UK Muslims report vandalism, attacks amid controversial flag campaign

Names marked with an asterisk person been changed to support identities.

When Akmal’s* mosque was vandalised past week successful Basildon, a municipality successful the English region of Essex, helium felt shaken.

“I was truthful hurt,” said the 33-year-old electrical engineer, who requested Al Jazeera usage a pseudonym. “It was truthful adjacent to home. My section masjid [mosque]. It felt similar a existent footwear successful the teeth.”

The South Essex Islamic Centre successful Basildon was defaced soon earlier midnight connected Thursday. Red crosses were daubed crossed its walls alongside the words “Christ is King” and “This is England”.

The timing, the nighttime earlier Friday prayers, appeared to galore arsenic calculated – an effort to intimidate a flurry of worshippers successful the southeastern English county.

“My woman and babe are increasing up here,” Akmal told Al Jazeera. “I privation to determination retired of the area. I conscionable cannot enactment here.”

The mosque successful Essex was vandalised amid a nationwide flag-raising run that followed a question of protests against asylum seekers [Courtesy: South Essex Islamic Trust]

Community leaders condemned the attack.

Gavin Callaghan, the person of Basildon Council, described it arsenic “pathetic transgression cowardice”.

“Don’t formal it up. Don’t excuse it. It’s scum behaviour, and it shames our municipality … The cowards who did this volition beryllium caught,” helium said. “To bash this close earlier Friday prayers is nary coincidence. That’s targeted. That’s intimidation. And it’s criminal.”

Wajid Akhter, caput of the Muslim Council of Britain, said, “The St George emblem is simply a awesome of England we should each beryllium arrogant of. For it to beryllium utilized successful this way, [which] echoes however Nazis targeted Jewish homes, is simply a disgrace to our emblem and our nation. Silence has allowed hatred to grow.”

Essex constabulary are investigating the incident.

Council unit and volunteers worked successful the aboriginal hours of the greeting to region the graffiti earlier worshippers arrived, but a consciousness of fearfulness is inactive lingering.

“I was shocked,” said Sajid Fani, 43, who lives successful the area. “I didn’t expect thing similar that to hap here.”

Local bishops decried the misuse of Christian imagery successful the attack. They issued a associated connection calling the vandalism “scandalous and profoundly misguided”, saying that invoking Christianity to warrant racism is “theologically mendacious and morally dangerous”.

Racism amid flag-raising campaign

The vandalism took spot amid a tense ambiance successful the United Kingdom, amid protests against asylum seekers and a societal media run dubbed #OperationRaisetheColours.

In caller weeks, those heeding the telephone person pinned the emblem of England bearing Saint George’s Cross and Union Jacks to motorway bridges, lampposts, roundabouts and immoderate shops crossed the UK. Red crosses person been spray-painted connected the achromatic stripes of zebra crossings.

According to the anti-far-right HOPE not hatred group, the run is led by Andrew Currien, a erstwhile subordinate of the Islamophobic English Defence League and present a information fig for the governmental enactment Britain First, besides an anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant group.

While immoderate supporters framework the task arsenic patriotic, it has been tied to racist incidents.

Racist graffiti has appeared successful respective different locations. Some 300 miles (about 500km) northbound of Basildon, for example, xenophobic slurs person been sprayed connected buildings successful County Durham and Houghton-le-Spring successful bluish England.

Some person blamed the media’s absorption connected the contented of asylum.

In caller months, British tv networks and newspapers person dedicated important sum to asylum seekers, arsenic immoderate societal media sites let hateful contented to proliferate.

Shabna Begum, caput of Runnymede Trust, a contention equality deliberation tank, said the spate of vandalism is portion of a “frightening intensification of Islamophobia” driven by governmental and media narratives scapegoating Muslim communities.

“The unit being played retired connected our streets and the vandalism of mosques is the merchandise of a governmental and media soundtrack that has relentlessly demonised Muslim communities,” she said. “Whether it is argumentation oregon narratives, we person been fed a monotonous fare that tells america that our economical problems are caused by Muslims, migrants and radical seeking asylum.”

She warned that past shows governments that neglect to face economical grievances portion scapegoating minorities yet collapse.

“The question is however overmuch volition this betrayal outgo for the Muslim communities that are served arsenic governmental fodder,” she said.

Fani successful Basildon said, “It’s the fearfulness factor. They [media channels] enactment panic successful the hearts of radical erstwhile it comes to Muslims. I privation to amusement radical we are conscionable similar them. We’re conscionable human.”

Days earlier the mosque was vandalised, a roundabout other was painted with a reddish cross.

“I wasn’t offended by England flags being flown,” said Fani. “But this is different. It crossed a line.”

In the aftermath of the vandalism, mosque leaders encouraged worshippers to be Friday prayers successful greater numbers arsenic a amusement of resilience.

Fani said the turnout was larger than usual: “Alhumdulillah [Thank God], it resulted successful much radical coming to the mosque, truthful the result was positive.”

‘A enactment betwixt being patriotic and being outright racist’

Maryam*, a Muslim pistillate who lives successful Basildon, lamented the “attack connected the Muslim community” arsenic she emphasised that it reflects a acheronian climate.

“There’s a enactment betwixt being patriotic and being outright racist oregon Islamophobic – and immoderate radical present are crossing that line.”

In her view, a question of protests against lodging asylum seekers astatine hotels earlier this summertime has coincided with Islamophobic maltreatment – peculiarly successful Epping, a adjacent municipality wherever The Bell Hotel has been the absorption of convulsive agitation.

Police information is yet to corroborate a nexus oregon emergence successful racist attacks, but locally reported incidents archer a troubling story.

Last week, a antheral successful Basildon was arrested aft a hijab-wearing pistillate and her kid were allegedly racially abused, portion vandals sprayed St George’s crosses connected adjacent homes.

At the extremity of July, residents reported solid projectiles being hurled from the precocious floors of a gathering adjacent Basildon station, seemingly targeting Muslim women and families of colour.

Beyond the header incidents, Maryam reeled disconnected a database of different caller examples of racism she has witnessed – a pistillate of East African root called a radical slur, a operator mocking a Muslim pistillate successful hijab arsenic a “post box”.

“Unfortunately, I’ve [also] been subjected to a batch of Islamophobia successful Basildon – often successful beforehand of my child,” she added. “It has affected my intelligence wellness … it’s created a batch of trauma and barriers to simply surviving a mean life.”

While the mosque onslaught prompted swift attraction from councillors and police, isolated incidents against individuals often spell unreported.

“If the constabulary engaged with the assemblage better, explained what hatred crimes are, however they’re reported, however investigations work, it would region barriers to reporting,” said Maryam.