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Temmuz 2005 saldırıları sonrası İngiltere basınından derlenen Islamafobi haberleri

1) The attacks on London: Faith hate hotline launched as attacks on Muslims increase
The Independent (London); Jul 31, 2005; Severin Carrell; p. 13

Full Text:

The police are to launch an emergency hotline to report 'faith hate' attacks after a steep rise in abuse and assaults on Muslims in London in the wake of the suicide bombings.

Police reports seen by The Independent on Sunday show the number of attacks in the capital rose to more than 20 a day after the first bombings on 7 July. The police have recorded 230 religious hatred offences in the past three weeks.

After the first blasts and the attempted bombings two weeks later, racist attacks more than doubled to a peak of nearly 60 a day. The police have logged more than 800 racist crimes since the first bombings, reversing a long downward trend.

Somali Muslim women, who tend to wear long robes and hijab head- coverings, have been singled out after it emerged several of the suspected bombers arrested last week are of East African origin. One woman had her hijab torn off.

The new hotline will be set up tomorrow by the Met's Assistant Commissioner Tariq Ghaffur. Mr Ghaffur, the most senior Asian and Muslim policeman, said there had been a 'very substantial increase' in faith crimes in London.

There had also been an increase in the severity of attacks. 'What used to be abuse has now escalated into assault. What was minor damage could escalate into a lot more serious damage. I think that is trend across the country,' he said.

Mr Ghaffur will ask people to report incidents to the hotline because he fears some ethnic and religious minorities could 'retreat' and not report incidents to the police. 'Quite clearly, we fear there will be an escalation,' he said.

To the concern of Muslim community groups, no other major English force has compiled detailed figures " despite a surge in serious, violent attacks around the country, culminating in the alleged racist murder of Pakistani Kamal Raza Butt in Nottingham four days after the 7 July bombings. Welsh forces said last week that racist attacks had increased by up to three times since the bombings. In North Wales, 64 incidents were reported, compared with 20 for the same period last year.

Azad Ali, chairman of the Muslim Safety Forum, appealed for the new hotline to be extended nationwide. 'The Muslim community has unanimously shown that, like everybody else, it's committed to catching these criminals who carried out the bombings. But the community has seen institutional denial from the police about the increase in Islamophobic hate crime.'

Mr Ghaffur also warned, however, that Muslims should expect to be singled out for stop and search operations by the police. 'There will be a focus on the community as it is a reality and therefore there will be more stop and searches,' he said.

Meanwhile, Home Office ministers are to engage Muslims in the fight against al-Qa'ida. Hazel Blears, the minister for Policing, and Paul Goggins, a junior Home Office minister, will meet Muslim leaders in eight UK cities. On 20 September, Muslim leaders will attend a summit to be chaired by Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary.

2) Muslim fears grow over dramatic rise in violence, arson and verbal abuse against Asians since bombings Belfast Telegraph (Belfast); Jul 29, 2005; Terry Kirby; p. 1

Full Text:

(2005 Copyright Belfast Telegraph Newspapers Ltd. All rightsreserved.)

The number of hate crimes against Asians has risen dramatically over the three weeks since the 7 July suicide bombings, Muslim groups have said.

Incidents being reported include verbal abuse and spitting directed at Muslims in the street, graffiti and vandalism of Asian homes and mosques and some assaults on individuals. There have also been at least two incidents of arson and one car being damaged. Three days after the 7 July bombings, an Asian man was murdered in Nottingham. A number of people have been arrested in connection with the killing.The Muslim Safety Forum said that the number of "faith- related" crimes reported to the police in London had risen from 35 in the same period last year to around 230 this year.And the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), which collects anecdotal reports from around the country, said that attacks on Muslims had risen from a just a handful a week to more than 250 since the bombings - almost as many as the total for the month after the 11 September attacks.Although the Metropolitan Police have gone out of their way to stress that the bombings were the work of criminals and their investigations are not confined to one ethnic group, Muslim groups said that "a climate of fear" exists within their communities.Tahir Butt, a member of the Forum, said that "irresponsible" headlines in some sections of the media had helped foster anti-Muslim feelings. He said: "The Metropolitan Police say they have a policy of zero tolerance of hate crime. We want to make sure that the guidelines for officers dealing with these cases are taken seriously and that the complaints of Muslims are dealt with properly."Unfortunately sometimes the words and policies of senior officers are not always heard at ground level, where some people do not get the message.''The groups stressed that many of the incidents involved Muslim women being abused - sometimes in places such as supermarket checkout queues - for simply wearing the hajib. Others have had rubbish thrown at them in public, have not been allowed to board public transport and one elderly Muslim woman in a wheelchair was verbally abused and had bottles thrown at her home, according to the IHRC.Beena Faridi, a case worker with the IHRC, said: "I think the reports we are getting are just the tip of the iceberg because many Muslims simply do not want to go to the police. There is a climate of fear out there that is very worrying." Massoud Shadjareh, the IHRC's chairman, said that it was "extremely concerned at the escalation of backlash attacks". He added: "The enormous upsurge in Islamophobic attacks and the lack of clear-cut condemnation by the Government does not bode well for Muslims in Britain or for British society as a whole."In Birmingham yesterday, there were demands from an MP for the chair of the city's Central Mosque to resign after he questioned the existence of al-Qa'ida and said he had yet to see any proof linking the four men named as the 7 July bombers with the atrocities.Khalid Mahmood, the Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, said the position of Dr Mohammad Naseem, one of the city's most prominent Muslims, had become "untenable".In interviews since the arrest on Wednesday of Yasin Hassan Omar, Dr Naseem said he had never seen evidence that al-Qa'ida existed, suggesting it was an invention of the CIA, an organisation he described as untrustworthy.Referring to the 7 July bombers, he said: "I have not seen evidence to link these four people to acts of terrorism."Mr Mahmood said: "It's wholly unacceptable and, in light of what he has said, he certainly should resign. He has his head in the sand. It's untenable for him to do what he has done - it's like saying black is white - and I don't know what sort of evidence he needs."The MP said he believed that the mosque official - who stood as a candidate for the Respect party in the general election in May - should relinquish his position as chair.Incidents reportedSome of the incidents of abuse reported to the Islamic Human Rights Commission* 7 JULY: Garage at the home of a Muslim woman in south London destroyed by suspected arson* 11 JULY: "Kill all Muslims" graffiti daubed on wall of primary school in Stratford, east London* 11 JULY: Pakistani Consulate in Bradford, west Yorkshire, damaged by fire in suspected arson attack* 12 JULY: Asian family in Hayes, west London, victims of suspected arson attack when burning object is left outside home* 12 JULY: Asian teenager assaulted by white man in Edinburgh; sustained facial injuries* 13 JULY: Group of Muslim girls in Newcastle assaulted by males who attempted to rip their hajibs off them* 23 JULY: Muslim woman abused and threatened by National Front members during a march in central London* 26 JULY: Man with a baseball bat attacked a car containing a group of women in Islamic dress in central London

