Man sentenced for threatening to blow up Islamic bookstore

August 3, 2017 Article

A construction worker has been sentenced after threatening to blow up an Islamic bookstore following the Manchester terror attack.

David Moffatt, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm and distress at Willesden Magistrates’ Court, on July 28.

Police responded to a call on May 23 to reports that a man had entered Cricklewood Islamic Bookstore in north London, and had shouted “all Muslims should be killed,” “this shop should be bombed,” and “go back to your own country”. After making threats, he left the store.

Witnesses and the victim identified the suspect by his orange high-visibility jacket and trousers.

Mr. Moffatt was arrested after making an unrelated call to police that day, alleging that he had been assaulted. Officers then noticed that was wearing the same outfit.

Following his initial arrest, he told officers: “I’m not anti-Muslim, I’m Catholic.”

CCTV evidence later placed him inside the bookstore at the date and time of the hate crime. He was charged the next day.

The prosecution later outlined how Mr. Moffatt had also told two individuals outside that “all Muslims should be killed” and “go back to your own country”.

Representing himself, Mr. Moffatt denied making these statements. In his own words, he had entered the shop and said: “You have killed innocent people, you have blood on your hands go back to your own country”.

This argument, however, was rejected by Magistrate Penelope Allen.

Detective Inspector Madeline Ryder, from Brent’s Community Safety Unit, said: “Hate crime is unacceptable and Brent’s Community Safety Unit is committed to tackling hate crime in all its forms, supporting victims and their families and bringing perpetrators like Moffatt to justice.”

Mr. Moffatt was sentenced to a community order with an unpaid work requirement of 100 hours within 12 months and to pay £620 in costs and a victim surcharge of £85.

Hate Crime can be reported through 999 in an emergency, by dialling 101 in a non-emergency, directly at a police station, through the MOPAC Hate Crime app.

You can get advice through our confidential and free helpline on 0800 456 1226. Or through our free iOS or Android apps. Report through our online form. Or contact us via WhatsApp on 0734 184 6086.

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Categories: hate crime, Manchester Bombing, Metropolitan Police, News

Caught on Camera – Abuse at Muslim Couple Shopping for Groceries

August 2, 2017 Article

“You should not allow your wife to go around like that”, says the female to a Muslim couple shopping at Aldi supermarket. A Muslim couple simply doing the mundane things in life are subjected to an intolerant tirade of abuse.

The incident is alleged to have happened on the 31st of July in the Feltham area and the female can also be heard to say the following:

“You know the Quran, and you are supposed to be a peaceful loving person”.

This as she points to the people that she has been abusing. She is then heard to say:

“You should not be going around like that, you look like a pillar box.”

The rant continues as she suggests that the Niqabi wearing woman’s dress sense is “disgusting”, all the while making a scene of her abusive actions. The only thing “disgusting” thing is the scene that she is making in front of members of the public.

Sadly, we know that women who wear the Niqab are targeted on numerous occassions in their lives for such intolerance and bigotry. The only thing in this instance, is that the victim’s husband caught it on camera.

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Categories: abuse, face veil, Feltham, Muslim couple, News, Niqab, Niqabi, Shopping

Angry locals remove antisemitic, anti-Muslim posters in Scotland

July 27, 2017 Article

A new white nationalist group had its propaganda posters torn down in Scotland, according to The Courier.

The racist propaganda recycles historic antisemitic canards to demonise Muslim communities.

Vanguard Britannia is modelled on the openly fascist and white supremacist group Vanguard America.

The group’s official website went live on June 15, 2017. Days later, a post on the ‘censorship-free community platform’ Voat, appeared on the /v/Identitarian thread. Such an appeal to the Identitarian movement is consistent with another far-right group Scottish Dawn. A recent investigation has revealed links between the banned terror group National Action and Scottish Dawn.

By June 29, Vanguard Britannia had its own Twitter account, which boasts no more than a few hundred followers.

A propaganda video uploaded to YouTube on July 25 suggests that other posters have appeared on a bus stop and walls. An earlier video, captioned, ‘Why are the Jews so interested in helping other non-whites migrate to Europe?’ further visualises their race hate.

Other social media propaganda concerns the promotion of ‘Fashwave’ electronic music.

Another far-right group was also born last month. The openly National Socialist NS131 first appeared online on June 12. Its sole purpose is to promote National Socialist street art and physical propaganda. Within hours of uploading its first video to YouTube on June 12, the Facebook page Difficulty II had also uploaded it, attracting over four thousand views.

