{"id":35959,"date":"2025-10-07T14:18:34","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T13:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/?p=35959"},"modified":"2025-10-10T10:35:54","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T09:35:54","slug":"why-is-mosque-arson-hate-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianvoice.org.uk\/index.php\/why-is-mosque-arson-hate-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is mosque arson a \u2018hate crime\u2019?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Political<\/a>
Residents are urged to \u201cstand united\u201d after the attack, which is being treated as a hate crime Credit: Jamie Lashmar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A man has been arrested after a suspected arson attack at a mosque, according to the Telegraph.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Sussex Police previously released images of two balaclava-clad people approaching the building in Peacehaven, East Sussex.<\/p>\n

The pair are seen in footage appearing to spray accelerant on the entrance and igniting a fire.<\/p>\n

A 46-year-old man remains in custody after being arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n

Nobody was hurt in the blaze, but significant damage was caused to the mosque and a nearby vehicle.<\/p>\n

Background<\/h2>\n

A mosque in Peacehaven, East Sussex, was set on fire on Saturday night by \u201carsonists in balaclavas\u201d, in what police have immediately classified as a hate crime, according to GB News<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Emergency services were called shortly before 10 p.m. after reports that masked individuals had set fire to a car and the entrance steps of the Peace Community Centre and Mosque.<\/p>\n

Sussex Police<\/b><\/a> stated that two people were inside at the time, including an elderly man believed to be the imam, but thankfully no injuries were reported.<\/p>\n

Detective Superintendent Karrie Bohanna described it as a \u201cfast-moving investigation,\u201d urging witnesses with CCTV or dashcam footage to come forward.<\/p>\n

The police said: \u201cWe are treating this as a suspected hate crime targeting the Muslim community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uphold Christian freedom
\nand repeal ‘woke’ laws \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n

Churches across the UK suffer similar attacks<\/h2>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Over 9,000 crimes reported at UK churches in just three years- National Churches Trust.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the Peacehaven incident has rightly drawn swift condemnation, Christian churches across the United Kingdom have also endured a wave of arson attacks, often without such immediate designation as hate crimes.<\/p>\n

The speed with which the recent fire at the Peacehaven Mosque was officially described as a hate crime has raised questions about consistency and equality before the law.<\/p>\n

Yet in numerous church arson cases, including those where Bibles were burned, crosses desecrated, or clergy targeted, police hesitated to describe the attacks as motivated by hate or received the same level of public and police attention. Such disparity gives the impression of a hierarchy of victims.<\/p>\n

This raises a legitimate question: why are some faith communities granted immediate recognition and protection under hate crime provisions, while others are not?<\/p>\n

Until police forces across Britain adopt consistent criteria in defining hate crimes, allegations of \u201ctwo-tier justice\u201d will continue to surface.<\/p>\n

Lev 19:15 Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.<\/b><\/p>\n

Over 9,000 crimes <\/b><\/a>were reported at UK churches and places of worship between 2022 and 2024, including theft, vandalism, criminal damage and arson, according to the National Churches Trust and Countryside Alliance. Of these, 3,237 incidents were listed as \u201ccriminal damage, vandalism, and arson.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Among recent cases<\/h2>\n

In 2024, the BBC reported<\/b><\/a> an arson attack on a church in east Belfast. It was described it as a \u201cracially motivated hate crime.\u201d<\/p>\n

Two masked men used an angle-grinder to cut a hole in the shutters of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Templemore Street. A flammable substance was thrown inside and set alight.<\/p>\n

Firefighters put out the blaze, which damaged the shutters and the building’s front hall. More smoke damage was also caused inside.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, at St Andrew\u2019s Church,Twyford, Derbyshire<\/b><\/a> , a fire in the vestry damaged a medieval oak chest. Police arrested a 23-year-old man and investigated it as a possible hate crime.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, fire ripped through St John the Evangelist, Palmers Green<\/b><\/a> , North London on New Year\u2019s Day, It was confirmed as arson. Yet police did not label it a hate crime.<\/p>\n

All Saints Church<\/b><\/a>, Fleet (Hampshire), was gutted by arson in 2015. It took eight years and millions of pounds to rebuild the Grade II listed building.<\/p>\n