November 4, 2001	Sunday	Shaba’an 17, 1422

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LONDON, Nov 3: There has been a sharp increase in the race-related violence in the British cities following September 11 attacks on America and with the reports that militant Muslim youths from Great Britain are going to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban.

Muslims of the United Kingdom fear highly vulnerable and some Londoners believe that it is a bad time to be a Muslim in London.

In Greater London suburban towns, Muslims said that many of them are scared to go out, especially women with traditional Muslim hijab, because of taunts and vulgar language used against them.

The situation has been made worst by a very high British- media coverage to a very small fundamentalist al-Muhajiroun group based in London whose four Muslims fighters were reportedly killed in Kabul last week.

Members of the mainstream Muslim Community are very upset by al-Muhajiroun activities.

Al-Muhajiroun is recruiting British Muslims for Jihad in Afghanistan and almost each and every day issues highly provocative statements.

London is home to thousands of students from Muslim countries. Many Muslim students feel that after the September 11 incidents in the USA they are under a lot of pressure. There has been an unpleasant shift in attitudes towards Muslims, whatever their ethnic background, according to many of the students. “People look at us differently now,” says 25-year-old Saqib, a student from Pakistan. He and other Muslims students say “It would be nice if people weren’t stereotyping us.”

“My family is originally from Iran. I’m Muslim but not religious,” says 17-year-old Ali Hemmati. “I have nothing to do with that terrorism, but some of the other students here joke about it and ask if we were involved.”

But the feelings of Afghans who live in Britain are quite complicated in the present situation. Most Afghans of London are very angry over the bombing of their country though many do not support the Taliban. Toryalai, a 27-year Afghan from Kabul who has migrated to Britain a year ago is equally angry over the Taliban, Osama Bin Laden and America.

There is fear among many Muslims of Britain that their lives would be badly affected if the present war in Afghanistan continues.