Exeter Muslims face hostile campaign to community centre application

The Exeter Express and Echo reports on a police investigation into a leaflet distributed in the city of Exeter which contains inflammatory information about a proposed Muslim community centre.

Police are dealing with the incident as a possible hate crime and are trying to identify the individual/s behind the leaflet.

A group calling itself the St Thomas Residents Awareness Alliance published leaflets concerning a vacant building on Buller Road in the St Thomas area of town, which has been earmarked by the South West Ahlulbayt Centre as part of a planning application to the local council for use as a Muslim community centre.

The leaflet “highlights and underlines the words Shia Muslim three times, and uses the Help for Heroes logo without the charity’s permission.” The leaflet shows two “beheaded” figures and is titled “jihad free zone”. The leaflet also bears the logo of the Labour party although the party has not sanctioned its use.

Mahmood Hameed, of the South West Ahlulbayt Centre, the group behind the application says that the leaflet falsely claims the building is to be converted into a mosque. A planning application submitted by the South West Ahlulbayt Centre seeks to create “a place to bring together the community in a social space where we can interact with each other” and not convert the building into a mosque.

His 21 year old son, speaking to the paper, referred also to a social media campaign against the application saying, “All these years I’ve felt safe in Exeter with all my friends being English from my time at college and at work life. But after this leaflet, sticker and comments I have read on Facebook, it feels like people have been hiding hate towards us. People need to know and realise we are part of the British society and accept us for who we are.”

Police are conducting door to door inquiries in St Thomas to identify the people responsible for the campaign against the Muslim group’s application.

Members of the South West Ahlulbayt Centre have already expressed fears about anti-Muslim hostility on the back of the leaflet campaign and will further discuss whether to proceed with their application later this week.

Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw said: “I was disgusted when I was shown this poster. It has no place in a civilised, tolerant place like Exeter. It’s a clear example of incitement to racial hatred, which is illegal and the police should investigate as a matter of urgency.

“I’ve been contacted by a number of St Thomas residents concerned about leaflets they’ve received from people hiding behind the cloak of anonymity.

“I’m appalled they’re forging Labour and Help For Heroes logos on something that has nothing to do with our armed forces. I’m sure the city council, as the planning authority, will determine this application, as any other, on planning considerations alone.”