Birmingham mosque windows smashed during Islamophobia Awareness Month

The Muslim community in Sparkhill has been left shocked as people awoke to news that their local mosque had been vandalised in the early hours of Friday morning.

The appalling incident took place at 6:43am today (4 November) and local people are still reeling from the shocking attack.

As Islamophobia Awareness Month – which aims to tackle and remove Islamophobia – takes place around the country there was a despicable attack on a Birmingham mosque in the Sparkhill area of the city.

The Paigham-E-Islam mosque which is situated in Fulham Road, off the main Stratford Road, was targeted by a man carrying a backpack containing bricks and stones shortly after 6:30am this morning.

CCTV footage from the mosque shows the man calmly making his way between parked cars and hurling bricks at the windows of the Muslim place of worship.

The criminal is also seen taking out what appears to be a catapult from his pocket which he loads with a stone before taking careful aim at the mosque.

The fact that the individual arrived at the location carrying concealed offensive materials, with intent to cause damage, raises serious concern about public safety.

The CCTV footage shows the offender walking around the location in what seems to be a predatory and orchestrated manner. The attack on the mosque appears to be calculated and deliberate rather than a random act of vandalism.

The Friday prayer – known as Jummah (congregation) – is a significant and important prayer for the Muslim community and the timing of the attack on the mosque seems unnerving.

A member of staff at the mosque told I Am Birmingham that the shattered glass left the interior of the mosque looking like it had been hit by a “missile in a war zone” with shards of broken glass littered all over the place.

“It’s a miracle no one was injured or killed. This was a serious incident,” added the staff member who wishes to remain anonymous.

Thankfully, there were no worshippers in the building at the time of the destructive attack.

All of the windows on the lower ground floor of the mosque which face Fulham Road were left with gaping hopes after being smashed by the brazen hoodlum.

West Midlands Police have reportedly taken a suspect into custody in connection with the disturbing incident.