- The MCB has issued new security guidance urging UK masjids to strengthen safety measures.
- This includes lockdown drills, CCTV coverage, emergency plans, incident reporting and closer police engagement. The call comes amid rising anti-Muslim hate crimes.
UK Masjids are being urged to conduct lockdown exercises, strengthen engagement with police and enhance CCTV coverage under national guidance issued amid mounting concerns over anti-Muslim attacks.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has unveiled a new security and preparedness framework for mosques, trustees and volunteers, cautioning that places of worship and community centres face an escalating threat from vandalism, intimidation, threats, risk of life, and targeted hostility.
The guidance offers practical recommendations on how mosques should respond to incidents. It encompasses lockdown protocols, emergency response planning, incident reporting mechanisms and measures designed to reinforce relationships with local authorities and police forces.
A series of abhorrent attacks targeting the Muslim community has heightened concerns, including an incident at the home of an imam in Bolton and renewed anxieties following xenophobic, racist and anti-Muslim unrest in Belfast.
The MCB advised its nearly 500 affiliated mosques and community centres to remain vigilant amid fears of another summer marked by “violence on our streets”, while encouraging imams to use Friday sermons to convey messages of hope, unity and resilience.
Home Office figures published last October showed that recorded hate crime in England and Wales had increased for the first time in three years, with rises in both racially and religiously motivated offences. In England and Wales, where 3.9 million people identify as Muslim, anti-Muslim hate crime increased from 2,690 offences to 3,199 in the 12 months to March 2025. Tell Mamma also reported a 103% increase in targeted anti-Muslim hate against women who are visibly Muslim, particularly Muslim women who are “usually wearing Islamic garments such as the hijab or niqab”, and that they are “often singled out for public harassment or attacks.”
The guidance outlines a phased roadmap for strengthening security over three, 12 and 36 months. Initial recommendations include appointing a dedicated safety lead, undertaking a comprehensive security assessment, identifying CCTV blind spots and establishing clearly defined lockdown and “hold and secure” procedures.
It further warns that common vulnerabilities include the absence of designated safety officers, inadequate engagement with police, uncontrolled access points, insufficient lighting and uncertainty among volunteers regarding emergency procedures.
Among the threats identified are graffiti, vandalism, attempted arson, abuse and intimidation at entrances, suspicious individuals loitering around premises, threats during periods of peak attendance and bomb threats or suspicious packages.
The framework also encourages mosques to cultivate stronger relationships with neighbours, councillors, local businesses and other faith groups, arguing that robust community ties can facilitate a swifter and more measured response when incidents occur.
Wajid Akhter, the MCB secretary general, said communities remained apprehensive about a recurrence of the unrest witnessed in recent summers.
“As we approach [the anniversary of] the 19 June [2017] Finsbury Park terrorist attack, our thoughts and prayers remain with the family of Uncle Makram Ali, the survivors and their families,” he said. “The horror of that night remains etched in our collective memory. It remains a stark reminder of what happens when venomous, unchecked Islamophobia is allowed to fester in our society.”
He said that dehumanising rhetoric directed at ethnic minorities, immigrants and Muslims circulating within public discourse had translated directly into heightened anxiety and a growing sense of vulnerability within communities.
“The recent riots in Southampton and Belfast that exploited knife crime tragedies highlights how parts of Britain’s politicians and mainstream media, aided by algorithm-fuelled social media disinformation and foreign-based billionaires seeking yet more violence on our streets, relish any opportunity to relive the Southport-style racist and Islamophobic nationwide riots of summer 2024,” he added.
