The council and its leader have hit back at a New York Times journalist who branded Dagenham a “stronghold of anti-Muslim nativists” in a newspaper article.
David D. Kirkpatrick, an American journalist based in Cairo and formerly a UK correspondent, wrote the article, which paints Barking and Dagenham as a divided borough in a post-Brexit Britain.
“For years, even as the rest of London changed, the borough stayed largely the same, an almost all-white anachronism,” says the article.
Both Muslims and white British residents feel a sense of unease about the current political climate, he says.
Mr Kirkpatrick interviewed Muslim residents and his article highlights their concerns.
Nails are repeatedly thrown over the walls of the Al Madina Mosque to puncture the tyres of those praying inside, claims Ashfaq Siddique. The Al Madina Mosque is taking safety precautions by installing CCTV and hiring security.
Mr Siddique also notes that moderate Muslims are “in the middle” of religious conservatives and hostile white British residents.
But council leader Darren Rodwell has hit back at Mr Kirkpatrick’s very negative depiction of life in the borough.
“We have over 130 different communities in the borough and the council is doing everything to involve and include everyone in its journey to make the borough a better place for all,” he said.
“It is a problem when people come into our borough for a day and take a snapshot of one or two viewpoints which are definitely not representative of the majority. It is unfair to simplify such an issue in this way.”
A council spokesman said they are working to “increase understanding and break down barriers” in the community.
“We are keen to make sure the differences we have in our community aren’t seen as a negative thing, and painting our borough in this way is just offensive to everyone living here trying to make our borough a better place,” he added.
Barking MP Margaret Hodge is quoted in the article as saying Brexit voting constituents she spoke to thought voting leave in the EU referendum wrongly thought the borough would “go back to what it was in the 1950s,” which is not going to happen.
You can read the New York Times article here.