Starmer acknowledges hardships for UK Muslims while marking Ramadan

LONDON: UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer marked Ramadan at an iftar gathering in Parliament, acknowledging it as a "challenging time for Muslims in the UK."

PM Starmer attended "the big iftar" hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims to observe Ramadan, which began on Friday and will go on until March 30.

Speaking at the event on Tuesday evening, the prime minister thanked British Muslims for their contributions to "every community in Britain" and reflected on the "pain of the conflict in Gaza" and how conflict abroad "affects communities here at home."

He said: “I know (this) has been a very difficult time for Muslims here in the UK with the pain of the conflict."

The prime minister also said that he was "horrified" by the "wave of hatred we have seen directed towards British Muslims" which he said was "whipped up by far-right rhetoric and disinformation", particularly in the wake of the riots after three young girls were murdered in Southport last summer.

"It is shocking — absolutely shocking — that 2024 was the worst year for anti-Muslim hate crime since the Home Office began collecting data," the Prime Minister said.

"I always thought these numbers would go down, that there would be a better trend towards a better society. They’ve gone in the wrong direction to a record high — that’s how serious it is.

But of course, they are just statistics, but behind those statistic are real people impacted every day by this hatred, fearful for their families, fearful for their children facing harassment on our streets."

The prime minister said the images in Southport days after the riots of people rebuilding a wall in front of a mosque which was damaged is "the true spirit of this country" and wished attendees a "peaceful, blessed and fruitful holy month".