Anti-Muslim hate in NHS hospitals and GP surgeries has surged by a staggering 92 per cent in just one year, with Muslim doctors, patients and families subjected to abuse and harassment in places meant to keep them safe.
Shocking new figures from Tell MAMA reveal 71 verified incidents were recorded in healthcare settings during 2025 – almost double the 37 cases reported in 2024.
And the hostility appears to be continuing.
Another 29 verified incidents were recorded between January and June this year, prompting warnings that elevated levels of anti-Muslim hate are persisting across healthcare settings.
- Reported cases in healthcare settings rise by 92% from 2024 to 2025
- Muslim NHS doctor says patient pointed at her hijab and called her a ‘terrorist’ in crowded waiting room
- Charity calls for urgent action to protect Muslim patients and NHS Staff
Among those targeted was a Muslim NHS doctor who says she was branded a “terrorist” by a patient in front of a crowded waiting room.
The doctor said she had simply called the patient’s name when the abuse began.
“I chose medicine to protect and care for people when they need it most,” she said.
“When I called his name, my only thought was how to help him.
“Having my faith weaponised against me in front of a crowded room was deeply degrading.
“At that moment he pointed at my headscarf and called me a ‘terrorist’ and the entire waiting area fell silent. Everyone stared.
“Suddenly, the years of studying and exhausting shifts meant nothing; I wasn’t seen as a doctor, but as a threat.”
She said the incident destroyed her sense of safety within seconds.
“The raw hatred in his voice, suggesting that my headscarf somehow made me dangerous to the very patients I am dedicated to serving, stripped away my sense of safety and professional identity in seconds.”
HATE IN PLACES OF CARE
Tell MAMA says incidents have taken place across the NHS – from local GP surgeries and outpatient clinics to hospital wards and emergency departments.
And it is not only healthcare workers being targeted.
Muslim patients and visiting family members have also been caught up in incidents involving verbal abuse, discrimination and targeted harassment.
The monitoring organisation says its figures reveal a troubling year-on-year rise.
There were 37 verified incidents in 2024.
That jumped to 71 in 2025 – a 92 per cent increase. A further 29 were recorded in the first six months of 2026.
Tell MAMA says the mid-year figures suggest the heightened level of incidents seen during 2025 has not disappeared.
‘THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE’
Iman Atta OBE, Director of Tell MAMA, said anti-Muslim prejudice was reaching people during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.
She said: “Hospitals and GP surgeries should be places of safety and care for everyone, regardless of faith.
“These figures show that anti-Muslim prejudice is following people into some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives, and that is unacceptable.
“We are calling on NHS trusts to take this data seriously and to strengthen reporting pathways and staff training so that both patients and healthcare workers are properly protected.”
TELL MAMA’S CALL FOR ACTIONS
- Strengthen safeguarding pathways NHS trusts and ICBs must audit and reinforce incident-reporting frameworks to better support affected staff and patients.
- Increase reporting visibility Integrate direct reporting routes to Tell MAMA within NHS complaints, PALS and safeguarding procedures.
- Mandate targeted training Introduce mandatory cultural competency and hate-crime awareness modules for all frontline and public-facing NHS staff.
- Institutional data-sharing Establish formal data-sharing protocols between NHS bodies and independent monitoring networks to uncover the true scale of underreporting.
