Scotland Yard is investigating the circumstances behind a "suspicious" fire at an Islamic boarding school in a south-east London suburb.
More than 120 pupils and staff were evacuated from Darul Uloom School, in Foxbury Avenue, Chislehurst, yesterday. Two men were treated for the effects of breathing in smoke.
"The fire was extinguished shortly after the arrival of London Fire Brigade. Enquiries continue into the circumstances of the fire. At this early stage it is being treated as suspicious," a Metropolitan police spokesperson said, adding that no arrests have been made so far.
London Fire Brigade said there was minor damage to the building and 21 firefighters tackled the blaze.
It follows a rise in religious hate crimes after the killing of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, south-east London, by suspected Islamist terrorists last month.
Last week, a Somali cultural centre and mosque was burned to the ground in Muswell Hill, north London, and the letters "EDL" - the initials of the right-wing English Defence League - were found scrawled on the outside.
The Darul Uloom school said they did not want to comment yet and were "dealing with the parents".
The 3,000 pounds-a-year boarding school was established in 1988 with the purpose of producing "great scholars and Huffaz (people who have memorised the Quran) to preserve and transmit the eternal message of Allah", according to the school's website.
Meanwhile, the 'Observer' reported that an American Islamic group has been advising British mosques on security measures, including the installation of safe rooms and panic alarms, warning that they are at greater risk than in any other western country.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has discussed its revamped security regulations with the UK's Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) in light of the murder of Rigby.
Fiyaz Mughal, director of the conflict resolution charity Faith Matters, said too many mosques remained vulnerable to attack in the aftermath of Woolwich.
He warned that, of the UK's 1,500 mosques, 1,300 urgently needed to improve security.
"There are a significant number of mosques that don't have CCTV, that don't do an audit of their lighting around their building. Many of these mosques you can walk into without anybody asking anything. The vast amount of mosques really need to reconsider their safety measures. I would classify them as vulnerable," he added.
