Offensive letters claiming to be from Finsbury Park Mosque were distributed to Islington residents, police have said.
The hoax letters, described as “very inappropriate” by mosque chairman Mohammed Kozbar, were distributed across the borough using the false heading “Welcome to Finsbury Park Mosque”.
The letters, seemingly sent from a married couple, urged residents to learn more about Islamic teachings to stop them from “parading in English football clothing” and engaging in behaviours that “me and my wife might find offensive”.
Mr Kozbar, who has been the mosque’s chairman since 2005, on Monday said : “We had calls from residents who said they received a letter from the mosque with our logo on it.
“But it didn’t look like an original from us and had some very false and inappropriate messages on them.
“It was obviously done by someone who wants to divide the community and damage the reputation of the mosque – the letters were quite obviously forged and unprofessional.”
Described recently by Jeremy Corbyn as a “wonderful community asset”, the mosque once had links with radical preacher Abu Hamza, as well as alleged connections with the 7/7 bombers.
Fearing the impact of hoax letters at a time of heightened religious tensions, Mr Kozbar, said: “In this climate, with the recent events in France – the last thing we want to do is divide communities and have any tension between communities.
“We’ve been trying to bring them together – and we’ll keep doing that.
“But letters like this only inflame the situation.”
Highbury West Police have called it a deliberate attempt to “incite racial hatred”.
PC Haitham Darrat, the neighbourhood officer for Highbury West told Islington Now: “A letter was being delivered using forged Finsbury Park Mosque heading urging the recipient to change their lives and embrace Islam.”
Highbury West Councillor Andy Hull visited the mosque this week with London Metropolitan University students, showing public support following the reports.
Police have appealed for anyone with information to come forward to assist with the ongoing investigation.
Photo: Rod Ardehali
