'When a man walks into a mosque in Ramadan armed with an axe, we cannot simply shrug and move on.'
Imran Hussain is the Labour MP for Bradford East
I recently stood at Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons and said something that should never need saying in modern Britain: the toxic culture of Islamophobic rhetoric is putting Muslim lives at risk.
It came after a man entered Manchester Central Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan carrying weapons, including an axe. Worshippers were praying.
Thanks to the swift action of volunteers, we are talking about what might have happened. But that “might have been” should chill every one of us.
Just days later, another incident took place at a Muslim community centre in Worcester. Another place of gathering. Another community targeted.
These incidents cannot be dismissed as isolated. They sit within a climate that has been growing steadily more toxic.
The climate we are creating
At Prime Minister’s Questions, I warned that every single politician and every single journalist has a clear responsibility to stop fanning the flames of hatred.
We cannot pretend language does not matter. It does. It shapes public mood. It legitimises prejudice.
In recent years we have seen a sharp rise in inflammatory and Islamophobic rhetoric from political and media figures. These public figures are pouring fuel on the fire.
Their vile rhetoric is helping to normalise Islamophobia in a way we have never seen before in this country.
This is not the Britain I know
Yet the reality of Britain is very different from the toxic picture painted by those national figures peddle division.
Across our country, Muslims are teachers, nurses, shopkeepers, charity volunteers, parents and neighbours. They work in our NHS, run small businesses on our high streets and contribute every day to the life in communities across the country.
In my own city of Bradford, a proud city of sanctuary, with divergent nationalities from across the world, where over 100 languages are spoken across the community, those from different backgrounds have lived and worked alongside one another for generations. My own family were part of that story. My Grandfather and other family members worked in Bradford’s foundries and factories, helping build the industrial city we know today.
Growing up in Bradford, I went to school with people from all backgrounds and faiths. I started boxing at 11. I spent countless hours boxing alongside people from every background, one of the few places I’ve never experienced racism. It taught me something simple but important: most people get along perfectly well.
Some of the most admired figures in modern Britain are Muslim. Mo Farah is one of our greatest ever Olympic athletes. Nadiya Hussain became a national favourite after winning The Great British Bake Off.
And Britain’s favourite food is curry – something so woven into our national life that it is hard to imagine the country without it. Much of the restaurant industry that made it popular was built by Bangladeshi Muslim migrants who arrived in Britain after the war.
Modern Britain has been shaped by communities working together – not by the division some try to promote.
The reality Muslims face
Yet despite this reality, it is Muslim communities who are paying the price for the toxic rhetoric we now see in public debate.
We saw it in the recent attacks targeting mosques and community centres. I see it myself every day. The barrage of Islamophobic comments on my social media is staggering.
Scroll through the comments under almost any post I make about anything, but in particular confronting Islamophobia, and you will find thousands of racist responses. On my recent PMQs post alone there were more than ten thousand comments.
“No Muslim should be in any place of power”
“You’re a terrorist in our country you shouldn’t be in government”
“You’re not even British”
“Imran, in reality you should not be an MP, this is Great Britain, not Pakistan or Bangladesh.”
And these aren’t the worst comments. I do not delete them or hide them. I want people to see them. Because the only way to defeat racism is to expose it and confront it.
But the sheer volume of hatred is shocking. I honestly do not think I have ever seen so much open and unapologetic bigotry in this country.
We must ask ourselves: where does this language lead?
A hostile environment
There is now a clear hostile environment facing British Muslims.
It has long existed in discrimination around employment and housing, but in recent years it has intensified dramatically, fuelled by inflammatory rhetoric from national figures.
British Muslims are increasingly scapegoated and blamed for everything from immigration to wider social problems.
Relentless scapegoating has created an open season on British Muslims.
Let me be absolutely clear: Muslim communities deserve safety, dignity and the freedom to live their lives without fear.
Full stop.
Twenty months ago, people voted for change. They voted to turn the page on the politics of scapegoating and division.
Sadly, things are getting worse, not better.
A line must be drawn
It is unacceptable that, in 2026, I have to stand up in Parliament and spell out that Islamophobic hatred fuelled by national figures is putting Muslim lives at risk.
Because Muslim communities are telling me they are frightened.
When a man walks into a mosque in Ramadan armed with an axe, we cannot simply shrug and move on.
As a country, we must act.
Britain is better than this.
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