A Somali Islamic center in London was razed by an arson attack in June.
A leading British Muslim body has demanded a concerted national response to the mounting terrorist attacks and violence against the British Muslim community.
Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) Farooq Murad said in a letter to the Home Secretary that mosques and Islamic centers have been targeted with a Å“spate of terrorist and arson attacks” since May when British soldier Lee Rigby was killed in south east London.
Only over the past month, terrorists have targeted three mosques leaving viable explosive devices at each site while a fourth mosque in Liverpool has had a controlled explosion carried out following reports of a suspicious package at the site.
This follows the arson attack against a mosque in North London in June, which saw the building reduced to ashes. Murad said in the letter that the Å“significant increase” in anti-Muslim hate crimes come despite the umbrella group, which has over 500 Islamic centers as its affiliates, condemning the murder in the strongest terms possible.
Å“There is an urgent need for the government and police to respond with a coordinated national strategy so as to prevent further attacks,” he warned.
Å“While the local police are doing all they could to investigate these incidents, the national response has been far from satisfactory. We sincerely hope you can take this matter up as a matter of urgency and ensure peace and harmony is maintained between our communities,” he added.
Murad also asked the Home Office to clarify what measures they have put in place to ensure such crimes do not lead to Å“graver consequences”.
He also pointed to Home Secretary Theresa Mayâ„¢s declaration in a Pakistani newspaper that Å“no community in this country [Britain] should live in fear because of its faith” saying it is concerning that officials have not Å“properly articulated” such views on the streets of Britain and on the pages of British newspapers.
AMR/HE
Republished with permission from: Press TV