Aftab, one of the brothers, said that they were walking to home, near a new Islamic center in London that was targeted by some 250 EDL protesters, when they ran into the rally and soon found themselves surrounded by a gang of racists.
He said one of the protesters upon seeing them shouted “Muslim bombers off our streets.”
“Suddenly everything changed. I was pushed and five men attacked me -- I was punched. I could see a much larger group of between 30 and 50 of them surrounding my brother," he recalled.
Aftab explained how his brother Mohammad was on the floor, with the gang kicking and punching him all over. "He couldn't move. I was terrified-I didn't know if he was alive,” Aftab said.
Mohammed also said, “I don't know how long they beat me for I just remember seeing shoes flying at my face.”
Despite the EDL's history of violent demonstrations, the police did not bother to escort the event and even after the violent attacks on the brothers they were allowed to continue marching and no one was arrested.
While the English Defense League claims on their Facebook page to "protect and promote the Human Rights" and "promoting Democracy and the rule of law by opposing Sharia," analysts attribute the sudden formation and rise of the racist group to mounting support from politicians and the media for Islamophobia in Britain.
Consequently, insulting, ignoring, and caricaturing Islam and Muslim communities is considered as acceptable, since they judge these defaming ways as part of culture, not symptoms of racial discrimination.
Critics complain that the EDL is openly intimidating Muslims and Asian residents across Britain with impunity, with the British government allowing the blatant provocation under the pretext of freedom of speech.
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