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Communal tension grows in Bradford

Shyam Bhatia
India Abroad Correspondent in London

Tension between Hindus and Muslims has become evident in the English city of Bradford, where a 350,000 white majority coexists uneasily with 85,000 Asians, mostly Pakistani Muslims.

Bradford's latest Hindu-Muslim differences have surfaced in the wake of serious race riots between whites and Asians in the nearby cities of Oldham and Leeds.

Now a Hindu youth worker claims hostile Muslims are blocking attempts to bring up young people of a different faith as good, law-abiding citizens.

Paresh Mistry, an organiser of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh in Bradford, says his organisation "aims to promote and pursue the basic values of the Hindu way of life and to instil a sense of pride in our identity".

His group runs cultural activities for people of all ages and weekly sessions are regularly attended by more than 100 members, some as young as five.

But Mistry says the club's good work is being undermined by the behaviour of Muslim youths intent on provoking Hindu youngsters to react to their taunts.

The 18-year-old told India Abroad, "Our aim is to encourage our youths to become good and decent citizens of this country, but we are subjected to racial abuse, both verbal and physical, from youths who come from a Muslim background.

"I used to walk to the club with two or three other lads, but as we were walking along, Muslim youths would stare at us and make snide comments about our religion."

In one recent incident, a gang threw bricks at members attending a club meeting. Mistry says foot patrols and police vans need to be in evidence more than ever to react to incidents like these promptly.

"We will never retaliate because we expect the police to be there. Retaliation hasn't got anybody anywhere and it is not our aim. But we feel scared and threatened in an area where most of us have been brought up.

"People are moving out of the area because they are sick of the tension.

"As long as there are these thugs, they are never going to let people live life as we want to."

After the last confrontation Mistry says he and his friends called the police, but by the time the police arrived their tormentors had fled. "It's an ongoing thing that's got worse," explains Mistry, who has won admission to Manchester University from next September to study for a mathematics degree.

A spokeswoman for the West Yorkshire police told India Abroad, "This is quite a complex issue. There are a lot of communities in Bradford and we work with all community partners on all issues. We like to work on all problems together."

Bradford Council of Mosques vice-president Ayub Laher admits the existence of unruly Muslim elements, but says there is also a problem with a small minority of Hindus who identify with the extremist Shiv Sena.

"I am not denying we have a small number of Muslim youngsters who have given up the code of good practice and religious followings," he told India Abroad. "I cannot see a true Muslim having this sort of behaviour.

"But there is also a problem with a handful of Hindus who put themselves out as a part of the Shiv Sena. They stir things up in Bradford and get the brunt of behaviour from Muslim Pakistani youngsters.

"I would be pleased to meet Mr Mistry with my colleagues and we can find out when these problems occur and who they are. We have also told the police we would like to investigate the problem and find out who are the trouble-makers."

Laher said community leaders would need to go to clubs, discos and snooker halls to engage the unruly elements. "These sort of yobs [hooligans] don't come to the mosques and it is a difficult job to get them into line," he explained.

"They don't listen to the elders, they don't listen to the police and they don't listen to authority. That is the fundamental problem. What I'm saying is, don't blame only the Muslims. We have enough problems with our youngsters. Every community has some elements who have transgressed religious and community rules.

"To my mind people practising their faith properly would not involve themselves in such behaviour as thuggism (sic), yobbism, violence, disrespectful behaviour and rowdyism."

The provocations faced by members of the HSS are the latest reported example of Hindu-Muslim tension in the city. Last April chemist Hasmukh Shah complained that his pharmacy had been targeted by unruly Muslim youths who smashed and ransacked his premises, causing up to £6,000 worth of damage.

Shah, a leading member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the United Kingdom, told India Abroad that trouble was sparked off after racial clashes between whites and Asians. "Later, Muslim youths got together and firebombed the pub where a Hindu couple were holding their engagement party.

"After that these same youths moved to my pharmacy, half a mile away, which they smashed and ransacked. Some of them were wearing balaclavas. They blocked the road so the fire engines could not get through."

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