3) Then again maybe I am wrong, and Britain really is a racisthellhole
The Times (London); Jul 29, 2005; Mick Hume; p. 19

Full Text:

(Copyright (c) Times Newspapers Limited 2005 )

THEN AGAIN maybe I am wrong, and Britain really is a racist hellhole. Yesterday the BBC reported a big rise in Islamophobic attacks since July 7. The Muslim Safety Forum claimed a 500 per cent rise in "faith-related" attacks in London, while the Islamic Human Rights Commission said that there had been a 13-fold increase in the UK.

Grim statistics, but what do they mean? The "enormous upsurge" in attacks reported to the IHRC turns out to be from six or seven incidents a week to 170 in a fortnight. That sounds like an increase from virtually none to relatively few.

Moreover, it came after the IHRC launched an online and satellite TV trawling operation, asking Muslims to report "anything from verbal abuse, nasty looks to physical assault", or just being "treated differently". That relatively few incidents fit even that broad definition of attacks suggests a rather different situation than the headlines. But I suppose a press release headed "Not much sign of serious Islamophobic backlash" is unlikely to get you on the BBC news.

4) Two-thirds of Muslims consider leaving UK

The Guardian (Manchester); Jul 26, 2005; Vikram Dodd; p. 5

Full Text:(Copyright, Guardian Newspapers Limited, Jul 26, 2005)

The figure illustrates how widespread fears are of an anti- Muslim backlash following the July 7 bombings which were carried out by British born suicide bombers.

The poll also shows that tens of thousands of Muslims have suffered from increased Islamophobia, with one in five saying they or a family member have faced abuse or hostility since the attacks.

Police have recorded more than 1,200 suspected Islamophobic incidents across the country ranging from verbal abuse to one murder in the past three weeks. The poll suggests the headline figure is a large underestimate.

The poll came as British Islamic leaders and police met to try to boost recruitment of Muslim officers, improve efforts to protect Muslims from a backlash, and improve the flow of information from Muslims to the police about suspected terrorist activity.

Nearly two-thirds of Muslims told pollsters that they had thought about their future in Britain after the attacks, with 63% saying they had considered whether they wanted to remain in the UK. Older Muslims were more uneasy about their future, with 67% of those 35 or over having contemplated their future home country compared to 61% among those 34 or under.

Britain's Muslim population is estimated at 1.6million, with 1.1million over 18, meaning more than half a million may have considered the possibility of leaving.

Three in 10 are pessimistic about their children's future in Britain, while 56% said they were optimistic.

Nearly eight in 10 Muslims believe Britain's participation in invading Iraq was a factor leading to the bombings, compared to nearly two-thirds of all Britons surveyed for the Guardian earlier this month. Tony Blair has repeatedly denied such a link.

Muslim clerics' and leaders' failure to root out extremists is a factor behind the attacks identified by 57% of Muslims, compared to 68% of all Britons, and nearly two-thirds of Muslims identify racist and Islamophobic behaviour as a cause compared to 57% of all Britons.

The general population and Muslims apportion virtually the same amount of blame to the bombers and their han dlers, with eight in 10 or more citing these as factors.

The poll finds a huge rejection of violence by Muslims with nine in 10 believing it has no place in a political struggle. Nearly nine out of 10 said they should help the police tackle extremists in the Islamic communities in Britain.

A small rump, potentially running into thousands, told ICM of their support for the attacks on July 7 which killed 56 and left hundreds wounded - and 5% said that more attacks would be justified. Those findings are troubling for those urgently trying to assess the pool of potential suicide bombers.

One in five polled said Muslim communities had integrated with society too much already, while 40% said more was needed and a third said the level was about right.

More than half wanted foreign Muslim clerics barred or thrown out of Britain, but a very sizeable minority, 38%, opposed that.

Half of Muslims thought that they needed to do more to prevent extremists infiltrating their community.

