UK Islamophobia: Haters smash, vandalize Muslim gravestone in Lancashire

A Muslim man's grave has been vandalized and its tombstone smashed at a cemetery in the UK, in an incident which prompted British police to launch an investigation as family hints at possible hate crime.

According to reports, Naveed Hussain said the headstone of his late father, Syed Itrat Hussain, had been smashed to pieces, adding that the vandalization of the grave had left him heartbroken.

Police said the incident was being investigated, but would not clarify if it was being treated as a hate crime as yet.

UK media on Tuesday cited Hussain as saying that he initially thought the damage to the grave was the result of its ground collapsing, but now he thinks it has been intentionally done.

“When we checked first we thought it may have collapsed but then we showed it to a local stonemason and he said this would have been done by someone. It is a very heavy object and you can see for yourself it would have taken real intent to do this," he said.

He added, “It appears to have been smashed with an object of some sort. I do not know why anyone would want to do this. My father was a hard-working simple man who did nothing but good for everyone."

The incident is believed to have happened over the past fortnight in the Muslim section of Pleasington cemetery within the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England.

In England, there are British Muslim communities, comprised of both Shias and Sunnis, who are spread across towns and cities in the North West.

UN rights experts have found systemic racism in the UK not only resulting in hate crimes against minorities, but also leading to the erosion of the rights of people of color.

The incident comes amid rising Islamophobia in the UK.

SS