By REUTERS
LONDON - The number of hate crimes against Muslims has soared by almost 275 percent since the Paris attacks 10 days ago, according to figures from a group which monitors Islamophobia.Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) said it had recorded 115 anti-Muslim hate incidents in the first eight days following the attacks in the French capital claimed by Islamic State militants, compared with 42 for the same period last year.The group said the vast majority of incidents involved street abuse with most of the victims Muslim women aged 14 to 45."This is concerning since the cases show that women who wear the Hijab are the ones being targeted for general abuse and threats," it said in a report. The perpetrators were mainly young, white men, it added.A similar spike in incidents occurred after the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby by two British Muslim converts in May 2013. However, there has been no repeat of the attacks on mosques which occurred after the Rigby killing.In September, London police said the number of reported Islamophobic offenses in the British capital had increased by 71 percent in the preceding 12 months which it attributed to better reporting and improved awareness among officers.
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