London Muslims brace for backlash after Paris

London Muslims brace for backlash after Paris
Video: Al-Araby al-Jadeed visited the East London Mosque to gauge opinion in and around a mosque that caters to London’s largest Muslim congregation in the wake of the Paris attacks.
2 min read
17 January, 2015
European Muslims have yet again found themselves in the spotlight following the Paris attacks on January 7-9. The attackers claimed to be acting in the name of Islam and in defence of the Prophet Muhammad.

The attacks led to calls in some quarters on Muslims to "apologise" or "speak out" against killings committed by other Muslims. Many Muslims reject this as misguided and say they have nothing to do with the attacks and therefore should neither need to apologise or explain.

Security forces across Europe remain on high alert. In the UK there have been extra police deployments around Jewish community centres and synagogues. Muslims, meanwhile, also fear a violent backlash. Tell MAMA, a project that documents, records and analyses anti-Muslim incidents, reported that over the last 18 months there has been a 5-10 percent increase in reports of hate crimes, especially against Muslim women, who are the most visible.

In the days following the Paris attacks, there were at least 15 anti-Muslim attacks in France, while eight Muslim-owned shops in Birmingham, UK, were attacked (it is unclear whether the incidents are related to the Paris attacks).

Al-Araby al-Jadeed visited the East London Mosque to gauge opinion in and around a mosque that caters to London’s largest Muslim congregation in the wake of the Paris attacks.

Producer/director: Claudia Mateus; Reporting: Abubakr al-Shamahi