Tag: Mosque

Finsbury Park terror attack: leaders speak out

Prime Minister Theresa May gave a statement in Downing Street yesterday following the terror attack in Finsbury Park:

This morning, our country woke to news of another terrorist attack on the streets of our capital city: the second this month and every bit as sickening as those which have come before. It was an attack that once again targeted the ordinary and the innocent going about their daily lives – this time British Muslims as they left a mosque having broken their fast and prayed together at this sacred time of year.

Today we come together – as we have done before – to condemn this act and to state once again that hatred and evil of this kind will never succeed.

The government’s Emergency Committee, COBRA, has just met and I can set out what we know about what happened, and the steps that we are taking to respond.

Just after twenty-past midnight, the Metropolitan Police received reports that a van had been driven into a crowd of people on Seven Sisters Road in Finsbury Park.

Officers were in the immediate vicinity as the attack unfolded and responded within one minute.

Police declared it a terrorist incident within 8 minutes.

One man was pronounced dead at the scene; 8 injured were taken to 3 separate hospitals; while 2 were treated at the scene for more minor injuries.

The driver of the van – a white man aged 48 – was bravely detained by members of the public at the scene and then arrested by police.

The early assessment by the police is that the attacker acted alone.

Our thoughts and prayers this morning are with the family and friends of the man who died and those who were injured.

On behalf of the people of London – and the whole country – I want to thank the police and the emergency services once again for responding as they always do with great professionalism and courage.

Extra police resources have already been deployed to reassure communities, and the police will continue to assess the security needs of Mosques and provide any additional resources needed, especially during this final week before Eid Al-Fitr, a particularly important time for the whole Muslim community.

This was an attack on Muslims near their place of worship. And like all terrorism, in whatever form, it shares the same fundamental goal.

It seeks to drive us apart; and to break the precious bonds of solidarity and citizenship that we share in this country.

We will not let this happen.

When I stood here for the first time as Prime Minister last summer I spoke about our precious belief in the Union – not just the bond between the four nations of the United Kingdom – but the bond between all our citizens, every one of us, whoever we are and wherever we are from.

At the heart of that bond is a belief in the fundamental freedoms and liberties that we all cherish; the freedom of speech; the freedom to live how we choose and yes, the freedom to practice religion in peace.

This morning we have seen a sickening attempt to destroy those freedoms; and to break those bonds of citizenship that define our United Kingdom.

It is a reminder that terrorism, extremism and hatred take many forms; and our determination to tackle them must be the same whoever is responsible.

As I said here two weeks ago, there has been far too much tolerance of extremism in our country over many years – and that means extremism of any kind, including Islamophobia.

That is why this government will act to stamp out extremist and hateful ideology – both across society and on the internet, so it is denied a safe space to grow.

It is why we will be reviewing our Counter-Terrorism strategy and ensuring that police and security services have the powers they need.

And it is why we will establish a new Commission for Countering Extremism as a statutory body to help fight hatred and extremism in the same way as we have fought racism – because this extremism is every bit as insidious and destructive to our values and our way of life and we will stop at nothing to defeat it.

Today’s attack falls at a difficult time in the life of this city, following on from the attack on London Bridge 2 weeks ago – and of course the unimaginable tragedy of Grenfell Tower last week, on which I will chair another meeting of Ministers and officials later today.

But what we have seen throughout – whether in the heroism of the ordinary citizens who fought off the attackers at London Bridge; the unbreakable resolve of the residents in Kensington; or this morning the spirit of the community that apprehended this attacker – is that this is an extraordinary city of extraordinary people.

It is home to a multitude of communities that together make London one of the greatest cities on earth.

Diverse, welcoming, vibrant, compassionate, confident and determined never to give in to hate.

These are the values that define this city.

These are the values that define this country.

These are the values that this government will uphold.

These are the values that will prevail.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd gave a number of statements over the course of the day as more information became available.

At 2.20pm she said: “Today the Prime Minister gave a statement on the recent attack in Finsbury Park. The Prime Minister said after 12:20am, the Metropolitan Police received reports that a van had been driven into a crowd of people on Seven Sisters Road. Officers were in the immediate vicinity as the attack unfolded and responded within 1 minute, with police declaring it a terrorist incident within 8 minutes.

Earlier, the Home Secretary said: “A van was driven into innocent people in Finsbury Park and the police are treating it as a terrorist incident.

“We know the police were on hand immediately. Our priority must be to support the people who have been victims of this and to make sure the investigation is done with all due speed and professionalism.

“Londoners have been hit by a series of attacks and have actually been nothing short of heroic. We will always make sure that everyone is protected. We have a places of worship fund, which we announced last summer, which is there to protect places of worship like mosques. We will make sure we do all we can to reduce these sorts of attacks.

“We will allow the police and Counter Terrorism police who are involved to make sure the investigation continues and will continue to keep people aware of what progress is being made.”

In her first statement at 5:40am, the Home Secretary said: “My thoughts are with all those affected by the appalling incident at Finsbury Park. I am in contact with the Metropolitan Police who have confirmed it is being investigated by their Counter Terrorism Command.