NS131 held its first graffiti training session shortly after. Photos of this event appeared online on July 19, where the numerical code ‘131’ features heavily alongside more traditional far-right iconography. This code refers to the letters of the alphabet (A.C.A) and its anti-capitalist message.

A propaganda still from a recent NS131 video.

It mirrors German groups like Antikapitalistisches Kollektiv (AKK) and Aktiv für Deutschland (Active for Germany). Both serve as networks for autonomous National Socialists. NS131 also takes inspiration from similar groups in Russia, Poland, Spain, and France.

Any links to National Action, however, is still unclear. Graffiti and anti-capitalist messages did feature in their physical propaganda and proved popular with its dissolved London chapter.

Like National Action, NS131 uses the encrypted email service Tutanota. It also promotes anonymous web browsing. But this may also reflect inspiration, as groups like Scottish Dawn and Vanguard Britannia use similar email services.

Towards the end of June, a thread on 8Chan discussed NS131. On July 23, a thread in the /pol/ section of 4Chan promoted Scottish Dawn, NS131, and Vanguard Britannia. Notorious hate site the Daily Stormer then promoted NS131 three days later.

Days earlier, a photo of two National Socialists trampling on a rainbow flag, appeared on the NS131 blog. A National Socialist Twitter account then shared the photo a day later under the hashtag #PrideInHull.

The groups have likely used the message board service Discord to promote their cause.

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Categories: hate crime, Neo-Nazi, News, NS131, Scotland, Scottish Dawn, Vanguard Brittania

Father Opens Letter to Find Quran Page With Evil Written On It

July 17, 2017 Article

We were notified of a case in London where a Muslim family received a Quran page that had been torn and with the word ‘evil’ wriitten across it.

Posted to the home address of the family, it was opened by the father who was extremely disturbed by a page from the revered scripture being treated in this manner. His daughter told Tell MAMA that:

“It’s hard to describe the emotion I felt when my father who was very disturbed by it, showed it to me. I think my initial reaction was shock, followed by anger and then a sense of fear.”

The daughter also went onto say that:

“As a family this has come at a horrible time. It has been barely 2 months since my father buried his mother who was a massive part of our lives. She lived with us for over 20 years so her loss is one we are all still very much dealing with. So now, this sense of being targeted and even watched is a terrible feeling. However, I am also touched by the overwhelming support and positive messages I have received. It goes to show that our community is in majority a fantastic one with a few exceptions. I find comfort in this.

In fact, it is her words that are inspirational.

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Categories: anti-Muslim hatred. Evil, family, Hate Crimes, Hate Literature, Muslim Family, News, Quran Page

Man threatened to hit Muslim woman ‘in the c***’ with beer bottle

July 14, 2017 Article

A man threatened to assault a Muslim woman’s genitals with a beer bottle in an unprovoked hate crime last week.

It occurred in the central Bristol area in the early evening of July 7.

The Muslim woman, who wears the hijab, contacted Tell MAMA for support and wants her story told to raise awareness, and encourage other women to report.

As she was walking in the street, she noticed a man in a red chequered shirt, pointing a beer bottle at her, muttering statements.

When the male approached her, she heard him say: “I’m gonna f****** hit you in the c*** with this”.

He then tried to throw the beer bottle at her, but she managed to get to safety without physical injury. She describes him as a white male in his 30s.

This an extreme example of how misogynistic language intersects with anti-Muslim hatred. Verbal abuse from men often carries misogynistic, racist and Islamophobic overtones, as outlined in our previous annual report.

The report also found that the largest proportion of incidents involves Muslim women, usually wearing Islamic clothing – be it the hijab, abaya or niqab. Perpetrators were disproportionately white males.

Avon and Somerset Police are now investigating the incident following a report on behalf of the woman from our staff.

Individuals can report non-emergency hate crimes through 101 or online.

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Categories: Avon and Somerset Police, beer bottle, Bristol, hate crime, Misogny, News

Having a Beard and Layers of Clothing Brings Out The Worst Fears in Some

July 8, 2017 Article

This video is circulating of a visibly Muslim male who was walking along a busy Camden High street which leads to Regent’s Park mosque. The video was taken between 12 – 1:30 pm yesterday and just prior to Juma’ah prayers which is a key prayer time observed by many Muslims. The video shows a female who explains that her suspicions were raised because the individual was wearing layers of clothing. In this case, her suspicions would not have been raised if the man was not visibly Muslim. In this instance, his beard sent out a signal to the woman that he was Muslim.

