As news about the terrorist attack against Muslims in North London circulated this week, there were other reports of attacks on Muslims such as one that took place in Virginia, in the brutal murder of a 17-year old teenager. Much like the London police labeled their crime a terrorist attack, officers in Virginia originally labeled theirs and act of road rage. As more details develop, however, it's likely that authorities could still treat this case as a hate crime.
Car hit by bag of vomit
One article by the Associated Press (AP) recently collected a series of accounts that describe assaults and threats against Muslims in England.
For instance, they report that two women in Lancashire -- one of who was reportedly wearing a head scarf -- told officers that their car had been hit by a bag of vomit earlier this month. The bag was launched from a white van as they were turning on a major road. Lancashire police were said to be investigating the incident as a hate crime. The women said that they followed the van and took pictures of its number plate, and also described the suspects as white, medium builds and in their 20s or 30s. The reports said that the smell of the contents of the bag was foul and was likely vomit.
Offending Islamic principles
The AP also pointed to another account about worshippers who were attending the Omar Faruque Mosque in Cambridge who reported that strips of ham had been left on their vehicles, meat that is forbidden in Islam.
In the past, right-wing gun owners have taken to social media and posted anti-Muslim memes that suggest wrapping bullets in bacon when shooting a Muslim, saying that it would send Muslims straight to Hell.
Back in 2013, Religion News Service via Huffington Post wrote about an Idaho dying, and finishing company called South Fork Industries who were named as part of an offensive campaign of claiming to make ammunition called Jihawg Ammo.
The claim was that that the bullets were coated in pork-infused paint and buying them would deter Islamic terrorists from launching an attack if they thought they might be shot with the ammo.
Nationalists harass Muslims
The AP article also refers to a report that Muslim families received letters telling the "you are no longer welcome in this country," which is the further -- and perhaps even isolated -- evolution of when right-wing nationalists throughout Europe and in the United States, aggressively protested against Muslim immigrants.
Even those who are natives to the area that they are being told to leave. Much of this anger towards immigrants was spurred by the Muslim refugees who have been escaping war-torn countries such as Syria for Europe.
Right-wing Islamophobia
Right-wing politicians have taken the opportunity to campaign against refugees saying that "their" countries were being taken over by Middle Eastern outsiders. This would trigger the Brexit vote where the United Kingdom has started to cut their ties with the European Union in order to close off their borders. This would also contribute to the sentiment that would spur the demographic that voted for Donald Trump as the United States president. This has been seen as the guideline by the media as well as law enforcement, who are forced to respond accordingly.
