Girl, 10, too scared to leave the house on 'Punish a Muslim Day'

A 10-year-old girl is too scared to go out because of so-called ‘Punish a Muslim Day’, it has been claimed.

Jo Swinson, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, tweeted a screenshot of a text from a friend that read: “my ten year old daughter has just told me she doesn’t want leave the house tomorrow because of “punish a muslim” day”.

The MP for East Dunbartonshire added: “I received this text from a friend last night. A 10 year old girl afraid to go outside, just because of her faith. The impact of rising bigotry in our country is heart-breaking. Sending love to Muslim friends and fellow citizens today.”

Threatening letters circulated in London and other UK cities had named April 3 as a national day of action against Muslims.

The letters, reportedly received by Muslims in London, Yorkshire and the Midlands – as well as several MPs – call for various attacks on Muslims corresponding to a scoring system.

Several police forces have previously confirmed receiving reports relating to the letters, sparking investigations.

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The hashtag #PunishAMuslimDay was trending on Twitter on Tuesday (April 3), but the vast majority of tweets were messages condemning it.

And some other countries reported that the UK was having such a day. Middle Eastern news site Rudaw English tweeted: “Muslims in United Kingdom are on high alert following anonymous letters threatening acid attacks, violence and bombing of mosques on April 3rd.”

Tell Mama UK, which monitors anti-Muslim activity, issued a security bulletin that urged people to “continue your daily routines” yet remain vigilant and look after each other.

The bulletin included safety tips such as sticking to well lit, busy public routes, keeping family and friends informed about travel plans and avoiding shortcuts through unlit areas.

Police reportedly said there was “no credible information” that hate crimes would happen but it encouraged local communities to unite in the face of threats.

A spokesman said an investigation is ongoing to identify those behind the letters.

Several people tweeted that they were staying in to avoid the risk of potential attacks.

They included artist Suman Kaur, from Leeds, who is Sikh but told Yahoo News UK that her mother had urged her not to go out because there was a higher chance of someone who wasn’t white being attacked.

“The sort of attack that’s primarily put towards the Muslim community doesn’t just affect the Muslim community. Any hate is not justified but everybody is sort of being tarred with, ‘ok, if you’re brown you’re automatically Muslim’. As a Sikh person it’s hard and I’m sure other minority groups who aren’t Muslim are being affected by this.”

She said: “I feel scared going out because I’m brown. It’s scary for me and I was born here.”

Suman, who won the BBC’s The Big Painting Challenge 2017, said she had been on the receiving end of abuse.

“The first time I got called names was when I was about eight. When I was growing up we would leave certain places and I wouldn’t know why.

“Last year I was photographing a war memorial and somebody yelled our from a car that I was going to bomb it and everyone should leave. I wasn’t wearing a hijab, I just had my camera.

“It affects your life every day – not just on a day like this. Every day, and you don’t have to be Muslim to feel it.”

(Top picture: Stock/Getty)