Rise in attacks on UK Muslims
Girl of 16 struck unconscious
BRITISH police have revealed a huge rise in hate crimes against Muslims This shocking picture, taken from a video clip, shows the moment a 16-year-old girl wearing a hijab was struck in the head in an unprovoked attack on an east London street.
Tasneem Kabir suffered broken teeth and a smashed lip after she was hit by Michael Ayoade, 34, as she walked to college in Plaistow, Newham, on the afternoon of November 13, 2012.
He was arrested after police released CCTV footage of the attack, which showed Ayoade jogging away from the scene as Kabir lay unconscious on the ground.
Ayoade, who is originally from Nigeria, was jailed for four years in February 2013 after pleading guilty to two ‘vicious’ attacks on Tasneem and another young woman. Kabir’s assault is an example of the Islamaphobic attacks being investigated in Inside Out London Special, which will be aired on television.
It comes as police revealed there has been a sharp rise in the number of hate crimes against Muslims in the capital, with women who wear a headscarf or hijab accounting for some 60% of victims.
The 13-second video of Kabir’s attack shows the victim walking near the Black Lion pub in High Street, Plaistow, before Ayoade jogs up behind her and punches her in the head.
She immediately falls to the pavement, where she was left lying.
Ayoade had followed the teenager, who is 1.65m tall, for around 800 metres before he struck. The security camera also captures him fleeing the scene.
Islamaphobic attacks are becoming increasingly common in the capital, police figures reveal. There was a 70% increase in the number of attacks recorded between July 2014 and July this year compared with the previous 12 months, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Fiyaz Mughal, from Tell Mama, an organisation which monitors Islamophobic incidents, said around 60% of victims were women who wore a headscarf or hijab.
He told the BBC: “We also realised quite early on that women who wear niqab, the face veil, suffered more aggressive incidents – there was something about the face veil that in a way brought out the worst in the perpetrator.”
The Metropolitan Police attributed the increase partly to a willingness of victims to report crime and an awareness of police staff in being able to identify those particular offences.
The force said events around the world and holy days could also “influence a rise in hate crime incidents” as more officers were on patrol and victims might be more likely to report crime.
Commander Mak Chishty said: “We will not tolerate hate crime, and take positive action to investigate all allegations, support victims and arrest offenders.” – Daily Mail