Mosques and related Muslim community sites were handed approximately £66 million in emergency security funding after the disorder that followed the Southport attack. The money was distributed after false claims spread online that the attacker who murdered three girls at a dance class in Southport was a Muslim asylum seeker.
Mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers were subsequently targeted as violent disorder swept across towns and cities in the summer of 2024. The emergency funding was introduced as a temporary measure for places of worship as authorities responded to the unrest.
Funding figures revealed
Of the almost £69 million awarded to places of worship through the emergency scheme, around £66 million went to mosques and associated sites, according to figures obtained through a freedom of information request.
The scale of the spending comes as separate figures show another £41 million was issued to mosques, Islamic faith schools and related sites during 2025-26 under the Government's protective security scheme.
Sharp rise in spending
The figures were obtained by the Guardian, which reported that the funding had risen sharply from just £73,147 in 2016-17. It reached around £3 million in 2022-23 before climbing to £29 million in 2024-25 and then a record £41 million last year.
The Government first established a security scheme for places of worship in England and Wales in 2016, before creating a dedicated £29.4 million scheme for mosques and faith schools across the UK in 2023.
Concerns over threat level
Akeela Ahmed, chief executive of the British Muslim Trust, said the figures showed the extent of the security threat facing Muslim communities. “Security needs are increasing as a direct response to the increase in attacks that mosques are under,” Ms Ahmed said. “If we want to bring down the costs for protecting British Muslims in the UK then we need to reduce the need for protection and address the root causes of hate against Muslim communities.”
The trust published figures in July showing one mosque was attacked every five days across Britain during the previous year.
But Shaista Gohir, chief executive of Muslim Women’s Network UK, said the Government's response did not match the scale of the problem. She said the funding risked creating “the impression that substantial action is being taken to tackle anti-Muslim hostility”. Ms Gohir added: “There is little visible action to address the safety of Muslim women, and most of the funding doesn’t even appear to reach mosques or other community sites.”
Incidents and Government response
The issue has been highlighted by incidents at the Jami community centre in Birmingham, where West Midlands Police recorded at least five incidents involving hate crime and racially aggravated criminal damage between March and July this year. The centre has introduced its own security measures, including gates and blackout boards, while completing an application for Government funding. Worshippers reported smashed windows, racist graffiti and verbal abuse, while one volunteer said the centre did not feel sufficiently supported.
The Home Office said it was working to process applications as quickly as possible. A spokesperson said the Government had made £40 million available through protective security schemes to help protect Muslim communities, forming part of a record £77.4 million investment in security funding for faith communities in 2026-27.
