Alwaght- A third of Muslim students have experienced abuse or crime at their place of study in Britain, with most victims believing it was motivated by Islamophobia, a report has revealed.
The Muslim Students Survey was launched in 2017 by the National Union of Students (NUS) to try to gain a better understanding of the experiences of Muslim students in further and higher education and received 578 responses among UK-based students.
One in three respondents said they had experienced some type of abuse or crime at their place of study, with 79% of those believing it was motivated by prejudice relating to their Muslim identity, the NUS said. Prejudiced statements or gestures before, during or after the incidents were cited.
One in three respondents said they had experienced some type of abuse or crime at their place of study, with 79% of those believing it was motivated by prejudice relating to their Muslim identity, the NUS said. Prejudiced statements or gestures before, during or after the incidents were cited.
A third of the respondents said they were “fairly or very worried” about experiencing verbal abuse, physical attacks, vandalism, property damage or theft at their place of study, relating to their religion or belief.
Female respondents who wore a religious Islamic garment – such as a hijab, niqab or jilbab – were more likely to be very worried.
Hareem Ghani, the NUS women’s officer, said: “We are deeply concerned about Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiment within the education sector and society as a whole. Action must be taken immediately by institutions and students’ unions to safeguard Muslim students – especially women – against racism in or around campus.”
Muslims, who make up 4.4 percent of the UK population, are the largest and fastest-growing minority faith group.
There have been increased hate crimes towards British Muslims over the last few months including the horrific acid attack on two Muslims in East London and the murder of a Muslim outside Finsbury Park mosque, in which a man hired a van and ploughed into worshippers.
