LONDON: The British government on Sunday said that it would provide $128 million to enhance security at mosques and other Muslim sites including community centres and schools over the next four years.
The commitment by the Home Office comes after a rise in anti-Muslim hate incidents in the UK since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza last October.
Home Secretary, James Cleverly in a statement said anti-Muslim hatred has no place in British society.
He said that the British government will not permit events in the Middle East to be used as an excuse to justify hate crimes against Muslims in Britain.
The security measures include technology such as alarm systems, CCTV and perimeter fencing.
A further $40 million will also be made available to enhance the protection of democratic processes and institutions amid growing extremist threats.
Tell MAMA, a group monitoring hate crimes against Muslims, said it had recorded 2,010 hate incidents in the past four months in the UK.
The group added that it was the largest recorded number of cases in a four-month period. The incidents included threats, assaults, abusive behaviour, vandalism, hate speech, discrimination and anti-Muslim literature.
Tell MAMA said 1,109 of the reported hate incidents took place online. It said that women were the target in 65 percent of hate cases.
According to the Gaza health ministry Israel’s bombardment has killed 31,000 people in the besieged enclave most of them women and children.
