The government’s announcement of a £117m funding package for mosque security is a bribe which only serves to highlight the disdain with which Muslims are treated.
Instead of genuinely consulting the Muslim community and engaging with it to plan and deliver its own security as is done with Jewish organisations, the govt is trying to appease us with a few crumbs that will barely touch the problem.
More importantly, coming as it does ahead of another ratcheting up of “anti-extremism” policy one has to ask to what extent the conditions attached to this money will be used to further demonise the Muslim community.
