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‘Punish a Muslim Day’ Letters Rattle U.K. Communities - The New York Times
LONDON — The anonymous letters arrived this weekend in plain white envelopes with second-class stamps, and were sent to people in at least six communities in England.
Inside was a message so hateful that it sent out ripples of alarm and prompted a national counterterrorism investigation.
The message said that April 3 would be “Punish a Muslim Day,” and that points would be awarded for acts of violence: 25 points for pulling off a woman’s head scarf, 500 points for murdering a Muslim and 1,000 for bombing a mosque.
Riaz Ahmed, a Liberal Democrat councilor in Bradford, in West Yorkshire County, said he had received one of the letters at his business address.
“It seems strange that anyone would send something like this to an address in a predominantly Muslim area,’’ Mr. Ahmed told The Mirror on Saturday. “When I opened it and saw the content, I was horrified.”
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People in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, London and Sheffield have also reported receiving the notes, according to the authorities, a member of Parliament and Tell Mama, an organization that monitors anti-Muslim activity.
“This has caused quite a lot of fear within the community,” Iman Atta, the director of Tell Mama, told the local news media. “They are asking if they are safe, if their children are safe to play outdoors. We have told them to keep calm.”
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Rowaida Abdelaziz
✔
@Rowaida_Abdel
“Punish A Muslim Day” letters are being sent to families in East London. The letter details a point system for each action & a reward. For example pulling a Muslim women’s hijab is 25 points, throwing acid is 50 points and burning or bombing a mosque is a whole 1,000 points.
12:21 PM - Mar 9, 2018
8,244
17K people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
The Metropolitan Police of London and other officials have warned Britons to be vigilant, and counterterrorism officials are investigating.
Naz Shah, a member of Parliament from Bradford West, said on Twitter and in a Facebook post that members of her community had received the letters and that the situation had become “very distressful, not only those who have received the letter but also for the wider communities.”
Ms. Shah said the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, which is coordinating the investigation, had informed her that the letters appeared to be linked and that “a thorough and professional investigation is well underway.”
“I would appeal to the wider community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police,” she said.
The North East Counter Terrorism Unit said in a statement that it had received reports of “potentially malicious communications sent to individuals across the U.K.,” and asked victims to contact their local police.
The significance of April 3, 2018, was not immediately clear. Some neo-Nazi groups use the number 18 to signify the letters of Hitler’s first and last names in the alphabet.
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Tell Mama said in a Twitter post that the hate letters sent out in Britain numbered in the “double figures” and that it was working with the police to investigate the “malicious campaign.”
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
TellMAMAUK
✔
@TellMamaUK
'Punish a Muslim Day' - we continue to receive reports of letters received from across the country. Now into double figures. Please report them into us at Tell MAMA or to 101. We are working with police forces on this malicious campaign.
3:33 PM - Mar 10, 2018
163
359 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
At least some letters — they also promote acid attacks and torture — appeared to have been mailed out of Sheffield, the group said.
Assistant Chief Constable Angela Williams of the West Yorkshire police said in a statement, “We want to reassure our communities that these communications are being taken extremely seriously.”
She said, “I would urge our communities to be vigilant but not frightened,’’ adding, “We are stronger when we stand together as one and will not be divided. #WeStandTogether.”
Sajid Javid, a member of Parliament and secretary of state for housing, said on Twitter in response to the letters: “Disturbing reports of Islamophobic letters in the #Midlands - let me be clear, British Muslims should be able to live without fear of abuse and attack and we will do everything in our power to tackle those who spread hate.”
The letters lash out at Britain and countries elsewhere in Europe with migrant, minority and Muslim populations.
“Are you a sheep like the vast majority of the population? Sheep follow orders and are easily led,” it says. “They are allowing the white-majority nations of Europe and North America to become overrun by those who would like nothing more than to do us harm and to turn our democracies into sharia-led police states.”
Mr. Ahmed, the councilor, said in an interview that his letter arrived on Friday after being posted on Feb. 7 from Yorkshire. “All it had was the number of the property, the name of the road and the ZIP code.”
