In the wake of the attacks on mosques in Birmingham in Erdington, Aston, Perry Barr and two other local attacks, which of course come just days after the appalling Christchurch massacre, anti racists are calling for swift measures and leadership to stop islamophobia.
Years of islamophobia & scapegoating of muslims by mainstream politicians and much of the media has given confidence to the far right.
The sledgehammer terror in Birmingham is yet another example of violent hate crimes that the muslim community face.
Weyman Bennett – co convenor of Stand Up To Racism (SUTR) said, “Islamophobia has become a rallying point for the racist and fascist right from Trump’s muslim ban to Boris Johnson’s letter box comments about muslim women. The fascist thug, Stephen Yaxley Lennon aka Tommy Robinson, also incites anti muslim hatred as do UKIP.
Where islamophobia takes hold, anti Semitism follows eg the events at Chrlottesville or Viktor Orban’s campaign against George Soros. We stand shoulder to shoulder with our muslim brothers and sisters at this moment.
We will not allow violence and islamophobia to divide or silence us. We live in a multi cultural country, which we will fight to defend.”
Sabby Dhalu – co convenor of Stand Up To Racism (SUTR )said ” Politicians and the media must take urgent action to stop islamophobia. The Birmingham and Christchurch attacks don’t happen in a vaccum. They take place in a context of hatred promoted by politicians and the media.There are also double standards regarding terrorism. When ISIS linked terror outrages occur there is rightly widespread condemnation, but when white supremacists carry out attacks on muslims, there’s a reluctance to call it out as terrorism.
Moreover, perpetrators of hate are often then given a platform.Less than 24 hours after Christchurch, BBC’S Newsnight hosted the far right, ‘Generation Identity’ group.
This dehumanises muslims and places an equal sign between muslims and terrorism which means far right attacks on muslims are not called out as such. If we want to stop islamophobia then we must stop politicians and media outlets that think it’s acceptable to incite hatred against muslims and Islam”.
Salma Yaqoob said, ” New Zealand Prime Ministerr Jacinda Adern was right in demanding an international response to the brutal massacre of muslims that took place in the name of white supremacy. She was emphatic in labelling the far right ideology behind the attacks. We need a similarly robust response from our government.
Just a few years ago, Mohammed Saleem, a grandfather returning home from prayers at a mosque, was killed by a far right extremist.The attacks in Birmingham underline how extremists have become more emboldened in the wake of the New Zealand terror. Anti muslim hate has been tolerated, even promoted through mainstream media and political discourse for too long.The extent of islamophobia in the UK needs to be acknowledged and tackled before more lives are needlessly lost”