In the UK, facing down a lie
Rioters targeting Muslims and immigrants because of a fictitious rumor are confronted by British communities with love, respect, and the truth.
People shake hands at a mosque during riots in Liverpool, Britain, Aug. 2.
Reuters
Street violence targeting immigrants and Muslim places of worship has not stopped across the United Kingdom since the fatal stabbing of three girls in Southport on July 29. The violence has been stoked by a fiction. Hard-right influencers on social media falsely claimed the suspect in the killings, a British-born teenager of Rwandan descent, is a Muslim migrant. Yet the lie also has had a way of defeating itself in the face of those armed with the truth.
In Liverpool, when protesters showed up outside a mosque threatening violence, residents met them with singing, refusing to see fellow citizens as adversaries. The imam greeted the threatening protesters with food. Conversations ensued. Anger gave way to empathy and hugs
In one community after another, religious leaders have urged the faithful to stand their ground with firm meekness. “Avoid engaging with those who may be trying to provoke or incite violence,” the Hindu Council advised. “Refrain from actions that could escalate the situation,” added the Huddersfield Council of Mosques.
Similar scenes have unfolded elsewhere. “The support and friendship offered by people of other faiths and beliefs ... is what makes Britain so special,” Qari Asim, an imam in Leeds, told The Times of London, “and reminds us that only by coming together, can we defeat hatred and extremism.” Many of Britain’s top religious leaders issued an unequivocal statement: “Every British citizen has a right to be respected and a responsibility to respect others.
Much of Europe has seen an increase in bigotry toward migrants and Muslims, expressed in the rise of far-right political parties. In Britain, with all its diversity and successes in integration, people are showing that one solution resides in displays of civic equality and social harmony. Or, as Mr. Asim noted, “Love will prevail over hatred.” And over lies as well.