* ICM interviewed a random sample of 1,005 adults aged 18+ by telephone between 15 and 17 July 2005. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk

5) Attack on London: Murder: Islamophobia blamed for attack
The Guardian (Manchester); Jul 13, 2005; Vikram Dodd; p. 5

Full Text:(Copyright, Guardian Newspapers Limited, Jul 13, 2005)

A Muslim man has been beaten to death outside a corner shop by a gang of youths who shouted anti-Islamic abuse at him, the Guardian has learned.

Kamal Raza Butt, 48, from Pakistan, was visiting Britain to see friends and family. On Sunday afternoon he went to a shop in Nottingham to buy cigarettes and was first called "Taliban" by the youths and then set upon.

Nottinghamshire police described the incident as racially aggravated, not as Islamophobic, angering Muslim groups and surprising some senior officers.

They say it was not connected to a backlash against Muslims following the London bombings, which has seen mosques firebombed and Muslims attacked in the street.

On Monday the case was discussed at the Muslim Safety Forum, where senior police officers and Muslim community representatives meet.

Senior sources who were at the meeting last night said it was the view of all present that the killing was a hate crime triggered by his faith.

Muslim leaders last night said the killing and the fact that it was Islamophobic would heighten anxiety in their communities, which was already high before the London bombings and which has deepened with every report of attacks.

Nine youths, some of them juveniles, have been arrested by police, who are appealing for witnesses.

According to several sources, the man had gone to a shop around 4.30pm on Sunday to buy cigarettes, and the youths had asked him to hand them over.

When he refused they shouted that he was Taliban, a reference to the hardline Muslim government that ran Afghanistan and harboured al- Qaida terrorists.

The man was punched and fell to the ground and later died in hospital. Police have yet to officially announce the results of a postmortem examination.

Azad Ali, who chairs the Muslim Safety Forum, said: "You can't class this as racist, there was no racist abuse shouted at him, it was Islamophobic.

"It is good the police have made arrests. We are disappointed that they have misclassified it, especially after all the advice to be more alert to Islamophobic hate crime."

Planning for the aftermath of a terrorist attack on Britain has included extensive work on limiting any backlash and assuring Muslims, already distrustful of the police, that they could expect protection from any reprisals.

Guidelines from the Association of Chief Police Officers say forces should identify religious hate crimes and be open about it, because that may help their investigations and reassure the communities affected.

Mr Ali added that the murder would stoke fears among Britain's 1.6 million Muslims: "This has sent shivers down the community. People are very worried, if this is the start of an escalation."

A police source said there was no clear evidence linking the murder to the backlash against Muslims after the bombings.

Superintendent Dave Colbeck, of Nottinghamshire police, said: "It would be inappropriate to comment on the possible motive.

"It is a localised incident and we are not looking at it as anything other than an isolated incident."

6) Terror In London: Muslims call for calm after mosque attacks
The Independent (London); Jul 12, 2005; Robert Verkaik; p. 2

Muslim leaders have called for calm after a series of attacks on mosques in the wake of the London bombings.

Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said in a letter to leaders of Muslim communities: 'We know that there may be some unscrupulous elements in our society who may look upon Thursday's carnage as a morbid opportunity to attack and undermine British Muslims, their institutions and mosques.'

There were reports of arson and criminal damage attacks on mosques in east and south London, Bristol, Leeds, Telford and Birkenhead. Police were investigating several other attacks on Asians that may have been linked to the bombings.

Police have increased patrols in Muslim areas of Bristol and were meeting community leaders to reassure them that they were making every effort to protect them from further attacks.

On Friday evening bottles were thrown at the Jamia mosque in the Totterdown district of Bristol. At about the same time a mosque and an Islamic school in Mile End, east London, had their windows smashed.

A similar incident took place on Sunday at the Shajalal mosque in Easton, Bristol, where stones were thrown at its windows in the early hours. No one was hurt in the attacks.

Superintendent Tim Lee, who is investigating the attack on the Shajalal mosque, said: 'We are working with representatives from the mosque to catch the people responsible for this mindless vandalism. It is vital that we do not let the terrible events of last week divide our communities. The people who carried out the bombings in London are criminals who committed mass murder " it was an attack on all communities in the UK.'

Dr Sacranie, in his letter to Britain's imams, echoed these sentiments and urged Muslims to report all incidents of Islamophobia to the police.

He said: 'Let us be absolutely clear: those who planned and carried out these heartless attacks " whoever they are and whatever faiththey may claim to profess " are surely the enemies of all of us, Muslims and non- Muslims.' Dr Sacranie blamed the media for fanning the flames of intolerance by publishing what he described as 'Islamophobic propaganda', and has asked the Home Secretary to write to newspapers urging them to show more restraint.

'Regrettably, it appears that some prominent media commentators well- known for their hostility to Islam and Muslims have also decided to take part in this mischievous campaign,' he said. 'There is no need, however, to be daunted or intimidated by their Islamophobic propaganda. We should continue to lead our daily lives normally and in accordance with the tenets of Islam.'

7) Scottish Muslim community now living in fear of reprisals
The Express 09 July 2005

MUSLIMS in Britain are feeling more isolated and frightened than ever following the terrorist atrocity in London, one of the country's leading experts said yesterday.

The vast majority of peaceloving Muslims now feared an upsurge in "Islamophobia" and many of them were lying low for fear of reprisals, Dr Gabriele Marranci said.

