Makram Ali, 51, was killed on June 19, 2017, when Darren Osborne drove a rented truck to worshipers gathered outside a nearby Muslim Welfare House shortly after Ramadan night prayers. Twelve others were injured. The president of the mosque, Mohammed Kozbar, said Muslims still did not feel safe in the UK. “The problem we are facing is that not much has changed in dealing with Islamophobia since this attack,” he said. Kozbar said he remembers Theresa May, who was prime minister at the time, promising to take action “to tackle this disease that causes Islamophobia”. However, five years later, he said, “we have no definition of Islamophobia.” He said the situation for Muslims in the UK had deteriorated further, pointing to the “institutionalization of Islamophobia” by the government and some parts of the media. “We as Muslims are still feeling the effects of this attack and we will not feel safe until Islamophobia is taken seriously by the authorities and the police,” he said. Ali’s daughter, Ruzina Akhtar, was among them at the memorial service. She said that as a Muslim, she wanted everyone to “express any Islamophobic behavior as it still exists, so it is dealt with immediately”. She remembered her father as “a compassionate husband, a loving father and a loving grandfather who was adored by all.” “Our dad was first and foremost one of the kindest human beings you could ever meet, who always had a smile on his face and made jokes at random times to make others laugh,” Akhtar said. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am “His death left a black hole, but we remember his smile and laughter, we surround this hole with more love for each other, as he would like.” Flowers were laid on a plaque that read “Makram Ali – husband, father and beloved grandfather of his loved ones Zarif and Seyham”. Osborne was sentenced to life in prison in 2018 for killing Ali and attempting to kill other people. The judge, Justice Cheema-Grubb, said his choice to target a group wearing traditional Islamic clothing reflected “an ideology of hatred towards Muslims”.
