A woman looks at tributes placed for the victims of a vehicle ramming attack near a mosque in Finsbury Park, north London, on June 19, 2017. AFP
A woman looks at tributes placed for the victims of a vehicle ramming attack near a mosque in Finsbury Park, north London, on June 19, 2017. AFP

British police investigate calls to attack Muslims



Britain's counter-terrorism police are investigating several letters calling for violence against Muslims on a "punish a Muslim" day next month.

The letters, which were received as far afield as Bradford, Leicester, London, Cardiff and Sheffield, suggested a number of ways Muslims could be targeted on April 3, as well as points to be awarded for different acts.

"They have hurt you, they have made your loved ones suffer. They have caused you pain and heartache. What are you going to about it?" read one.

It suggests 10 points for verbally abusing a Muslim, 1,000 points for bombing a mosque and 2,500 points to “nuke Mecca”.

Photos of the letters were shared widely on social media, and drew strong criticism from officials. Counter-terrorism police said they were treating the letters as a possible hate crime.

Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said the letters were indicative of wider trends.

"Sadly, it is reflective of hate against Muslims which continues to manifest itself alongside the rise of the far right. Our elected officials need to stand up and take action against Islamophobia in the same way they have taken action to counter bigotry against other groups."

Tell MAMA, an organisation which monitors anti-Muslim hate crime, said the letters were being treated with "the utmost seriousness".

"We urge anyone who has received this letter to report to us in confidence or to ring the non-emergency 101 number," it said on its website.

"It is essential that all letters and envelopes are kept and handled minimally to preserve evidence for the police to investigate."

_______________

Read more:

_______________

Labour MP Yasmin Qureshi tweeted: “I’m shocked to learn that extremist cowards are distributing anonymous letters encouraging people to attack Muslims.”

One letter was sent to the business address of Liberal Democrat councillor Riaz Ahmed in Bradford. "It was not addressed to anyone, just the address and postcode as if it was sent out randomly," he told The Yorkshire Post.

Britain's Counter Terrorism Policing Network (CTPN) said on its website it was "investigating a number of reports of potentially malicious communications sent to individuals across the UK".

"Counter Terrorism Policing North East are co-ordinating the investigation at this time and will consider any potential links to existing enquiries."

West Yorkshire Police said it had received six reports while South Yorkshire Police said it had received three, the BBC reported.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said it had received two reports of letters being sent to people, one in east London and the other in the SW4 area.

Tell MAMA quoted the assistant chief constable of the South Yorkshire Police, Tim Forber, as saying the threatening letters were being investigated and details would be forwarded to the counter-terrorism police.

“These communications are extremely distressing and we appreciate that members of our communities will be very concerned," Mr Forber said.

“I can assure you that these documents are being taken extremely seriously and a thorough investigation into the circumstances is under way.

“I would like to reassure the people of South Yorkshire that public and community safety remains our utmost priority and as always, we are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of everyone.

“Hate crime in any form will not be tolerated and we will work with our communities and alongside our colleagues in the counter-terrorism unit to ensure that those spreading fear and hatred will be brought to justice.”

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950