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October 5, 2006
UK: Youths Attack Muslim Dairy In Windsor
In another sign of what appears to be a pattern of youth violence becoming focused against Muslim communities, a Muslim dairy last night had a molotov cocktail thrown at it by white youths who had been terrorizing the Muslims within.
The news is carried by the Times, the Telegraph, the BBC and the Press Association via 24 Dash.com.
The Medina Dairy on Vale Road in Windsor, Berkshire, is owned by 46-year old Sardar Hussain. It is situated in an industrial estate, in a complex which also includes an Islamic prayer room. Sardar Hussein recently has been reported as claiming in the Windsor Express newspaper: "Everybody has the right to practise their religion so why shouldn't Muslims in Windsor?"
He sent a planning proposal to Windsor Council in 2005 to change the dairy to an Islamic Center, but planning permission was refused. The reasons given were that it would reduce employment in the area and would lead to traffic congestion. the application was sent for appeal in September. Hussain has said he will put up £300,000 ($562,909) to fund this project.
Attacks by youths upon the dairy and its staff have been continuing each night since Monday (October 2). According to the Telegraph, some local residents claimed that on Monday, a group of Muslims had started the incidents by attacking white youths with baseball bats. This is the only source to state this.
The area commander of Thames Valley Police, Chief Superintendent Brian Langston, said: "This disorder appears to have escalated from a minor disagreement. As a result, we have seen groups of Asian and white local youths gathering. We are working closely with local community groups and partners to ensure the harmony of the town is not disrupted."
"The type of behaviour shown over the past few evenings will not be tolerated. We will not allow any section of the community to be intimidated by mindless violence. We will continue to use robust policing tactics to deal with anyone threatening public safety."
A gang of up to 50 youths had been gathering and throwing stones and issuing verbal abuse at the staff who work at the diary late at night. On Tuesday night a lorry belonging to the dairy was damaged. Last night, a youth on a motorbike threw a molotov cocktail at the dairy, but it failed to ignite.
A worker at the dairy said that following this incident, police found a cache of molotov cocktails.
He said: "We've had trouble before but never like this. The police always come but the youths only live round the corner so they know when the police have gone and that's why they attack us."
Only five male staff operated the dairy in the evenings, and these have been receiving most of the abuse.
Mohammed Azan, the dairy's director, said: "his has been going on for one-and-a-half years but it has been getting worse since last night. Although nobody was injured this time the three youths came and said they would come back with guns and would shoot us. It's very sad. We respect everybody and we want them to respect us too."
The MP for Windsor, Adam Afryie (Conservative) denied the incidents were racially motivated. He said: "This is a surprising development and something which has probably just escalated from an argument. Windsor is a lovely, peaceful area."
A representative of Windsor Council said: "Nothing like this has ever happened before and there is no previous history of any such incidents."
Muslims are a very small minority in Windsor. The census from 2001 states that of 31,015 residents, only 448 were Muslim.
Twenty youths have been questioned, but there have only been three arrests so far. Two 16-year old youths were arrested on Tuesday (October 3) on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon. One was later charged. A 23-year old man was arrested on suspicion of common assault.
The police have not yet suggested a reason for the attacks.
Mindless violence will not challenge Islam - it will polarize people, and give Muslim activists more reason to claim "victimhood". Such behaviour has to be condemned.
UPDATE: BBC TV News quotes Sardar Hossein, who says he believes the attacks are connected to his plans to set up the Islamic center. he also said that over the past three days, 16 of his vehicles were damaged.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at October 5, 2006 10:27 AM
Comments
Never commented on here before, but have been drawn to this page for some days now due to the high quality of the articles.
I was drawn to what you said near the end of this piece, that mindless violence will not challenge Islam, and my question is what is to be done then in the face of this barrage of behaviour from the muslims that people in the West are exposed to every day? We see it in almost every walk of life now that muslims are given preferential treatment for fear that they'll turn violent or out of some misguided sense of political correctness, and they claim victimhood anyway however ridiculous the basis. Sooner or later all this will have an effect. Especially as appeals to reason are met with ignorance if they are met at all. The 'powers that be' simply don't/won't listen. And this is just going to encourage more behaviour from disgruntled and hyped up young men such as the kind you have written about here.
Posted by: Ginro ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.westernresistance.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 5, 2006 4:40 PM
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