Hertfordshire Police treat vandalism of Muslim graves as Islamophobic hate crime

HERTFORDSHIRE Police have said they are “confident” the desecration of Muslim graves at a cemetery in north London “was a religiously motivated act”.

The leader of the council that owns the cemetery visited the site last week to speak to grieving families following the horrific incident.

Officers were informed of ‘widespread damage’ on April 13 to 85 grave plaques in Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery, all of which were in an area reserved for Muslim burials. Many of those affected marked the resting place of babies and young children.

Members of the Muslim community in Brent said the crime caused “real pain”. The police said while they continue to investigate all lines of enquiry into the “terrible crime”, it was officially treating it as an “Islamophobic act”.

The head of Hertfordshire’s Local Policing Command, Chief Superintendent Jon Simpson, said last Tuesday evening (15), “During the initial stages of our investigation we explored several hypotheses as to how the damage may have occurred and for this reason, we had to be mindful of the words used to describe the incident in the public domain.”

He added: “However, now our inquiry has progressed we are confident that sadly, this was a religiously motivated act. We would like to reassure those affected, and the wider Muslim community, that we are continuing to treat this crime extremely seriously.”

The investigation team said it will liaise with Brent Council, which owns the cemetery site off Oxhey Lane, as they work to ‘identify the families whose loved ones’ graves have been targeted’.

The council confirmed it will ‘reinstate the damaged name plaques’ once the police have finished their investigation.

Council leader Muhammed Butt visited the cemetery last Monday (14) and spoke to grieving families who he said are ‘understandably in shock’.

He added: “There is absolutely no place for hate or discrimination of any kind anywhere, but particularly in London – a city where everyone is welcome, and where our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.”

The police have been working with the chair of the Hertfordshire Association of Muslim Police (HAMP), Sergeant Irfan Ishaq, to assist with communication to the county’s Muslim community.

Ishaq said: “Our focus remains identifying the families of those whose graves have been affected so we can provide support and advice. Given the number of graves involved, and the fact that many of the families affected may no longer live locally, we anticipate this will take some time as we continue to be sensitive and respectful in our work.”

He added: “We recognise that news of this crime will not only impact the Muslim community, but also those from all walks of life. There will continue to be a police presence in and around the cemetery to reassure our community and provide advice where needed.”

(Local Democracy Reporting Service)