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Nearly half of Britain's will not have enough food to break their fast during this year, according to the Muslim Council of Britain.Ìý

Rapid inflation is causing sharp hikes in food prices and energy bills across the country - hitting the poorest areas of the UK the hardest.Ìý

With 46 percentÌýof the British Muslim population living in the 10 percentÌýmost deprived areas of the UK, hunger is unlikely to stop at Iftar for many families.Ìý

are reporting widespread use of food banks, and have urged the government to increase benefit payments to rise with inflation and to improve the UK's social security systems.Ìý

"Last week's spring statement was an opportunity for the government to strengthen our social security systems and raise benefits payments to be, at least, in line with inflation,"Ìýsaid Tufail Hussein, director of Islamic Relief UK.

"Instead, they’ve been handed a real terms cut in their payments, and with inflation set to rise further this year, the cost of living crisis will become an emergency for the poorest families,"ÌýHussein said.Ìý

Requests for help from the National Zakat Foundation (NZF) have also skyrocketed by 70 percent over the last twelve months. NZF gives out emergency grants from Zakat collected from British to those in need.Ìý

The disparity in the UKÌý

The gulf in living standards between white UK citizens and British Muslims has grown wider after over a decade of austerity measures that have hit the poorest the hardest. Ìý

Black, Asian and other minority groups are increasingly likely to be in poverty than white British people, according to the Office of National Statistics.Ìý

The government’s own Racial Disparity Audit found that the local authority with the highest number of homeless households per 1,000 households was Newham in London - 9.4 per 1,000 - where Asian households make up the highest percentage of the local population.Ìý

And while only three percent of white British households live in damp properties, it is estimated that 10 percent of Bangladeshis, nine percentÌýof Black Africans and eight percent of Pakistani households do too.

Heating homes during Ramadan may be the first expense to be spared given the rising cost of energy.

The risksÌýof child poverty are also heightenedÌýdue the high number of British Muslims with young families - with knock-on effects for youthÌýeducation and health.

Muslims have the youngest age profile of all religious groups in the UK - with 33 percentÌýaged 15 or under.Ìý

Commenting on Friday on the increasing cost of living, business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said: "While no government can control the global factors pushing up the cost of everyday essentials, we will absolutely act wherever we can to mitigate rising costs."