A piece in today’s Independent charts a worrying pattern of hate crimes against Muslims in the UK. The article namechecks quite a few groups and individuals who are unlikely to find favour with most HP readers – the Muslim Council of Britain, Robert Lambert, and (most bizarrely) Hizb-ut-Tahrir are all wheeled out to express their concern at the growth of bigoted attacks on Muslims in Britain. The Independent doesn’t seem to be taking any tips from the new Prevent strategy (although, to be fair, it does also get a quote from Quilliam). Yet you don’t have to agree with these groups or commentators to deplore the rise in vicious attacks against Muslim mosques, cemeteries and individuals. Robert Lambert is at least right in one thing – his wish that Muslims in Britain had a group such as the CST to monitor and protect against such crimes.
