Two senior members of the Jewish community have condemned the “outrageous lies” of a far-right group planning to protest outside a Harrow Central Mosque.
Members of the anti-Islam group Stop the Islamisation of Europe (SIOE) will try again to hold a rally on Sunday, after their last attempt on September 11 ended in violence.
Members of the Jewish community, however, have expressed unequivocal support for their “friends and neighbours.”
In a letter to this and other local newspapers Rabbis Aaron Goldstein and Hillel Athias-Robles, of the Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue, made their views clear.
They said: “We are writing to express our support for our Muslim friends and neighbours, especially those at Harrow Central Mosque, who are under attack from those whose only purpose is to spread hatred and fear.
“We condemn outright the outrageous lies of the English Defence League and SIOE which are entirely without foundation.
“We share the desire of the Muslim community of Harrow to respect our mutual traditions, to learn from each other's cultures and ways of life, and to live together in peace.
“The Jewish community knows all too well what happens when such poison is allowed to go unchallenged: once hatred and intolerance are allowed to spread we all become its victims. “The whole community must stand together against those that seek to divide us.”
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