Muslim man forced off Tube over ‘suspicious’ iPad

A Muslim man has been forced off the Underground after a passenger accused him of using his iPad “suspiciously”.

According to witnesses, the Muslim man was told to leave a Piccadilly Line train on Tuesday evening after he switched off the device when someone sneaked a look at it.

“There was a guy stood up, dressed smartly with a man bag…he was asking someone who looked Arabic to get off the train amongst other things because he felt threatened by him… Apparently he had turned off his iPad as the smartly dressed man had looked at it, this was deemed to be ‘suspicious’ in his eyes,” a passenger told the Evening Standard.

Several passengers tried to defend the Muslim man before he got off the train shortly afterwards.

Anti-Muslim hate crimes on the rise

The incident is seen as the latest in a string of hate crimes against Muslims.

Islamophobic attacks have been escalating in Western countries, particularly in the UK, in the wake of the recent terror attacks in Paris.

Massoud Shadjareh, from Islamic Human Rights Commission, has blamed the mainstream media and politicians for “creating an environment of hate” against Muslims.

"Unfortunately, this is becoming a norm. The fact is that we are seeing a different level of Islamophobia that we have not seen in the past. Now, there is no doubt that what we are dealing with is the environment of hate which has been created by politicians, by media, by a sort of legislation...," Shadjareh told Press TV's UK Desk on Saturday.

According to the report by the anti-racist group Hope Not Hate, 24 different far-right groups are currently attempting to incite anti-Muslim hatred in the UK.

The analysis, also suggests that Islamophobic sentiments have been on the rise following the terror attacks in Paris.

The Infidels, an extremist group with increasing Nazi leanings, the South East Alliance,  and the Henry Jackson Society, are among the organizations mentioned in the report.

According to the Metropolitan Police hate crimes against Muslims in London have increased more than threefold following the terrorist attacks in Paris.

Turning the tide

Efforts have already been underway by the human rights organization and Islamic organizations to stem the growing tide.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission and Scotland Against Criminalizing Communities have held the second annual Islamophobia conference in London.

The conference, titled the Changing Face of Islamophobia, will scrutinize the origins of Islamophobia and look at how Islamophobia is a form of racism.