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Muslims in Britain have mentioned they’re too scared to leave their properties after darkish, as new figures present the variety of Islamophobic incidents because the 7 October assaults have skyrocketed.
London charity Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) says lots of the incidents have concerned individuals being focused over their help for Palestine, as the Israel-Hamas battle continues to rage.
Muslims who’ve spoken to The Independent have mentioned they’ve had bricks by way of their home windows for displaying the Palestinian flag whereas one teenager says he was questioned by his academics after he displayed a Palestinian badge at college.
IRU says it noticed a 365 per cent improve in studies of Islamophobia in October, following Hamas’ lethal assaults in Israel that left greater than 1,200 individuals lifeless. Britain’s Jewish group has additionally seen a surge in antisemitic incidents, with charity Community Security Trust (CST) revealing earlier this month it had seen a document quantity in 2023, together with 2,699 since 7 October.
Have you been affected by this? Email athena.stavrou@impartial.co.uk
“Since October 2023 IRU has seen a sustained increase in reports to the unit,” IRU CEO Majid Iqbal mentioned. “It is clear that this is now developing into a long-term trend and is having a profound impact on those affected by it. IRU calls on the press and politicians to not demonise legitimate Palestinian activism and, by extension, British Muslims, to avoid feeding into the serious societal problem of Islamophobia.”
The figures come after a report earlier this week from Tell Mama, one other physique that measures anti-Muslim hate, mentioned there have been 2,010 incidents between 7 October 2023 and seven February this 12 months, greater than triple the 600 reported throughout the identical interval the 12 months earlier than.
And each units of figures have are available in the identical week Tory MP Lee Anderson was suspended by the Conservative Party, following feedback about London mayor Sadiq Khan which have been broadly condemned as Islamophobic.
Among the instances reported to the IRU was a 17-year-old boy who says he was interrogated by academics about his religion and “his understanding of Hamas” after he hooked up a Palestine badge to his faculty bag. The Year 13 pupil from London mentioned he felt focused as a result of he was Muslim which triggered an anxiousness assault and led to examination failure.
“The numerous instances of being pulled out whilst studying to remove my badge made me feel like I was targeted because I was a Muslim, which made me feel like I was doing something wrong,” he mentioned. “This feeling of being targeted intensified following the intimidating interrogation, which I was subjected to.”
The pupil was anticipating to talk about his psychological well being throughout a safeguarding assembly with two academics, however says he was as an alternative met with questions such as; ‘Are you a Muslim?’, ‘Do you go Mosque”, “Do you have a British passport”, and claims he was “interrogated” on his understanding of Hamas.
In a separate incident reported to the IRU, a 32-year-old physician, who wished to stay nameless, mentioned he has been too scared to leave his house following an assault he believes stemmed from his help for Palestine.
On February 5, the person was awoken by a loud bang and located a big rock had been smashed by way of a window of his house in Manchester that was displaying a Palestinian flag. The incident left him unable to sleep and compelled him to take two weeks of labor as he was sick with stress.
“This event has been extremely traumatic and has had a significant impact on my wellbeing,” he instructed The Independent. “I am not sleeping; I just pace around until 4 or 5am because I am too scared to sleep in the property. I no longer leave the house after sunset, as I am too frightened.”
“I will soon be returning to work after two weeks off sick with stress but I am very concerned about the impact this event will have on my professional performance as a doctor. I do not know how I can work with patients whilst I am this sleep-deprived.”
If you may have been a sufferer of Islamophobia you may report to the IRU by emailing information@theiru.org.uk or calling 020 3904 6555.
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