Communities on edge as faith-based hate crimes spike across the West

Meanwhile, Islamophobia Register Australia found that anti-Muslim incidents reported to the organisation has jumped more than fivefold since October 2023. 

In the United Kingdom, a recent stabbing in the Jewish community of Golders Green in north London has also heightened fears over religiously motivated violence. 

British government data from 2025 showed Jewish communities faced the highest rate of hate crimes per person than any other faith, while offences against Muslims recorded the highest overall number of incidents, rising 19 per cent. 

POLARISATION & ONLINE EXTREMISM 

Experts say the attacks may span different countries and communities, but many of the same forces are driving them – political polarisation, online extremism and divisive public rhetoric. 

Groups supporting victims of hate crimes warn that tensions are becoming increasingly volatile. 

Nadia Aziz, a California-based civil rights attorney, said hate crimes in the US have been surging for more than a decade. 

“Since 2015, we’ve had near record high reports of hate crimes,” she said. “If you look at the timing, that was around the time Donald Trump launched his first presidential campaign, we have also seen an increase in organised hate groups in the US being more active.” 

Aziz said political leaders have a responsibility to avoid inflaming divisions. 

“What the government can do is use their positions of power responsibly, to not spew hate, to use the bully pulpit in a way that brings communities together instead of dividing them,” she said. 

Experts warn that deepening political and social divisions are increasingly turning online hostility into real-world violence. 

With conflicts abroad continuing to inflame tensions at home – whether in the US, Europe or Australia – many fear faith-based hate crimes will continue to escalate.