Date: August 2024  
Contact: Sajid Mohammed 
Phone: 07964982170  
Email: Saj@himmah.org

Himmah condemns the violence in Nottingham and elsewhere, calling for greater awareness of the issues leading to these events.

August 2024 was not the first time that racially motivated violence spread on our streets. Nearly sixty-five years ago, St Ann’s district witnessed what the Nottingham Evening Post described as "a slaughterhouse," with dozens of men and women injured and one man requiring 37 stitches to a throat wound. The following week, violence erupted in Notting Hill. This time, violence was more coordinated even before the attacks took place. The English Defence League used WhatsApp and other internet-based tools to target specific sites and coordinate their activities. As a result, hotels housing asylum seekers were attacked, Muslim girls were spat at with the attackers trying to rip off their hijabs, stabbings with Islamophobic and racist motivations occurred across several cities, and numerous acts of violence took place over the weekend. Initially, the rallying call of the thugs centred around their attempt to falsely blame a tragic stabbing in Southport on a Muslim. At least one MP added credence to this false claim. Consequently, the initial targets were mosques, with the local mosque in Southport put under siege.

As a result of the concerted campaign, Muslims, immigrants, refugees, and other people targeted by these groups are feeling increasingly vulnerable.

Himmah is a charity providing food parcels to those in need, campaigning against racism and issues related to poverty. We are acutely aware that a small number of racists, including those in powerful places, are exploiting the fears of working-class people regarding immigration, job insecurity, and the rising cost of living. These are real issues, but immigrants are again being made scapegoats just as they have periodically been over the last sixty years. We abhor all forms of violence and call for calm and dialogue around the causes of this upsurge in racially motivated attacks. We are willing to work with anyone sincerely concerned about these issues and willing to put into place practical solutions that will ease the tensions and start to address the underlying causes.

Sajid Mohammed, Director of Himmah, said, "I've been shocked and appalled to see the riots over the weekend and to see that more violence is being planned not only in Nottingham but up and down the country. Violent racism and bigotry has been simmering under the surface for decades now and requires communities to come together to tackle the root causes, which is something we aim to do at Himmah."

Himmah has a history of working to make communities safer by bringing people together and coming up with solutions to our own problems. Whether this be our work against hate crime or the mistreatment of stop and search laws, we are planning to do the same with community meetings to prioritise how we as a community can come together and work with each other to keep our communities safe.

About Himmah:  
Himmah is a Nottingham-based charity focused on providing food parcels to those in need, campaigning against racism, and addressing issues related to poverty. Our mission is to create safer, more inclusive communities through dialogue, education, and action.

For media inquiries, please contact:  
Sajid Mohammed 
07964 982 170
Saj@himmah.org