Mosque attacked in Ilford (London Borough of Redbridge) - The BPCA condems such violence.

In Ilford a town within the London Borough of Redbridge a mosque was attacked by a group of 6 youths who threw bricks at a local Imam and the congregation there who were involved in their last prayers.

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The assailants where in court today, our local paper have reported the attack as one based on Islamaphobia and racism:

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In recent times we are seeing intense global community breakdowns and this decline in social cohesion is a disturbing and growing malaise that threatens the very fabric of our existence. The widespread hatred of those outside our own faith or set of personal beliefs is a damning indictment on the heart of mankind.

Global Christian persecution is creating a widening schism between Christians and Muslims and now this local act is sure to affect the tense relationship between our communities. Despite the fact that the motivations behind the attack were not Christian and the youths themselves seem to be anarchists of a secular nature - that hold no faith.

God calls us to love our brother and such acts of violence should be abhorred and the BPCA wishes to condemn the recent attack.

We pray for a restoration of peace in Ilford and for healing to all those injured in the recent attack.

We acknowledge the peaceful remonstrations of the local Ilford Muslim Community who have called for peace in the face of adversity.

We pray for a global and unified tolerance amongst people of all faiths.

Here is a quote I sent to Local papers in Ilford:

"The perpetrators of the violence at the Mosque on Eastern Avenue have shown themselves to be pernicious individuals, deserving any punishment our legal system enacts upon them. This act of violence will serve no purpose but to undermine the social cohesion of people of different faiths and no faith, who have lived in harmony and peace for so long. Hatred of this kind is rarely seen in Ilford and I urge people of all faiths to unite in opposition to such intolerance. The issue we see surfacing through this act have much larger ramifications. Islamophobia in the west and Christian marginalisation in the Middle East and South Asian subcontinent are a growing social malaise - we need strong voices to condemn such unnecessary violence and schism, if we are to see a more global tolerance of minority faith groups."