Meet Khadija who was waiting at a coffee shop in the diverse and multi-cultural borough of Haringey. She was waiting for her husband as he was completing his Friday (or Jumu’ah) prayer in the local mosque, last Friday. Khadija wears a Hijab and as she was peacefully drinking her tea, when she noticed a male staring at her unflinchingly for about 20 minutes.
As she continued to drink her tea, she noticed that the male perpetrator had come close to her and started to take an aggressive posture close to her face and he asked Khadija whether she was “going to blow things up today.”
This was followed by further bigoted and prejudiced comments that Khadija and “her sort” cannot be trusted and that, “all they do is to blow things up.”
As the perpetrator continued, a member of the public asked the perpetrator to sit down and to stop harassing Khadija. However, the threats and anti-Muslim rhetoric continued leading to the police being called and an arrest was subsequently made.
No doubt, Haringey Police and the MET will make a decision on this case, though it is a sobering example that you have the right to report in such bigotry, prejudice and anti-Muslim hatred.
If you suffer anti-Muslim prejudice or hate, do get in touch with us in Tell MAMA on 0800 456 1226 or via e-mail: info@tellmamauk.org. You can also tweet us @tellmamauk or SMS us on 0115 707 0007.