Many Muslim women were scared to venture out, particularly wearing their burkas, and would not even answer their mobile phones, said Dr Marranci, who lectures in Islamic studies at Aberdeen University. "The Muslim community is worried because, as the attack was not in New York or Madrid, but was in London, they strongly fear they too will become victims of Islamophobic attacks, " he said.

"This time they have been very quick to express their support for the victims, but they, at the same time, feel very isolated."

Dr Marranci's remarks come as the the Muslim Association of Britain in Scotland advised Muslims to stay indoors for fear of reprisals and stressed that any Muslim behind the "heinous acts" should know that it had nothing to do with the religion of Islam.

Dr Marranci said he had not seen a single woman in her traditional dress for the last 24 hours.

He said that the Muslims now felt that they were "double victims" of the terrorists : "A mother would be as terrified as anyone that her own daughter might be a terror target.

"On the other hand, she would be frightened that her child would be attacked by white extremists if he or she went to school."

Muslims are now talking about the possibility of holding a march in Edinburgh to emphasise that Islam means peace.

8) Rider's body home- Journal (Newcastle-upon-Tyne); Aug 5, 2005; p. 5

Shop attacked

RACISTS have been blamed for attacks on an Indian takeaway four weeks after the London bombings which claimed 56 lives.

Bangladeshi-born Asma Khatun, 32, and her husband Liakoth Ali Khondoker, 36, have seen their Lazeez takeaway in Carlisle repeatedly attacked.

Windows have been smashed, abuse hurled in the street, and a delivery van vandalised. Mr Khondoker was also racially abused by a gang of four men as he made his way to his local mosque. Mrs Khatun said: "They slowed down as they were driving past and said to him: 'You're one of the bombers.'" Police are examining CCTV footage from the Lazeez.

9) War On Britain: Abandon veil, says top cleric
The Daily Mirror (London); Aug 4, 2005; VICTORIA BONE; p. 9

MUSLIM women were yesterday advised to stop wearing their Islamic veils for their own safety by a moderate Muslim leader.

Dr Zaki Badawi issued his advice to abandon the traditional hijab head scarf amid fears of a backlash against Muslims.

Dr Badawi is head of the Muslim College in London and chairman of the Council of Mosques and Imams.

Dr Badawi said: "In the present tense situation, with the rise of attacks on Muslims, we advise Muslim women who fear being attacked physically or verbally to remove their hijab so as not to be identified by those who are hostile to Muslims."

He added: "A woman wearing the hijab in the present circumstances could suffer aggression from irresponsible elements.

"Therefore, she ought not to wear it. Dress is meant to protect from harm not to invite it.

"The preservation of life and limb has a much higher priority than appearance."

He said the Koran instructed women to dress so they could be identified and not molested.

But if that dress itself led to women being molested the ruling was that it should not be used.

His intervention follows concern over rising low-level crime against Muslims, including verbal abuse in the street and attacks on mosques.

Police say that religious hate crimes in London have risen 600 per cent since the July 7 attacks.

But Badawi's advice, based on the Koran, may receive a mixed reception from Muslims who feel they should not abandon an outward symbol of their faith.

10) Britain's Muslim scapegoats ; Huge rise in race attacks on all ethnic minorities across Britain. Senior Tory MP tells Muslims: 'If you don't like our way of life, get out'. Senior Muslim tells women not to wear veils in public for fear of assault

Belfast Telegraph (Belfast); Aug 4, 2005; Terri Judd, Nigel Morris, Ian Herbert, Paul Kelbie; p. 1

Full Text: (2005 Copyright Belfast Telegraph Newspapers Ltd. All rightsreserved. )

Increasing evidence has emerged of a backlash against Muslims and members of ethnic minorities in the wake of the London bombings. Police forces across Britain have recorded a dramatic rise in racist assaults and abuse in the aftermath of the July 7 suicide attacks.

