اقرئي النسخة العربية
Hate crime is rising again: what visible Arab and Muslim women can do without shrinking themselves
For many Arab and Muslim women in the UK, safety is not an abstract news topic. It is the calculation you make before choosing a route home, wearing a hijab on public transport, speaking Arabic on the phone, or walking past a group that has gone quiet as you approach.
The latest Home Office hate crime bulletin for England and Wales reported 115,990 police-recorded hate crimes in the year ending March 2025, excluding the Metropolitan Police Service. It also reported a 6% increase in race hate crimes and a 3% increase in religious hate crimes. Religious hate crimes targeted at Muslims increased by 19%, excluding the Metropolitan Police Service.
The official bulletin is here: Hate crime, England and Wales, year ending March 2025.
What counts as a hate crime?
A hate crime is not only physical violence. It can include threats, harassment, criminal damage, assault, or other offences where hostility or prejudice against a protected characteristic is involved. Race and religion are both relevant. For Arab women, hostility may be racial, religious, anti-migrant, anti-Muslim, or a mixture that is hard to separate in the moment.
If someone shouts abuse about your background, religion, language, clothing or perceived nationality, write down what happened as soon as it is safe. Time, place, exact words, descriptions, witnesses, transport route and screenshots can matter later.
Take your fear seriously
Women often minimise incidents because they are used to adapting. We change seats. We lower our voice. We pretend not to hear. We tell ourselves it was probably nothing.
Sometimes leaving quietly is the safest choice. But afterwards, do not erase what happened. Tell someone you trust. Save evidence. If you feel able, report it.
GOV.UK has information on reporting hate crime here: Report hate crime.
Online safety matters too
Hate can follow women online: abusive messages, threats, doxxing, fake accounts, or harassment after posting about Palestine, racism, faith, migration, gender or politics. If you receive threats, take screenshots before blocking. Save URLs, usernames and timestamps.
The National Cyber Security Centre has practical online safety guidance here: Top tips for staying secure online.
You should not have to stop speaking Arabic, remove visible signs of faith, or laugh off abuse to make others comfortable. Practical safety is not weakness. It is care.
