Joint statement by UK Imams on British riots

All praises belong to Allah, Lord of the Worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

“And [mention] when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits — whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.” [1]

We, the undersigned, wish to convey the following message concerning recent riots in the UK.

Background

For decades, through the War on Terror discourse of “terrorism”, “extremism”, and the purported failure of multiculturalism, predominantly neoconservative politicians across the political spectrum have fuelled the narrative that migrants generally, and Muslims in particular, are the problem.

By disregarding Muslims and making disturbing remarks concerning immigration during the recent election campaign, including the current Prime Minister’s remarks on Bangladeshi communities, this has created an environment which we believe has resulted in the recent events. [2]

Fundamentally connected to these policies is the ongoing genocide against Palestinians by the rogue occupier of Palestine, Israel. Zionist far-right agitators, such as Tommy Robinson amongst others, who have a history of support from pro-Israeli neoconservatives in the United States and the United Kingdom, have been mobilising a push-back, often violent and disorderly, against pro-Palestine protests. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Broadening their focus, these agitators have been actively spreading anti-Islam, anti-migrant propaganda and falsehoods to their networks, deflecting focus away from Israel’s crimes and the wider failures of successive British governments.

All this has emboldened the far-right animus and unlocked a shocking level of violence. Far-right mobs have attacked mosques, assaulted Muslims, mobbed Black men, committed arson against hotels, and even burned down a Citizens Advice Bureau. [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

Muslims are brave by nature and will defend themselves, their mosques and their property. However, our communities are also concerned for the safety of all individuals. This civilised attitude should not be mistaken for cowardice or inaction.

Finally, we are shocked by the government’s failure to refer to what has taken place as Islamophobic — this further reiterates what the Forde Report found: that the Labour Party has a hierarchal system, and that anti-Black racism and Islamophobia are not treated with the same degree of seriousness as anti-Semitism.

Advice to Muslims

Cognisant of this background, we encourage Muslims to do the following.

Strengthen your connection with Allah Almighty: “And whoever fears Allah — He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah — then He is sufficient for him.” [15]
Continue exposing the horrific Israeli crimes and those complicit in them. We should not fall into the trap of redirecting focus away from Gaza, the West Bank, and Masjid al-Aqsa.
We expect the relevant authorities to take appropriate measures to ensure that all people and places of worship targeted are safe. However, in the absence of security, the general populace should take all legal measures to protect themselves and their places of worship.
Avoid vigilantism and escalation, as this will feed into a pro-Israeli neoconservative agenda to downplay the impact on Muslims by framing the Muslim responses as “Islamist” while minimising the far-right agitation as “legitimate grievances”. Avoid the covering of faces, as this adds to the false impression of vigilantism and wrongdoing.
Where circumstances permit, suitable Muslims from the community should engage the far-right perpetrators of violence with the light of Islam and the aim of correcting false narratives.

In light of the failure in moral leadership, we also urge conscientious individuals to join us in calling on the government to:

Address the far-right threat seriously, not by eroding privacy but by upholding the rule of law. List the EDL as a proscribed organisation. [16]
Implement primary legislation to deal with hate speech online and hold to account all those who are complicit in the spread of misinformation and Islamophobia.
Equalise the racial and religious incitement legislation and remove the need for intent when prosecuting incitement to religious hatred. Incitement and hatred against Muslims goes unchallenged because it is legal to do so.
Improve media regulation starting with the second part of the Leveson Inquiry. Implore the press to use appropriate language when citing the racist marches and gatherings, instead of calling them protestors.
Commit to working with grassroots Muslim organisations such as the MCB, MEND, and MAB to reassure the Muslim community and to demonstrate that the government is serious in tackling Islamophobia.