Cases of anti-Muslim hatred in the UK have more than doubled in 10 years, according to a new study by Tell Mama, which supports victims of Islamophobia, on Thursday.

The organisation, which also monitors anti-Muslim sentiment across the UK, said reported Islamophobic incidents grew annually from 584 in 2012 to 1,212 in 2021.

Tell Mama has provided support to people involved in over 16,000 anti-Muslim hate incidents since 2012, with over 20,000 people reporting in that period.

She noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in online Islamophobia, as well as a “significant rise in neighborhood-related disputes that have turned out to be anti-Muslim in nature.”

Tell Mama said lockdowns in the UK had “served as a bottleneck for family and neighbour-related issues,” adding that in 2020 there were 1,328 cases of anti-Muslim hate online and offline.

Between 2016 and 2019, the highest frequency of Islamophobic incidents occurred, consistent with “a combination of terrorist attacks in the UK, the Christchurch terrorist attacks in New Zealand, and the outcome of the Brexit referendum”.

Tell Mama said the “high points” of anti-Muslim hatred could be explained by the growth of the far right, the tightening of political rhetoric and the activities of ISIS.

She added that tensions over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2021 “have again spilled over into reports, with an increase in anti-Muslim cases”.

The organization said the well-publicized attacks against asylum seekers and migrant facilities also led to copycat crimes.

Iman Atta, director of Tell Mama, said: “We have produced one of the most detailed studies in the UK with actual case numbers and rankings of anti-Muslim hate cases covering a decade from 2012-2022.

“This is a decade’s worth of data from helping and supporting and making sure British Muslims get justice.

We hope that these statements will inspire others to focus on this area of ​​work and bring awareness to many that anti-Muslim hatred needs to be peacefully confronted, monitored and confronted wherever it manifests itself.

“If we are to ensure a society in which social cohesion is strengthened, addressing anti-Muslim hatred is an important area of ​​work that needs our collective efforts.”