Cleaver and ax in Edinburgh.. Bloody attacks renew Muslim fears in Scotland | Miscellaneous

Local Islamic leaders in Britain criticized the description of recent attacks targeting Muslims as isolated, individual incidents, stressing that they represent part of the rising hate speech in Britain against Muslims and immigrants.

Commenting on the attacks, Tahmina Mohamed, a member of the Board of Trustees of Broomhouse Mosque, said: “We are told that this is an isolated incident. But it is not. It is part of the discourse that portrays refugees and immigrants as the problem in this country.”

Tahmina added: “The horrific incident is not being taken as seriously as similar incidents in other communities. The response of politicians, the government, the police, and even the media, and the way the press portrayed these attacks compared to what happened in Edinburgh, is in fact very disturbing, even shocking and very unfair.”

She asked: “Where is the justice and equality? Aren’t we on the same level of humanity as any other societies? Why do I feel like we are being treated like second-class citizens?”

“severe shock”

For his part, Zubair Karim, the imam of Broomhouse Mosque, told Al Jazeera that he spoke to the family of the taxi driver, who is suffering from severe shock because of what happened.

He added: “I contacted his son, who explained that what happened was a very traumatic experience for his father. The father felt that the goal was not only to damage the car, but also to cause him physical harm.”

Speaking about the attacker, Karim added: “All the words he spoke were anti-Muslim, and it was clear that he wanted to ‘reclaim the country’, so his actions proved that he had intentions to harm the Muslim community, as well as harm relations between the components of society in the city.”

Five people were injured in an attack in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, on Friday, June 19, 3 of whom were Muslims. The other victims were people of color, but it has not yet been confirmed whether they were Muslims or not.

On the same day, several calls were made to Police Scotland regarding violent attacks, including threats, theft and vandalism, across Edinburgh.

The attacks included the use of a cleaver and an axe, by a white man named Louis Hawkes (36 years old), who carried out violent attacks in different parts of the city.

The first attack carried out by Hawkes occurred in the Sighthill area in Edinburgh, where he stabbed two Muslim students several times after they attended afternoon prayers at the Broomhouse Mosque. They were then transferred to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

The attacker then went to a Telford Road gas station in the Cro Tull area, where he smashed a Muslim driver’s taxi after nine o’clock in the evening. Before he attacked the taxi driver, he confronted another Muslim and tried to attack a black man who had left the gas station.

The taxi driver was inside his car when the attacker threw an ax at him, which prompted the driver to swerve his car to avoid the ax hitting his face. The ax hit the back window, damaging the car and the back seat. The attacker managed to escape before the police arrived.

The last place the attacker was seen was on Leith Walk Street, known for its large Muslim population and shops, where three men were attacked and sustained various injuries.

A video clip showed the shirtless attacker carrying two large weapons and stopping his car on a cycle path in Leith Walk.

He was also seen leaving the car, chasing a man on an electric bike, and repeatedly hitting a man who had just gotten off the tram, using two large knives.

He also smashed the door of a pizza restaurant and attacked a delivery driver on an electric bike, causing him to fall from his vehicle.

The police arrested the attacker, and while he was being arrested by police officers, he was heard shouting hatred towards Muslims, saying that he was trying to “protect the country from these cursed Muslims who rape our young daughters, and rape our children. Enough, I’ve had enough.”

The authorities charged Lewis Hawkes with 5 counts of attempted murder, as well as assault and robbery, two counts of disturbing the peace, and two counts of criminal and negligent behavior, all of which are aggravated by the presence of a terrorist connection.