A North London woman has spoken of feeling ‘anxious and nauseous’ as she travelled to visit her husband’s grave after reports of dozens being desecrated at a cemetery. More than 80 Muslim graves, including those of children and babies, were destroyed in what a local cllr has called a ‘barbaric and cowardly act’.
The horrendous attack, which took place in an area of Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery on Oxhey Lane in Watford, appears to have been an Islamophobic hate crime, according to Brent Council – which owns the cemetery. Hertfordshire Police has launched an investigation into the incident and deployed additional patrols to the site.
The crime has caused ‘real pain’ to the community, according to Brent Muslims – a group of young residents dedicated to tackling Islamophobia in the borough – as many of them have relatives buried in the cemetery. Fozie Derissy is one of those and described hearing the news of the desecrations as ‘the most gut wrenching feeling’.
Fozie told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “My husband was recently buried in this cemetery and the anxiety and feeling of nausea till we reached the cemetery – I can’t begin to describe how my family and I felt.”
She added: “Thankfully my husband’s grave was unaffected but to see the destruction of children’s graves was callous and pure evil. How are these people allowed to get away with this? It’s incomprehensible.”
Another took to TikTok to talk about how ‘upset and angry’ he was to learn that grave sites had been ‘rampaged and vandalised’, including that of his late father’s. Posting as @Cash&CarryFam, he said: “The worst part is that they targeted the children’s graves. I don’t know what kind of person you have to be to do that.”
A staff member at Wadi Funeralcare, located nearby, described feeling ‘heartbroken and outraged’ following the incident, which has ‘deeply shaken’ the community. They were first alerted to the crime by a bereaved family member who had recently buried their loved one at the site and said their ‘pain and anguish were deeply felt by all of us’.
They added: “We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the many individuals and organisations who responded swiftly and stood in solidarity with the affected families and our wider community. […] We remain in close contact with the families and local authorities and will continue to monitor the situation.”
Representative of Hujjat Muslim Community and local cllr for Three Rivers District – where the cemetery is located – Cllr Abbas Merali, said he was ‘devastated and outraged’ by what appears to be a ‘deliberate and targeted hate crime’. He told the LDRS: “I have spoken to several families impacted and offered them my full support and prayers. There is no place in our society for such barbaric and cowardly acts.”
The An-Nisa Society, a Brent-based society that supports the Muslim community, called the attack ‘a symptom of a wider problem’ of Islamophobia that has left many Muslim residents feeling ‘unheard and unprotected’. Brent Green Party has expressed its ‘solidarity with the Muslim community’ and called for a full investigation on the basis that it is an Islamophobic hate crime.
Brent Council Leader, Cllr Muhammed Butt, assured families that the council will reinstate the damaged name plaques and return the cemetery to a ‘peaceful, quiet place of remembrance’ as quickly as possible. He also encouraged anyone who may have information which could help the police with their investigation to call 101.
He said: “This is a very serious incident, and we continue to work closely with Hertfordshire Police to inform family members and bring the perpetrators to justice. […] It looks as though Muslim graves have been targeted, in what appears to be an Islamophobic hate crime. There is absolutely no place for hate or discrimination of any kind anywhere, but particularly in London – a city where everyone is welcome and our diversity is one of our greatest strengths.”
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cash_n_carry_family/video/7493224376171646230?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7492050474705241622
