Press Release
The Home Office and Police are responsible for failing to prevent today's clashes in Harrow

Today's clashes in Harrow were the predictable outcome of the anti-Islam demonstration outside Harrow Central Mosque. By allowing this event to go ahead the Home Office and the police must share the blame.

Despite the fact that two similar demonstrations by the far-right anti-Islam English Defence League (EDL) in Luton and Birmingham ended in violent clashes and despite Harrow Mosque's requests that the police apply to the Home Office for a banning order, cancel the demonstrations or move its location, these protests were allowed to proceed.

The General Secretary of Harrow Mosque, Mr Rabanni was also critical of anti-racism campaigners from Unite Against Fascism (UAF) who ignored the Mosque's pleas not to hold a counter demonstration. "All these people have come from outside the area to start up trouble in an area that has never had any racial tension. It is very sad."

Taji Mustafa, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, "The scenes of violence outside Harrow Mosque were totally predictable and the Home Office and police are to blame for letting these demonstrations go ahead knowing full well that similar demonstrations in Luton and Birmingham ended in violence."

"Once the EDL announced plans for today's demonstration, members of Hizb ut-Tahrir actively campaigned and urged the Muslim community to take the responsible position of ignoring these racist provocations because their demonstrations were clearly part of the wider campaign by mainstream politicians, including the likes of Jim Fitzpatrick MP, to pressurise the community to compromise her Islam and generate distrust and tension with the wider non-Muslim society. The vast majority of Muslims agreed with this position and ignored these provocations."

"We hold the Home Office and Police - which could have banned the demonstration - responsible for allowing these protests to proceed and remind Muslims that simply entering into clashes with these racist groups will only serve to fulfil their agenda to depict the community as violent and the cause of unrest."

"We call on the Muslim community and the Muslim youth to be aware that these provocations are orchestrated to depict the community and Islam as the troublemakers. In this situation the Muslim community needs to remain focussed on adhering to Islam and continue exposing the plans of the British government in the Muslim lands whilst explaining how Islam is an alternative to the political, economic and social breakdown in the world today."

Hizb ut Tahrir Britain