Al-Azhar Slams ‘Provocative’ Mosque Hate Crime in Oxford
In a statement shared on social media, the Cairo-based observatory described the act as “provocative” and cautioned that repeated incidents of this nature “deepen divisions within British society.”
The AOCE, launched in 2015 by Egypt’s Al-Azhar, monitors global Islamophobia and works to challenge misconceptions about Islam.
The condemnation follows an incident earlier this week in Oxford, where pork meat was smeared on mosque door handles and an Israeli flag was fastened to one of the building’s doors.
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The mosque administration confirmed the discovery, noting that worshippers were unsettled but remained committed to fostering peace and unity.
Thames Valley Police Chief Superintendent Ben Clark denounced the act, calling it “an act intended to harass and insult worshippers.”
“There is no place for such behaviour in our community,” he said, pledging that police would pursue those responsible. Extra patrols have been deployed in the area to reassure the community while the investigation continues.
Incidents involving pork are a recurring feature of anti-Muslim hate crimes in Britain, given the religious prohibition against consuming pork in Islam.
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Rights groups have long warned of a rise in Islamophobic hostility in the UK. The monitoring organization Tell MAMA UK reported a sharp increase in anti-Muslim incidents in recent years, including a 335 percent surge in reported cases in the week following the October 2023 war in Gaza. The group has also documented frequent harassment of https://iqna.ir/en/tags/9506/1/mosques-in-ukand Muslim institutions across the country.
The observatory emphasized that hate crimes of this kind are not limited to targeting Muslims but also undermine the wider cohesion of multicultural societies.
Authorities have urged anyone with information about the Oxford incident to come forward as investigations remain ongoing.
Source: Agencies