Four weeks after the explosions in the capital, a survey of forces by The Independent yesterday found a substantial increase in racially motivated crime, particularly in inner cities. Experts said as many as one in six of those abused or attacked were not Muslim but were simply of an Asian appearance.As community leaders expressed alarm over the surge in race-hate crimes, a Conservative frontbench spokesman was accused of stoking racial tension by calling for Muslims to get out of Britain if they did not like its way of life.The increased tension was further highlighted last night by a moderate cleric who suggested that Muslim women should shed their traditional veils in order to prevent themselves becoming targets.The survey of police forces, carried out the day after the Metropolitan Police reported that faith-hate crimes had risen by 600 per cent compared with last year, showed that other large forces, such as West Yorkshire and West Midlands, had seen significant increases in race-hate crime. It also indicated that, far from being centred on London, such incidents have been recorded across Britain.The biggest rises were in forces with urban areas with large ethnic minority populations. The number of attacks in South Yorkshire, which includes Sheffield and Doncaster, leapt from 48 in the previous July to 137. Attacks reported by West Yorkshire Police, which covers Leeds and Bradford, leapt from 195 to 366. In the West Midlands, including Birmingham, attacks increased by 46 per cent, while Merseyside saw an increase of 76 per cent. Nationally, the figures rose by 24 per cent, from 3,355 to 4,160.In Scotland, the level of racist attacks rose from 359 to 438. The Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland said 64 could be directly linked to the London attacks "because of what was said or written at the time of the incident".The Islamic Human Rights Commission said it had received 320 complaints of attacks on Muslims since the 7 July bombings. Before that, the average was about five a week. Beena Faridi, a case worker, said: "It seems to be happening all over the country. There is a feeling of fear on the streets."Gerald Howarth, a Tory defence spokesman, meanwhile sparked uproar as he suggested that extremist Muslims should leave the country. "There can be no compromise with these people," he told The Scotsman. "If they don't like our way of life, there is a simple remedy - go to another country, get out."Asked "what if those people were born in Britain?" he replied: "Tough. If you don't give allegiance to this country, then leave. There are plenty of other countries whose way of life would appear to be more conducive to what they aspire to. They would be happy and we would be happy."His party leader, Michael Howard, last night said he stood by Mr Howarth's comments, stressing they were aimed at people who so despised Britain they wanted to bomb it.Anas Altikriti, spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, responded: "Mr Howarth must realise that his own statement will have a real and serious bearing on the street. There are people who will take his words and understand them in a particular way and this will induce further harm rather than good."Women in particular have become victims of abuse, being spat at and threatened in what campaigners called cowardly attacks. Dr Zaki Badawi, head of the Muslim College in London and chairman of the Council of Mosques and Imams, said: "In the present tense situation, with the rise of attacks on Muslims, we advise Muslim women who fear being attacked physically or verbally to remove their hijab so as not to be identified by those who are hostile to Muslims."In what will be viewed by many as controversial advice, Dr Badawi said: "Dress is meant to protect from harm, not to invite it. The preservation of life and limb has a much higher priority than appearance, whether in dress or in speech."Some of the most severe attacks have been in the Midlands. Two Asian restaurant workers were injured after being racially assaulted at an Indian restaurant in Atherstone, north Warwickshire. One man was stabbed and another suffered cuts.In Edinburgh, two Asians, aged 18 and 20, were attacked by a gang of 10 men who made comments about the London bombings as they kicked the car in which the victims were travelling. They also threw a hammer through the window, smashing the glass and hitting the passenger on the shoulder.Suresh Grover, of The Monitoring Group, said: "We have had calls from South Americans, Eastern Europeans, Hindus and Sikhs. Ten to 15 per cent are people who are a different religion to Muslims. We have one very serious case of a disabled Hindu man who was beaten up by his neighbour and left with severe head injuries while being called al-Qa'ida."In its 26-year history, he added, The Monitoring Group had never witnessed such a level of attacks, either in number or severity. "We have received over 200 per cent more calls since 7 July. I have dealt with 83 emergency calls alone. It is not just abuse, a frightening level is actually attacks."We have restaurant owners receving visits from people threatening to burn down the building, a 24-year-old Turkish guy who was senselessly beaten in a park, an Iraqi schoolgirl in Devon who was beaten and an old woman who was attacked by boys outside her house in Ealing, west London."Mr Grover said that he had been shocked by the spread of intolerance, adding: "Other drivers have started putting two fingers up and calling me a terrorist. I have never experienced anything like that before."'I am too scared to go out walking'Frail and frightened, Siham Kadoura emerges from her flat just once every few weeks to visit her local mosque. After years of peaceful co- existence with her neighbours, the 67-year-old former headmistress does not even dare venture out to visit her 10 grandchildren.But it is hard to hide from the racists when bricks come through your window and dog faeces are left on your doorstep, which is daubed with a swastika. "It was the night, about three o'clock. I heard smashing. I was alone and I was very scared," said the mother of three children."I have tried to live with it, but I have got very, very depressed. It makes me feel I am a target. It is traumatic."I used to go out walking in the park and visiting my family. But I am too scared now. I have no life. I only go out once or twice a month to the mosque and the shops."Mrs Kadoura, who lives alone, has recently had a hip operation and has heart problems. She has had her car repeatedly vandalised, despite its disabled sticker.She is not alone. Attendance at her local mosque, she explained, has halved because people were afraid.She had never experienced racism until the 11 September terrorist attacks. Then, suddenly, groups of boys began swearing and spitting at her in the hallways. After a while, the racists faded away but, she said, they are back with a vengeance since the attacks on London.Terri Judd'Look at what you have done'Aman Moradi, a shopkeeper, 45, was racially abused by David Parritt, a postman, who pushed her in the face before calling her a "fucking Muslim". He was given a community sentence yesterday."No one in London would feel safe in the presence of any one Muslim," he said to her. The attack took place on 7 July, the same day as the London bombings."Today you fucking put the bomb on the train. Look at what the fuck you have done, you fucking Muslims," he said.Parritt, age 45, spat outside the shop on Fulham Road, pushed the shopkeeper in the face and sent a display of chocolates flying inside.In mitigation for Parritt, his solicitor at West London magistrates' court said: "I think there is no reason an individual should not feel anger but it is entirely regrettable it was directed at this individual who had no association with the events."Parritt was sentenced to 200 hours community service with [Pound]70 compensation and [Pound]85 costs after previously pleading guilty to racially aggravated common assault and racially aggravated criminal damage.Speaking after the case, Parritt said: "I regret what I did and I shall not do it again. I regretted it straight afterwards, to be honest, and I hope no one else innocent gets injured from either community."Geneviève Roberts

11) SCAPEGOATS The Independent (London); Aug 4, 2005; Terri Judd, Nigel Morris, Ian Herbert, Paul Kelbie; p. 1.2

As community leaders expressed alarm over the surge in race-hate crimes, a Conservative frontbench spokesman was accused of stoking racial tension by calling for Muslims to get out of Britain if they did not like its way of life.

The increased tension was further highlighted last night by a moderate cleric who suggested that Muslim women should shed their traditional veils in order to prevent themselves becoming targets.

