A survey by interfaith organization Faith Matters, which sets up a Government backed helpline, shows far-right English Defence League (EDL) sympathisers are responsible for one third of the hate attacks on Muslims. Approximately 75% of the cases involve female victims.
The helpline records a disturbing picture of low-level anti-Muslim harassment: incidents in the workplace, in the street, between neighbours and particularly online.
These harassments may not always hit the headlines but have a devastating effect on peoples’ lives.
The helpline team is reportedly “shocked at the amount of hate on-line, particularly anti-Muslim prejudice and race hate.”
A 2011 poll by YouGov public opinion institution shows that two third of British public want the burqa be banned.
This is while a survey by Gallup and the Coexist Foundation in 2009 shows that Muslims are the most loyal ethnic minority to the British identity.
It shows: “British Muslims are more likely than all populations surveyed to identify strongly with their nation, and to express stronger confidence in its democratic institutions while maintaining a high degree of religious identity.”
This week’s Islam and Life asks: Who is responsible for hate attacks against British Muslim women and why?
