Hero imam who saved Finsbury Park attacker from angry crowd is spat at and called ‘despicable’ after leaving London mosque meeting promoting unity after New Zealand attack
- Imam Mohammed Mahmoud had been attending an event at a mosque
- On his way home from the ‘beautiful event’ he was verbally abused on a bus
- When he questioned the abuse he was told it was because he was ‘wearing a dress’
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The hero imam who saved the Finsbury Park attacker from an angry crowd has been spat on and called ‘despicable’ after leaving a London mosque meeting which had been promoting unity after the New Zealand attack.
Imam Mohammed Mahmoud claims he was called ‘despicable’ and a ‘s***hole’ by a man on a bus and that he was spat at by a cyclist after making his way home from a meeting with religious leaders, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and the Home Secretary.
They had been attending the event in Regent’s Park Mosque yesterday in order to promote inclusion and tolerance.
They had also heard Mr Javid pledge to do all in his power to protect Muslims in this country from growing violence and aggression.
Imam Mohammed Mahmoud (pictured centre) had previously stopped any retaliation following the Finsbury Park mosque attack in 2017
Imam Mahmoud had previously been praised for calming fellow Muslims and preventing retaliation after far-right terrorist Darren Osbourne attacked worshippers in 2017.
Mr Mahmoud said he and a ‘group of brothers’ had managed to ‘extinguish any flames of mob rule’ as members of the public attempted to hurt the alleged terrorist ‘from every angle’ following the Finsbury Park attack.
He highlighted that the event at Regent’s Park had been ‘important and beautiful’.
However, speaking to the Evening Standard he said what he experienced on the way home showed the continuous threats which are posed to Muslims in the UK.
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This is the moment Finsbury Park Imam Mohammed Mahmoud (pictured centre in white) held down the man accused of launching a terror attack
He said he had been subjected to ‘Islamaphobic abuse’ in two separate incidents on his way home from the event.
He said: ‘The first was on public transport on my route home.
‘A middle aged white male on the bus told me I was ‘despicable’ and a ‘s***hole’ and that the whole country was ‘f***’. When I asked why – he said it was because I was wearing a dress.’
He also said that a ‘white lady on the bus’ had shown disapproval of the behaviour towards him and that it was ‘nice to see’.
Darren Osborne (pictured above) was found guilty of carrying out the Finsbury Park terror attack
But when he got off the bus he was abused for a second time on Whitechapel road by a cyclist.
He added: ‘I chased after him but he got away. It was so sad to see such reckless hate and Islamophobia after the event and after all we have been through this week.’
The Imam said he would be reporting both incidents to the police after he returns from New Zealand.
Mr Mahmoud is flying out today in order to visit the mosques which were attacked during Friday’s massacre.
The recent abuse towards the Imam will heighten concerns regarding the growing number of Islamophobic incidents across the country.
Such incidents include a suspected far-right stabbing near Heathrow, over the weekend, and several other incidents of alleged Islamophobia in other parts of the country following the New Zealand killings.
In London police figures show that the number of Islamophobic crimes reached an all-time high in June 2017, with 368 offences recorded.
Since then numbers have dipped with 79 such crimes recorded in February this year.
In response to concerns from campaigners and London’s chief crown prosecutors, who stated that many incidents were not being dealt with correctly by police, the Home Secretary today announced that the budget for the government ‘places of worship protective funding scheme’ will increase to £1.6 million next year – double the sum allocated this year.
Qualifying criteria is set to be relaxed so that sites which are deemed to be at risk will be eligible for financial support to install security measures.
Another £5million is also set to be coughed up in the next three years for protective security training, which is set to enable worshippers and others to gain advice on how to safeguard those who attend mosques or religious venues.
Mr Javid said: ‘The horrific events in New Zealand are a direct attack on the values of tolerance and freedom of worship that unite us all.
‘Nobody should ever fear persecution of their faith and it’s vital we stand together to reject those who seek to spread hatred and divide us.
‘I know many Muslim communities are feeling vulnerable and anxious. But they should seek comfort from knowing we are doing everything to tackle hate and extremism.
‘That’s why we are doubling next year’s places of worship fund – providing physical protection as well as peace of mind.’
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