UK government pledges extra cash for Muslims’ security

The British government on Monday pledged 117 million pounds ($150 million) towards protecting Muslim communities amid a rise in Islamophobia as it promises more action to tackle extremism.

The new funding, announced just over a week after extra cash was promised to enhance security for Jewish communities amid soaring antisemitism, will be used to protect mosques, Muslim faith schools and other community centers, the government says.

In February, the Community Security Trust said Britain recorded thousands of antisemitic incidents after the outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinian terror group Hamas in October, making 2023 the worst year for UK antisemitism since its records began in 1984.

The government had already given the CST, which advises Britain’s estimated 280,000 Jews on security matters, 18 million pounds (some $23 million) for 2024-25, taking the total funding up to 2028 to 70 million pounds ($88.6 million).

Tell Mama, a group that monitors anti-Muslim incidents, said last month there had been a 335% increase in cases since the October 7 Hamas massacre.

“Anti-Muslim hatred has absolutely no place in our society. We will not let events in the Middle East be used as an excuse to justify abuse against British Muslims,” Home Secretary (interior minister) James Cleverly says.