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We're leaving the country after racists abused and spat at me
Last updated at 10:07am on 24.11.06A white Muslim mother who was spat at and abused by drunken football fans in front of her children today told of her humiliation at the hands of the "racist cowards".
Mother-of-five Michelle Idrees, 27, from Luton, said she had been too scared to travel to London or use public transport since the ordeal.
British-born convert Mrs Idrees was called a "f***ing Muslim slag" and told her son, then aged four, would be the "next suicide bomber" by a family of Arsenal supporters on a busy train.
She is now planning to leave Britain because she feels her children have no future in this country. Mrs Idrees said: "It was terrifying. All my children were crying hysterically, but these men wouldn't stop.
"It makes me sick to think things have got so bad for Muslims that three men can say such disgusting things and threaten to punch a mother in the face, in front of her children, and nobody on the train does anything."
One of the men had called her a "Paki-loving whore" and told her to go back to her own country.
"They were big, aggressive men. I wouldn't have answered back but I had to protect my children. Britain's changed so much since 9/11 and 7/7 that people think we're all terrorists."
Mrs Idrees, who was wearing a headscarf, had been to London last August to attend an Islamic commemorative service for victims of the London bombings. She was travelling home on a Thameslink train with four of her children Stephen, 12, Chelsea, 10, Sharnia, six, and Shazan, five, as well as a friend's two children and a neighbour, when the half-hour tirade began. Mrs Idrees, who converted to Islam after meeting her second husband, told the men that real Muslims did not support terrorism.
"They called the police and told them I had bomb in my handbag. Then they called a black woman on the train a nigger. They're just racist cowards."
Charles Adams, 23, from Colindale was jailed yesterday for 15 months after pleading guilty to spitting in Mrs Idrees's face and religiously aggravated assault and affray. His brother, Mark Edward Adams, 26, and father Mark Raymond Adams, 50, pleaded guilty to lesser offences and received a 30-week suspended sentence and community service respectively.
Mrs Idrees and her children are moving to Pakistan, where her third husband Mohammed Arif 's family are from, next month. "My kids will all be able to choose if they want to be Muslims,î she said. "But I want them to live somewhere they feel accepted and where they don't have to suffer abuse."
Reader views (5)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Jk, London, UK - Interesting viewpoint:
‘Let's ALL go and live in a military dicatatorship where women can be publicly humilated for showing a square inch of flesh.'
As opposed to living in a country like the UK where you can be publicly humiliated whilst everyone watches, without lifting a finger, whilst the verbal assault on a defenceless woman and her children continues, solely because she has chosen to follow a particular religion.
This is a clear case of people thinking they can get away with this sort of vile act. Why was this case not on the national news tv and papers? Oh yea, it involved a Muslim being victimised, can't be having none of that now can we, as we all know...Muslims are always the aggressors... or 'terrorists' as the Blair/Bush government would like us to believe.
- Jarvider, London
Yes, why not go and live in Pakistan, a country held up as a shining light throughout the world as a beacon of exemplary human rights, equality for all and the advancement of women! Let's ALL go and live in a military dicatatorship where women can be publicly humilated for showing a square inch of flesh.
Utterly ridiculous.
- Jk, London, UK
I cant believe that Charles Adams was only given 15 months in jail! What makes this a further insult to the victim is that Charles may not have to serve the whole sentence!
It's a shame that other passengers didn't intervine.
- Vishal Thakrar, Wembley, Middlesex
I can not condone actions like those of the football hooligans, however with regards to Britain being a different place post 7/7 I am sure it is. The country has had to come to terms with British citizens turning themselves in to suicide bombers and attacking the Capital. Mrs Idrees refers to being shocked that people on the train were ignoring what was going on, a bit like non fanatical Muslims ignoring the preachers of hate that poison the minds of young Muslims in the Mosques of Britian.
- Gareh, London
As a proud Arsenal fan I am horrified at the behaviour of these spineless, ignorant cowards. Arsenal are known for the wide ethnic mix of their fans and players and, at a time when football is going to great lengths to kick racism out of football, these people bring shame on their club and themselves. I am pleased to say that, in my experience, these attitudes make up the minority of opinion amongst Arsenal fans. I hope the club get their names and ban them from the club for life. Either that, or get them in a room with William Gallas and Kolo Toure and see if they have the guts to use racial abuse then.
- Goonergirl, London, UK
