Mosque Replica on Bonfire

Arrest after mosque replica put on top of loyalist bonfire in Northern Ireland - as Muslim Council warns UK on 'dangerous path' www.lbc.co.uk/article/mosq...

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— Gary R. Bunt (@garyrbunt.bsky.social) 9 July 2026 at 20:19

Anti-Muslim Hostility

gov.uk, Anti-Muslim Hostility Definition, 10 Mar 2026

"The Government appointed an independent working group in 2025 to look at this issue. We have adopted a new non- statutory (not legal) definition to help provide clarity and support further action to tackle anti-Muslim hostility."

Hate Crime Figures

BBC News, Hate crime in England and Wales rises for first time in three years, 9 Oct 2025

"The number of hate crimes recorded by police in England and Wales has risen for the first time in three years, including increases in race and religiously motivated offences, Home Office figures, external show."

Also see Home Office, Hate crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2025, 9 Oct 2025 for the extended analysis and statistical sources.

Home Office Hate Crime Report/Analysis

Mustafa Al-Dabbagh, Byline Times, ‘Why Yvette Cooper's Claim That Middle East Conflict is Behind UK Hate Crime Spike 'Completely Misses the Point - The Problem Runs Far Deeper', 14 Oct 2024

“The numbers don’t lie. According to the latest Home Office data, nearly 40% of religiously motivated hate crimes in the UK target Muslims. This staggering statistic should shock us all, yet it often doesn’t.“

Also see an extended post here on the Virtually Islamic News site.

Romford Abuse

Deeply disturbing - such blatant Islamophobic abuse on display as this man shouts his vile abuse - no surprises- at Muslim women and Palestinians activists.

I hope he is identified swiftly and dealt by @metpolice. Hate has no place in our society. https://t.co/EYf0bZDlnv

— Zara Mohammed (@ZaraM01) April 21, 2024

Toxic Politics (part 97)

This is just the latest evidence showing the scale of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party.

Last week Birmingham Cllr Rick Payne was forced to resign after HOPE not hate revealed his use of an anonymous X account to spew anti-Muslim hatred.https://t.co/3xI1XIjo64

— HOPE not hate (@hopenothate) April 18, 2024

'Extremism' Perspectives and Discussions

While this discussion is not/should not be exclusively associated with Muslims in the UK, there are underlying themes in the discourse, which I have attempted to highlight and record here for reseaarch purposes.

Adam Bienkov, Josiah Mortimer, Byline Times, Michael Gove Expected to Drop Plans to Put Muslim Council of Britain in List of ‘Extremist’ Groups, 13 Mar 2024

Hope Not Hate Report 2024 (PDF)

If Gove is confident in his views about the Muslim Association of Britain and other organisations, alleging extremist views and a threat to UK society, we challenge him to state them outside parliament. However, due to the fear of legal challenges, we know he lacks the courage… https://t.co/tXbHB80cU4

— Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) (@MABOnline1) March 14, 2024

‘We’re easy to scapegoat’: Muslim Council chief baffled by Tory ‘extremism’ label https://t.co/i1eDvF8e9m

— Zara Mohammed (@ZaraM01) March 14, 2024

Our Secretary-General @ZaraM01, on BBC Newsnight this evening on the Government’s expansion on the definition of extremism. https://t.co/ywbL50UHWT

— MCB (@MuslimCouncil) March 13, 2024

Michael Gove is asked if saying an MP should be shot is an extremist view & would it fall under his new definition of extremism. Gove won't say

Goves new definition is meant to stop govt money going to extremists & Frank Hesters company gets lots of govt contracts. pic.twitter.com/bOPmxvdl5W

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) March 14, 2024

"It's unfortunately a part of my daily life... I think it is incredibly frightening."