The residents of the area where he lives in Bradford, a historic town in northern England, are of predominantly Pakistani and Muslim heritage, he said by phone, adding, “My guess is that the letter was meant to terrorize and cause discord within the various communities.”
“But we tend to rise above that in Bradford; we are very, very proud,” he said. “I came to this country when I was 12 years old from Pakistan. I’ve seen far worse.”
The Yorkshire Post reported that at least three letters had landed in Bradford.
The 2011 census said Muslims made up slightly more than 4.4 percent of the population in the United Kingdom — about 2.7 million people, compared with 1.55 million in 2001 — and most live in England and Wales. A 2016 perception survey by Ipsos Mori found that Britons overestimated the number of Muslims in the country.
As the Muslim population has grown, the number of hate crimes in England and Wales has risen, according to Home Office statistics. There were 80,393 offenses in 2016-17, compared with 62,518 in 2015-16. That increase, at 29 percent, was the largest since the Home Office began recording figures in 2011-12. The episodes have included arson attacks on mosques and schools.
Last year, a British man was accused of ramming a van into a group of Muslims leaving a London mosque, killing a worshiper and injuring several others. The police said the suspect, Darren Osborne, 48, had received a Twitter message from Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, a far-right group that gained notoriety after President Trump recirculated unverified anti-Muslim videos it had posted online.
Ms. Fransen was arrested in December along with Paul Golding, the leader of Britain First, on hate crimes charges after they were accused of posting videos online of their harassment of Muslims in May 2017. Both were convicted this month and sentenced to prison.
LONDON — The anonymous letters arrived this weekend in plain white envelopes with second-class stamps, and were sent to people in at least six communities in England.
Inside was a message so hateful that it sent out ripples of alarm and prompted a national counterterrorism investigation.
The message said that April 3 would be “Punish a Muslim Day,” and that points would be awarded for acts of violence: 25 points for pulling off a woman’s head scarf, 500 points for murdering a Muslim and 1,000 for bombing a mosque.
Riaz Ahmed, a Liberal Democrat councilor in Bradford, in West Yorkshire County, said he had received one of the letters at his business address.
“It seems strange that anyone would send something like this to an address in a predominantly Muslim area,’’ Mr. Ahmed told The Mirror on Saturday. “When I opened it and saw the content, I was horrified.”
Continue reading the main story
RELATED COVERAGE
Anti-Muslim Extremists Retweeted by Trump Are Convicted of Hate Crimes MARCH 8, 2018
Suspect in London Mosque Attack Had Contact With Far-Right Groups JAN. 23, 2018
Race/Related
An exploration of race and how it is lived today.
‘I’m Glad That I’m Equal’: Six Students on Dr. King’s Legacy
APR 2
Baton Rouge Officer Is Fired in Alton Sterling Case as Police Release New Videos
MAR 30
U.S. Says It Can Pay for 100 Miles of Wall on 2,000-Mile Border
MAR 30
Census Bureau’s Own Expert Panel Rebukes Decision to Add Citizenship Question
MAR 30
Bringing the World of Ta-Nehisi Coates, Briefly, to Stage
MAR 30
See More »
People in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, London and Sheffield have also reported receiving the notes, according to the authorities, a member of Parliament and Tell Mama, an organization that monitors anti-Muslim activity.
“This has caused quite a lot of fear within the community,” Iman Atta, the director of Tell Mama, told the local news media. “They are asking if they are safe, if their children are safe to play outdoors. We have told them to keep calm.”
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
Rowaida Abdelaziz
✔
@Rowaida_Abdel
“Punish A Muslim Day” letters are being sent to families in East London. The letter details a point system for each action & a reward. For example pulling a Muslim women’s hijab is 25 points, throwing acid is 50 points and burning or bombing a mosque is a whole 1,000 points.
12:21 PM - Mar 9, 2018
8,244
17K people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
The Metropolitan Police of London and other officials have warned Britons to be vigilant, and counterterrorism officials are investigating.
Naz Shah, a member of Parliament from Bradford West, said on Twitter and in a Facebook post that members of her community had received the letters and that the situation had become “very distressful, not only those who have received the letter but also for the wider communities.”
