What goes through the mind of someone who is about to attack a religious space? What led them there, and how can we stop it?
Those are just some of the questions an Islamophobia expert from Worcester takes on in his contribution to a new book analysing the mindset of the perpetrators of hate crime.
Dr Mikahil Azad, Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Worcester, wrote a chapter of the upcoming release Hate Crime Perpetrators, New Perspectives from Theory, Research and Practice, in which he focussed on hate crime in the space of mosques.
“A lot of work is done to support victims, and rightly so,” said Dr Azad. “But my research focuses on understanding the reasoning and justifications used by perpetrators. By doing this, we can challenge harmful myths, avoid stereotypes, and begin to engage with the root causes of hate.”
Dr Azad, who is also the Deputy Chair of the British Society of Criminology’s Hate Crime Network, drew from his personal experiences which he gained while carrying out research for his PhD in 2022 and 2023.
He said: “When I was doing my field studies for my PhD, I’d go to sites where people were protesting outside mosques. I’d ask them what was happening, and why. Many were very open to talk about why they were protesting.”
“Some individuals felt their spaces or communities were being taken over, often influenced by far-right narratives,” he explained. “Many blamed ethnic minorities for broader social issues like unemployment or housing shortages.”
The book is released during November, which is also Islamophobia Awareness Month.
In his chapter, Dr Azad highlights that tackling hate crime requires more than enforcement, and calls for education, community dialogue and a shift in public attitudes.
He said: “By understanding the mindset of those who are the perpetrators of these different types of hate crime, we can see what’s wrong. We can debunk myths and overcome these obstacles as a society and actually take on our real issues.”
The book, Hate Crime Perpetrators- New Perspectives from Theory, Research and Practice Volume II, is published by Palgrave Macmillan and available from Wildy & Sons Ltd.
To find out more about criminology courses at the University of Worcester, visit our website.