Young muslims 'scared' to walk the streets after nationwide riots raise safety concerns

  • Mehran, Ruqayya, Sami and Haleema spoke with presenter Gamal Fahnbulleh about what it is like to be a young muslim in the UK.

A group of young muslims say they feel "scared" to walk the streets following the riots across the UK, sparked by the Southport stabbings.

Mehran, Ruqayya, Sami and Haleema all live in the north of England, and believe more needs to be done to tackle racism. They were brought together by the Youth Leads UK Charity.

When asked how Mehran was feeling after the last couple of weeks, he said: "Quite scared, worried to leave home, always second guessing whether we should be in certain places at certain times, and it's not nice.

"It feels like we've gone back in time many decades, and it's certainly not the Greater Manchester or the UK that we know and love."

Imam hails 'lightbulb moment' during sit-down with protester
Mehran believes people are reluctant to call out islamophobia when they see it. Credit: ITV Granada Reports

"I think there is a huge need for us to come together now to think about how we are reacting to this - not to react in the wrong way, not to fight fire with fire, not to add fuel to the fire - but to stay strong, and know there is a path forward".

Ruqayya is in her late teens, and has lived in Bolton for her whole life. She said: "I'm 18 years of age now and it's a weird feeling for someone like me right now.

"I've grown up in this country, I was born in Royal Bolton Hospital - my mum is a dental nurse, my dad's an avid member of the community - this is all I've known.

"So for me to feel fear coming here and speaking to people of colour, to see people of colour in this conversation and for me to second guess whether I can go out the house - it's a very strange feeling to be honest".

Ruqayya has lived in Bolton throughout her life, but feels fearful in her own community. Credit: ITV Granada Reports

Sami believes only those experiencing racism can fully understand what it means, and he continues to feel elements of racism in the UK.

He said: "Being from an asylum-seeking background, I feel like my community are specifically targeted.

"On one side I feel like my community is Manchester and I've been Mancunian most of my life, and I believe myself to be Mancunian, but this puts that entire sense of belonging in jeopardy.

"On the other side, I can also see that the austerity that the previous government has put people through, people feel neglected, they don't feel heard.

"And I sympathise with the fact that most of the people who are in these riots - they are not racist - they just feel like they've not been heard - and they just want somewhere to put their anger and frustration in and it's just been channeled through this way."

Sami says he continues to experiences racism in his everyday life. Credit: ITV Granada Reports

He said: "I feel like racism is something you can only experience, you can never truly understand.

"Of course they can empathise with how you're feeling, but they can't actually put themselves in your shoes because they don't feel this day to day.

"We experience it - we see it - you can see the stares on the tram when you're going from point A to point B - you can feel the voices in your head constantly telling you what if something goes wrong?"

He added: "I was in bed the day the riots were happening at 11:30pm, and every single time someone walked past the house, my anxiety spiked."

When asked what the solution is, Sami called on the government to do more.

He said: "It needs to come from the top, it needs to be seen in policy, it needs to be done by the government to make sure every single person, if they're living in Britain they're a priority for the government, and it should be seen as such."

Haleema believes more should be done to protect the muslim community. Credit: ITV Granada Reports

Haleema said: "I just feel very scared because I'm not used to ever feeling like this - feeling this worried about my surroundings, about my neighbourhood.

"I've never felt like this before, and I've lived here all my life ever since I was born, so feeling like this is not a very nice feeling.

"Knowing that they're attacking a certain group, such as women who wear a hijab, I just feel very unsafe and unsettled."

Incidents of violent unrest have spread across the country following the fatal stabbings of three girls at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Southport last week.

More than 400 people have been arrested, over 120 have been charged and a number of those convicted have been jailed in fast-tracked court appearances.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...