British Muslims have been experiencing fear and worry this week as far-right rioters have intimidated Muslim communities nationwide, threatening to harm both individuals and mosques.
The Muslim Council of Britain Secretary General, Zara Mohammed, stated: “We have witnessed two Britain’s at play over the past week.”
The first is a hope-driven mainstream, multicultural, and forgiving Britain. We see it in action on Southport’s streets as locals banded together to tidy up following demonstrations outside a mosque. The entire nation exhibited a similar sense of unity.
Motivated by animosity towards the other, the second Britain is a contentious, scared, and fringe society. Because they believed the individual who killed the poor girls was Muslim, far-right thugs’ invaded Southport and other locations to shout hate speech outside mosques.
The result of unfettered Islamophobia is evident in the streets of Britain: it is prevalent, powerful, and very real in today’s culture.
The government is correct to denounce the radicalism that is evident on our streets, but it has been quiet about the Islamophobia that encourages such extremism.
This weekend has seen the emergence of horrifying reports of criminal and Islamophobia behavior directed towards local communities, including mosques, stores, and law enforcement.
These vicious thugs seem to be motivated by race because they have been attacking innocent bystanders, destroying property, and robbing stores. Stabbings and broken windows in refugee housing have occurred, all to the sound of Tommy Robinson chanting.
We applaud the police for their courageous response to this hitherto unseen degree of criminal activity and violence. The hundreds of people who denounced this racism, guarded mosques, tidied up the streets, and emphasized the value of being united have encouraged us.