Three years since my dad was murdered by an Islamophobic terrorist, Muslim lives are still at risk in the UK

I remember the surgeon saying he had never seen such horrific injuries on an elderly man

(Maz Saleem)

Today is the third anniversary of my father Mohammed Saleem's brutal Islamophobic murder by neo-Nazi terrorist and mosque bomber Pavlo Lapshyn.

I will never forget the day I received the phone call from my sisters whilst I lay on my sofa in my London flat. Those horrifying words remain etched in my mind forever: “Dad’s been stabbed,” cried my sister Fazia on the phone. Seconds later came the next call: “Dad’s dead,” sobbed my eldest sister Shazia.

The shock and horror I felt at the time is still pretty hard to fathom today. I instantly packed my case and headed towards the tube, in tears. I could hardly take in what I’d just been told. Within an hour I was driving to Birmingham with Shazia and my brother-in-law Hanif. The journey to Birmingham was spent in complete silence, mainly due to shock, and punctuated with sudden bursts of tears. None of us could understand why this had happened.

We arrived at Heartlands Hospital in the early hours of the morning. What happened from then on is all a bit of a blur, but I remember running into the hospital and noting the police presence as my sister explained who we were. We were told to go and wait in a special room inside, as hundreds of our relatives and neighbours had already congregated in the other hospital waiting rooms, hoping for news about Dad. That huge presence was testament to Dad’s life and personality: he was a kind, loving man who spent most of his time helping family and neighbours alike.

After a short amount of time, a surgeon walked into the special room we were gathered in with immediate family. He seemed very distraught. I remember him saying he had never seen such horrific injuries on an elderly man – and at that point I couldn’t listen to any more. I left the room and sobbed outside the door.

We were told by the police that we could not see Dad, even though his body was in the room in front of us, because we could contaminate vital evidence with our breath.

Pavlo Lapshyn is now serving 40 years for my father’s murder and three mosque bombings in the West Midlands – all acts of terrorism. He was charged under terrorism laws. Yet, to this day, the media, the police and the government have not treated Pavlo as they would if the terrorist was a Muslim.

Since my father’s passing I have been an active campaigner against racism and Islamophobia, and I’ve had the privilege of being invited to speak on many high-profile platforms. But it’s safe to say that I’ve never been given as high up a platform as our prime minister David Cameron, whose message seems very different to what I believe about Muslim victims and integration.

Cameron blames Muslim women not learning English for their lack of opportunity and equality. He makes veiled threats that those needing visas extended might be removed if they don't learn the language. His policies have strengthened institutionalised racism. He is further fuelling the Islamophobia which is burning through the world right now. And he is silent on the issue of Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith, who has been criticised for campaigning against Sadiq Khan by referring to him as a ‘radical’ and saying he has links to people with ‘extremist views’.

We are still struggling to cope with the tragic loss of our father in my family. We are Muslims and the victims of terrorism. Quite rightly, we do not equate all white people with Pavlo Lapshyn, but we are tired of being treated like potential terrorists by so many white British people ourselves.

The brutal murder of my father may be one of many. But it’s important that we pay attention to the killings of Muslims, each and every one of them, and resist the temptation to turn a blind eye. Muslims are enduring intense discrimination in everyday life, at the hands of some sections of the media and through government policy.

We should all unite and continue to fight this tide of Islamophobia which will continue to devastate the lives of families like ours until it is brought to an end.