Israel-Hamas war fuels record level of anti-Muslim hatred in UK, monitoring group says

The number of anti-Muslim incidents in Britain rose to a new high in 2024, according to data compiled by monitoring organization Tell MAMA, which says the war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza “super-fueled” online hate.

The surge in hate incidents against Muslims due to Islamophobia has also been linked to the killing of three young girls in the northern English town of Southport last summer, Tell MAMA says.

Tell MAMA says it verified 5,837 anti-Muslim hate cases — a mix of both online and in-person incidents — last year, compared with 3,767 cases the year before and 2,201 in 2022.

The organization’s data goes back to 2012 and is compiled using data-sharing agreements with police forces in England and Wales.

“The Middle East conflict super-fueled online anti-Muslim hate,” the group says in a statement, adding that “the Israel and Gaza War, the Southport murders and riots… created a surge in anti-Muslim hate cases reported to Tell MAMA from 2023-2024.”

Its director Iman Atta describes the surge as unacceptable and deeply concerning for the future.

Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) describes itself as an independent, nongovernmental organization that works on tackling anti-Muslim hatred.

Separate data last week showed that hatred toward Jews across Britain also rocketed to record levels in the wake of the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.