London anti-Muslim hate crimes increase during Ramadan
Hate crimes against Muslims have spiked in the UK capital, in recent weeks, with a considerable increase in break ins at mosques, according to the Middle East Monitor.
Consequently, the Muslim community in London has begun the holy month of Ramadan with a feeling of apprehension.
As reported on March 12th by Middle East Monitor, the outbreak of war in Gaza and the break-ins at mosques in London have prompted the Muslim community in the UK capital to enhance security measures, resulting from heightened fears of attacks and intimidation. Since mid-February, a series of events has occurred at mosques across London, including break-ins at Palmers Green Mosque, Southgate Mosque, and Masjid Ayesha.
Tell Mama, an organization that monitors anti-Muslim incidents, has reported the largest surge in anti-Muslim hate cases since October 7th, when Israel launched its deadly conflict on the Gaza Strip, marking a staggering 335% increase in such incidents.
Bibi Rabbiyah Khan, President of the London Islamic Cultural Society (LICS), has issued a warning to the community, urging them to exercise increased caution when attending mosques during Ramadan, including the night prayers known as tarawih.
Regarding the recent events at mosques, Khan remarked that it appeared the individuals involved aimed to sabotage items such as CCTV systems and retrieve hard drives from computers. “It doesn’t make sense that people are doing that instead of even trying to get to the money kept at the mosques,” added Khan, who also serves as the chairperson of the North London Council of Mosques. This council oversees 13 mosques in Haringey, Enfield, and Barnett, including the three mosques that were subjected to the incidents.
“We anticipate that perhaps during Ramadan that whoever is doing this, they know it takes time to get CCTV back working again, or even to get the hard drives. So probably, is it something that’s going to occur again, when these things are not in place? We don’t know.”
She also highlighted additional recent incidents at Wembley Mosque in early March and at other mosques in Leicester. Khan emphasized the critical necessity for stringent security measures during Ramadan. It was also stated that they are collaborating with the police to ensure that all mosques have operational surveillance systems and appropriate safety measures are “planned, organized, and subsequently put into action”.
“We are very, very worried,” the President of LICS added that there might be further incidents attributable to the deteriorating situation in Gaza, where Israel has reportedly caused the deaths of over 31,100 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, and left more than 72,700 others injured.
“We don’t know because people are really upset and really worried about what’s going on. There are people who are worried and there are people who are angry, because how can we look and tolerate so many children being killed and not be worried about it?”, said Bibi Rabbiyah Khan.
READ: Morocco: no abstinence of support for Gaza during Ramadan
In reply to Anadolu‘s inquiry regarding efforts to address safety concerns during Ramadan, the Metropolitan Police stated that they have been closely collaborating with representatives from London’s Jewish and Muslim communities since October 7th. According to a written response from a police spokesperson, officers have been deployed to offer reassurance and investigate offenses in the vicinity of faith schools, places of worship, and communities where heightened levels of concern are identified.
“Regrettably, despite the increased presence of officers we have seen a significant increase in hate crime across London,” proves the statement.
“We continue to encourage anyone who experiences hate crime to report it to the police. It is not acceptable and we will investigate,” it was also in response to Anadolu’s.
Middle East Monitor and agencies
