Muslim Council says 'law and order' isn't enough to tackle the 'Islamophobic hate' following mosque attacks
2 August 2024, 15:52 | Updated: 2 August 2024, 16:10
Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, has told LBC that law and order is not sufficient to tackle the root issue at the centre of the unrest in Southport.
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The violence happened after hundreds of people gathered in the town centre to pay tribute to those killed in the knife attack at a Taylor Swift dance class, laying flowers and toys.
Three girls were killed in the attack while eight children were injured, with five of them in critical condition in hospital.
Two adults who tried to protect them also remain in critical condition.
Axel Rudakubana appeared in court on Thursday to face charges of multiple murders and attempted murders.
Following the knife attack, within 30 hours of lies being circulated on social media, 53 police officers had been injured, with online misinformation turning into offline harm.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised that the “full force of the law” would be used against the rioters.
Referencing the far-right, anti-Muslim protesters which targeted Southport mosque - setting vehicles and wheelie bins on fire and attacking a local shop - Mohammed spoke of their "ideological" motivations.
Bottles and bricks were thrown at police, who linked the rioters to the English Defence League, a group that has sometimes staged violent demonstrations against Islam.
Mohammed called the scenes "terrifying" and told Shelagh Fogarty on LBC: "There is an issue on how people view others...what we saw was a really strong both Islamophobic sentiment, but also an anti-immigrant sentiment, that really kind of kicked the story off and then lots of misinformation around it.
"I think what's really important is dispelling the misunderstandings and myths around what are you really afraid of, what is this doing to your society.
"It's been very distressing. I think people have been really really upset and really worried and also terrified about what they saw at Southport.
"You know the fact that this was a fake news story and...was so quickly vilified to an extent that these mobs and thugs were coming out to target a mosque, and now we've heard lots across social media of more planned attacks. It's really so co-ordinated.
"I think people have been really really upset.
"There seems to be this really strong undercurrent of Islamophobic hate, anti-immigrant hate and that's really boiling up...and the law and order approach isn't going to tackle that."
"There's got to be another approach. In the immediate we're going to need extra policing and that security in place.
"There is that sense of people power and community. Unfortunately not everyone is going to want a cup of tea."
She also urged caution in case of further instances of unrest, adding: "If there's big hoards and gangs of people, just be really careful...we just hope that it doesn't escalate beyond what we've already seen."
Speaking about the mosque as a community hub, she said: "The mosque is not just somewhere we go for prayers, but actually many of the elderly in our community, will go for that elderly care, having a cup of tea and a biscuit.
"Many young people will go for classes, both educational, but also summer programmes and fairs.
"But also many women, like myself, will go for our own classes and groups. There's so much activity happening particularly in the summer."
She went on to say: "We are part of a wonderfully diverse Britain and that works because all of us are working together and this constant demonisation and choosing the framing around mosques isn't actually true.
"They're you're neighbours, they're your friends."
