ATTACKS ON SOMALIS "ARE UP SINCE KILLING OF LEE RIGBY"

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Attacks on Somalis "are up since killing of Lee Rigby"

by Ciaran Fagan

Members of the Somali community fear they are suffering an anti-Islamic backlash following the death of soldier Lee Rigby.

Somalis said they have been spat at, verbally abused and, in some cases, thugs have tried to pull off women's veils or scarves.

Jawaahir Daahir, founder and chief executive of Somali Development Services, a community group in Highfields, Leicester, said it was hearing more reports of abuse than it would usually expect.

The group met senior police officers on Tuesday to outline its concerns.

Ms Daahir said: "You cannot know what motivates people to do these things, but we have noticed an increase in incidents since the tragic death of Lee Rigby.

"There has been swearing and racist language in some cases, but also there have been incidents of people being attacked."

We have heard a woman had to run into a shop in the city centre to escape from some men and we have also heard stories of two women being spat at.

Another woman posted on Facebook that she was afraid to leave her home and felt she was under house arrest."

Chief Superintendent Rob Nixon, head of policing in the city, said reported incidents would be investigated.

He said: "The incidents referred to by Jawaahir are very concerning.

"I would urge anyone with information or who has suffered to contact us.

"Since the death of Lee Rigby, we have been carrying out significant work within the community, including daily messages to community leaders, reassurance visits and patrols.

"We pride ourselves on the strong relationship we have with the Somali community and hope if there are any concerns regarding the recent events they can approach us with confidence."

Suleman Nagdi, spokesman for Leicestershire's Federation of Muslim Organisations, said: "We have not picked up on any increase in incidents since the tragic death of Lee Rigby.

"There is always the possibility these things are happening to people but are not being reported to the police.

"We would urge people to report all incidents of this nature, so the people who are responsible can be held to account.

"Officers are searching for a cyclist who tried to pull off a Muslim woman's face veil as he rode past her in London Road, Leicester. The woman was targeted as she walked with her family to Victoria Park at 6.50pm on Sunday, May 26. On Monday this week, the letters EDL – thought to refer to the English Defence League – were written on a bin at Oadby Islamic Centre, in Sandhurst Street. In the past year, Leicestershire Police said it had seen a 9.9 per cent reduction in hate crimes – with 44 fewer offences than in the previous year.Anyone with information should call police on 101.

SO. FAREWELL THEN, HASHIM DUALE MBE

At Taylor Road Primary School this evening for a dinner in honour of Hashim Duale. Or at least, that's what it said on the invitation ...

Hashim (in the centre of the photo above) has worked selflessly and tirelessly on behalf of the Somalian community in Leicester (and beyond) for more than a decade. He was a member of Leicester Council of Faiths when I took up my post in 2007 (although he resigned a couple of years later). He was awarded the MBE earlier this year for his services to the cause of community cohesion. You can hear Hashim speak about his early life experiences on BBC Radio Leicester's Leicester Voices archive (this is from 2003 but is still definitely worth listening to). This evening's event has been promoted as Hashim's "leaving do", but there turns out to be more to it than that ...

There's a generous spread of Somalian food. I was at first concerned that there may not be that much on offer for vegetarians, but I end up with a fuller belly than I've had in weeks. I'm even tempted back for seconds, a practice I'm conscientiously trying to give up.

After the food and the chance to mingle for a while, we take our seats in the school's main hall. We're formally welcomed by Jamal Ibar, Chair of Horn Concern, a Leicester-based charity which is hosting this occasion. This is where we realise that there's more to this evening's gathering than meets the eye. Jamal announces that we're actually attending the presentation of the Horn Concern Achievement Awards for 2012: celebrating outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions to the life of the Somalian community in Leicester. This has been kept under wraps so as to ensure it remains a surprise to at least two of the recipients of the three awards being presented here.

