In Britain today, many Muslims are afraid to walk down the street or express their faith publicly. Some fear that an attack similar to that which took place in Christchurch. This is not just about the occasional attack on a Muslim person or Islamic Centre. It is about the threats, abuse and suspicion that are directed towards the entire Muslim community on an almost daily basis. It demands more than just a box-ticking statement after the next attack. This Islamophobia Awareness Month, I must commit to doing more; we must commit to doing more.
As a Jewish person growing up in diverse north London, I know all too well when a community feels that their fears and security are not taken seriously and when it does get talked about, it quickly morphs into a conversation about something completely different, or comparing it to another group or person's suffering.
This is why I have a moral obligation to tackle anti-Muslim hatred wherever it appears. There is no hierarchy of hate and therefore I cannot stand idly by whilst another community is being subjected to any form of hatred and prejudice. Over the past three years, working with SNS, I have seen more closely the day-to-day prejudice, racism and hatred that too many Muslims across the country face.
I must do more, we must do more and those in power also need to show more than just sympathy and start acting to bring about change.
Many people ask why we should focus on anti-Muslim hatred, when there is also an increase in antisemitism. I reject the notion that we have to choose between the two.
Police-recorded religious hate crimes in England and Wales for the year ending March 2026, show a clear rise in anti-Muslim hate crime (5,132 up 15% on the previous year). At the same time, they show a rise in antisemitic hate crime (1,155 up 10% on the previous year). Both types of hate crime are very real for the communities affected by them and need to be tackled by all.
In February 2026, a mosque in Bristol was targeted during prayer with bacon placed on the door. In July this year, a worshipper leaving a mosque in Leyton was racially abused and assaulted. People leaving a place of worship should never have to fear that when they have finished their daily prayers, they could be threatened in such a way.
Alongside these attacks on Muslims and mosques, we must also be aware of the daily harassment of Muslim women wearing the hijab (headscarf) and of people being subjected to prejudice and suspicion because of their name or appearance. Such hostility also affects Muslims online. The government itself recognises that this hostility can leave people afraid to use public services or report crimes.
Nobody should have to plan their daily life around someone else’s hatred, hostility or prejudice.
So what do I mean when I say I will do more?
I mean that I must be even more unapologetic in calling out prejudice when it occurs within my own community. This means challenging sweeping generalisations about Muslim communities, questioning and reporting posts on social media that can incite hatred, and having difficult conversations with people that I respect and love.
I also mean listening without bringing the conversation back to antisemitism. Our experiences can help us relate to one another, but my Muslim friends and colleagues deserve the platform to describe what they are facing on their own terms. Anti-Muslim hatred and antisemitism can be interconnected, but they are distinct and have different origins and forms and deserve to be handled and combated in their own ways. Whilst looking at previous successes and challenges when putting together provisions for both.
My allyship cannot depend on whether someone agrees with me about Israel, Palestine or anything else. Muslim people do not have to earn my opposition to anti-Muslim hostility. Their safety and belonging should never be tentative.
My colleague Mohammed Ali Amla wrote earlier this year about the need to stand alongside Jewish communities and challenge any form of antisemitism within their spaces. It is also the responsibility of others to build relationships of trust and respect with Muslim communities and to challenge hatred and discrimination within their own communities and institutions. This responsibility must not depend on who speaks first, or on whether solidarity is paid back.
And what do I mean when I say we must do more?
We need sustainable education in schools, and teacher training that must include recognising and challenging anti-Muslim hate and stereotypes as well as tackling bullying. Such work must be delivered alongside that for antisemitism and other forms of racism, with funding that allows wrap-around interventions that continue beyond an awareness month.
We need to ensure that there are easy-to-use reporting services and support for victims of Islamophobic hate crime and incidents. People need to know what will happen once they have reported an incident to the police and that social media companies take action against those who threaten or harass individuals online. Companies need to be held to account for platforms that facilitate the spread of hate.
The Government must protect our mosques in the same way that they protect other places of worship. The Protective Security for Mosques Scheme provides up to £40 million in 2026–27. This is not nearly enough, but it must be made to work with timely support, an easy application process and long-term funding for communities that need it.
Political parties, employers and community organisations must apply nationwide standards when prejudice and hatred appear within their own ranks. Condemnation means very little if it disappears when the person responsible is someone on our side.
This year’s Islamophobia Awareness Month theme is “Don’t Let It Slide”. For me, that means taking responsibility for what we allow to go unchecked, especially when speaking up feels like the more difficult option.
As a Jew, I understand the pain of antisemitism in my own community. Thus, it is my responsibility to combat anti-Muslim hostility. There are some people who try to pit us against each other in order to further their own ends. We must not allow them to succeed. A safer society for Muslims is a safer society for all of us.
Our Muslim friends, colleagues and neighbours deserve the same commitment. From me, from us, and from those who govern us.
We must do more.
