British Asian Christian Association has been surprised at the lackadaisical response from the MET and Essex Police, in response to a Muslim man who threatened to urinate on the Bible in a public place in the UK.
The reaction seems to be in complete contrast to their involvement in a public meeting where a frightened mother had to plead for her son’s life after 4 school pupils were accused of desecrating the Koran (click here).
Headteachers suspended the 4 children involved in the horseplay that resulted in some minor scuffing of the Koran, and local councillors became heavily involved in brokering peace.
West Yorkshire Police failed to arrest or convict any of the people who threatened the lives of the children – though one perpetrator was warned by police.
Despite months of complaining and contacting the MET and Essex Police about the threat to urinate on the Bible in a public place, absolutely nothing has been done to even warn the Tik Tok user named Master Kalyogi Rafidhi for his outburst. Read more and watch a video (here).
After a Tik Tok threat to publicly urinate on a Bible was made by a UK Muslim and shared publicly, it was condemned by an evangelist in Pakistan, one in the UK and one in the US. Several Christians in the UK shared the matter with UK Police forces, but none seemed to want to get involved.
Juliet Chowdhry was one of those who reported the matter to the MET police, after being asked to assist by large numbers of UK Christians. A petition was also created and shared on-line which was signed by 334 people and had over 180 comments.
You can still sign our petition (here)
Initially the MET police were taking an interest and they had stated they had investigated the Tik Tok account and found it to be genuine. They were provided with the telephone number of the Tik Tok user after he had targeted a UK convert from Islam to Christianity with threats and abuse. This was a separate incident that the man chose not to take up with Police.
Unfortunately, British Asian Christian Association, is registered in London and uses a London address for correspondence, because Juliet Chowdhry, lives in Essex the case was transferred to Essex Police. They have now sent a letter stating they cannot investigate because the perpetrator resides in Pakistan, an assertion which is incorrect. Moreover, in a call made only weeks earlier to Essex Police it was clarified that the man is a resident of the UK and his telephone number was again shared with Essex Police.
Juliet Chowdhry, Trustee for British Asian Christian Association, said:
“A man who is threatening public nudity and the desecration of a Christian Bible – sharing his hatred for Christians on a global stage and challenging them, does not warrant a call from police.
“Whereas police officers are wiling to attend a public meeting in a mosque while a mother pleads for her son’s life after some horseplay.
“The same police officers fail to arrest those who threatened to kill school-children.
“This suggests to me that our police officers are assuming the role of Sharia-Police.
“It’s a diabolical direction for UK Constabularies to traverse.
Mrs Chowdhry, is taking this matter up with the local sergeant.
Mrs Chowdhry, added:
“Bizarrely, Essex Police have assumed the incident occurred in Pakistan – possibly because the man in speaking in Urdu and an assumption that everyone in the UK speaks English all the time?
“Their failure to contact the culprit via the UK telephone number I shared, is an example of poor administration.
“There can be no other explanation, they certainly did not tell me that urinating on a Bible or threatening to do so on social media is an acceptable freedom of speech.
“Nor did they say that the challenging of English people and Christians to stop him, were acceptable freedoms of speech.
“I hope they do not, as surely threats and challenges of this nature are polarising and incite hatred.
I am aware of the new police guidance that was recently implemented after the media storm following the wakefield Koran desecration incident, so far they have not used this to deflect responsibility.”
British Asian Christian Association is concerned about how UK police investigate hate-speech matters only weeks after the British Government announced new statutory guidance for dealing with ‘Non-crime Hate Incidents’ Read more about the new guidance (here).
The new guidance came in the wake of a woeful approach to accidental damage to a Koran caused by young children during some horseplay, that led to the suspension of four pupils from a school in Wakefield.
The local Muslim reaction to the incident was condemned by UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman, who stated she had “deep concern” over the incident. She said it raises broader issues of free speech after numerous death threats were made against four year 10 students.
Mrs Braverman described the understandable alarm across the country and said she shares it.
“We do not have blasphemy laws in Great Britain and must not be complicit in the attempts to impose them on this country.
“There is no right not to be offended.
“There is no legal obligation to be reverent towards any religion.”
Warning that respect for freedom of speech was “going in the wrong direction”, she said Islam should not expect a “special status” to protect the religion from disrespect.
“There is a long, ignoble history of that, which goes back at least as far as the furore over The Satanic Verses.
“It is rooted in a view – actually a bigoted one – that Muslims are uniquely incapable of controlling themselves if they feel provoked. And it has excused agitators using fear to force people to bend to their demands.”
At the time, Naomi Chowdhry, a 15 year old, year 10 student who volunteers for British Asian Christian Association, said:
“I just can’t understand why some people have such desire to kill, especially when it seems that whatever happened at the school was not meant to offend.
“But we live in a world where people place more value in the pages of a book, than a human life.
“Studying RS reveals how most religions describe God as a divine being, who loves His creation and cherishes life.
“The content of religious books are meant to help with salvation and guide readers to eternal life, not lead to their demise.” You can read her full comment (here)
