Sadiq Khan has announced that a series of City Hall-funded security training sessions will be provided for mosques across the capital, as he declared London is “united against all forms of hate”.
The extra support for mosque leaders comes following the recent scenes of violence and disorder across the country, which have included targeted attacks against Muslims and ethnic minority communities.
According to City Hall, the four sessions have been backed with £10,000 of mayoral funding and will provide practical advice on protective security and safety processes, as well as advice on hate crime and online safety.
The mayor on Wednesday visited the first of those sessions at Al Manaar, the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in west London, to speak with mosque leaders and provide reassurance. The session was led by Faith Associates, a group of leading experts in mosque security, with representatives from the Met Police also in attendance.
Mr Khan had been urged earlier this month to ensure places of worship had extra security by Hina Bokhari, the London Assembly’s Liberal Democrat group leader - who said many Muslims had become “extremely worried” by the “unacceptable” spread of hate crimes.
The mayor said: “I’m proud that last week Londoners sent a clear message that we are an open and welcoming city that is united against all forms of hate.
“The peaceful shows of unity on our streets were inspiring and comforting, however the violence and disorder that was seen across the country has left many Londoners afraid. There is no room for complacency. We can never stop being vigilant.
“I continue to work closely with the Government, the Met and community leaders to ensure that Londoners feel safe, and are safe, and through this new funding we will provide additional support and information to help mosque leaders during this difficult time. This is on top of the increased funding we’re already providing to places of worship in the capital. I want to thank the Home Office for providing additional funding for protective security for mosques.”
Tell MAMA, the organisation working to tackle anti-Muslim hatred, told Reuters on Sunday, August 11, that it had received more than 500 calls and online reports of anti-Muslim incidents from across the UK since the start of the disorder two weeks ago.
Shaukat Warraich, managing director at Faith Associates, said: “The recent disorder and Islamophobia observed around the country has been shocking and has scared people.
“Faith Associates are experts in mosque security and have delivered capacity-building work with mosques around the world. We have a long history of working with the Mayor of London on helping to keep the Muslim community in the capital safe, regularly partnering together since 2019.
“The new support provided to us by MOPAC [the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime] will allow even more mosques to receive vital safety and security advice which can be implemented immediately.”
