Monday 30 Nov 2015 - 14:10 Makkah mean time-18-2-1437
British Police are looking for this man who tried to burn down the Finsbury Park Mosque. Image from Middle East Eye
London, (IINA) - British Police forces are searching for a white hooded man seen throwing a can of petrol at Finsbury Park Mosque in London, Middle East Eye (MEE) news reported.
An attempt to burn down Finsbury Park Mosque in London was a “terrorist attack,” its Chairman Mohammed Kozbar said in an interview on Sunday.
CCTV footage released today showed a white male wearing a hooded top throwing a canister of petrol at the entrance of the Mosque at 8:25 local time on Friday evening.
The Metropolitan Police are treating the incident as an Islamophobic hate crime and have called on the public to come forward with any information on the identity of the man seen in the CCTV footage.
“This was a clear and deliberate attempt to cause arson,” Sergeant Stuart Smillie said in a statement. “Although the petrol did not fully ignite, the threat and intent was obvious and the resulting fire could quite easily have endangered anyone inside as well as those living nearby.”
"I would urge anyone who recognizes the man in this footage to get in touch." The mosque was closed at the time of the attack and no one was injured.
The mosque, which has capacity to hold 2,000 people, was filled with people praying and attending various events on Sunday. There was also a meeting of community leaders discussing how they should respond to an increase in Islamophobic attacks over recent weeks.
The mosque has received a slew of abuse and threats through the post, via email and phone calls since ISIS group claimed deadly attacks in Paris on 13 November that killed 130 people. In that time there has been a 300 percent rise in attacks against Muslims in the UK.
One week before the attempted arson the mosque received a letter on 20 November threatening to burn it down - no link has yet been established between the letter and Friday's attack.
On the other side, Kozbar called on anyone in the Finsbury Park area who is concerned about Islam or Muslims to visit the mosque.
“Please come and listen to us before you judge us. Come to us, listen to us, if you any concerns we are happy to address it. After that judge. Our mosque and our centre is open for everybody, we welcome everybody here. Yes we are Muslims, we don’t have to be the same, we are all humans. We all want to live in peace and harmony,” he said.
Kozbar said blame for Friday’s attack, as well as for the wider rise in Islamophobia, was in part down to the actions of some British newspapers.
Kozbar praised the police for their support, as well as local constituency MP and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, who has been a long-time supporter of the mosque.
On 20 November, Corbyn visited and spoke to mosque-goers prior to Friday prayers.
“Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism has no part in modern in Britain, no part in our society,” he said. “There is to be no attacks on anyone for their faith, their believe, or their religion. Instead we have to reach out that hand of support and friendship.”
“I will continue speaking out to respect the Muslim community, respect for the faith of Islam, understanding what Islam brings to the world. A message of peace, of charity, of justice and hope – that’s the message I’ll continue to convey.”
SM/IINA
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