Arrest after mosque replica put on top of loyalist bonfire in Northern Ireland - as Muslim Council warns UK on 'dangerous path'
Despite welcoming the arrest, Naomi Green from the Muslim Council of Britain believes the response has to go beyond policing.
A man has been arrested in Northern Ireland after a replica of a mosque was placed on top of a loyalist bonfire pyre - with the Muslim Council of Britain warning LBC that the UK is on a "dangerous path".
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The same bonfire has attracted controversy in previous years, including last year, after effigies of migrants in a boat were also burned on a bonfire in Moygashel.s are due to be set alight tonight.
In a statement on Thursday morning the PSNI said: “Police are aware of the item placed on top of the bonfire in Moygashel.
“A 56-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of contravention of Article 9 of the Public Order (NI) Order 1987.
“He remains in custody at this time," the Belfast Telegraph reported.
The same bonfire has attracted controversy in previous years, including last year after effigies of migrants in a boat were burned.
'Sad and frustrated'
Speaking to LBC, Naomi Green, Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain based in Northern Ireland, said seeing the replica mosque on top of the bonfire made her “sad and frustrated”.
“It’s also scary because it's part of a wider pattern of intimidation that our communities have experienced with the pogroms last month. The violence that's happened over the last two years and the attack on the mosque last year. All these things doesn't make Northern Ireland very welcoming."
Despite an arrest being made in connection with the incident, Ms Green believes the response has to go beyond policing.
"There has to be a community response and there has to be leadership on this to call it out.”
'Double standard'
Ms Green said there are no or very few Muslims living in the town of Moygashel, Co Tyrone, where the bonfires were built, so attitudes are being shaped by "internet scaremongering about Muslims."
She explained: "It's really frustrating that entire communities are being defined by individual acts and groups which you do not see the Christian community across the world being defined by the UVF who were on the streets of Belfast smashing up homes and setting homes on fire just less than four weeks ago."
Ms Green described this as “an absolute double standard” and added what concerns her most is the impact on the children.
"Northern Ireland is a multi-faith society now and we always talk about the two communities, the Catholic and Protestant communities, but you know, Muslims have been in Northern Ireland for over a century.
"This kind of stuff, is telling the kids that they don't belong, they're not really Northern Irish.
"Some people want that. They want us to feel like our children don't belong. But that's that's not the future I want for Northern Ireland.”
'Dangerous path'
Mustafa Al-Dabbagh, also from the Muslim Council, said the government needs to get a handle on this.
“It needs to tackle it at its root otherwise it's just going to get worse and worse”.
He added this means treating Islamophobia with parity with all other sorts of hate crimes.
Mr Al-Dabbagh said acknowledging the UK has a problem is the first step to solving it.
"We are going down a dangerous, dangerous path here in Britain where Muslims are being targeted. Islamophobia is being left to run rife in our country and in our society.
"It's time something is done about it," he concluded.
Eleventh night bonfires will be lit across Northern Ireland on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings ahead of the Orange Order’s July 12 parades, which are taking place on Monday.
While most of the bonfires pass off without incident, several have become the focus of contention due to the placing of flags, effigies and election posters on the structures before they are ignited.
Last month in Moygashel, police removed a banner from a children’s playpark, stating it was being treated as a hate crime.