See also:
> Racism - some facts and figures
> Disability Hate Crime - some facts

Religious/Faith Hate Crime - some facts

Nationally, in 2006, the police recorded 50,000 racially or religiously motivated hate crimes. The British Crime Survey, which is based on interviews with a wide sample of people and picks up crime that are not reported to police, indicated that there were 260,000 offences last year.

One in 400 Jews compared to one in 1,700 Muslims are likely to be victims of ‘faith attacks’ every year.  This figure is based on data collected over three months in police areas accounting for half the Muslim and Jewish populations of England and Wales. Crimes range from assault and verbal abuse to criminal damage at places of worship.

Instances of faith hate crimes against Hindus and Sikhs have also increased sharply particularly since the July 7th bombings.  There were as many as 932 instances of such hate crimes against predominantly Hindus and Sikhs as opposed to approximately 600 against Muslims.  As Asians they are perceived to all look the same and as such are equally vulnerable to any backlash.

However, incidents of religious hate crime against Muslims have also risen since the bombings.  Many are verbal abuse and minor assaults, but damage to mosques and property have also caused great emotional impact for the victims.

It is illegal to say anything or produce any written material that tries to persuade someone to commit a criminal offence against another race or group of people. This means that leaflets, flyers or speeches that promote crime against people because of their religion is against the law and is called incitement to religious hatred.  However, it is not against the law to disagree with or criticise someone because of their religion or beliefs.

Faith plays a vital role in people’s lives, even for those who are not overtly religious.  Happily people of many faiths respect each other and are able to prosper and as a consequence play a valuable role in society.

If you think you have become a victim of crime because of your religion, then you should report it as soon as possible.   Whether the crime is proven to have been committed because of religious prejudice or not, it is still a crime in its own right.