Tell MAMA has been in touch with Lancashire Police on the torching of Cafe Roha at Roe Lee Park in Blackburn. The cafe was attached to a local Muslim prayer space that was adorned with Islamic calligraphy and prayers.
The torching of the incident happened at 2:30 am on Monday the 11th of May and CCTV pictures point to a group of males possibly being involved in the attack. Two masked men can be seen on the CCTV footage, and they are then seen running away from the scene.
The Muslim prayer area at the front of the building was targeted and the incendiary item was thrown through the glass, leading to damage to the walls and to all of the prayer mats.
The suspected arson attack comes at a time of heightened concern within British Muslim communities about levels of anti-Muslim hate that are rising and which Tell MAMA has systematically documented over the last 13 years.
The Raha Cafe was opened last summer and was also named as one of the finalists in a Best Coffee Shop Competition that was organised by the Lancashire Telegraph.
Tell MAMA received this information from Lancashire Police:
“We are aware of this incident, and there is an investigation being led by detectives into the incident. This is currently being treated as arson, and enquiries are ongoing. We have not received any indication that this incident is motivated by race or religion, and our enquiries have not revealed anything to suggest that this incident was motivated by race or religion. We would ask that if anyone in the community has any further information around this incident, no matter how small, they contact us either online or on 101 quoting the reference LC-20260511-0096.”
Note: Credit to Lancashire Telegraph for the attached picture.