Anti-Muslim hate crime is on the rise, with emboldened rhetoric around “people like you” coming into the country
On the 30th of October 2025, a new helpline and anti-Muslim hate monitoring service, was launched to encourage and empower victims of anti-Muslim hate crimes to report incidents.
The British Muslim Trust (BMT) has launched the new helpline service in the wake of increased anti-Muslim hate in the UK. The helpline, powered by British Muslims, will be used to support victims to help them report their experiences in a safe environment.
The British Muslim Trust Helpline is available via multiple channels to encourage and empower victims of anti-Muslim hate to report incidents. Victims can access the helpline through:
- Phone – free of charge from any phone, operating between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
- Live chat, operating between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
- Website form – designed with three steps and mostly non-required fields for easy completion
- Email and WhatsApp, (victims can use these services at any time, and a member of the team will provide follow-up on the following day)
All calls are handled confidentially by Muslim staff to ensure there is a cultural and religious understanding of the context of these incidents.
The BMT has already started to support victims, ranging from women and girls being targeted to attacks on mosques. However, anti-Muslim hate is becoming increasingly normalised.
A 16-year-old visibly Muslim girl in Sheffield was abused as she got off a bus a few steps from her house. A car drove past near a primary school, and a white male in his 40s spat at her and shouted abuse. She was able to record the vehicle and report the incident to the police via BMT. Within the hour, officers made three calls to support her, and a handwritten card was sent to reassure her after providing a statement.
Following her experience with the BMT, she has gone on to post publicly about her attack, and has encouraged friends to come forward too. This she attributes to the support that she received.
A 42-year-old Arab man in Liverpool was verbally abused while walking by a white man carrying a St. George’s Cross flag. The perpetrator shouted references to “rape gangs” and accused “people like you” of coming into the country. The abuse was aggressive, hostile and clearly racially and religiously motivated. Several bystanders witnessed the incident but did not intervene, leaving the victim to absorb the abuse alone.
Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities, Miatta Fahnbulleh, said, “Nobody in this country should ever be made to feel unsafe for their faith or belief, which is why we are working tirelessly to root anti-Muslim hate out of our society.
The British Muslim Trust will play a vital role in this: from providing a crucial space where victims can feel safe, seen and heard to giving government the fullest picture of the experiences and challenges our Muslim communities face, they are a key partner in our shared goal of creating a safer, more tolerant society for all.”
Akeela Ahmed MBE, CEO, of the British Muslim Trust, comments: “These incidents aren’t isolated. When we are out on the road shows meeting people, they tell us they feel like anti-Muslim hate crimes and incidents are rising, and they are becoming more threatening too. At the British Muslim Trust, we are here standing with victims and challenging Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate. We want to give victims the support network that they need to be listened to, supported, and so they can achieve justice for the abuse they are receiving for merely existing. We will use this data to help monitor anti-Muslim hate crime, as well as the sentiments and rhetoric targeting Muslims, to improve public representation and also to inform policymaking. We need to be monitoring the scale of the problem and where these trouble spots are in the UK. We need to be there to help British Muslims who are senselessly targeted by people fueled by hate in the UK.”
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of anti-Muslim hate, you can contact the British Muslim Trust on Tel: 0808 172 3524 or Email: support@britishmuslimtrust.co.uk
