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Ministers are being urged to drop the requirement for mosques to prove they have faced a hate crime before they can apply for protective security.
Last week, the Home Office announced up to £40m in funding for security staff, CCTV, fencing, alarms and floodlights for mosques, Muslim schools and community centres through the Protective Security for Mosques Scheme.
However, Akeela Ahmed, the chief executive of the British Muslim Trust, the government’s official partner in monitoring Islamophobia, says mosques have been left unprotected by the scheme because they have to prove they have been targeted, with graffiti for example, before they can access the cash.
Greater Manchester police said they were called to Manchester Central Mosque on Tuesday evening after security staff challenged a man in possession of an axe, a knife and a hammer.
Ahmed said the incident demonstrated why mosques needed enhanced security but said many were missing out under the current system, despite incidents becoming “more common and more violent”.
Home Office guidance says mosques should apply for “security measures … provided for free by the Home Office” if they have experienced or feel vulnerable to hate crime, of if there has been hate crime in the area towards other places of worship or their congregants.
However, it advises applicants to provide detailed evidence of incidents, such as graffiti, or police reports, saying that “applications that do not include strong evidence are unlikely to be successful” and that reporting “feeling unsafe due to general tensions” without outlining the impact and “material consequences” is not enough.
Ahmed said that in practice, this meant a mosque had to be attacked and get supporting evidence from police or councils before it could qualify.
She added: “Mosques tell us that they report low-level incidents and won’t get a response from the police. Sometimes they would report suspicious people near the mosque and police wouldn’t respond.
“The criteria to provide evidence of being targeted is a barrier that doesn’t need to be there – a mosque is vulnerable just by virtue of being a mosque, and because there’s a huge number of applications, there’s a huge backlog.
“Some mosques have been waiting up to 18 months. British Muslims need greater support, including a more streamlined process to get the protection they need and better early warning and intervention measures.”
The BMT reported a “nationwide surge” in attacks on mosques last year, with their most recent figures detailing 27 incidents between August and October, including an arson attack, an airgun shooting, and windows being attacked with a paving slab and a metal pole. Meanwhile, 45% of all religious hate crimes last year targeted Muslims.
The Manchester Rusholme MP, Afzal Khan, said Tuesday night’s incident showed why Home Office security funding was vital, adding: “This is the consequence of far-right politicians scapegoating Muslims.”
Greater Manchester police said they were increasing patrols and “working with detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing North West” after the arrest at Manchester Central Mosque, although it has not been declared a terrorist incident.
A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of carrying an offensive weapon at the scene. A man in his 20s was arrested later on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.
The Home Office has been approached for comment.
