Mercy Muroki: Demonising British Somalis is 'a national embarrassment'

It’s been reported this morning in The Times that British Somalis have been receiving death threats after the brutal murder of Conservative MP Sir David Amess. Why?

Because the man arrested on suspicion of his murder is by a British-Somali man.

According to the reports, some Somali community centres have been forced to close and Somali residents have had objects thrown at their windows – with police investigating a number of incidents.

The people doing this may think their misdirected vigilante justice is somehow honouring the memory of Sir Amess. It’s not.

They may think that targeting random innocent Somali Muslims is somehow "sticking it to the terrorists". Its not.

In fact what they’re doing is disgracing themselves, dishonouring Sir David, and exposing themselves as a national embarrassment.

I get it – people are angry that a humble man just going about his life, trying to help others in the job he loved could be stabbed to death in broad daylight.

Of course people are angry that yet again, radical islam has claimed a life on British streets. And we should be angry.

Angry that people who commit terrorist offences in this country are not locked up for nearly as long enough.

Angry that the likes of Anjem Choudary, an Islamist extremist who has been responsible for radicalizing countless people, is out of jail and back on our streets.

And in fact, the man arrested for Sir David’s murder was obsessed with Choudhary, according to a friend. I’m angry that we are too reluctant to have a robust grown up conversation about Islamism, without fear of being deemed islamophobic.

I have legitimate concerns about Islam and many of the cultural practices in Muslim communities.

Although, you cannot fight hate with hate.

There’s one word virtually everyone who has paid tribute to Sir David has used to describe him: ‘kind’. And that’s exactly what we need more of – kindness.

Because if we resort to allowing this tragic incident to divide us further – we let those who want to harm our way of life win.