Muslim women afraid to attend prayers

Women and children are too scared to attend prayers after a spate of attacks at British mosques, community safety advisers have said.

The claim follows Thursday’s knife attack on a muezzin at Regent’s Park Mosque in central London and amid a delay in funding the protection of Muslim places of worship. The Home Office admitted it is facing a backlog in providing funding for improved security measures because of the volume of requests. The Government’s Places of Worship protection scheme received £1.6million last year, double the previous year, in the wake of the mosque attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, when 51 people were killed.

The Regent’s Park Mosque muezzin Raafat Maglad, 70, suffered wounds to his neck. The attack is not believed to be terror-related and a 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Shaukat Warraich, of Faith Associates, said many women and children are staying at home rather than go to their mosque.