Gatwick mosque desecrated as 400 held Ramadan prayers inside
VANDALS desecrated a mosque with alcohol and obscene graffiti as around 400 people prayed inside.
The front and back doors of the Gatwick Bangladeshi Islamic Community Association headquarters were vandalised in the early hours of Sunday morning as the community held its night-time prayers to mark the month of Ramadan.
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The Gatwick Bangladeshi Islamic Community Association
Worshippers emerged to find alcohol and eggs splattered over the back door, bottles and cans littering the street, a member's car parked nearby covered in flour, and an obscene word scrawled on the front door in permanent ink.
Association member Moynal Islam said: "We had to get it cleaned up; it was upsetting for our members to have that on the doors.
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"Everyone is angry, disappointed and upset, but there is nothing we can do. We never expected this."
Detectives from Surrey Police are investigating the attack, which was not caught on nearby CCTV due to the angle of the centre's front door. Association members had to sand the door down to remove the graffiti and will now install four new CCTV cameras to protect the centre they took over last September after more than a decade searching for a permanent home.
Horley Neighbourhood Sergeant Simon Ward, said: "This incident has deeply upset the Islamic community in Horley who have an excellent relationship with their neighbours and others in the town." Around 60 children attend daytime classes at the centre during Ramadan, and 400 worshippers attend the prayer meetings held twice during the night.
Shop owners and residents in the town are disappointed at the attack.
Andy Parr, of The Party Pad in High Street, said: "I am shocked. I hope they wouldn't think everyone in Horley is like that because of one malicious person. There is no need for it and I don't think there is any reason or place for that in this town. I am outraged."
Charles Medicott, of Motor Budget Centre in Yattendon Road, added: "There is always someone that does something like that."
Despite the incident, the association is happy with its new place in the heart of the town.
Mr Islam said: "A lot of people say after 12 years it is nice to be able to sit in your own home. The anger is because it was all going so nicely."
Contact Surrey Police on 101 quoting reference RB/12/6354 with information on the attack.
Comments
by manuelization
Friday, October 26 2012, 12:59PM
“What angers most people is that Islam is bloated full of poisonous pride, so much so it is beginning to burst resulting in terrorist attacks, murders, honour killings, and the persecution of Christians world-wide.
ISLAM IS WELL KNOWN AS AN INTOLERANT AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CULT. IT WAS BUILT ON MURDER AND AT THE POINT OF A SWORD THROUGH THE WAR LORD MUHAMMAD. SO HOW IN THE HELL CAN ISLAM POSSIBLY BE PERFECT?”
by iftikhara
Sunday, August 19 2012, 10:40PM
“Islam is one of the perfect religion in this world, it have given right to ever one, to parents, to husband, to wife, to the world each person .. so why should the non Muslim LOOK ISLAM weird.
I think people often think of phobia as being a hate but it isn't. It's fear. Fear of the unknown. Of course the problem with fear is it often instills in people the fight or flight response. It is only through learning and exposure to that we fear that we may have a chance to overcome these fears.
After many years of a negative portrayal, bias Against Islam and Muslims is deeply rooted in Western minds and it will be very difficult to eliminate it, Spanish journalist Yusuf Fernandez says.
He stated that the neo-fascism and far-right bigotry are increasing throughout Europe as much as fascism and Nazism did in the 1930s and this is one of the reasons why Islamophobia is now rapidly spreading in Europe and has become a major concern for the Muslim minorities in the European countries.
Anti Islam propoganda in the Western media for the past 20 years, which accellerated after the 911, is having the opposite effect. Some educated people in the West mainly out of curiosity want to learn what Islam is about. When they approach their research with an open mind, probably most of them form positive impressions about Islam and some of whom rightfully convert. In the USA after the events of 911, convertions to Islam pheonominally increased maily in amongst the educated white community and a large majority of them were females.
Minorities, to whichever community they may belong, should be safeguarded. Their religion, faith or belief should be secure. They should have protection with regard to their religion, faith, their life and their culture. That is the most important duty of any Government to protect all of its citizens, regardless of their beliefs or religions, colour of skin and community they belong to. Unfortunately, those of us who practice non-Christian religions DON'T have the protection of the government or any other agency. With a Christian majority in this country, we have to put up with all kinds of **** every day. "Hate crimes" are matters of perception. They mostly entail stinkeye stares or muttered insults nobody else seems to hear. There have been very few assaults, even fewer murders.
IA
http://tinyurl.com/bmawrcn”