Attacks on Islamic centres and mosques are "deplorable and disgusting", Home Secretary Theresa May said today.
She said the "shocking and barbaric" death of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich last month had been condemned by communities across the country.
Addressing MPs during Home Office Questions in the Commons, she said there had been great cause for hope following the attack, with Far Right activists invited into one mosque to enjoy tea and football.
But there had been a rise in the number of attacks against Muslim communities, she said.
Mrs May said: "As I said at the time, this was not just an attack on an individual soldier, it was an attack on everyone in this country - people of all faiths and of none.
"Sadly, in the aftermath of this horrific incident we have seen an increased number of attacks on mosques and Islamic centres. These are deplorable, disgusting acts.
"British Muslims make a valuable contribution to our society.
"The (death) of Drummer Rigby was no more in their name than it was in mine, or anybody in this chamber, and I welcome the extra steps by the Metropolitan Police and others to counter this threat to them."
Mrs May's comments came as police launched an investigation after a fire was started at an Islamic school. Emergency crews were called to the Darul Uloom Islamic School in Foxbury Avenue, Chislehurst, south London, on Saturday night.
Officers, who attended with London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service, said investigations were at an early stage but the fire was being treated as suspicious.