The survey of police forces, carried out the day after the Metropolitan Police reported that faith-hate crimes had risen by 600 per cent compared with last year, showed that other large forces, such as West Yorkshire and West Midlands, had seen significant increases in race-hate crime. It also indicated that, far from being centred on London, such incidents have been recorded across Britain.

The biggest rises were in forces with urban areas with

large ethnic minority populations. The number of attacks in South Yorkshire, which includes Sheffield and Doncaster, leapt from 48 in the previous month to 137 in the past month, an increase of 185 per cent. Attacks reported by West Yorkshire Police, which covers Leeds and Bradford, leapt from 195 to 366, an increase of 88 per cent. In the West Midlands, including Birmingham, attacks increased by 46 per cent, from 225 to 328. Merseyside saw an increase of 76 per cent, from 76 to 134. Nationally, the figures rose by 24 per cent from 3,355 to 4,160.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission said it had received 320 complaints of attacks on Muslims since the 7 July bombings. Before that, the average level of complaints was about five a week. Beena Faridi, a case worker, said: 'It seems to be happening all over the country. There is a feeling of fear on the streets.'

Gerald Howarth, a Tory defence spokesman, meanwhile sparked uproar as he suggested that extremist Muslims, even if they were born here, should leave the country. 'There can be no compromise with these people,' he told The Scotsman. 'If they don't like our way of life, there is a simple remedy " go to another country, get out.'

His party leader, Michael Howarth, last night said he stood by Mr Howarth's comments, stressing they were aimed at people who so despised Britain they wanted to bomb it.

Anas Altikriti, spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, responded: 'Mr Howarth must realise that his own statement will have a real and serious bearing on the street. There are people who will take his words and understand them in a particular way and this will induce further harm rather than good.'

Women in particular have become victims of abuse, being spat at and threatened in what campaigners called cowardly attacks because of the visibility of their traditional dress. Dr Zaki Badawi, head of the Muslim College in London and chairman of the Council of Mosques and Imams, said: 'In the present tense situation, with the rise of attacks on Muslims, we advise Muslim women who fear being attacked physically or verbally to remove their hijab so as not to be identified by those who are hostile to Muslims.' In what will be viewed by many as controversial advice, he continued: 'Dress is meant to protect from harm, not to invite it. The preservation of life and limb has a much higher priority than appearance, whether in dress or in speech.'

Some of the most severe attacks have been in the Midlands. Two Asian restaurant workers were injured after being racially assaulted at an Indian restaurant in Atherstone, north Warwickshire. One man was stabbed and another suffered cuts.

In Edinburgh, two Asians, aged 18 and 20, were attacked by a gang of 10 men who made comments about the London bombings as they kicked the car in which the victims were travelling. They also threw a hammer through the window, smashing the glass and hitting the passenger on the shoulder.

Suresh Grover, of The Monitoring Group, said: 'We have had calls from South Americans, Eastern Europeans, Hindus and Sikhs. Ten to 15 per cent are people who are a different religion to Muslims. We have one very serious case of a disabled Hindu man who was beaten up by his neighbour and left with severe head injuries while being called al-Qa'ida.'

In its 26-year history, he added, The Monitoring Group had never witnessed such a level of attacks, either in number or severity. 'We have received over 200 per cent more calls since 7 July. I have dealt with 83 emergency calls alone. It is not just abuse, a frightening level is actually attacks.

'We have restaurant owners receving visits from people threatening to burn down the building, a 24-year-old Turkish guy who was senselessly beaten in a park and left with serious injuries, an Iraqi schoolgirl in Devon who was beaten and an old woman who was attacked by boys outside her house in Ealing, west London.'

He said that he had been shocked by the spread of intolerance, adding: 'Other drivers have started putting two fingers up and calling me a terrorist. I have never experienced anything like that before.'

12) Racist offences rise by up to 70 per cent - but 'are tip of iceberg'
The Scotsman (Edinburgh); Aug 4, 2005; Michael Howie, Gerri Peev; p. 3

Full Text: (Copyright Scotsman Publications Aug 4, 2005)

CRIMES of racial hatred against Scotland's ethnic minority communities have risen sharply since the London terror bombings, with one police force showing a 70 per cent increase, it was revealed yesterday.

Across the Central Belt, where the vast majority of Scottish Muslims live, race hate crimes have risen by nearly a third.

Muslim leaders last night claimed the number of crimes reported to police was only the tip of the iceberg and accused police of failing to do enough to encourage people to report racist attacks.

But Scotland's most senior police officer, Peter Wilson, said the number of racist offences was "relatively low". His comments came after Scotland Yard revealed that crimes motivated by religious hatred have jumped by nearly 600 per cent in London since the 7 July suicide bombings.

The figures came amid rising fear of tension between Muslims and the wider community. One Muslim leader suggested Islamic women should stop wearing hijab headscarves to ensure their safety.

The Conservative party was also frantically trying to distance itself from Gerald Howarth, its shadow defence minister, last night, as Muslims reacted with fury to his call for them to accept the British way of life or leave the country.

Meanwhile, shadow home secretary David Davis urged the Government to rethink its policy of multiculturalism and said the Muslim community must do more to integrate into British society.

Mr Davis, who is the front-runner to succeed Michael Howard as Tory leader, said there was now an "obligation" on British Muslims to confront the terrorist threat within their own community.

"Britain has a proud history of tolerance towards people of different views, faiths and backgrounds. But we should not flinch from demanding the same tolerance and respect for the British way of life," he insisted in a newspaper article.