Apsana Begum, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, says that as an ethnic minority politician she often faces racist abuse and wants to see institutional reforms to address this. #Newsnight pic.twitter.com/FAtaEXsHDt

— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) March 13, 2024

This is a must watch to understand the thinking behind the latest announcements on extremism by Michael Gove.
Also remember his comments in his book as reviewed by @DalrympleWill - I quote
“Worth pointing out how @MicGove opposed Oslo and the Two State Solution in his terrible… https://t.co/30o5rqiGwp

— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) March 14, 2024

“Words matter, we’ve had two MPs who have been murdered… There has to be accountability…”

Labour’s @DrRosena responds to the Conservative Party’s handling of reported racist comments about Diane Abbott by Tory donor Frank Hester#Peston pic.twitter.com/IyoCObsz7c

— Peston (@itvpeston) March 13, 2024

Anti-Muslim Rhetoric in the UK

 The toxic political situation in the UK incorporates anti-Muslim rhetoric and 'Islamophobia'. I have covered some of this in my X feed, but for the record am placing some other elements below. Just a reminder - there are multiple opinions here, the posts below are for information and subsequent analysis, and inclusion never does not imply endorsement. The language is not adjusted and can be 'loaded' at times:

 

 

This tweet is magnificent.

The Hard-Right have weaponised the murder of Lee Rigby for years, to justify anti-Muslim hatred BUT denied hating Muslims.

Yet here's hard-right mouthpiece Mahyar Tousi attacking Lee Rigby's widow for telling people not to hate Muslims.

MAGNIFICENT pic.twitter.com/rLrGz1E9Me

— Femi (@Femi_Sorry) March 11, 2024

Conservative MP Mike Fabricant believes that Islamophobia from an MP does not even need to be apologised for...

Seriously. https://t.co/7BEvZeWwH9

— Miqdaad Versi (@miqdaad) March 12, 2024

Sadiq Khan, "We have another example, of a senior Conservative, a Conservative donor, making comments that are clearly racist and clearly misogynistic"

"What Rishi Sunak needs to do. Is to grow a backbone. To have courage. He failed to call out the Islamophobia, the anti-Muslim… pic.twitter.com/6CKehK0jR6

— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) March 12, 2024

Gove who once described the indigenous population of over seas colonies as Fuzzie Wuzzies - has decided to hand pick an Islamophobia advisor. Mr Mughal - whose skill sets include : telling his pay masters what they want to hear, criticising his own community incessantly and… pic.twitter.com/Sshl7IS5y0

— Akunjee 🖋 (@mohammedakunjee) March 9, 2024

Yet another desperate attempt to smear the First Minister of Scotland, and his family.

It seems the leadership shown by @HumzaYousaf to get urgently needed aid to 2.2million starving Gazans must be viewed with suspicion, I’m sure his being Muslim has nothing to do with it? https://t.co/TIz4COXXTL

— Zara Mohammed (@ZaraM01) March 9, 2024

Archbishops of Canterbury and York warn against new extremism definition. Clerics say Michael Gove’s anti-extremism strategy risks targeting Muslims and may threaten freedom of speech and peaceful protesthttps://t.co/BEFKhJF8KW

— William Dalrymple (@DalrympleWill) March 13, 2024

There should never be a hierarchy of racism. But under this government there clearly is.

Islamophobia body has not met for 4 years, despite the rise in anti-Muslim hate crimehttps://t.co/0FDv3fqsAU

— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) March 11, 2024

🧵1/10 Apparently, the government are going to appoint Fyaz Mughal as their “anti-Muslim hatred” adviser! A thread on why this is gaslighting of the highest order, even for this government!! (more to follow) pic.twitter.com/xog00AN3lG

— MEND Community (@mendcommunity) March 8, 2024

For months Sunak and many of his cabinet pushed divisive commentary against the Muslims community. He now talks about tackling anti Muslim hatred rates of which his party directly contributed towards. Disgusted by it but disappointed that a mosque just let him waltz in. Shameful https://t.co/mICn30zs5C

— Bushra Shaikh (@Bushra1Shaikh) March 12, 2024

STATEMENT ON REPORTS THAT FIYAZ MUGHAL IS TO BE THE NEW ANTI-MUSLIM HATRED TZARhttps://t.co/mGezYmmSyH pic.twitter.com/f7f9SGtIOX

— MEND Community (@mendcommunity) March 8, 2024

Mosque Protection

 ITV News, Government commits £117 million to protect UK Muslims from hate attacks, 11 Mar 2024 "More than £117 million will be spent by the government to protect mosques, Muslim schools and community centres from hate attacks over the next four years."

