The chairman of the Finsbury Park Mosque in north London warned that Islamophobia has intensified since the 2017 terrorist attack in the area, as dozens gathered to remember the man killed five years ago.
Macram Ali, 51, was killed on June 19, 2017, when Darren Osborne drove a rented minibus to the pilgrims gathered in front of a nearby Muslim social care home shortly after the evening prayers for Ramadan. Another 12 were injured.
Mosque President Mohamed Kozbar said Muslims still do not feel safe in the UK. “The problem we are facing is that not much has changed in dealing with Islamophobia since this attack,” he said.
Kozbar said he remembered Theresa May, who was prime minister at the time, who promised to take action “to tackle this disease that causes Islamophobia”. However, five years later, he said, “we have no definition of Islamophobia.”
He said the situation for Muslims in the United Kingdom had worsened, citing the “institutionalization of Islamophobia” by the government and some parts of the media. “As Muslims, we are still feeling the effects of this attack and will not feel safe until Islamophobia is taken seriously by the authorities and the police,” he said.
Ali Ruzina Akhtar’s daughter was among those at the memorial service. She said that as a Muslim, she wanted everyone to “express some Islamophobic behavior, as it still exists, so let’s deal with it now.”
She remembers her father as “a compassionate husband, a loving father and a loving grandfather who is adored by all.”
“Our father was above all one of the most tender human beings you could meet, who always had a smile on his face and joked at the most random moments to make others laugh,” Akhtar said.
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“His death left a black hole, but remembering his smile and laughter, we surround this hole with more love for each other than he would like.
Flowers were laid on a plaque with the inscription “Makram Ali – husband, father and beloved grandfather of his dearest Zarif and Seyam.”
Osborne was sentenced to parallel sentences in 2018 for killing Ali and attempting to kill others. The judge, Judge Cheema-Grubb, said his choice to target a group dressed in traditional Islamic clothing reflected his “ideology of hatred of Muslims”.
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