Punish A Muslim Day: Viral Anti-Islam Campaign Lands In New York After Originating In England

“Punish A Muslim Day” has come to New York, and the NYPD is beefing up patrols around mosques and Islamic centers in the city out of fears that a trend that originated in England may gain traction in The Big Apple.

As Yahoo News reports, a letter began circulating in the United Kingdom designating today, April 3, as “Punish A Muslim Day.” People who participated in the day would be “awarded” points, such as 50 points for throwing acid in the face of a Muslim, or 1,000 points for burning or bombing a mosque.

The handwritten letters appear to have originated in the northern England city of Sheffield, and were sent to at least six recipients before going viral on social media.

“Are you a sheep like the vast majority of the population? Sheep follow orders and are easily led. They are allowing the white-majority nations of Europe and north America to become overrun by those who would like nothing more than to do us harm and to turn our democracies into sharia-led police states.”

Over in the United Kingdom, where the day is winding down as this article is being written, a quick search of headlines from major British newspapers does not indicate any anti-Islam violence having taken place in the U.K. today. Indeed, the story dominating British headlines at this moment appears to be a car crash that killed a British family vacationing in Florida.

Muslims in the U.K. were advised to “unite” and “carry on as normal” in light of the threats.

In New York, however, residents and the police are still bracing for the possibility of anti-Islam violence.

Any of my Muslim mutuals please be careful tomorrow it’s April 3rd or “punish a muslim day” it’s sad that I even have to say this in 2018.

Please keep safe and try not to leave the house for your well being thank you???? pic.twitter.com/u1xXxrtjXa

—???????????????????????? (@prince_ofbusan) April 2, 2018

Police Department spokesman J. Peter Donald says that the NYPD’s Intelligence Bureau learned of the supposed threat in mid-March. However, Donald is not convinced that anyone in New York was interested in taking up the “game.”

“While we have not seen any evidence of this threat gaining traction here, it has generated understandable concern.”

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams called for the letter’s message of hate to be countered by a message of love.

“Not punish a Muslim, let’s embrace a Muslim, let’s embrace a Christian, let’s embrace a person of Jewish faith, let’s embrace the diversity that this city has to offer.”

Similarly, British Muslim activist Shahab Adris suggested a point system of his own: 25 points for buying a Muslim coffee, 500 points for fasting with a Muslim during Ramadan, or 1,000 points for donating money to help with victims of the wars in Iraq and Syria.