Saturday 25 May 2013

Woolwich murder sparks anti-Muslim backlash


There has been a huge increase in anti-Muslim incidents since the murder of a British soldier in Woolwich, an inter-faith charity has said.
Faith Matters, which runs a helpline, said they had received 162 calls since Wednesday's attack, up from a daily average of six.
A number of people have been charged after allegedly offensive comments were made on social media websites.
Drummer Lee Rigby was killed near Woolwich Barracks on Wednesday.
Shortly after his killing, 28-year-old Michael Adebolajo was filmed by a passer-by saying he had carried out the attack because British soldiers killed Muslims every day.
Mr Adebolajo and a second suspect, Michael Adebowale, 22, were arrested at the scene and remain in hospital after they were shot by police. Both men were known to the security services, sources told the BBC.
'Significant online activity'
Fiyaz Mughal, director of Faith Matters, said the nature of the incidents ranged from attacks against mosques, graffiti, the pulling off of Muslim women's headscarves and more general name calling and abuse.
He told BBC Radio Five Live: "What's really concerning is the spread of these incidents. They're coming in from right across the country.
"Secondly, some of them are quite aggressive very focused, very aggressive attacks.
"And thirdly, there also seems to be significant online activity... suggesting co-ordination of incidents and attacks against institutions or places where Muslims congregate."
Since the attack, a number of people have been charged by police after allegedly offensive messages were posted on social media websites.
These include a 22-year-old man from Lincoln, a 28-year-old man from London, a 23-year-old woman from Southsea, and a 19-year-old man from Woking.
Three men - two from Gateshead and one from Stockton - have been arrested by Northumbria Police on suspicion of posting racist tweets.
It came ahead of a protest by the English Defence League (EDL) in Newcastle in which around 1,500 people took part. It had been planned for months.
MI5 approach
A friend of Mr Adebolajo, Abu Nusaybah, was arrested on Friday night on BBC premises following an interview with BBC Newsnight.
The arrest was not directly related to the murder of Drummer Rigby, the Met Police said.
Mr Nusayabah told the programme that Mr Adebolajo had rejected an approach by MI5 to work for them around six months ago.
It followed a trip to Kenya where Mr Nusaybah said Mr Adebolajo had been detained by security forces.
He said he noticed "a change" in Mr Adebolajo when he returned from Africa last year.
Abu Nusaybah said Mr Adebolajo suggested he had been physically and sexually abused during an interrogation in a prison cell in the African country.
Next week the director general of MI5 Andrew Parker is expected to present an initial report on the role of the security services to a Parliamentary committee, which is carrying out an investigation.
Both Mr Adebolajo and Mr Adebowale, Britons of Nigerian descent, are understood to be converts to Islam, with Mr Adebolajo originally coming from a Christian family.
Maajid Nawaz, from the anti-extremism think tank the Quilliam Foundation, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there is a "disproportionate number of convicted terrorists who've come from a conversion background".



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