Mosques in Bradford district on high alert with attack threat 'real'

Rafiq Sehgal, vice-president of Bradford Council For Mosques, said mosques across the city had anticipated revenge attacks even before one man died and others were injured when a van was driven into worshippers near Finsbury Park Mosque in north London, early on Monday morning.

He warned the threat of such attacks happening in the Bradford district was now “real” and that mosques had to find ways of staying safe.

West Yorkshire Police figures also show that reports of anti-Islamic hate crimes in Bradford doubled in March, the same month that five people were killed in a terror attack in Westminster.

They spiked to ten in both March and April before dropping down to five in May.

In February there were no recorded offences, in December there had only been three and there was only five in January.

Mr Sehgal said: “After the incidents in Manchester and London we anticipated that there may be some real backlash against the Islam community and particularly our places of faith.

“The police are very well aware of our concerns.”

Chief Superintendent Scott Bisset, Bradford District Commander, described the Finsbury Park attack as “vile” and promised to do everything that can be done to stop fear and division in the district.

He said: “Following recent events in London and Manchester, the terror attack outside the Finsbury Park Mosque in London demonstrates that terrorism is not confined to one section of the community.

“What happened was a vile act which is intended to cause widespread fear and division between communities.

“Police in Bradford will continue to listen and work collectively with members of the community, partners and faith leaders including regular discussions with the Council for Mosques. We will all work together to do everything we can to prevent this happening here.”

He added: “During the Holy period of Ramadan and the impending festivities of Eid, I am committed to ensuring that people of faith can practice freely without fear of being targeted by other individuals.

“The police and community continue to work together to understand the fear people are feeling and provide effective reassurance. Officers will be present at key locations and times particularly during any planned community events.

“As we have continued to do so over recent weeks we will review the operational threats, plan and respond accordingly, particularly this week as the Eid celebrations approach.

“I echo the desire of many Bradfordians - to keep working together to reject hate and division.”

Mr Sehgal acknowledged police had increased their surveillance and monitoring of mosques but he called for that to be intensified.

He said: “We are setting up the group so that we can look at a whole raft of security measures and see how we can support mosques to be more vigilant and alert to keep themselves protected.

“We will also be looking at reporting systems if people need to share concerns with police.”

He also urged people not to be afraid, saying: “The Finsbury attack will heighten people’s fears and concerns but it’s important that people go about their worship as normal. We need to send out a clear message that terrorists will not frighten us or stop us from living and worshipping normally.”

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson said the terror attacks were deliberately aimed at dividing communities.

“Let’s be clear, attacks of this kind are an attack on us all, they aim to divide us and cause tensions in our communities and we will not allow this to happen," he said.

“In West Yorkshire we know that we are stronger and more powerful when we come together and we will not let people who want to cause harm dictate how we live.”

“I want to continue to reassure people in West Yorkshire that their public safety remains our top priority.

“The diversity of our county is one of its greatest strengths and community cohesion is vital to ensure our communities feel safe and more secure.

"I know that the impact of recent tragic events will affect feelings of safety, but I am working with communities, our partners and West Yorkshire Police to empower them to build resilience against divisive influences.

“I am also working closely with the Chief Constable to ensure the resources we have are there to engage, reassure and protect all communities. This was a tragic incident and crimes like this affect us all, so together we will need to continue in our efforts to find lasting solutions to these terrible acts of extremism and violence from wherever they come."

MPs also joined in the condemnation of terror acts.

Bradford East Labour MP Imran Hussain said: “I have spoken with West Yorkshire Police, Bradford Council and the Bradford Council for Mosques, and I will be continuing these conversations to discuss the attack, and to receive reassurances about the safety of our mosques in Bradford and how we can keep them and worshippers protected.

“Terror attacks, regardless of who they are committed by, must be condemned and they will be condemned without excuse.

“We also cannot shy away from the fact that Islamophobia and reported instances of it have grown significantly in recent years, and we must work towards tackling this, as we should with any hate crime committed against people of belief or non-belief.

“This attack was cowardly with innocent civilians as the only victims, and it was an attack that was intent on spreading hate and sowing division between different communities. But where terrorists of all stripes seek to divide us, they will only find compassion and unity.”

Keighley Labour MP John Grogan said: “I will be speaking to the local police in Keighley and to local mosques to listen to any concerns and discuss security. The best response to this attack is of course for us all to carry on with our daily lives but as a society we must redouble our efforts to combat extremism wherever it originates.”

Shipley Conservative MP Philip Davies said: “It was terrible and inexcusable what happened at the mosque in London, everyone should be safe going to their place of worship. The police need to do everything they can to keep people safe in the community.”

Brendan Cox, the widower of murdered Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox, spoke out on Twitter as news of the Finsbury attack broke, saying that the far right and Islamist terrorists shared an ideology and both must be defeated.

“When Islamist terrorists attack we rightly seek out hate preachers who spur them on. We must do the same to those who peddle Islamophobia,” he said.

Muslim Women’s Council chief executive officer Bana Gora said this Ramadan had undoubtedly been one of the most difficult for British Muslims with the terrorist attacks in London, Manchester and now Finsbury Park.

“We lost Jo Cox under horrific circumstances last year, when hate overshadowed love and reason. But we cannot ever forget, as Jo said herself in her maiden speech to parliament, there is more that unites us than divides us,” she said.

Racial justice group JUST Yorkshire is also calling on the Government to bring together a national task force to tackle the scourge of growing Islamophobia in this country.