The far right is on the rise and much of its messaging is explicitly Islamophobic. In 2024 anti-Muslim hate crimes in England and Wales doubled. Meanwhile, the government has stated that it cannot even agree on a definition of what Islamophobia is.

How does all this make British Muslims feel? Miqdaad Versi, Shaista Aziz and the Guardian’s community affairs reporter Aamna Mohdin talk to Nosheen Iqbal about what’s changed.

Shaista says: “Over the last 10 years in particular I have been subjected to increasing levels of physical violence on the streets. Examples include a random man while I was standing at the bus stop using a racial slur against me and then lurching forward to punch me. The impact of all of that is devastating. It made me feel like I didn’t want to engage with the wider world.”

Miqdaad says that as his Muslim identity feels increasingly politicised and criticised, it has made him more protective of others in the community. “There’s so many people who are in so many difficult circumstances because of the Muslim identity. And it feels like if you don’t try and stand up for all, you’re diminishing what it means to be Muslim here in this country.”

For Aamna, the data tells a worrying story. “The stats are quite harrowing and really staggering. Latest YouGov polling data shows that most British people don’t think Islam is compatible with British values, which is really bizarre to me. The number of Islamophobic assaults has increased by 73% between 2023 to 2024. Genuinely every leader that I talk to within the Muslim community in this country is saying this is an unparalleled time to be Muslim, the danger is here, we desperately need help – and they are being ignored.”