UK: Recorded anti-Muslim acts rise 15%, mosques face more serious attacks

Figures published Thursday October 8 by the British Interior Ministry show an increase in anti-Muslim acts. Between April 2025 and March 2026, police recorded 5,132 offenses targeting Muslims in England and Wales. At the same time, the British Muslim Trust is warning of increasingly serious attacks against mosques.

Offenses targeting Muslims increased from 4,479 to 5,132 in one year, an increase of 15%. Muslims are the religious group most often targeted in terms of number of recorded offenses. Anti-Semitic acts also increased by 10%, with 3,162 incidents recorded. In total, across all categories, the police recorded 146,825 hate crimes, 7% more than the previous year. These figures are for England and Wales only, not the whole of the UK. They do not account for all the acts committed, since some are never reported. The ministry also recalls that the way of reporting and recording facts can change the statistics. They therefore do not make it possible, on their own, to measure the real evolution of hatred.

More serious attacks on mosques

For its part, the British Muslim Trust has recorded 78 attacks or incidents against 64 mosques and associated buildings in the United Kingdom and the Channel Islands. This assessment, reported by The Nationalcovers the twelve months ending July 2026.

The organization above all emphasizes the seriousness of the facts: arson, weapons, death threats, violence and foiled attack plans. Nearly one site in five has been targeted several times. This assessment should not be confused with that of the police. The periods, territories and criteria used are different. Certain cases are also debated, such as the fire of a former synagogue intended to become a mosque, the motive of which was not established.

For the British Muslim Trust, we must both better protect mosques and tackle the causes of anti-Muslim hatred. Beyond the material damage, these attacks fuel the fear of the faithful in their daily lives. Everyone should be able to go to a place of worship without fear of attack. These two assessments remind us how much this security remains an issue in the United Kingdom.