Impact of far-right riots on Muslims revealed in poll as 92% feel less safe living in the UK

Exclusive: Polling expert says far-right riots has left Muslims in fear of leaving their homes and urged government to set out definition for Islamophobia

Muslims attend prayers at the Abdullah Quilliam Mosque last week (Reuters)

Many Muslims feel less safe living in the UK after far-right rioters targetted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, a poll has revealed.

The survey commissioned by Muslim Census, a data organisation focusing on Muslims and ethnic minorities, found 92 per cent feel “much less safe” as a result of the violent disorder. The poll, conducted between 5-6 August with a panel of 1,519 participants from various backgrounds, reported one in six people have personally experienced racist attacks since the riots began on 30 July, while two in three people witnessed one.

Verbal attacks are the most commonly faced by Muslims with 28 per cent followed by 16 per cent recording abuse online. Four per cent said they had experienced a physical attack in the weeks since the disorder.

Locals clean up debris outside a Holiday Inn Express in Tamworth, Staffordshire (Getty)

Muslim Census co-founder Sadiq Dorasat said: “We have heard stories about Hijabis that don’t feel safe to leave their homes or go to work.

“We’ve seen a witch hunt directed to people of the Muslim faith mentioning Allah and His messenger and people are concerned for their safety.”

For days, far-right individuals targeted mosques, Muslim-owned businesses and hotels housing asylum seekers in cities including London, Liverpool, Bristol, Blackpool and Belfast. Violence broke out after misinformation was spread following the deadly stabbings of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on 29 July.

Southport Islamic Centre was one of the mosques targeted by far-right rioters who set cars on fire and pelted local buildings with rocks. Since the riots, more than 900 people have been arrested and more than 400 charged nationwide, including for racial hatred.

Mosques around the country have advised worshippers to take safety measures including refraining from traveling alone, avoid leaving their homes after sunset and consider traveling in groups to “avoid being a target”, Leicester Islamic Centre announced.

Far-right rioters in Rotherham earlier this month (Getty)

The polling expert fears racism cases and widespread security concerns have now increased even more and argued the “shocking spike in Islamophobia” is not an isolated incident.

Mr Dorasat said: “This has been a growing and rising problem. We see it day to day and some people might not even be surprised at the riots that are taking place.

“Since the start of the year, Muslims have been experiencing these Islamophobic incidents and it has only been accelerated in the last week. Nobody should be surprised.”

He argued the rise hasn’t happened overnight and it has been increasing over the past five years like a “domino effect” leading to the violence around the country.

Imam Sheik Ibrahim Hussein surveys the damage in the Southport Islamic Centre Mosque after a protest (PA)

According to the survey, half of the people quizzed have been the victim of a racist attack just in the last year and an overwhelming 93 per cent of Muslims feel Islamophobia has increased over the past five years.

The pollster believes the government should have condemned the violence using stronger terms and criticised party leaders for not working towards establishing a definition for Islamophobia.

“The word has been used very rarely in the last weeks and there is a reluctance to use it and it is because there is no agreed definition of Islamophobia by our current and our previous government,” he added.

The nearest to an official definition in the UK came when an all-party parliamentary group in 2019 defined Islamophobia as “rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness”.

Although the term has been used by some politicians from multiple parties – including Labour, Lib Dems, and Scottish Conservatives – it was never officially recognised by the Tory government at the time.

Keir Starmer visiting a mosque in Solihull after the riots (Reuters)

Mr Dorasat said: “The conversation around the term needs to be brought to the table so that when we are discussing these events, we can label them correctly so we can deal with them appropriately. At the moment some people are just using the term ‘anti-Muslim hate’.”

Following the disorder, Sir Keir Starmer insisted his government is committed to tackle violence and hate against “those affected” and the home secretary promised to grant greater protection to mosques around the country.

Despite the measures, Mr Dorasat urged the prime minister to spell out the threat racism poses for ethnic communities and to “properly call out and punish” the perpetrators.

He added: “We hope that what we are seeing on the streets causes a real reaction to prevent this from going ahead in the future. And it sets a precedent that the targeting towards a specific faith group is going to be called out and properly punished.  

“I urge those people to speak to the police to speak to the Islamophobia response unit. Don’t think this is okay or expected and you just need to be quiet. Raise the alarm because these instances need to be handled correctly.”