The number of anonymous hate letters encouraging Britons to “Punish a Muslim” on April 3 has risen to more than 15, triggering fear across UK cities and a major police counter-terrorism investigation.
The anonymous post started arriving on Saturday in plain white envelopes with second-class stamps. They were sent to addresses in London, Bradford, Leicester, Cardiff and Sheffield, suggesting ways to target Muslims and win reward points - 10 points for verbally abusing a Muslim, 1,000 points for bombing a mosque and 2,500 points to “nuke Mecca”.
Tell MAMA, the UK anti-Muslim hate monitoring service, told The National that 15 people had reported letters to the group. Some wanted to know if it was safe for their children to play outdoors.
“The reaction from those who have received the letters is fear, trepidation and a hesitation to go out. In fact, we have also had people who have asked us whether it is okay to go out on April 3rd,” Iman Atta, director of MAMA, said.
Four British MPs with South Asian backgrounds also received Islamophobic hate mail this week, along with packages containing a harmless sticky liquid. MP Rupa Huq said she was worried that the package addressed to her went through House of Commons security but “even more worrying that someone out there thinks it is open season on Muslim MPs".
Riaz Ahmed, a Liberal Democrat councillor in Bradford, in West Yorkshire county, was contacted at his business address.
“It seems strange that anyone would send something like this to an address in a predominantly Muslim area,’’ Mr. Ahmed told The Mirror. “I was horrified.”
“Are you a sheep like the vast majority of the population? Sheep follow orders and are easily led,” the letters read. “They are allowing the white-majority nations of Europe and North America to become overrun by those who would like nothing more than to do us harm and to turn our democracies into sharia-led police states.”
Scotland Yard and other police forces have warned residents to be vigilant.
Naz Shah, a member of Parliament from Bradford West, said the North East Counter Terrorism Unit coordinating the investigation told her the letters appear to be linked.
The counter terrorism unit didn’t respond to a request for comment on Thursday and the significance of the date April 3 is not clear.
Tell MAMA said at least some of the letters appeared to have been posted in Sheffield, which is a “concern” because similar letters sent to mosques in the UK and US in May 2017 were also posted from Sheffield. No other link has so far been established.
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Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
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Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16, second leg (first-leg scores in brackets):
PSG (2) v Manchester United (0)
Midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
MATCH INFO
Leeds United 0
Brighton 1 (Maupay 17')
Man of the match: Ben White (Brighton)
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 592bhp
Torque: 620Nm
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
