Committee publication · Special Report · 12 May 2026 · HC 1863
10th Special Report - Discrimination, harassment and abuse against Muslim women: Government Response
From: Women and Equalities Committee
Inquiry: Gendered Islamophobia
Summary
This is the Government's formal response to the Women and Equalities Committee's January 2026 report on discrimination, harassment and abuse against Muslim women. The Government welcomes the inquiry, acknowledges alarming rises in anti-Muslim hate crimes (4,478 recorded in year ending March 2025), and outlines its multi-sector strategy including £4 million to combat anti-Muslim hostility, adoption of a non-statutory anti-Muslim hostility definition, £40 million for mosque security, training schemes, and integration with Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.
Key findings
- Police recorded 4,478 hate crimes against Muslims in year ending March 2025, accounting for 45% of religious hate crimes; younger Muslims and Muslim women bear disproportionate brunt of hostility.
- Government published Protecting What Matters (9 March 2026) adopting a non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility and committing £4 million to combat it; appointed Special Representative to champion efforts across UK.
- Government providing record funding for mosque security: £39.5 million in 2025–26 (including £10 million emergency funding) and up to £40 million guaranteed for 2026–27 under Protective Security for Mosques scheme.
- Government committed to introducing Section 14 of Equality Act 2010 to protect dual discrimination; exploring expansion to cover more than two protected characteristics for groups like Muslim women.
- Crime and Policing Bill includes new legislation addressing protests outside places of worship; Home Secretary commissioned independent review of public order and hate crime legislation led by Lord Ken Macdonald.
Government position
The Government accepts the Committee's concerns and broadly aligns with its recommendations. It accepts the need for police training on hate crime, welcomes recommendations on media diversity and role models for Muslim women, and agrees on the importance of employment protections and data collection. On specific points: Government is considering Law Commission's 34 recommendations on hate crime legislation and has already tabled amendments to Crime and Policing Bill to extend aggravated offences to cover sex as protected characteristic. Government notes ONS statistical limitations on religion-by-income data but commits to exploring feasibility. On hate crime action plan: Government states it is prioritising implementation of Protecting What Matters rather than publishing a new dedicated hate crime action plan. On Online Safety Act: Government does not believe further transparency powers on algorithms/AI are required at this stage pending statutory review.
Tone
SupportiveTopics
Key actors
Women and Equalities Committee, Government Equalities Office, College of Policing, Crown Prosecution Service, Ofcom, British Muslim Trust, Office for National Statistics, Lord Ken Macdonald of River Glaven KC
Notable line
“Every individual should be able to live in modern Britain without fear or intimidation, practising their faith freely.”
Key Quotes
“Police recorded 4,478 hate crimes against Muslims in the year ending March 2025, accounting for 45% of religious hate crimes in the UK.”
“We recognise the seriousness of this issue and the urgent need to address both the immediate threats and the underlying causes of anti-Muslim hatred directed at women and girls.”
“In the year 2025 to 2026, we provided £39.5 million including an additional £10 million of emergency funding to further strengthen security at mosques and other Muslim community sites with protective measures …”
“It is wrong, for example, that some Muslim women or women experiencing the menopause may be treated less favourably by an employer or service provider because of a particular combination of protected characteristics.”
“Since July 2025, additional child safety duties have been in force. Platforms likely to be accessed by children are required to assess and address the risk of children encountering content that is harmful or age inappropriate for them …”
“We want British storytelling that reflects the full diversity of people and experiences across the UK, so that more people, like the Muslim female community, can see themselves reflected as part of our national story.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