The woman can be heard to take an aggressive tone towards the man filming her and the only person being agitated is the female who seems to have initially flagged down the police officers in Central London. There is a suggestion that the man was running and the camera person makes clear that he was going to the mosque for his prayers and the suspect does not resist, looks shocked and bewildered. No doubt, this video will have impacts on some within Muslim communities. The strong impression given by the video is that Muslims are stopped because of the fears of some who see a visible Muslim acting in ways that they find to be ‘beyond the norm’, as being potentially dangerous. In this case, ‘beyond the norm’ was a man with a beard wearing layers of clothing and who was probably walking at a faster pace.

There is something troubling about the woman’s perceptions. The place to challenge them was not when the officer’s were undertaking the search and the officer’s were, as the man filming says, simply doing their job. The real issue is how a Londoner comes to regard another Londoner as a potential threat in relation to his visibility as a Muslim and whilst wearing two layers of clothing.

Such incidents do nothing to bring communities together. They also show how much work needs to be done to challenge the fears of some people that visible Muslims are somehow a threat if they wear more layers of clothing than others on a hot day. The reality is that some Muslims will naturally wear more layers of clothing, even on a hot day, since they believe it is a manifestation of their faith to cover their bodies.

We understand the real risk to us all from extremism and violent extremism. We have raised our voices time and time again against these threats, whether they be far right or Daesh influenced. But the fears of one woman, who was the person being the most challenging in this video, cannot just be left unchecked as she walks off and the individual going to pray is left feeling confused and frightened by the experience. Londoners deserve better and in the fight against extremism and terrorism, we cannot turn against each other on the basis of visibility and clothing. The woman in this video may feel she was doing her duty and we can understand that and applaud her civic sense of responsibility. However, we cannot accept the basis of her fears and the assumptions she makes by also including the camera-person as another potential suspect and by her belief that a few layers of clothing and a beard mean that someone is potentially a threat. Surely we all deserve better than this?

The fight against extremism and violent extremism needs to be intelligence led. It needs to be based on evidence and on ensuring that sections of populations do not feel marginalised. Such incidents merely fracture trust between communities and we understand the difficulties in the fight against terrorism, but this does not help.The police do a sterling job on a daily basis, however the woman in this video needs to understand that having a beard and wearing layers of clothing do not make someone a natural suspect.

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Categories: Fears, Londoners, Muslim, News, Opinions, Police, Regent's Park mosque, stop and search

Who’s behind the latest threatening hate mail to mosques?

July 6, 2017 Article

Several mosques in London have been sent hand-written threats in the post.

The text of the letter sent to Forest Gate Mosque claims that an ‘explosive device’ will be left at the mosque ‘soon’. Adding, that it intends to target worshippers during prayer times.

In East London, a mosque received a letter with the threat: “I am coming to your mosque in August to make you vermin pay”. It then alludes the ‘taste’ of Muslim blood and depicts a crudely drawn skull and crossbones.

A third letter, sent to a different mosque in East London, threatens violence in an event it calls the ‘Great cleanse of London’.

Two of the letters also features a cross and the letters ‘M’ and ‘S’. This may seek to invoke the Crusades, but this has yet to be verified.

What also connects two of the letters is its point of origin. In photos seen by Tell MAMA staff, the letters came from the Sheffield area. Both sent with second class stamps. All within the past few days or weeks. For example, the letter sent to the mosque in Forest Gate was stamped by Royal Mail’s Sheffield Mail Centre on July 3.

This latest campaign of hate could be connected to the threatening letters sent to mosques across the United States last March and February.

Again, we see second class stamps, and the style of handwriting is not too dissimilar, from the letter sent a New Jersey mosque. Both sent from the Sheffield area.

A handwriting comparison of hate mail sent to mosques in New Jersey and Forest Gate, London.

The text of that letter read: “You and your filthy kind will be beheaded,” and featured a crude cartoon captioned “MUSLIM SLAYER.”

The self-proclaimed ‘Muslim Slayer’ targeted mosques in New York, Georgia, and Kentucky.

On February 28, 2017, the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, received a letter with a crude image of a pig defecating on the mosque, the text below reads “Kill All Muslims”. As with other letters, it was sent with two first class stamps from the Sheffield area.

On March 7, 2017, a spokesperson for the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, said: “We are looking into the possibility that the communication is linked to a number of suspicious packages and malicious communications reported at locations in London, South Yorkshire, and America.”