A total of 438 racist crimes were reported to police in Scotland between 7 and 31 July - a 22 per cent increase on the 359 offences in the same period last year, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos).

Of those, 64 have been directly linked to the London bombings because of the nature of the abuse or graffiti written.

But in the forces where the largest Muslim communities are located, the increases are even more striking. In Strathclyde, where around half of Scotland's 45,000 Muslims live, race hate crimes rose from 156 to 198 - a jump of 27 per cent.

In and around Edinburgh, home to around 10,000 Muslims, incidents soared by nearly 50 per cent from 70 to 104. In Tayside, crimes rose from 26 to 45 - a 73 per cent increase. Some forces, however, showed a fall in recorded race crimes.

Most of the incidents have been verbal threats, but they have also included physical assaults and racist graffiti on mosques. In one case, a gang of racists launched a hammer attack on two Asian men as they sat in their parked car in Leith.

However, Mr Wilson, who is president of Acpos and Chief Constable of Fife Constabulary, claimed there had been no dramatic rise in race crime since the bombings.

He said: "Any racist crime is unacceptable but I am glad to see the number being recorded is relatively low and has not risen sharply as a result of the London bombings. The last thing we would have needed in Scotland would have been for our visible, minority ethnic communities to have suffered as a result of misguided prejudices. It is clear that there is still an increased level of concern and feelings of vulnerability within a number of communities, especially Muslim ones. My plea to all of our communities is that the level of support and understanding continues."

Mr Wilson added: "I am cautiously optimistic that common sense and the best instincts of everyone are prevailing." But he admitted other "low level" crimes were not being reported.

But Osama Saeed, Scottish spokesman for the Muslim Association of Britain, said the true number of offences was significantly higher than those reported. "We have been dealing with an unprecedented number of reports from Muslims who have been abused, mainly verbally, on the streets. But the figures from the police are much lower than the true number of racist attacks taking place. People are not coming forward and reporting crimes.

"The police need to meet more sections of the community. They tend to talk to mainly middle-aged and elderly male figures at the mosques, but they are the least likely to be directly affected by racist crime."

Shami Khan, Edinburgh's only Asian councillor and secretary of the city's Pakistan Society, said the police needed to do more. "The police have to come out on the streets and talk to us. I suggest they go round shops handing out leaflets saying, 'If you have been harassed, speak to us'. I haven't seen them do that," he said.

The Metropolitan Police earlier revealed that crimes motivated by religious hatred have jumped six-fold in London since the 7 July bombings.

Some 269 such incidents were reported since the suicide bombings, compared to only 40 in the same period last year.

Dr Zaki Badawi, head of the Muslim College in London and chairman of the Council of Mosques and Imams, yesterday said Islamic women should stop wearing hijab headscarves:

"In the present, tense situation we advise Muslim women who fear being attacked physically or verbally to remove their hijab so as not to be identified by those hostile to Muslims."

On the political front, Mr Howarth's explosive comments to The Scotsman yesterday put the Tories under pressure to declare whether they would encourage Muslims who did not pledge allegiance to Britain to leave the country. Mr Howarth told The Scotsman: "If they don't like our way of life, there is a simple remedy: go to another country, get out."

One senior Tory spokesman stressed that the MP had not been speaking for the party. "It's a personal view of Gerald and it's not one endorsed by us. We have set out what our position is and it is broadly in line with the government's," he said. The spokesman added that if Mr Howarth had reflected on his comments then he would have made clear he was referring to suicide bombers.

However, politicians as well as Muslim campaign groups lined up to denounce his remarks. Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said the country needed to find a way of engaging people who felt alienated. "Making incendiary comments, urging that they be booted out of the country, is not at all helpful."

Mark Oaten, the Lib Dem home affairs spokesman, said Mr Howarth's "irresponsible" remarks would "do nothing to lower the community tensions highlighted by the huge increase in religious and race- motivated attacks since 7/7."

12) Religious hate crime up 600pc ; Attacks in London soar since suicide bombings
Daily Mail (London); Aug 3, 2005; ANIL DAWAR; p. 2

RELIGIOUS hate crimes have soared by almost 600 per cent in London since the July 7 bombings, it was revealed yesterday.

Scotland Yard figures show that 269 crimes motivated by religious hatred have been reported since the suicide attacks, compared to only 40 in the same three-and-a-half week period last year.

The figures include minor assaults, abuse in the street and by email and criminal damage to property including mosques.

In the three days after the attacks there were 68 such crimes in the capital compared to none in the same period 12 months ago. Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur said most of the incidents were minor but had a great 'emotional impact' on communities.

'There is no doubt that incidents impacting on the Muslim community have increased,' he said.

'It can lead to these commuprovidenities completely retreating and not engaging at a time when we want their engagement and support.' Police officers have stepped up patrols and are working with community groups to reassurance. It is not thought that the incidents are part of a concerted campaign and not all the incidents have been aimed at Muslims.

Finsbury Park Mosque, which has made a break from its associations with radical clerics such as Abu Hamza, has received more than 30 threatening phone calls in a fortnight.

The first place of worship to be attacked after the bombings was a Sikh temple in Erith, South-East London.

Jagtar Singh of the Sikh Federation said: 'We have had numerous reports of race hate crimes targeting Sikh taxi drivers, bus drivers and even Tube workers who interact with the public in providing essential services.' Police have in general been praised by Muslim groups for their attempts to damp down any racist backlash and protect Asian communities following the bombings.