Ms. Shah said the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, which is coordinating the investigation, had informed her that the letters appeared to be linked and that “a thorough and professional investigation is well underway.”
“I would appeal to the wider community to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police,” she said.
The North East Counter Terrorism Unit said in a statement that it had received reports of “potentially malicious communications sent to individuals across the U.K.,” and asked victims to contact their local police.
The significance of April 3, 2018, was not immediately clear. Some neo-Nazi groups use the number 18 to signify the letters of Hitler’s first and last names in the alphabet.
Newsletter Sign UpContinue reading the main story
Sign Up for the Race/Related Newsletter
Join a deep and provocative exploration of race with a diverse group of New York Times journalists.
Enter your email address
Sign Up
You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services.
SEE SAMPLE PRIVACY POLICY OPT OUT OR CONTACT US ANYTIME
Tell Mama said in a Twitter post that the hate letters sent out in Britain numbered in the “double figures” and that it was working with the police to investigate the “malicious campaign.”
View image on Twitter
View image on Twitter
TellMAMAUK
✔
@TellMamaUK
'Punish a Muslim Day' - we continue to receive reports of letters received from across the country. Now into double figures. Please report them into us at Tell MAMA or to 101. We are working with police forces on this malicious campaign.
3:33 PM - Mar 10, 2018
163
359 people are talking about this
Twitter Ads info and privacy
At least some letters — they also promote acid attacks and torture — appeared to have been mailed out of Sheffield, the group said.
Assistant Chief Constable Angela Williams of the West Yorkshire police said in a statement, “We want to reassure our communities that these communications are being taken extremely seriously.”
She said, “I would urge our communities to be vigilant but not frightened,’’ adding, “We are stronger when we stand together as one and will not be divided. #WeStandTogether.”
Sajid Javid, a member of Parliament and secretary of state for housing, said on Twitter in response to the letters: “Disturbing reports of Islamophobic letters in the #Midlands - let me be clear, British Muslims should be able to live without fear of abuse and attack and we will do everything in our power to tackle those who spread hate.”
The letters lash out at Britain and countries elsewhere in Europe with migrant, minority and Muslim populations.
“Are you a sheep like the vast majority of the population? Sheep follow orders and are easily led,” it says. “They are allowing the white-majority nations of Europe and North America to become overrun by those who would like nothing more than to do us harm and to turn our democracies into sharia-led police states.”
Mr. Ahmed, the councilor, said in an interview that his letter arrived on Friday after being posted on Feb. 7 from Yorkshire. “All it had was the number of the property, the name of the road and the ZIP code.”
The residents of the area where he lives in Bradford, a historic town in northern England, are of predominantly Pakistani and Muslim heritage, he said by phone, adding, “My guess is that the letter was meant to terrorize and cause discord within the various communities.”
“But we tend to rise above that in Bradford; we are very, very proud,” he said. “I came to this country when I was 12 years old from Pakistan. I’ve seen far worse.”
The Yorkshire Post reported that at least three letters had landed in Bradford.
The 2011 census said Muslims made up slightly more than 4.4 percent of the population in the United Kingdom — about 2.7 million people, compared with 1.55 million in 2001 — and most live in England and Wales. A 2016 perception survey by Ipsos Mori found that Britons overestimated the number of Muslims in the country.
As the Muslim population has grown, the number of hate crimes in England and Wales has risen, according to Home Office statistics. There were 80,393 offenses in 2016-17, compared with 62,518 in 2015-16. That increase, at 29 percent, was the largest since the Home Office began recording figures in 2011-12. The episodes have included arson attacks on mosques and schools.
Last year, a British man was accused of ramming a van into a group of Muslims leaving a London mosque, killing a worshiper and injuring several others. The police said the suspect, Darren Osborne, 48, had received a Twitter message from Jayda Fransen, the deputy leader of Britain First, a far-right group that gained notoriety after President Trump recirculated unverified anti-Muslim videos it had posted online.
Ms. Fransen was arrested in December along with Paul Golding, the leader of Britain First, on hate crimes charges after they were accused of posting videos online of their harassment of Muslims in May 2017. Both were convicted this month and sentenced to prison.
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