Grieving Muslims in Birmingham have urged youth to keep calm after the stabbing of a 75-year-old Muslim grandfather, complaining about a spike in racist attacks in the area by supporters of far-right groups.

“Some residents have complained about an increase in racist sentiments days before the attack,” Jahan Mahmood, a local historian and community activist, told The Birmingham Mail.

“Some members of the Muslim community of Small Heath are adamant that the killing of pensioner Mohammed Saleem was retaliation for the six who were planning a terror attack against EDL supporters in Dewsbury.”
The death of elderly 75-year-old Mohammed Saleem last week shocked the Birmingham Muslim community.

Saleem, who walked with a stick, was knifed four times in the back so viciously on Monday night that the wounds penetrated his chest.

Adding to the puzzle, the victim, who had no “defensive wounds”, was not robbed and his family have said there was no reason they knew why anyone would want to hurt him.

“Whilst speaking to locals I came across a heart-rending story about Mohammed Saleem who, while walking home recently, saw a drunken white man slumped on the ground and decided to tend to him when, strictly speaking, a Muslim is not supposed to interact with anyone who is intoxicated,” Mahmood said.

Police have already said that the stabbing Saleem as he walked home from a Birmingham mosque may have been racially motivated.

They also released CCTV clips showing a white man running along Wyndcliff Road, next to Little Green Lane, at the time of the stabbing.

The man was described as aged 25 to 32 and was about 5ft 8ins tall. He was of medium build and has brown hair.

The accident followed increasing complains from anti-Muslim racist attacks.

West Midlands Police said they were stepping up patrols in the Small Heath area over the Bank Holiday weekend amid rumors that Saleem had been targeted by English Defence League (EDL) supporters.

Worries

Leaders of the Muslim community urged youth to keep calm and leave the issue to police forces.

“There is a general concern among members of Birmingham’s Muslim community that some young men could feel the urge to take to the streets to defend their territory,” Mahmood, the Muslim activist, said.

“Local people are apprehensive and don’t want to see this matter to spiral out of control.

“We are urging the community to calm down and let the police do their job and not to try and take matters in their own hands based on rumor,” he added.

British Muslims, estimated at nearly 2.7 million, have been in the eye of storm since the 7/7 2005 attacks.

A Financial Times opinion poll showed that Britain is the most suspicious nation about Muslims.

A poll of the Evening Standard found that a sizable section of London residents harbor negative opinions about Muslims.

In Britain, far-right groups like Ukip, EDL and BNP have been playing the card of immigration to stoke sentiment against Muslims and immigrants.

In November 2010, British police warned that the anti-Muslim demonstration by the EDL fuel extremism and harm social cohesion in Britain.
http://www.onislam.net/english/news/europe/462520-uk-muslims-urge-calm-after-elderly-death.html

https://islamstory.com/en/artical/11992/urged-calm-after-elderly-stabbed