Also see: Sky News, More than £117m taxpayers' money to be spent on protecting UK Muslims, 11 Mar 2024

'Islamophobia incidents skyrocket'

Independent, ‘I’m too scared to leave my house’: Muslim fears as Islamophobic incidents skyrocket by 365%, 4 Mar 2024 "London charity Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) says many of the incidents have involved people being targeted over their support for Palestine, as the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage.' Islamophobia Response Unit

Anderson and Braverman

 I have a page on the Anderson/Braverman 'Islamophobia' debate on my Virtually Islamic News site, collecting various online responses. It also features on my X @garybunt

'Islamophobia' definition issues

Basit Mahmood, Hyphen, The UK government should renew its efforts to define Islamophobia, 3 Mar 2023 "By dropping its work in this area, the government risks being complicit in a surge of abuse of British Muslims"

Conservative Islamophobia Claim

BBC News, PM's ethics adviser investigates Tory MP Nus Ghani's Islamophobia claim "Rishi Sunak's ethics adviser has taken over an investigation into claims by a Tory MP that she was sacked as a minister for being Muslim."

Taxi Drivers Abused

Aasma Day, i Newspaper, Taxi drivers suffer racist abuse on a daily basis – but don’t report it as it’s a ‘normal part of the job’, 17 Aug 2021

"Dr Karamat Iqbal, an academic who works in race, equality and diversity, decided to research racial abuse of taxi drivers after seeing a shocking video of a taxi driver subjected to a racial rant from a passenger."

The Singh Investigation

I haven't had an opportunity to read this report yet. It should be generating more headlines, but other political events have taken over:

Burchill Case

Ash Sarkar, Guardian, Julie Burchill abused me for being Muslim – yet she was cast as the victim "Last December, I was referred to as an Islamist and a paedophile worshipper. I read multiple tweets speculating about whether I’m any good in bed, and insults about me supposedly having a moustache. Strange poems popped up portraying lurid sexual fantasies about having a threesome with me and the French far-right leader Marine Le Pen. I saw posts being liked on Facebook that told me to “kill myself for shame” and suggested that I had been a victim of female genital mutilation. None of these were the actions of an anonymous troll – they were the work of Sunday Telegraph columnist Julie Burchill."

COVID-19 >anti-Muslim Prejudice

How #COVID19 has influenced the nature of anti-Muslim hatred, discrimation, and Islamophobia both online and offline: pic.twitter.com/h5zrjy2yNq

— Tell MAMA UK (@TellMamaUK) August 6, 2020

Sunderland Case

Disgraceful racist behaviours. The pair left a female shop owner in tears after one of them told her: "You're in Sunderland not p*** land".

Callum Wallace called the male owner a "p*** c***" and pulled out a knife after visiting the store a day later.https://t.co/Aoowfjdp7J

— Tell MAMA UK (@TellMamaUK) August 6, 2020

'Islamophobia' in the North East

Chronicle Live, How lockdown community spirit could help tackle Islamophobia in the North East A report, produced by Newcastle University, Northumbria University and TellMAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), shows that nearly 70% of Muslims experience anti-Muslim racism regularly. The report came out in June, and is available here

LGBT+ Issues

Just an example of the poisonous sweeping judgements made against British Muslims on @TwitterUK

.@LaylaMoran has every right to stand with communities in solidarity. That is what makes our country unique.

Maybe Mick needs to meet @ImaanLGBTQ https://t.co/j87ybVTTMT

— TellMAMAUK (@TellMamaUK) April 26, 2020