It may or may not have been connected to a hate letter sent to the Jamia mosque in Rotherham last February.

In July 2016, police explored the possibility of a far-right hate mail campaign against mosques and government institutions.

Packages containing white powder were sent to the Bank of England, the office of Lord Ahmed, and three mosques – in Leyton, Finsbury Park, and Tottenham. A government mail screening centre in Newham had also been sent a suspicious package.

The race-hate slur ‘P*ki’ appeared on the envelopes sent the three mosques.

It was believed that some of the packages came from the Sheffield area as counter-terror police were called after suspicious packages were found in a sorting office, according to the Sunday Times.

Tell MAMA is working with police in the relevant force areas and partners to reassure communities.

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Categories: bomb threats, counter-terrorism, hate crime, Hate Mail, MET Police, Muslim Slayer, News, Sheffield

TELL MAMA, Community Security Bulletin for Mosques – in Urdu, Arabic and Turkish

July 3, 2017 Article

Having launched our Community Security Bulletin last week, Tell MAMA has developed these short information packs for mosques in Urdu, Arabic and Turkish.

We understand that many within Muslim communities do feel heightened levels of anxiety after the Finsbury Park mosque attacks and mosques have approached us asking us for advice on what they can do to support the safety and security of congregation members.

These Tell MAMA Community Security Bulletins are meant to be a guide and a starting point for mosques to think about the safety of their congregations. People should not be alarmed and they should ensure that basic information is available to congregants and to staff members in their respective faith institutions.

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Categories: anti-Muslim attacks, Arabic, mosques, News, Security Bulletin, Turkish, Urdu

Letters Being Sent to Mosques – Community Re-Assurance

July 1, 2017 Article

We are aware of a number of letters being sent to mosques which seek to promote fear and intimidate those working within the mosques. The letters have been sent to various geographical locations and we have seen the text of the letters.

We understand that the letters threaten demonstrations outside mosques and are signed off using people’s names. This is a malicious campaign that we believe, is simply meant to cause fear.

We are aware of the letters, as are partners that work with us. We wanted to re-assure mosques that when we come across such material, and when it is reported to us, we get in touch with police partners and inform them of such activities. We can only do so if people report into us at Tell MAMA and therefore we urge Muslim communities to report in any material that may be anti-Muslim in nature or which targets mosques and Islamic institutions.

We cannot have any community intimidated in our country whose values are based on pluralism and on the rule of law. Rest assured that we within Tell MAMA will work with statutory, police and Government partners to ensure the safety of Muslim communities, whilst also ensuring that we stand together with all communities in our desire to tackle hatred, prejudice and intolerance.

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Categories: anti-Muslim hatred, communities, demonstrations, Far Right groups, Letters, mosques, News, Police

The BBC Should Not Be Promoting ‘Fake News’ About Muslims and Jews

June 29, 2017 Article

The BBC reported yesterday on German Muslim schoolgirls who were racially abused by locals on a trip to visit Holocaust memorials in Lublin in Eastern Poland. The Board of Deputies of British Jews rightly picked up on the following statement that was inserted into the piece on the BBC article. The phrase stated:

The Holocaust is a sensitive topic for many Muslims because Jewish survivors settled in British mandate Palestine, on land which later became the state of Israel.

The relevance of linking the state of Israel to the Holocaust and how it is perceived within Muslim communities was perverse to say the least. Holocaust education and awareness is not linked to developments in the Middle East and the assumption completely disregards the diversity of Muslim communities and the large numbers of Muslims who want to know more about the Holocaust. Indeed, the article cites German Muslim girls travelling to Poland to find out more about the Holocaust.

Furthermore, the assumption that all Muslims cannot somehow empathise and feel the pain of the Holocaust in whatever form that takes, suggests that the writer thinks that all Muslims think the same. Additionally, many Muslims can distinguish between the practices of the Government of Israel and the implementation of policies regarding the Occupied Territories and Jewish communities globally. Linking political decisions made in Israel and Palestine to the genocide of Jews in Europe is frankly, sickening. Wherever such blatant linkages are made, they must be challenged and we therefore welcome the quick action of Muslim and Jewish groups and in particular that of the Board of Deputies, which we fully supported.

The BBC is globally seen as a respected news source. The last thing we need is ‘fake news’ creeping into a publicly funded body which promotes divisions between Muslims and Jews.

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Categories: abuse, BBC, German Muslims, hate crime, Holocaust, Israel, Jews, Lublin, Opinions, Palestine