After anti-immigrant riots, what do British Muslims need to feel safe?

Nearly three weeks after the Southport Islamic Society Mosque came under attack by anti-immigrant rioters, the building is still on high alert. Security guards in black uniforms patrol the premises, and few worshippers have yet felt safe enough to return to attend prayers. 

The mosque, in northwestern England, was the first to be assaulted by far-right mobs hurling bricks and other objects and setting fires in the street, signaling the start of a nationwide wave of rioting. Though the violence has now died down, its impact here lives on.

“You can never say when this sort of thing might happen again,” says local resident Muhammad Ayman. “So there is fear, but our faith in Allah gives us a lot of courage.”

Bolstering that sentiment have been non-Muslim locals who were quick to show their support and sympathy for their neighbors. The morning after the attack, dozens of them came to the mosque to express solidarity, says Farrukh Ahmad, the mosque’s muezzin, who calls the hour of daily prayers.

“They came here even before we came here,” Mr. Ahmad recalls. “They came with brushes and shovels, and they tried to clean our road and our car park,” he says. “Plus, they sent us loads of food and flowers and cards. And it wasn’t just our neighbors. People have come from Bolton, Manchester, Preston, and all over to share in our sorrow. And they are still coming.”

His words are echoed by Ibrahim Hussein, the chair of the mosque. “The community is wonderful,” he says. “We’ve been here for 30 years, and none of this [rioting] has ever happened before. We’re always passing by and saying good morning, good evening. There is nothing between us but respect.”

The riots broke out following the killing of three little girls, stabbed as they attended a dance class a few hundred yards from the Southport mosque. False reports that the attacker was a Muslim immigrant spread across social media, sparking nationwide violence against mosques and hotels sheltering asylum-seekers.

It was later announced that the attacker was neither an immigrant nor a Muslim.

Facing the facts

The British government, led by Keir Starmer, formerly the country’s top prosecutor, has promised stern punishment for those found guilty of committing or inciting acts of violence. The National Police Chiefs’ Council has announced that 1,024 people have been arrested and 575 charged nationwide. Around 100 have been convicted and sentenced so far.

Among those convicted last week was a middle-aged woman who responded to a photograph of white and South Asian people clearing up outside the Southport mosque by urging fellow members of her Facebook group to “blow the mosque up with the adults in it.” She was sentenced to 15 months of imprisonment.

Still, there remains a sense among British Muslims that much needs to change if they are to feel safe. To start with, says Mr. Hussein, “the language of the media has to change, and the politicians have to watch their words because whatever they say ends up resonating. When they talk about immigration, they talk about it in a derogatory way. They just should calm down a little bit.”

For Zara Mohammed, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, only a clear-eyed appraisal of past immigration policies can serve as a basis for healing. “We have to tackle the root of the issue,” she says.

Ms. Mohammed accuses the previous Conservative government of “not only inciting hatred against migrants and asylum-seekers,” but also allowing former Home Secretary Suella Braverman to talk of an “Islamist takeover” and letting Lee Anderson, the former party chair, claim that London Mayor Sadiq Khan was under the control of extremists.

This kind of language, Ms. Mohammed argues, has been co-opted by some tabloid newspapers to sow divisions in British society, helping to create an atmosphere of mistrust that can be exploited by far-right activists.

This can be addressed only if the media report on Muslims with greater nuance and accuracy, says Faisal Hanif, who tracks media coverage of Islam for the Centre for Media Monitoring. Riot reporting threw up numerous examples of “journalists excusing the violence or at the very least providing a context which they would not afford to Muslims in a similar situation,” he says.

Thousands of anti-racism protesters have gathered across the country in response to the riots. But though these counterprotests have done much to restore trust among British Muslims, who make up about 6% of the total population, there remains a sense that there is work still to be done.

“From a government point of view, there needs to be positive engagement and work with Muslim communities, as well as ensuring that our mosques and places of worship are kept safe,” says Ms. Mohammed.  

“And of course the ... most important thing ... is keeping our communities united and together,” she adds. “It’s in that spirit that we’ve seen so many people come out against racism. ... We know that doesn’t represent the Britain we all love.”