A major new study has exposed a shocking level of abuse, fear and discrimination faced by Muslim women on Britain’s public transport networks, with researchers warning that many women have been left feeling unsafe travelling on trains, buses and the London Underground.
Published by Muslim Census in partnership with Muslims in Rail, the study is the largest national investigation to date into Muslim experiences on public transport.
It surveyed 1,155 Muslims across the UK between November 9–20, 2025 and is nationally representative by gender, ethnicity, age and region.
According to the report, Muslim women are five times more likely to feel unsafe on public transport than women in the wider UK population.
The study found that:
- 45.3% of Muslim women feel unsafe when using public transport, compared to 8% of women nationwide.
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34.3% of Muslim women have directly experienced Islamophobic or racist abuse while travelling.
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69.4% have changed their travel behaviour due to safety fears, including avoiding certain times of day, modifying clothing, or taking taxis at personal expense.
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Muslims Census also found that only 12.5% of incidents are ever reported, with 69% of reporting women saying they felt their case would not be taken seriously by the authorities.
Respondents also said that during politically charged or far-right events, 96.3% of Muslim women feel less safe, and 90.7% change their travel plans.
An overwhelming 83.1% of Muslim respondents said that Islamophobic hate crimes are treated less seriously than other forms of hate crime.
The report warns that this erosion of trust, combined with low reporting rates, allows abuse to continue “largely unchecked.”
Muslims in Rail said: “This research confirms what we have suspected for a number of years – that racist, anti-Muslim and Islamophobic hate crimes are considerably prevalent on our public transport services. Muslim women are particularly vulnerable, and it seems to be getting worse not better.
“Violence against women and girls – of any faith – is plain wrong and must be rooted out. No woman should have to commute in fear simply for who they are or how they look. Urgent action is required from transport authorities, police and policymakers to stop these hate crimes. We will continue to work with all stakeholders to help achieve this and make our transport network safer for everyone.”
Rising Islamophobia
The shock findings have been released against the backdrop of increasing anti-Muslim hate across the UK.
According to data referenced in the report, Muslims now account for 44% of all religious hate crime victims, despite making up less than 7% of the population.
Britain is going through a period of heightened tensions as far-right activists, groups and political parties have sort to expand the ongoing culture war into a direct confrontation between nationalists and Muslims.
Muslim immigration, the presence of Islam in Britain and Islamic practices such as halal slaughter, wearing the burqa, and establishing mosques and voluntary sharia councils have all come under attack or faced calls to be banned.
Islamophobic conspiracies including an Islamic plot to take over Britain, displace the white population and establish a Caliphate have also been pushed and amplified online.
Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in 2023, anti-Muslim hate has skyrocketed across the UK. With several mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers coming under direct attack from thugs.
Muslims who have protested over the Gaza genocide have been branded “extremists” and “terrorist sympathisers” in right-wing media, while Muslims who mobilised to vote for independent Muslim MPs in the General Election 2024 have been labelled the “sectarian vote” by the right-wing, anti-immigration Reform UK party.
The study highlights a further rise in fear following the 2024 Southport murders and racist far-right summer riots in July, with many Muslim women reporting greater anxiety when using public transport during periods of political or social unrest.
Muslim Census and Muslims in Rail say they are engaging with key stakeholders including Transport for London, Network Rail and British Transport Police calling for stronger safety measures on public transport and mandatory anti-Islamophobia and bystander intervention training for staff.
