Despite always becoming targets of suspicion, Muslim communities in Britain demonstrated their courage by confronting the rioters in the city of London which have been going on since Sunday (7/8), and now spreading to other cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, and Bristol.
Together with the local residents, Muslim communities which are mostly descendants of Turks and Kurds, dispelled rioters carrying bats and sharp weapons, who wanted to smash up the shops, banks and trying to get into their residential area.
At the time of the burnings and clashes between rioters and police on Monday night, the jama’ah of Whitechapel all together repelled the rioters by forming a protective cluster to prevent rioters from entering the masjid.
While women and children were ushered back into the mosque, a hardcore of worshippers confronted the gangs as they attacked shops and buildings on Whitechapel Road.
A ten-minute standoff ensued, with rioters attempting to mingle in with the crowds in a bid to hide themselves as riot police closed in on the area.
Salman Farsi, the mosque’s communication chief who has witnessed the scenes, said: "Worshippers chased them away. There was a lot of shouting. A missile was hurled towards the direction of mosque and the atmosphere was very tense."
“I don’t think any member of our community is going to stand for vandalism. We’re going to stand here united.”
“Our mosque volunteers and stewards were calming people and guiding them back into the mosque. We advised young people to keep away from the riots and go straight home after prayers.”
Whitechapel Road, Bethnal Green Road and Roman Road saw the worst of the damage with shops looted and windows smashed in.
Tower Hamlets Police said five officers were injured in the riots, which started at around 10pm.
The Bengali community in Whitechapel, further into East London, also took part in fending off a mob of looters. “Within about 10 minutes there were 1,500 people on the street, not just Asians but also Somalis. We dispelled the rioters who were trying to break into the mosque and the nearby Islamic Bank of Britain,” said Muhammad Ali, 27, an eye witnesses in the night of the incident.
Another eye witness, Sam Miah, said, “We were at a chicken shop, finishing our fast when we saw the looters. Some had bandanas over their faces. The riot police were unsure what to do. They saw our brothers from the mosque and we said we could handle the situation.”
Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, visited the area today and said she was told by shopkeepers and residents that they believed the rioters had come from other boroughs to cause trouble.
She said: “The worshippers must have been very frightened. Everyone is adamant these people are not going to divide our community. The rioters tried to enter the mosque with the intention of causing damage and the worshippers stood firmly against them.”
Mahbub Alam, 35, the proprietor of a computer shop, said the bravery of the Muslims community in resisting the rioters reflected the determination of the community to protect itself from the mob and make sure its shops and cafes did not suffer the same fate as others across the capital.
“Our boys acted very maturely and it gave confidence to the whole community, Muslim and non-Muslim, when something happened they were ready for it.”
(From various sources)
*UK London Riots: Important Updates for Muslims
0 comments:
Post a Comment