Robert Carter
Press TV, London
Islamophobic abuse is something most Muslims living in Britain have to deal with but many were shocked to discover just how dangerous the problem has become.
After shocking statistics have been revealed which show a large number of British mosques have become regular targets of hate crime.
According to a survey data gathered by the Muslim Engagement And Development group, also known as MEND, in cooperation with Muslim Census, 42% of mosques and Islamic institutions have faced attacks in the past 3 years. And 35% experienced a religiously motivated attack at least once a year, with racial and religiously aggravated offenses increasing 15% since last year.
In a statement, the government reaffirmed its earlier pledge to provide greater funding for mosque security:
"We take a zero tolerance approach to all forms of hate crime and we are committed to rooting it out wherever it exists. In addition to funding for projects and organizations which promote diversity and tolerance, we're taking steps to safeguard places of worship with a grant of over £24.5 million available this year."
But Muslim Census claim the government isn't doing enough to tackle the issue.
The most common form of attack is vandalism, followed by theft. However, many Islamic establishments fear that a day may come when the attackers target people rather than just buildings. As was the case with the Finsbury Park Mosque terrorist attack which killed one, injured 10, in 2017.