“Yesterday, like so many others around the country, I took part in the Great Get Together to celebrate the values of Jo Cox. It was powerful and moving to see the community come together in a show of solidarity. We must all continue to stand together, resolute, against all those who try to divide us and spread hate and fear.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon chaired a Scottish Government resilience (SGORR) meeting yesterday following the terrorist attack in Finsbury Park..

Deputy First Minister John Swinney, Justice Secretary Michael Matheson, Communities Secretary Angela Constance and senior Police Scotland representatives and Scottish Government officials took part in the meeting.

Following the meeting, the First Minister said: “This was a horrific attack and my thoughts go out to everyone who has been affected. I know that everyone will be saddened to see yet another terrorist attack.

“I convened a resilience meeting this afternoon to ensure that we are closely monitoring the situation. While there is no intelligence of any specific threat to Scotland, Police Scotland remain vigilant and visible across communities to provide reassurance to members of the public.

“Muslim communities will understandably be anxious just now and it is in these moments that we must come together as a country and unite against extremism and hate from wherever it comes.”

Community concern over Mosque plans

Over 150 people crammed into Blackhall Mosque recently to hear plans for the upgrade of the building.  Local residents were assured that mosque leaders will work with their neighbours to address their concerns but some believe the plans will bring more traffic misery to a quiet residential area.

Blackhall Mosque opened in September 2009 and has quickly grown to become the most popular mosque in the city.  As well as being a place of worship, the former church is the base for over 200 students who regularly attend classes there and the Mosque also provides a variety of educational and social activities for groups, families, women and young people.

The popularity of the Mosque has brought problems for both Muslims who use the building and for their neighbours, however. For worshippers, the current layout of the building is inadequate to meet their needs while the local community has voiced concerns about traffic levels and inconsiderate parking around the Mosque.

Mosque leaders organised the public meeting to talk about their plans for the refurbishment of their building and to give local residents an opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns over the proposals. Local councillors and Western MSP Colin Keir joined Muslim worshippers, students and local residents to participate in the discussion.

Architect Thom Pollock outlined plans for the upgrading of the building. He said:  “The plan is not to provide for a greater number of people, simply to provide much better facilities and improve what is not the most beautiful building in the world.  Hopefully, create a more fitting quality of building for the area”.

He said that a tower or minaret proposed for the building is not essential.  “I’m not hell-bent on the tower – it’s a symbol.  If there is a huge counter-feeling against the tower I would not be particularly bothered.  We are not trying to create a pastiche mosque here – the building will be of the same bricks as it currently is and will fir in with the surrounding area”.  Mr, Pollock stressed that extensions to the building would be minimal.  Internal alterations would introduce another level within the existing building, allowing additional space for a womens’ balcony, classrooms and storage facilities.  Better use of existing ground floor space would see improvements to lavatories and washing areas and the addition of a mortuary and a new kitchen.  Improved security measures are also included in the proposals, along with lift access to the upper floor and improvements to entrances.

Muslim students gave testimony to the importance of the building in their own personal development.  One young man explained:  “We need the Mosque to develop if we are to develop as people and as students – not only as Muslims but as active members of our communities”

Following the presentations the meeting was thrown open to questions and discussion of the proposals.  Concerns were raised over the likely increase in numbers using the  refurbished building – with resultant increase in car parking problems – and the size of the new building.  One woman asked whether costs associated with the upgrade would impact on funds for other local services, while another sought assurances that local residents will be kept informed about activities at the Mosque.

A local resident received the biggest round of applause of the evening when he said: “Car parking is having a major impact on our lives, seven days a week.  As this place is so unfit for purpose, have you not considered moving to somewhere else more suitable?  There must be many disused school buildings available.  While we are delighted to see the church building being used, this is a residential area and most of the former congregation walked to the church.  This is most definitely not a religious argument – the parking and traffic problems are affecting the way we live our lives”.

Imam Sohail Asfhaq (pictured below) said:  “This building cost £550,000 to buy and we raised this money ourselves.  It is our obligation and duty to raise funds for our place of worship and this would be the case with our refurbishment.  We have been working hard to address parking issues and we will continue to work with the authorities and the local community to resolve problems.   We have no plans to expand – we simply don’t have the capacity to do that – and what we want is to provide the best possible educational facilities for our existing students by making our building fit for pupose”.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, who chaired the meeting, summed up:  “It’s clear that people recognise the work that goes on here, but legitimate questions have been asked and it’s about getting a balance.  Traffic and parking issues are still a concern and need to be addressed, and questions have been raised over the outside appearance of the building – will it look out of place?  Questions remain over the tower, and residents want clarification on the actual size of the new building and more information about the mortuary.  It’s also clear that the local community would also like more information about the range of activities that take place in the Mosque”.

She concluded:  “Communications is the key.  This has been a genuinely listening meeting and it’s important to keep that dialogue going and continue to treat each others’ views with respect”.

The local EH4 Residents Group has since detailed their concerns in a letter to local politicians and officials. Mosque leaders are expected to respond later this month.