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March 15, 2008

UK: Muslim Youths Assault Priest

News from the BBC, Reuters, Daily Mail, Spectator, TImes, Sunday Times, Press Association, Hindu, East London Advertiser, Telegraph and In the News:

An Anglican priest, Canon Michael Ainsworth, was assaulted by two young Muslims in the grounds of his church. 57-year old Canon Ainsworth was approached by three "Asian" youths on Wednesday March 5. Two of these then physically attacked him in the churchyard at St George-in-the-East Church in Shadwell, Wapping, East London.

According to the Daily Mail, the incident happened after Canon Ainsworth asked the three youths to "quieten down". As he was attacked, one of the youths shouted out: "Fucking priest".

According to an Asian member of the church community, the church has been attacked before by Asian youths who hate Christians. He said: "I've been physically threatened and verbally abused on the steps of the church. On one occasion, youths shouted: 'This should not be a church, this should be a mosque, you should not be here'. just walked away from it - you are too frightened to challenge them. We have church windows smashed two to three times a month. The youths are anti-Christian. It's terrible what they have done to Canon Ainsworth. We've never had violence like that before. I know his face was very smashed up and bruised because I saw him just minutes after the attack when I called round to deliver some papers."

Canon Ainsworth's wife claimed her husband did not want publicity concerning the attack.

Alan Green, the Area Dean for Tower Hamlets, said: "It was a nasty cowardly attack. There were several groups in the churchyard and two from one group attacked him and the other group came and helped him back to the house. He was kicked and punched in the head as he lay on the ground, I believe that what was shouted was 'you f***ing priest before they attacked him. He's still in hospital because he lost a lot of blood following the attack."

"There are one or two incidents of faith hate every month across the borough and across all faiths. St George's had several problems a year ago, when the windows were regularly smashed by vandals. Michael is a modest, unassuming man who is quietly going about the job of building up relations between his church and the community. He's doing a very good job of it."

Melanie Phillips in the Spectator states that in March 2006, Michael Ainsworth had given evidence to the Commons Select Committee on Media, Culture and Sport. When asked if churches should be used by other faith members, he answered: "There are some issues about using Christian churches of all denominations for worship by other faiths but there is very extensive community use by other faith groups in many areas. That is something to be encouraged. If there is very clear evidence that other faith groups are actively looking to use church buildings for worship, and on the whole my experience is that they would prefer to have their own buildings, then that is something that will always be carefully and sympathetically considered but at the end of the day there must be an issue about other faith worship in a Christian church."

Ms Phillips asks "Was Canon AInsworth actually targeted for attack?"

Police are treating the attack as a faith-based crime.

According to one parishioner who was present on the evening of March 5: "There was blood everywhere. All the church members are in shock over what happened. Our canon is such a nice man who has done so much for the parish. It's been very upsetting."

Canon Ainsworth was taken into the nearby Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel after the attack, and was released later. However, he was readmitted to hospital a week later, and is under observation.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at March 15, 2008 9:29 PM

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