Muslims Do Not Commit Most of London's Knife Crimes
The Claim
Muslims are responsible for most of London's knife crimes.
News posted on
Emerging story
In mid-summer 2020, a meme was shared stating that Muslims commit nearly 90% of all knife crimes in London. The claim originally began after the Right Honourable Sadiq Khan’s election to mayor in 2016. Since the election of an Islamic mayor, London’s Muslim community has been a hot target for fake or misleading news. One such claim is that Muslim immigrants are responsible for the lion's share of knife crime in London.
Misbar’s Analysis
These Islamophobic messages have been on the rise in London England since Khan, a political figure of Pakistani descent, was elected as London's new mayor. The New York Times has suggested that the reoccurring Islamophobic depictions are probably right-wing Londoners pushing back against a Muslim being elected as mayor.
Misbar’s investigation has determined that there is no significant link between Muslim immigrants and knife crime in the UK. One study into London knife crimes, forecasting the area's risk of knife related homicide, used several demographics to create new data trends. However, there was nothing about religious affiliation quantified.
Today, the religious affiliation of any person who commits a violent crime is not always included in the recorded information. However, "the foreign-born share of the population is unrelated to violent crime according to the most recent research findings."
