U.K.: WORRIES ABOUT A BACKLASH AGAINST MOSLEMS WERE OVERBLOWN...

Backlash against Muslims exaggerated

LONDON (Reuters) - Fears that the country's Muslim community would be become the target of widespread race hate crimes in the aftermath of the July 7 London bombings last year have proved exaggerated, prosecutors said on Monday.

Figures from the Crown Prosecution Service showed that while there had been a blip in attacks against Muslims and Asians after four Muslim extremists detonated bombs on the underground and a bus, there had been no major backlash.

"The fears of a large rise in offences appear to be unfounded," said Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald.

"Although there were more cases in July 2005 than for any other month, the rise did not continue into August and overall in 2005-2006 there was an increase of nine cases compared to the previous year."

"From the summary case reports sent to me for religiously aggravated offences, we have noted 12 such cases for the month ... after July 7 and in six of those cases the defendants referred specifically to the London bombings," he added in a statement.

In the weeks after the suicide attacks which killed 52 and wounded 700, some Muslim groups had said crimes against Muslims and Asians had risen by as much as 600 percent in the immediate aftermath.

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1) Backlash against Muslims exaggerated