15 January 2015
The Muslim Council of Britain is monitoring unfolding developments in Birmingham where a series of Muslim-owned shops and businesses are reported to have been attacked by men armed with guns and hammers. Whilst detectives are not yet able to be certain of a link between the attacks, we hope that these remain isolated incidents and do not escalate to the levels seen in France, which saw a spike in anti-Muslim attacks across the country following the recent brutal murder of journalists at the French publication, Charlie Hebdo.
We urge for calm as the police authorities conduct their investigations, and encourage mosques and British Muslims to be vigilant, report any attacks to the police and take the necessary steps to protect your institutions, in particular in advance of Friday prayers tomorrow. Guidance on how to take precautionary measures can be found below, which was kindly provided by the National Association of Muslim Police, and where there are specific concerns, we urge you to be in touch with the local police authorities who may be able to provide further reassurance and support.
In the meantime it is important for all communities to come together in solidarity, support and vigilance.
*UPDATE from West Midlands Police: The incidents are most likely not to be race related.
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Notes to Editors:
1. The Muslim Council of Britain is the UK’s largest Muslim umbrella body with over 500 affiliated national, regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools.
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