The concerted effort has been seen as a good way of winning the confidence of the Islamic community and working together to root out any lurking extremists.

But officers are having to deal with the difficult task of defeating terrorism while at the same time facing accusations that young Muslims are being targeted in stop-andsearch operations.

Home Office minister Hazel Blears has said that Muslims would not be discriminated against by police in the battle against terrorism.

She insisted officers' actions would be 'intelligence led'.

Hate merchants of Londonistan

13)Racist gang in hammer attack on Asian men in parked car
Evening News (Edinburgh); Aug 2, 2005; GARETH ROSE; p. 9

A GANG of racists launched a vicious hammer attack on two Asian men while shouting abuse about the London bombings.

The young victims were sitting in a parked car in Springfield Street, Leith, when they were surrounded by the thugs in broad daylight.

Police said the group taunted the men with racist insults and made references to the July 7 bombings in London which killed 56 people, and the failed follow-up attack on July 21.

One of the attackers started kicking the car causing dents. Another threw a hammer at the front window, smashing the glass and hitting the passenger on the shoulder.

The victims, who were aged between 18 and 20, managed to drive off and reported the attack at Gayfield Square police station.

A Lothian and Borders police spokeswoman said: "This incident was racially motivated and the behaviour of the group to two men who were simply parking their car is totally abhorrent.

"It was apparent to the victims that they had been targeted because they were Asian as both were racially abused during the incident.

"Lothian and Borders Police will not tolerate racist behaviour. It is a criminal offence and will always be treated very seriously. An inquiry is now under way to try and trace the culprits.

"Fortunately the two victims, though badly shaken by the incident, were not seriously injured, although the passenger suffered some bruising to his upper body.

"We would urge anyone who has been a victim of racist or hate crimes to report it. Recording offences allows us to build a realistic picture of racist crimes in our force area and allows us to react appropriately."

The attack, which happened at 7pm on Friday night, comes less than a fortnight after police announced increased measures to protect Edinburgh's ethnic minorities. Officers have visited mosques and other places of worship to check on security arrangements.

Patrolling police officers are also paying extra visits to vulnerable businesses, such as shops run by members of ethnic communities. But Edinburgh's only Asian councillor, Shami Khan, said many race hate victims were not calling the police. And he said many were receiving crank calls and "terrorist" taunts.

He said: "There are so many cases I can think of where people aren't going to the police because they're frightened - we're talking nearly every day.

"Asian people feel harassed. They are worried about suffering a similar backlash to that seen in England. But the London bombers are criminals, they're not Muslims. Even if they came from Muslim communities according to our religion they are no longer Muslims themselves because of what they have done."

He added: "I am calling on the police, the local authority and the Scottish Executive to set up a taskforce to look at how they can protect the Asian community."

Nina Giles, director of the Edinburgh Racial Equality Council, said the feeling among Asians was one of fear and persecution.

She said: "People have been ringing up Asian businesses and calling whoever answers a terrorist. It's appalling."

The attacker who kicked the car is described as white, 5ft 11ins, of medium build, aged 23 to 25, with a skinhead haircut, pale complexion, brown and blue stripy polo shirt with short sleeves, blue denim jeans, and white trainers.

The man with the hammer is described as white, 5ft 11ins, very skinny, 23 to 25, of pale complexion, with short black hair with a long fringe brushed forward, white T-shirt, light blue jeans and white trainers.

The facts

POLICE have launched a high-profile programme of "community reassurance" in the wake of the London bombings.

All attacks are being monitored on a daily basis so police can spot any worrying trends if they emerge.

Officers have also visited mosques and other places of worship to check on security arrangements.

A specially-created security liaison group of police and community leaders has been set up to ensure officers know immediately of any problems. Although there has been no significant rise in racist crime in Edinburgh in the wake of the terrorist attacks, there have been a number of verbal threats and cases of racist graffiti daubed on mosques.

Hours after the London bombings, which killed 56 and injured more than 700, a mosque in Annandale Street and a nearby Pakistani community centre were subjected to racist graffiti.

And a week later, an Asian teenager was brutally attacked on a busy city street in daylight.

14) Attacks in London: Muslim fears grow over dramatic rise in hate crimes The Independent (London); Jul 29, 2005; Terry Kirby Chief; p. 15

The number of hate crimes against Asians has risen dramatically over the three weeks since the 7 July suicide bombings, Muslim groups have said.

Incidents being reported include verbal abuse and spitting directed at Muslims in the street, graffiti and vandalism of Asian homes and mosques and some assaults on individuals. There have also been at least two incidents of arson and one car being damaged. Three days after the 7 July bombings, an Asian man was murdered in Nottingham. A number of people have been arrested in connection with the killing.

The Muslim Safety Forum said that the number of 'faith-related' crimes reported to the police in London had risen from 35 in the same period last year to around 230 this year.

The Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), which collects reports from around the country, said attacks on Muslims had risen from a handful a week to more than 250 since the bombings " almost as many as the total for the month after the 9/11 attacks.

Although the Metropolitan Police have stressed that the bombings were the work of criminals and their investigations are not confined to one ethnic group, Muslim groups said that 'a climate of fear' exists within their communities.

Tahir Butt, a member of the Forum, said that 'irresponsible' headlines in some sections of the media had helped foster anti- Muslim feelings. He said: 'The Metropolitan Police say they have a policy of zero tolerance of hate crime. We want to make sure that the guidelines for officers dealing with these cases are taken seriously and that the complaints of Muslims are dealt with properly.