London (Times Of Ocean)- Mosques and an anti-Muslim monitoring group condemned an attack on a mosque in East London earlier in the week.
Two Muslims were injured in a racially aggravated assault around 9 p.m. Tuesday outside the Sri Lankan Muslim Center in East Ham.
Thugs brandished bottles and sticks during the attack. Muslims were going inside for iftar, a meal to break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan. Two were injured by broken glass.
In the Evening Standard, a London newspaper, eyewitnesses reported that around 15 “European males” were armed with “wooden poles, beer bottles, fluorescent light tubes, and stones.”
Police in London confirmed they are investigating “a report of racially aggravated assault following an incident outside a mosque in East Ham.”
“Police were called to reports of men with bottles and hockey sticks attacking members of the mosque in Pilgrims Way,” the spokesman said.
The suspect allegedly set alight some paper in a bin outside the mosque. The suspects fled before the police arrived.
“Officers searched the area but found no sign of the suspects. Some people suffered minor injuries but did not require medical treatment.”
A police spokesman said that extra patrols would be conducted in the area and that no arrests have been made.
MAMA, which supports anti-Muslim victims and records anti-Muslim incidents, re-released its personal safety tips for Muslims and mosque advice guides.
London’s oldest, largest, and busiest mosque, East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre, condemned the attack on its Twitter account.
We condemn the attack on worshipers outside Masjid Bilal in East Ham. “No community should have to live in fear of far-right threats and violence,” they tweeted.
“Although Islamophobic incidents have increased, they are rarely discussed in the media, so reporting anti-Muslim hate crimes is more important than ever before.
Our organization remains committed to working with our local authority to be a center where Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crimes can be reported. We ask our communities to remain vigilant against ongoing threats.
“We urge the government to provide more security to protect all our places of worship, to ensure communities are safe, and to take swift action against perpetrators.”