If there's still any doubt about swelling Islamophobia in the wake of the Paris attacks, look no further than the most recent example in the British city of Leeds, where a man allegedly tried to buy a heap of pig heads and trotters with which to desecrate mosques.
The incident was reported by a butcher in the city who reportedly called a local councilor and explained how a “smartly dressed” man had come into his store asking to buy as many of the pig parts as possible, when asked why, the butcher said the man replied he wished to target mosques.
Pig meat is commonly considered unclean by Muslims, and has been used in various attacks on Islamic communities in the past.
Unfortunately, Islamophobia in the UK does not appear to be dying down, with a reported 300% rise in incidents since the November 13 massacre in Paris. However, not all attacks are physical, with the persecution of Muslims also occurring online in the form of hate speech. In a recent case, a salon owner was arrested for saying that she will no longer serve “anyone from the Islamic faith whether you are UK granted with passport or not.”
The case in Leeds was reported to the Leeds Muslim Community Safety Forum during an event aimed at tackling hate crimes last week. Though it's unclear when exactly it took place, the report comes at a time when West Yorkshire Police reported 75 such crimes against Muslims in the past four months, and increase from the 40 reported in the previous eight months.
