The Home Office released its hate crime statistics for 2020/21 this week showing a similar level of hate crimes compared to the previous year. Jewish people remain the most targeted faith group in the UK when population per religious group is taken into account.
The latest report shows that in the year ending March 2021, where the perceived religion of the victim was recorded, just under half (45%) of religious hate crime offences were targeted against Muslims (2,703 offences). The next most commonly targeted group were Jewish people, who were targeted in 22 per cent of religious hate crimes (1,288 offences). These proportions were similar to the previous year.
There should not be a contest in trying to find the biggest victims of hate crimes, but it is important we point out the facts. While more attacks have taken place on Muslims, and therefore more individual Muslims have been affected by hate crimes, when you account for the population size of each group Jews are the most persecuted group in the country.
There are approximately 2,600,000 Muslims in the UK and just 290,000 Jews meaning there are 800% more Muslims living in Britain than there are Jews. That works out to 104 attacks against Muslims per 100,000 Muslims living in the UK. Meanwhile, there are 444 attacks against Jews per 100,000 Jews living in the UK.
It is clear to see that Jews are the most attacked group per capita in the UK. They are over four times as likely to be a victim of a hate crime than any other religious group.
As stated earlier, this is not a competition to see who can claim the most persecuted group award. However, it is important that we understand the extent to which anti-Semitism is occurring in the UK and throughout the world.
The global Jewish population is tiny, not even 0.2% of the global population, yet hatred for the Jewish people is the highest form of online racism to be found online. Likewise, Israel is the only Jewish state on earth and it is the most hated out of all the nations. It is the only country to be attacked by a global boycott campaign and is the most condemned country at the United Nations despite the blessing it is to the world.
The people whom God chose to fulfil so much of His plans here on earth are hated by the world because of the God they represent. That is why we Christians must stand up for them at every opportunity because we are far greater and the Jewish people should not be standing alone in this. As the Bible says, God will bless those who bless Israel and the Jewish people.
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