Vile Islamophobic letters calling for members of the public to participate in “Punish a Muslim day” have allegedly been delivered to houses in Walthamstow in the London Borough of Waltham Forest.

The letter calls for people to stop being a “sheep” and warned of the UK turning into “Sharia led police states”.

The letter states:

“They have hurt you, they have made you loved ones suffer. They have caused you pain and heartache. What are you going to do about it? Are you a ‘sheep’ like the vast majority of the population? Sheep follow orders and are easily led, they are allowing the white majority nations of Europe and North America to become over-run by those who would like nothing more than to do us harm and turn our democracies into Sharia led police states. Only you can help turn this thing around, only you have the power. Do not be a sheep!”

The letter continues by suggesting ways of abusing Muslims in increasingly horrific ways presenting it as a sadistic game.

Examples include throwing “acid in face of a Muslim” for 50 points, torturing “a Muslim using electrocution, skinning, use of a rack” for 250 points and burning or bombing a mosque for 1000 points.

MEND is making further inquiries into the issue and will provide updates as and when further information is received.

Figures released by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime showed a 40% rise in Islamophobic hate crime in the capital last year, with 1,678 incidents in 2017, compared with 1,205 incidents in 2016.

It is important that anyone who believes they are in immediate danger from a prejudice-based hate crime should contact the police as soon as possible on 999. If not in immediate danger, or if you have suffered a prejudice-based hate crime in the past, then you can report it using the non-emergency number 101.

You can also – in addition to the police – report any Islamophobic hate crime to MEND’s Islamophobia Response Unit (IRU) here. This allows us to monitor levels of abuse and compile accurate data on the levels of Islamophobia.

The IRU can also help you contact and deal with the police (if you choose to do so), and signpost you towards free legal advice and emotional support that may be available.