Dozens of desecrated graves belonging to Muslim children have been restored following a shocking act of vandalism that rocked Watford earlier this year. Over 60 memorial plaques at Carpenders Park Lawn Cemetery were destroyed on Saturday, April 12 in a suspected Islamophobic hate crime.
Brent Council, which owns the site on Oxhey Lane, held a service for the families affected by the incident on Tuesday, June 3, having previously promised to ‘support the families.’ Councillor Harbi Farah, of the Safer Communities, Jobs and Skills team, confirmed the authority is continuing to work with police to ensure the cemetery remains a safe place.
Parents were left distraught when they learned of the ‘horrific’ incident, with one mother seeing the destruction on social media. Alicia Hussain told Wadi Funeralcare: “To my horror, upon arriving, my daughter’s and other baby graves had a police cordon tape around them. Looking all around my daughter’s grave, all you could see is Muslim children’s plaques had been broken or snapped.
“My daughter’s grave is not just a site with a plaque – it is all I have left of her in this world. Seeing it vandalised has triggered emotions I can barely control.”
Other families found smashed pots and uprooted grass where their children, many of whom were only a few months old, lay. The An-Nisa Society, a Brent-based society that supports the Muslim community, described the incident as ‘traumatic’.
A spokesperson said the ‘targeted’ attack demonstrated a ‘magnitude of hatred’ towards Muslims.
They added: “Desecrating the graves of Muslims is a direct attack on the Muslim community, the most heinous of attacks on a people. It reflects a disturbing pattern of anti-Muslim sentiment that too often goes unacknowledged.”
Brent Council confirmed it is in discussions with police to increase security measures at the cemetery. Extra patrols were deployed by Hertfordshire Police immediately after the vandalism but a longer-term solution is now being sought.
Three Rivers District Chief Inspector, Kio Bozorgi, said: “It is important that we continue to do everything we can to listen to and understand the needs of our Muslim community; we want them to have the confidence to approach the police directly to report hate crimes or incidents when they occur.
“We continue to work closely with Brent Council, which owns the cemetery site, to offer recommendations on how to increase security in the area and prevent a terrible crime like this from happening again.”
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