Muslim women respond to a hate crime by handing out roses at Forest Hill station

In response to an alleged attack on a train commuter at the Forest Hill station, London, Muslim girls decided to distribute roses to ’trump hate with love’. Iysha Arun, a local Muslim, was the woman behind the gesture of peace. In the wake of the Forest Hill station stabbing, she announced on Twitter that she would respond to the hate crime by distributing roses at the same station.

Volunteers with The Dialogue Society and the Mevlana Rumi Mosque joined Arun to hand out flowers to passersby. Gluistan Arslan, a 23-year-old volunteer at Dialogue Society said their primary intent was to spread peace in the community by giving out roses. “A lot of people came and approached us. We met a young lady who witnessed what happened. She told us what we were doing really warmed her heart and that really got me teary,”Arslan told Daily Dash.  

Iysha Arun wanted to break the negative stereotypes that surrounded Muslims. Together, she wanted to show the community that they, as Muslims, aren’t who the attacker thought they were. People were overwhelmed by this act of kindness. It received appreciation and sparked a positive reaction on social media too. The recipients and onlookers embraced the volunteers and thanked them.

The distribution of roses was organised by the Dialogue Society, from Holloway, and the Mevlana Rumi Mosque in Edmonton was lauded on Twitter with posts and pictures. The alleged attacker, Adrian Brown, 38, stabbed the bystander and shouted, “ I want to kill Muslims ". The victim suffered injuries to his head and torso. Adrian Brown, charged with attempted murder, possession of offensive weapon and assault by battery, was remanded to custody and is to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 11 January.