Muslim Community Centre targeted in arson attack

Police have arrested a man after he allegedly tried to set fire to a Muslim community centre in Worcestershire. Footage posted on X by the 5Pillars news site seems to show a white male setting a shed alight.

5Pillars posted:

A Muslim community centre in Worcester, which is owned by Worcester Mosque, was firebombed this morning.

A white male has been arrested and police say they found several petrol cans around the centre.

They added:

A far right march is due to take place in Worcester on Saturday.

5Pillars‘ tweet showed footage of an individual setting a fire before running away. Another angle in the same video shows firefighters inspecting the damage to the shed after the fire had gone out.

One X user said this was part of a pattern of attacks:

Several others blamed the attack squarely on far right figures like Tommy Robinson and Rupert Lowe. Both of whom have made careers out of peddling anti-Muslim hatred:

Other parties like Restore and Reform UK were to blame. And that anyone who thinks they are the answer is either plain wrong or deeply sick:

A view that is hard to disagree with on the evidence:

As Al Jazeera reported on 16 February, anti-Muslim feeling seems to be in overdrive and getting worse. They interviewed a Muslim single mother in Basildon who told them about living in fear:

After being racially abused while walking through her favourite park, she stopped going there altogether. Women, she said, are increasingly changing their daily routines, constantly watching over their shoulders.

Racism now permeates every aspect of their lives, she added.

Another told the outlet her own child:

was isolated on the playground and subjected to racial slurs. Months later, she broke down in tears in front of her mother, explaining the abuse she had suffered.

The child was eventually removed from school.

And on 25 February a man was arrested after entering a Manchester mosque with an axe. He was found to be carrying a range of other weapons and eventually arrested:

The mosque said:

greater resources are urgently needed to address this growing and real risk.

Anti-Muslim feeling is a core tenet of modern far-right politics, but centrist parties like Labour are more than willing to lean into it too. This divisive politics cannot be allowed to flourish further. It needs to be challenged wherever it is found.

Featured image via the Canary