UK Muslims ‘most likely’ to be victims of hate crime

Among religious groups in Britain, Muslims are "most likely" to be victims of hate crime, a government report has found.

Police records released by the Home Office on Tuesday showed religiously motivated hate crimes in England and Wales soared by nearly 50 percent in the 12 months to March 2015.

“Together with a greater awareness of hate crime, and improved willingness of victims to come forward, this is likely to be a factor in the increase in hate crimes recorded by the police in 2014/15 compared with the previous year,” the report said. 

A Home Office report said its analysis of the figures showed Muslims adults, particularly those from a south Asian background, were the "most likely" group to be a victim of religiously motivated hate crime.

As a result, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron announced Tuesday that hate crimes targeting Muslims would be recorded separately by police, similarly to anti-Semitic offenses.

“I want British Muslims to know we will back them to stand against those who spread hate and to counter the narrative which says Muslims do not feel British. And I want police to take more action against those who persecute others simply because of their religion,” Cameron said.

The Home Office figures, which do not cover offenses in Scotland or Northern Ireland, showed the vast majority of the nearly 55,000 hate crimes recorded by police between April 2014 and March 2015 were racially motivated.

However, religious hate crimes rose faster than any other category compared to the previous year, rising by 43%.

Overall there were 18% more hate crimes in England and Wales, although a Home Office report said improved crime recording methods would have contributed to the increase.