By Chris Williamson-
A punish a Muslim Day letter circulating in the UK and abroad is deplorable, and has led to uproar and counteractive measures in the meantime. letter promising that 3 April would be “Punish a Muslim Day”.
One cruel tweet went as far as suggesting that “10 Muslims have been killed today in the name of ‘Punish a Muslim Day’” being shared more than 100 times, and other tweets claiming “attacks have already begun”
The phrase was created in an anonymous letter distributed to some homes and businesses last month, spread across east London, the Midlands and Yorkshire. The letter suggested people could win “points” for a range of activities aimed at Muslims, including removing a headscarf from a woman or beating a person up. Muslim MPs were also sent the letter in a shocking show of lawlessness by the unknown culprits.
The authors of the letter are narrow minded bigots not fit to be civilized civilized members of our society. Muslims are not popular in the Uk, particularly because of the terrorist attacks of 2017 that killed several innocent people in London and Manchester. British Muslims are horrified by the letter. 26 year old Feisal Hassan from Ilford told The Eye Of Media.Com ”it is awful that in this day and age there are still so many evil hypocrites who think they can point the finger when they are many times worse hypocrites. They endorse violent acts whilst pretending they are protesting against terrorist acts”.
BACKWARD
22 year old Amina Kumar from Ilford added to that ” Backward individuals with no morals or principles are not worth paying attention to. Obviously when something as despicable as this is done, some kind of action in opposition to it is required. I think many of the positive steps taken to create events to show love to a Muslim is good and should be encouraged”.
Attacks in other parts of the world have worsened the image of Islam in the eyes of many, but reasonable people would know that all Muslims cannot be held responsible for the actions of a few fanatical extremists. It is ridiculous for anybody to think so irrationally, and those who write such letters or promote them are terrorists themselves.
EVENTS
Events have been planned across the country in defiance to the threats and to express solidarity with affected Muslims. Nottingham is hosting a Love a Muslim Day event at the city’s Brian Clough statue between 2pm and 8pm. It will feature music and poetry, and organiser Farouk Azam says the event is an “opportunity for good people in Nottingham to stand together in solidarity, to show we can live side by side in a city we love”.
#LoveAMuslimDay events have also been planned in Bradford, Wakefield, Sheffield and Leeds, and Stand Up to Racism Edinburgh will hold a demonstration in the Scottish capital.
The #LoveAMuslimDay hashtag originated with an alternative letter circulated by the charity Muslim Engagement and Development (Mend). Written by its Yorkshire & Humber regional manager, Shahab Adris, it suggests getting points for smiling at a Muslim or inviting them into your home.
The hashtag #PunishAMuslimDay began trending on Twitter in the UK early on Tuesday. The vast majority of the tweets condemned the idea. However, some from accounts using the logos of far-right organisations suggested the letter had been a “false flag” operation.
