Woolwich murder: The back-lash continues

The deniers keep denying, some even waging one-man campaigns against those who raise the issue of the Muslim back-lash that has occurred since the dreadful murder of Lieutenant Lee Rigby in Woolwich.

According to Faith Matters -www.faith-matters.org/- there have been 12 attacks on Muslim centres, two arson attacks, including one boarding school. On both occasions, the attacks could have very easily caused death and injury to children. Along with the more serious incidents there have been hundreds of ‘lower level’ incidents reported to Faith groups.

Truth is that if hundreds of individuals have actually taken time out to report a physical or abusive incident, it probably means thousands of people are being subjected to ‘lower level’ incidents and not reporting them. That is the experience of people of colour, Muslims and immigrants. Most of us just get on with it.

The tragedy in all of this is the double impact this has right now on Muslim communities. First and foremost the fear that can grip individuals and communities. Imagine being a child and walking into your Church, which had been firebombed. You might think some people want to kill you for no other reason than the faith you hold. Even the so-called lower level attacks and abuse have a profound impact upon the individuals and their community. Again, imagine a stranger ripping a crucifix from your neck, coupled with the most torrid racial abuse? The reality is that too many Muslim women are being subjected to their Hijabs being ripped from the heads. To underplay all of this, to deny the impact on the individual and their families is truly shameful.

I’m old enough to remember the 1970’s in Leicester. Uganda’s Idi Amin expelled thousands of Ugandan Asians. Many arrived to my school and neighborhood. After a short while skin heads waged a race war against innocent people, simply because they were Indian. As a child I witnessed attacks and saw decent people fear for their lives. To be on the receiving end of anything like this is one thing , to have it then denied or undermined as not serious is quite another.

The Telegraph’s Andrew Gilligan and others, instead of waging campaigns against those who seek to give voice to the unheard, and down playing the seriousness of this present Muslim back-lash, could help in this very difficult climate by recognising just how Muslim Groups and leaders have come out, first, to show deep sorry and condolence to the family of Lee Rigby, whilst utterly denouncing the actions of the murderers as un-Islamic.

Sadly, as we have seen there are Islamic and Right-wing extremist who would gladly see a full-blown race war in this country. We must do what we can to minimize their influence and impact. Part of that must surely be a zero tolerance to all levels of hate crimes.

Simon Woolley