Disorderly behaviour witnessed in the UK

The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board condemns the disorderly behaviour by rioters and looters witnessed over the last few days. There can be no excuse or justification for the sort of violence we have seen in London and other British cities in the last few days.

In this holy month of Ramadan, many Muslims will be attending Mosques to break their fast and for prayers. It is important to remind congregations to take seriously their own safety and travel. If any Mosque feels they may be under threat of attack by rioters, they must immediately alert the police and take precautions.

If disorder is present in the local area, our advice would be to avoid travelling unless necessary.

We urge all Mosque leaders and Imams to communicate the following to their congregations this evening:

• Stay calm
• Do not get involved in trouble and do not fall foul of the Law
• Check on the old and vulnerable within your communities and neighbourhoods
• For parents and all those responsible for young people, to work together with police to ensure that youngsters do not get drawn into the kind of disorder we have seen.
• Get involved in cleaning up. This is the month of Ramadan and a great time to render Khidmah (community service)

Mosques leaders need to take regular risk assessments and ensure that all safety and insurance requirements are in place.

The MINAB is working with Mosques and Police authorities to counter the risk of disorder in our local communities.

Rumours of possible attacks on mosques by the English Defence League (EDL) are widespread and these have been passed onto the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). We understand from ACPO that there is no credible intelligence to suggest that the EDL are planning such activities and Police Forces around the country have increased their presence close to mosques and other places of worship. This is to be welcomed.

Any information can be passed to police anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

The National Association of Muslim Police Officers has produced advice for mosques, businesses and individuals, which is available below.

• Advice for Businesses: How can my business help protect itself?
• Advice for Mosques: Precautionary measures
• Advice for Persons: Does the law protect me?

We strongly encourage mosque leaders to disseminate this information to congregations through daily programmes, Friday prayers, notice boards, websites and other channels.  

Overall, our advice to our members is to remain vigilant, and calm, at all times.