Muslim father 'scared' for his family following recent attacks on Islamic community
Abdul Shohid is a member of an Islamic Centre in Newtownards, which was targeted over the weekend.
A Muslim father from Comber says he's scared for his family following recent attacks on the Islamic community.
The 51-year-old is a member of an Islamic Centre in Newtownards, which had a petrol bomb thrown at it over the weekend - but didn't ignite. Graffiti was also painted on the building.
One man has been arrested in connection with an attack.
Abdul Shohid has been here since 1989 - and says his wife and daughters are afraid to go into work and leave the house:
“Sometimes we do get targeted because of our skin colour – racism. One of my daughters works in the shopping centre, she was too scared to go to work on Sunday because she has been targeted in the past. People would come and say, ‘go back to where you came from’ – but she was born here, this is her home. She starts to think - where is my home?”
“Some of us have been here for 30/40 years. This is our home. I’ve been living here all my life, most of us have businesses, we pay taxes, we do everything as everybody else does. What do they mean go back to your home?”
“It’s okay for us, we’ve been here many years, and we have seen dark days. We are used to some of these things. But our younger generations, our family, daughters, wives, they’re not. They are quite scared, in fact, they’re very scared. Because of their appearance, what they wear (hijab) it’s very scary for them.”
MP Jim Shannon has been reassuring the Islamic community in Newtownards that they are welcome in the town.
He visited the centre yesterday with some local councillors, to provide support and a listening ear.
“They are my brothers and sisters, when we take it further than Newtownards town, every one of us are brothers and sisters. I think this incident is a one off, and it does not represent the people of this town one bit.”
Newtownards councillor Naomi Armstrong-Cotter says this behaviour will not be accepted in her town.
She told us people from different backgrounds live altogether in the Newtownards community.
“This is Abdul’s home. He’s been here for as long as I’ve been alive. His grand children go to school with my daughters. They sit beside them, with their headpiece, and my daughters think nothing of it because this is just how we live in this community – altogether.”