The first award goes to Chief Supt Rob Nixon, Leicestershire Constabulary BCU City Centre Commander. Rob has helped maintain close relations between Leicestershire Police and the Somalian community, overcoming barriers of culture, language, race and religion. The award is made with particular reference to his role in establishing and maintaining confidence and security on St Matthew's estate at the time of the most recent visit by the English Defence League in February this year. He's plainly taken aback at the presentation and emphasises how this is an award for his whole team. It's a good opening that the first of these awards goes to someone who is not himself a member of the Somalian community, but has worked with it and for it in such a beneficial way.

The second award goes to Idil Abdi Osman, a print and broadcast journalist who has worked for the BBC World Service and for Voice of America. When she gets up on stage to accept the award, she says it's the first time in her life that she's been lost for words!

It comes as no surprise when the third and final award is made to Hashim Duale. The presentation is followed by various people offering their own praise to the main man this evening. Many of them can barely finish their paeans without choking back tears, including (more than once) Hashim himself.

Hashim also receives the Chief Superintendent's Commendation, which has been given to only five members of the public in almost three years. This is presented on stage by Rob Nixon (who is clearly more at home giving awards than receiving them!)

There's also a brief presentation to Hashim from the Federation of Muslim Organisations.

At the end of the evening, one question remains: if this is Hashim's leaving do, where's he actually going? I and many others ask him this but he remains tight-lipped. Who can blame him though? The man deserves a break.

VOLUNTEER IS MADE MBE FOR CITY WORK

This article is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Volunteer is made MBE for city work

A community leader was presented with an MBE by Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace yesterday.

Hashim Duale, 44, a hard-working volunteer and member of the Somali community on Leicester's St Matthew's estate, was recognised for his work to promote harmonious relations between the city's different communities.

Mr Duale was one of hundreds of thousands of Somalis who left his country during the war and famine of the 1990s.

He said: "There were 43 of us receiving honours and we went up to collect them and had a chat with the Prince, and then he shook our hands to signal the conversation was over and we stepped back.

"I think my conversation was one of the longest because he was very interested in the situation in Somalia.

"He was saddened by the fact people are still dying and there's still war going on. He clearly knew a lot about it.

Mr Duale was accompanied on his trip to the capital by his family.

He said: "I took my children aged seven, 10 and 11 along, as well as my wife. My children were hoping to see the Queen. They were very well behaved."

Mr Duale's volunteer work is aimed at integrating the Somali community in Leicester. He serves on advisory panels for both the Bishop of Leicester and the police.

He is also involved with the Federation of Muslim Organisations in Leicester, and the Muslim Burial Council of Leicestershire.

Hashim was a member of Leicester Council of Faiths when I took up my post in the summer of 2007.

visit of Swedish MP

An unexpected meeting this afternoon at the Welcome Centre with a couple of visitors from Sweden. Suzanne Eberstein is a Member of the Sveriges Riksdag - the Swedish Parliament. Among the many posts and portfolios she holds, she is Deputy Chair of the Committee on European Union Affairs and a Judge in the Administrative Court of Appeal. Accompanying Mrs Eberstein is her Political Adviser, Margareta Fallman-Strandberg.

Mrs Eberstein talks about having seen a programme on Swedish television (as long ago as two years, I think) about Leicester as a model of a multicultural city. She's made the trip to Leicester to find out first hand how we do things.

I'd been invited to meet our visitors in the evening and hadn't expected to see them in the afternoon, but found myself in the office when they arrived and it was a good opportunity to make them a cup of tea and for Ajay and me to speak with them while we await the arrival of our Chair and of Hashim Duale. Hashim is a representative of Leicester's Somalian community and our visitors are particularly interested in finding out how that group has settled here and to compare their situation with those of Somalians in Sweden.

At the end of our chat, there's an exchange of gifts - Manjula gives Mrs Eberstein a sari, which says she'll try and wear at the next Nobel Prize award ceremony dinner. That'll be one up for Leicester!

In the photo (l-r): Margareta Fallman-Strandberg, Suzanne Eberstein, Cllr Manjula Sood (Chair of Leicester Council of Faiths), Ajay Aggarwal, Hashim Duale