PRESS RELEASE: MUSLIM ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT (MEND) LAUNCHES A BRIEFING ON THE ALARMING RISE OF ISLAMOPHOBIC INCIDENTS IN SCOTLAND AND MEDIA SILENCE

MUSLIM ENGAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT (MEND) LAUNCHES A BRIEFING ON THE ALARMING RISE OF ISLAMOPHOBIC INCIDENTS IN SCOTLAND AND MEDIA SILENCE

Rights group Muslim Engagement & Development (MEND) has launched a new briefing, Rising Islamophobia in Scotland and Media Silence, which documents the alarming rise in violent Islamophobic incidents across Scotland in 2025. Attacks have included mosque arson, repeated vandalism, brutal assaults on children and online far-right extremist activity targeting young people. Despite the severity of these incidents, media coverage has often been delayed, superficial or limited, creating the misleading impression that these attacks are isolated rather than part of a growing trend linked to far-right mobilisation and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

The briefing reveals how this lack of serious reporting silences Muslim voices, minimises far-right violence and undermines public understanding of the threat. It also highlights political inaction, with three successive Scottish Government administrations failing to implement key recommendations from the Cross-Party Group on Tackling Islamophobia. Meanwhile, the threat of far-right extremism is growing, exacerbating the risk to communities.

MEND calls for urgent action to address this crisis. Scotland must recognise that Islamophobia is both racism and extremism, and act now to protect the safety and equality of its Muslim citizens.

Commenting on the issue, Linsay Taylor, CEO of MEND, said:

“The rise in Islamophobic violence across Scotland is deeply concerning, yet too often these attacks receive only limited or delayed coverage. This lack of serious attention not only minimises the trauma experienced by Muslim communities but also emboldens perpetrators and weakens our collective response to extremism. If Scotland is to live up to its values of equality and justice, it must recognise Islamophobia for what it is: racism and a growing threat to public safety that demands urgent action.”

Notes to editorsAbout Muslim Engagement and Development:

MEND is a not-for-profit company that helps to empower and encourage British Muslims within local communities to be more actively involved in British media and politics. British Muslims have remained on the margins of public and political debate about their religion and place in modern Britain for too long and the level of Muslim participation in media and politics remains woefully low. MEND seeks to enable British Muslims to engage more effectively with political and media institutions and play a greater role in British politics and society by instilling confidence, competence and awareness. Enhancing mainstream participation by communities that are under-represented and vulnerable is an important step towards deepening and strengthening our democracy.

For further information please contact [email protected]

www.mend.org.uk