Three-quarters of Muslims worried about their safety after far-right riots, poll says
Sky News- 76 views
- 18 Aug 2024
Three-quarters of Muslim women in the UK say they are worried about their safety, a poll has said. The Muslim Women's Network ...
Anger and widespread unrest turned violent when this crowd gathered outside a mosque in Liverpool.
Clashes went on for hours. Some worshippers looked onto the crowds from inside. For Emina and Leila, who was there, that one night of terror will stay them for a long time to come.
I started getting flashbacks of my own experiences of when I was attacked, verbally, physically. I just felt this immense type of fear.
Muslim women are a visible target it, and the disorder has exacerbated their palpable fears.
How am I meant to convince you to see me as a human? I am absolutely shattered questioning every little thing. It just creates so much paranoia. Do people like They stay in that mood because they hate me.
Good afternoon, MWN. How can I help?
Here at the Muslim Women's Helpline, they usually receive calls about domestic abuse. But since last week's riots, they've seen a wave of people calling their support about hostility towards Muslims.
Muslim women are really traumatized, and they need a safe space to let out their feelings, not just to report incidents, but also to, I think, process what's taken place and what they've witnessed online, or what they've heard through family and friends. And they're deeply, deeply worried, deeply anxious.
Picking up the pieces won't be easy, but in the aftermath of violence came solidarity.
It was really important that there was that show of solidarity from not just Muslim, the Muslim community. Actually, it was quite a lot of the non-Muslim community who came out that Friday to defend the mosque.
We're the ones who have to amend these relationships. We're the ones who have to get off the next morning and be like, Okay, let's fix this issue.
Still reeling from the divisions laid bare in their community, but determined to recover and heal Liverpool and the UK. On Jimpia Bakos, Sky News.