Committee publication · Report · 30 January 2026 · HC 571

10th Report – Discrimination, harassment and abuse against Muslim women

Government response deadline: 30 March 2026

Summary

The Women and Equalities Committee investigates discrimination, harassment and abuse against Muslim women in the UK. It finds Muslim women disproportionately targeted by anti-Muslim hate—both online and in-person—in ways that are gendered and intersectional. The report documents 4,478 police-recorded hate crimes against Muslims in 2024–25 (45% of religious hate crimes) and 6,000+ incidents recorded by Tell MAMA. It argues persistent media stereotyping and algorithmic amplification normalise abuse, restrict Muslim women's public participation, and corode community cohesion. The Committee calls for legislative reform, police training, media regulation, and targeted community support.

Key findings

Muslim women experience disproportionate levels of hate crimes compared to Muslim men—in 10 of 12 years Tell MAMA recorded data, women were majority victims. Abuse is more likely to contain sexual aggression when targeting women.
Visibly Muslim women (wearing hijab, niqab, or burka) face heightened targeting. 1,029 victims were visibly Muslim in 2024, up from 506 in 2023. Public figures' comments—e.g. Boris Johnson's 'letterbox' remark—normalise gendered abuse.
Intersectional discrimination compounds risk: Muslim women of South Asian and Arab heritage facing 'triple penalty' of discrimination based on race, faith and gender. 45% of Muslim women feel unsafe on public transport vs. 8% of women nationwide.
Media and social media amplify hatred: false claims about the Southport attacker achieved 155 million impressions via algorithmic promotion. Algorithms reward emotional engagement, distributing anti-Muslim content at scale.
Underreporting is endemic: only 12.5% of public transport incidents are reported; 69% of those who reported felt unconfident it would be taken seriously. Police lack training on recognising gendered anti-Muslim hate.
Abuse within Muslim communities further silences women: Muslim Women's Network and others document harassment of politically active women, feminists and LGBTQ+ members from patriarchal community networks, compounded by fear that disclosing harm will stigmatise Muslim men and Islam.

Recommendations

Urgently review whether the Online Safety Act and media self-regulation are fit for purpose in tackling hateful extremism. Require press regulators and Ofcom to robustly challenge inaccurate representations and false media narratives about Muslim women.
Ensure police officers receive appropriate training on how to recognise, record and respond effectively to hate crimes perpetrated against Muslim women, with particular attention to gendered and intersectional dimensions.
Implement the Law Commission's recommendations on improving hate crime legislation and publish a new hate crime action plan with tackling intersectional abuse of Muslim women as a key priority.
Regional mayors should lead coordination with community organisations to raise awareness of reporting services and develop appropriate responses to spikes in anti-Muslim hate reporting in partnership with local police.
Increase Government support for community-led grassroots initiatives aimed at supporting Muslim women and girls to participate safely in social and physical activity.
Schools, healthcare settings and workplaces should establish clear policies on recognising and tackling anti-Muslim hate and discrimination, with particular focus on protecting Muslim healthcare workers and students.
Welcome and implement section 14 of the Equality Act 2010 (protection for intersectional discrimination with two protected characteristics) and consider expanding scope to include more than two characteristics.
Encourage employers to adopt name-blind job applications to mitigate recruitment discrimination against Muslim women.
Reform Islamic marriage and divorce law: require civil marriage before religious marriage to safeguard women's financial rights, prevent polygamy, and facilitate access to Islamic divorce.

Tone

Critical

Topics

discrimination-hate-crimegender-intersectionalitymedia-regulation-online-safetypolicing-hate-crime-recordingequality-act-reform

Key actors

Sarah Owen (Chair, Women and Equalities Committee), Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks), Muslim Women's Network UK, Baroness Gohir (CEO, Muslim Women's Network UK), Dr Shereen Hamed Shaw (Edge Hill University), Dr Imran Awan (Birmingham City University), Dr Irene Zempi (Nottingham Trent University), Runnymede Trust

Notable line

“Muslim women are more likely to be targeted and more likely to experience it in ways that are specifically gendered and linked to their ethnic identity and perceived vulnerability.”

Key Quotes

“Muslim women are more likely to be targeted and more likely to experience it in ways that are specifically gendered and linked to their ethnic identity and perceived vulnerability.”
— Women and Equalities Committee · Summary of findings on gendered nature of anti-Muslim hate

“People say you can't be racist to Muslims because we're not a race. Can they not see my brown skin? I never know if racists are telling me to get back to my own country because of my skin or my hijab.”
— Anonymous Muslim woman (quoted in academic evidence) · Illustrating intersectional discrimination based on race and faith

“As a Muslim woman, you always have those three barriers, you're a woman, you're probably of ethnic minority and you've got a hijab on [ … ] so that you have to overcome these three barriers before you even speak.”
— Anonymous Muslim woman (quoted in academic evidence) · Describing triple penalty of intersectional discrimination

“In environments where negative stereotypes about Islam are widespread, such visibility can transform everyday encounters into opportunities for abuse.”
— Dr Shereen Hamed Shaw, Senior Lecturer in Education, Edge Hill University · Explaining why visibly Muslim women face heightened targeting

“Muslim women candidates become a symbol of 'Muslimness' for the wider public, then often criticised and attacked as such online; simultaneously, they are often not 'Muslim enough' for some in their own communities.”
— Dr Parveen Akhtar and Dr Anne Jenichen, Senior Lecturers in Politics and International Relations at Aston University · Describing double bind facing female Muslim political candidates

“Actual and potential victims may attempt to make themselves as 'invisible' as possible to try and reduce the potential for abuse. A decision not to veil, a decision to reduce travel by foot and public transport, and a decision to avoid visiting specific public places, are all ways of trying to reduce the risk and manage the fear of Islamophobic victimisation.”
— Professor Imran Awan and Dr Irene Zempi · Describing freedom-restricting impact of harassment on Muslim women's behaviour

“"In our work in schools for instance [ … ] we constantly hear of young Muslim girls censoring themselves because they 76 Dr Shereen Hamed Shaw, Senior Lecturer in Education …”
— Raheel Mohammed, Director, Maslaha · Documenting self-censorship of Muslim girls in school environments

“You do not have to go down some dark corner of the internet. You just need to open up the comments section of any mainstream news outlet and you will see the comments there.”
— Dr Naomi Green, Muslim Council of Britain · Describing ubiquity of anti-Muslim hate in mainstream online spaces

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Source · parliament.uk record ↗