After riots following a tragic crime, a Southport mosque leader struggles, but the community shows resilience & unity.
Axel Rudakubana murdered three schoolgirls but he had no link to Islam at all. After the crime, false claims spread online anyway as people falsely claimed he was an asylum seeker.
The riots damaged the mosque, however locals helped clean up after the event, and local businesses aided with repairs too. Imam Hussein still finds it hard to forget, but hopes Ramadan will restore spirit.
The mosque is planning community events, inviting locals to share meals. During Ramadan, people break fast together, appreciating the kindness shown after the attacks.
Locals offered gifts to the mosque recently, although some people expressed vile opinions at that time. Imam Hussein believes they are a small minority, less than 1% of the community.
He says Islam is often misunderstood, and states respect is the goal. People aren’t asked to change their beliefs, and the town has held inter-faith events. Proudly, he says people see each other as one.
A police chief tried to counter false information about Rudakubana’s religion, but prosecutors advised police to stay quiet.
Chief Constable Kennedy told MPs about it, and she planned to release the detail on July 31, when Rudakubana was charged. This event was planned after misinformation spread.
There was an increase in hate crimes and she had a long talk with prosecutors. They were against revealing his religion, but national prosecutors then gave later approval online.
Kennedy said she learned of national prosecutor’s approval after the press conference as she wanted to stop the spread of lies. The local prosecutors were against her plan.
National prosecutors emailed the police team indicating it was okay to share the suspect’s religion. However, by then it was too late because the press conference happened already.
The police chief addressed inconsistent advice and said that she was following local lead prosecutor advice, emphasizing that justice was the top priority and she avoided actions harming justice.
Rudakubana got a life sentence with a minimum term set at 52 years. The murders happened at a dance class which had a Taylor Swift theme last year.
He also tried to murder eight other children and attempted to kill two adults there. Incorrect suspect details circulated online, and he was falsely called an asylum seeker.
Riots occurred across the country then, and mosques and asylum seeker housing were hit. MPs asked if more information could have helped, she said it is hard to know for sure and media protocols are very old now.
Social media usage has changed a lot, and Telegram was barely used back then. This case shows a need to update releases, making sure it does not affect the trial.
The police wanted to release religion details as hate crimes rose significantly then. There were 170 reports that specific week, when the normal average is 130 reports weekly.
This fact affected Muslim communities badly, even though the suspect was not Muslim. The police could not state this fact back then.
The police and prosecutors worked closely, focusing on family during the case for statements and planning. This included charges, trial, and the sentencing phase.