A Japanese town wrestles with identity after protests over its first mosque

Businessman Mohamed Mohideen has lived successful Osaka for the past 39 years. He moved from his location state Sri Lanka successful 1987 for amended enactment opportunities during the economical bubble.

He has dealt gemstones and aboriginal worked successful trade, exporting utilized cars to countries similar Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

He moved astatine a time, helium says, erstwhile determination were acold less overseas residents.

But Mohideen feels that compared to backmost then, section radical person go hostile and started making hurtful remarks astatine Muslims, some online and successful person.

"On societal media, determination are countless comments like, 'Get retired of Japan' and 'Go backmost to your ain country,'" Mohideen said. "People person besides started coming to the mosque and shouting abuse."

Mohideen goes to the Osaka mosque each time for prayers and different duties arsenic a subordinate of the section Islamic community. He says helium has ne'er felt that his beingness was successful danger.

Despite having bully relationships with neighbours for galore years, Mohideen has noticed the displacement successful cognition towards Muslims much recently.

"Now, I consciousness that radical are acrophobic of us."

The verbal maltreatment has worsened successful caller years. He recalled members of his Muslim assemblage being called terrorists, accused of making bombs, and being told to get retired of Japan.

"When that happens, the lone happening we tin bash is beryllium patient. They're trying to provoke a combat oregon make a confrontation. They privation to spot however agelong we'll tolerate it," Mohideen explained.

"So we enactment calm, talk gently, and dainty them kindly, due to the fact that Japanese radical mostly don't cognize overmuch astir Islam."

Still, helium thinks determination is immoderate shared work for the rift.

"We focused lone connected our enactment and, for a agelong time, didn't marque capable effort to assistance radical recognize who we are. We besides didn't bash capable to go portion of the society," helium said.

"From present on, I privation to enactment harder to summation dialog and physique amended communal understanding."