Isleworth: Muslim women and children were turned away from a friend's funeral after vandals blocked the entrance to their temple with lorry-loads of industrial waste.

West London's Shia Muslim community is calling for councillors and police to take a stand against vandals targeting the Hussaini Islamic Mission in Isleworth after a series of racist incidents led to women and children being forced to miss important prayer meetings.

Female members of the Thornbury Road mission, which is the only Shia prayer hall serving west London, Spelthorne, Surrey and Buckinghamshire, have been barred from attending prayer services for the past week after three lorry-loads of building waste and rubbish were dumped outside the centre's entrance on Friday, November 2.

Fazle Ali Syed, a member of the mission, said: "We had to say ladies couldn't go to a third day prayer meeting for a man who died, because it would mean they entered through the men's entrance, which is strictly against the rules. I had taken my mother-in-law there, and she was really upset when she was told she would have to go home and wouldn't be able to attend the prayers for her friend.

"People are feeling victimised because it seems the door has been deliberately blocked. We have spoken to six councillors and the police, and Hounslow Council is adamant that it is not going to move it because it is on private land and the police have done nothing.

"It's going to cost us up to £6,000 to remove the rubbish, install a boundary wall and a camera and we just don't have the funds."

Sayed Naqvi, secretary of the mission committee, said the prayer hall had already erected an iron fence and gate after smaller fly tipping incidents.

However, the recent discovery of dog excrement in a plastic bag hanging from the gates and racist graffiti daubed on its foundation stone has increased concerns.

Mr Naqvi said: "There is an element of prejudice. One person tied a bag full of dog excrement to the iron gates about two weeks ago.

"I don't know if the dumped rubbish has anything to do with Islamic prejudice, but there are people in the community who don't like us being here and when people gather outside for prayers they are aware of it, but this is something different."

A Hounslow Council spokeswoman said the council could not help or investigate the offence because the prayer hall is on private land. She said any prosecution would have to be led by the Environment Agency.

November 15, 2001 11:00