7 October attacks, the subsequent war in Gaza, the riots of last summer and the increased rhetoric around grooming gangs have compounded the situation.
“It is the trickiest and most dangerous of times,” Atta said. “We’re moving into a new era where online and offline worlds are intersecting. The whole mobilisation in Southport happened online. It was misinformation and disinformation that triggered far-right groups across platforms like Telegram to mobilise and attack Muslim and migrant communities.”
“I’ll never forget one of the attacks we managed to stop at Christmas when people posted blades online, saying they were going to kill Muslims. The police acted instantly,” she said.
