‘I wore a face veil for the first time as a Muslim. Then a man tried to hit me on the Tube’
Fatima Mahmoud* decided to wear a niqab, or niqab, while riding the tube in London for the first time this summer. A man on the platform at Whitechapel station looked at him and shook his head, then shouted and pretended to punch the air.
The man imitated the veil by placing his fingers over his eyes like glasses. His friend took a photo of him, which led to the man running towards them and trying to hit them, while bystanders confronted him.
Although the 23-year-old is a British-born Muslim, he said: Independent: “I don’t feel safe at all here in the UK. I drive as much as I can and try to be mindful of my surroundings. Public transport scares me now, especially since this happened in the afternoon. It wasn’t dark outside.
“I was afraid to wear the veil again until I regained my confidence. I’m constantly looking over my shoulder in case someone punches me from behind.”
Her story comes at a time when almost half (45 percent) of Muslim women feel unsafe on public transport, according to a new report from the Muslim Census; In comparison, only 8 percent of women nationwide.
More than a third (34 per cent) of Muslim women said they had experienced Islamophobic or racist abuse while travelling. It was found in a survey of 1,155 people in November 2025.
According to the research, these experiences include a variety of experiences such as assault, verbal abuse, being spat at, having the headscarf pulled and even being urinated on.
Ms Mahmoud said she reported the incident to the police but saw no progress. British Transport Police (BTP) said the investigation was closed pending new evidence as all existing lines of inquiry were being pursued.
Almost two-thirds of Muslim women believe they are targeted because they wear hijabs, veils or visible signs of Muslim identity.
Data from Tell MAMA, which stands for “Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks,” reveals that many Muslim women “are exposed to multiple anti-Muslim hate incidents over the course of their lives,” with many even removing their identifying clothing out of fear.
Tell MAMA director Iman Atta added: “We have reported cases where Muslim women wearing the veil were denied access to services and bus drivers did not stop for them at bus stops.”
‘I was kicked in the subway station’
Furvah Shah was left shocked, confused and in pain at the metro station after being physically attacked by a complete stranger.
A 26-year-old headscarved woman told Independent He was entering Marble Arch station when a young, blonde woman kicked him and said, “You deserve this.”
Ms Shah was kicked in early September, a week before a “Unite the Kingdom” rally in London attended by 150,000 people. This follows a wave of anti-immigrant protests over the summer against hotels used to house asylum seekers.
According to the survey, almost all Muslims (93.8 percent) feel less safe during far-right demonstrations, and 84.9 percent actively change their travel behavior. For women, these figures are even higher; 96.3 percent feel less safe and 90.7 percent change travel plans.
Ms Shah said: “This is a symptom of the rise of far-right sentiment. People are emboldened to do these things and we are the ones who suffer. I have been more cautious about public transport and generally nervous because I fear this is not a one-off incident.”
Ms Atta said far-right protests had psychological effects and could “trigger feelings of fear and effects of trauma”, particularly on Muslim women and young people.
Ms Shah reported the incident to the police as a hate crime but ultimately decided not to escalate the case.
‘‘I was called a racial slur’
Sumaiya Khan*, 24, was six months pregnant when she said she was subjected to a racial slur during the Southport riots in August 2024.
While Ms Khan was waiting at the bus stop at Luton station, a middle-aged white man sat next to her. “He started saying there were too many ‘cakes’ around. Then he looked at me and called me a ‘fucking P***’,” he said.
She described feeling “angry” and “afraid to go out in public”, assuming that such insults were inherited from her parents’ generation. He did not report the incident to the police.
The survey found that only 12.5 per cent of incidents were reported to BTP, local police or transport staff. Of those reported, 69 percent were unsure if the issue would be taken seriously.
The majority of Muslims (83.1 percent) believe that Islamophobia is taken less seriously than other hate crimes. Ministry of Internal Affairs findings Prosecution rates for religiously aggravated crimes remain low.
Atta said: “Anti-Muslim sentiment, or Islamophobia, is on the rise, coupled with rhetoric against Muslim immigrants. This gives established British Muslims the impression that they are ‘other’ and not accepted.”
“This could have real-world implications in terms of social cohesion, integration and extremism, and could also divide communities in ‘culture war’ debates. Some politicians have a lot to answer for in their quest for power.”
Transport for London police chief Mandy McGregor said: “We were absolutely horrified to hear about these horrific incidents. Islamophobia and hate crime of all kinds is completely unacceptable and we are deeply sorry.” [they] We have experienced this in our network. “We work closely with the police to eliminate hate crimes across our network and follow up on these incidents with the police.”
A spokesperson for BTP said: “Abuse, intimidation and violence, especially that motivated by hatred, will never be tolerated and we have taken swift and decisive action when we received reports of hate crimes on the network.”
Victims or witnesses of hate crimes are encouraged to report by texting 61016 or calling 0800 405040.
The Home Office declined to comment further.
* Names have been changed
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