LONDON – Facing harassment herself because of her hijab, a female Muslim kickboxer in Milton Keynes is training other Muslim girls and women in Muay Thai boxing and self-defense amid increasing anti-Muslim attacks.

Khadijah Safari, who holds a black belt in the martial art, set up boxing classes in London that catered predominantly to Muslim women, BBC reported on Sunday, April 17.

She recently moved to Milton Keynes, hoping to establish a national women-only kickboxing tournament that will allow Muslim and non-Muslim women to compete together.

According to Safari, the classes were set up after many of her students became worried about attacks because of their faith.

Self-defense classes aimed at Muslim women have existed for years across the United Kingdom with many women protecting themselves against a climate where their safety is being increasingly and aggressively compromised.

Last September, BBC reported Met Police statistics’ shocking figure showing that Islamaphobic attacks had risen 70 percent in London in 2015.

The media reported stories of women being spat on and name-called, while the #afterseptember11 hashtag retold stories across Europe and the UK of how life had changed for women after 9/11.