London mosques receive gloating Islamophobic letters after Turkey/Syria earthquake
At least two mosques in London have received Islamophobic letters following the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria which has left more 42,000 people dead.
A disturbing letter was sent to Masjid Ramadan mosque in Hackney, east London, on Wednesday and Metropolitan Police confirmed another mosque in east London was also targeted.
Masjid Ramadan mosque chairman Erkin Guney told the Standard he has been left sick to his stomach.
The letter to the first Turkish mosque in the UK read: “I could not stop smiling watching the people being pulled from the rubble, some dead, some still sadly alive.”
The letter also said “the more Muslims that suffer the better” and the writer said they wished for another earthquake in the region.
Mr Guney said: “It turned my stomach over, completely. I’m still sick in my stomach that someone should be sending us a letter at a time of such a tragic situation.
“I am praying for the man to find some love. I’m upset that …in 2023 we should still have so much hatred towards mankind.”
Mr Guney said the mosque community is “proud to be Turkish Cypriot” and has “personally lost family members” in the deadly earthquake.
“Two volleyball teams who went out to play, and they won, they came back in coffins.
“There’s 48 children, three mothers and two teachers. They’re members of our community, they’re cousins, we’re all connected,” he explained.
“We have experienced this tragedy amongst ourselves. It is personal. We’ve also seen some of the video footage of people trapped inside the buildings trying to get rescued. We wish we could do more.”
Mr Guney said his community has received a lot of support and care, including visits from police and Hackney councillors.
“We’re overwhelmed with the real love shown to our people,” he said.
The Met said it received a report of a letter sent to two mosques in Hackney containing racist and Islamophobic language.
“Enquiries are ongoing. There have been no arrests at this stage,” police said.
Survivors are still being pulled alive from the rubble in Turkey more than 10 days after a devastating earthquake, but such rescues are increasingly rare.
The quake killed at least 36,187 in southern Turkey, while authorities in neighboring Syria have reported 5,800 deaths – a figure that has changed little in days.
While several people were found alive in Turkey on Wednesday, the number of rescues has dwindled significantly. Neither Turkey nor Syria have said how many people are still missing.
For families still waiting to retrieve their lost relatives, there is growing anger over what they see as corrupt building practices and urban development that resulted in thousands of homes and businesses disintegrating.
