Hello Everyone!

I am writing to you with a deep sense of trouble and concern following the hate crime yesterday, when the Stratford Islamic Centre Mosque was targeted; and a hateful and Islamophobic slogan was daubed on one of its walls. To do this to a place of worship building is nauseating and rightly should be condemned. 

As soon as the Council was alerted by the police, officers rapidly moved to remove the offensive word. As the criminal investigation continues to find the perpetrators of this hate crime, the Police are increasing patrols in the area with the support of the Council’s Community Safety teams who are providing dedicated patrols today, including a dedicated patrol car to visit all mosques in our borough over the weekend as part of our reassurance to our Muslim communities; and our CCTV operators will be undertaking extra vigilance as well.

I understand that this hate crime will have made many members of our valued faith communities anxious and concerned, and that is why I have written to faith leaders in Newham to reassure them that we are taking this incident very seriously.

Islamophobia will not be tolerated in our borough and there is no place for hate in Newham – or anywhere in this world. 

On Monday we will be marking National Holocaust Memorial Day 2025 over at the Old Town Hall in Stratford. 

This year marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration camp representing the monstrous and unfathomable horror of the Holocaust where 6 million were murdered just because they were Jews. They also murdered people from the European Roma and Sinti community, gay people and  disabled people too. 

This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia, where 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were murdered – something the world thought could never happen again, but which sadly we have seen repeated on our TV screens and newspapers in Cambodia, Rwanda, Darfur and elsewhere. 

It’s painful to reflect on this history and that is why I will always stand up to persecution and hate. Fear and intolerance are the seeds of hate, and we have sadly seen how far too easy it is for extremists and those who want to spread hate to play on people’s fears and exploit situations, particularly on social media, stirring up anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim hatred. This is something I discussed with senior Christian and Muslim faith leaders when they visited the borough last year. 

We are blessed living in such a wonderfully diverse borough, where people from so many communities live side-by-side. A quarter of a million people, with over 240 different languages and dialects spoken. I was reminded of this recently when I had the honour of presiding over a Citizenship Ceremony for new British nationals over at East Ham Town Hall; and reminded of our proud history here in Newham of welcoming people from all around the world for opportunity and for safety. 

The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day this year is “For a Better Future” – remembering and learning about the past, and taking action for a better future for all. We owe it to all those who have suffered to remember and educate, particularly our children and young people. 

That’s why we must always remain courageous in the fight against prejudice, intolerance and hate, wherever it occurs. 

As I light a candle at our Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony on Monday I’ll be saying a prayer for all those affected by genocide, and praying for a better future. 

I hope you’ll also take a moment on Monday to pause and remember, and think about what actions you can take. If you would like to attend on Monday, you can find details and register here. 

Take care, and look after yourself and your loved ones.

Best wishes,

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz OBE

Follow what I am up to via X/Twitter: @rokhsanafiaz

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