07 July 2015
On the evening of Monday 6 July at 9pm, the Mayor of Harrow, Krishna Suresh and members of nearby community and faith groups including over 30 members from St. Alban’s Church, North Harrow Methodist Church, Hatch End Baptist Church and Kol Chai Synagogue joined members of the Shi’a Ithna’ashari Community of Middlesex (SICM) in North Harrow on the ten-year anniversary of the London bombings on July 7th 2005, and the twenty-year anniversary of the massacres in Srebrenica.
This short commemoration included speeches from Dr. Nizar Merali, Reverend David Tuck, Rabbi Michael Hilton and Reverend John Swarbrick, and was followed by an open iftar (where Muslims break their fast during the month of Ramadan) where everyone shared a meal together.
“This event was an opportunity to pray for the victims of the London bombings ten years ago; to pray for those massacred in Srebrenica twenty years ago; and to pray for all victims of terror and unjust killings throughout the world,” said Sumaiya Khaku, a member of the SICM Executive Committee.
“Those murdered on 7/7 represent the diversity of our city – Muslims were amongst those killed; and scores of Muslims as well as colleagues of mine from the British Medical Association stood up to tend to the wounded, give blood and pray for the victims,” said Dr. Nizar Merali, a local General Practitioner and a trustee of SICM. “What is important is to increase the bonds of unity and friendship and not divide us – and that’s what we have tried to do over the last decade with the local communities.”
Reverend Swarbrick from North Harrow Methodist Church noted that this was not straightforward: “Prime ministers, Home secretaries and others must be seen to be doing something – but identifying that something in a way that brings communities together rather than driving them further apart is becoming increasingly intractable.”
He ended by noting that “confronting passionate certainties is about engagement, education and empathy. And this is the immediate as well as the long-term challenge for us all if we are to seek common ground and live together creatively and well as God intends.”
Rabbi Hilton praised the “amazing community” at SICM as he shared a few words. After encouraging the #WalkTogether initiative as “a way to meet new people because the way to remember hatred is to make new friends”. He ended with a prayer: “The vision of so many of these people is we all have the potential inside us to replace hatred and division with compassion. We all have the potential to turn bad times into good. We all have that human ability to use bad events to service others. May the vision of those who are doing these good works be fulfilled, and may peace come soon in our time.”
Reverend David Tuck from St. Alban’s Church brought twelve people from his congregation “to stand shoulder to shoulder [with those from SICM]. We all share the shame and the horror of the terrible things that are done in the name of religion – all religions, our religions, whether in New York or London, Tunisia or Burma, Balkans or Sri Lanka, or Nigeria.”
When referring to what could be done more locally “where Muslims, brothers and sisters, are being made to feel increasingly isolated and threatened”, referring to the growth in Islamophobia, he talked about our ongoing work: “if we keep on trusting and loving [each other], it will make a difference. We shall live in harmony together here in Britain.”
If you would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact SICM on the email address or phone number below.
Links:
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/sicm.mahfil.ali/posts/692374854228394
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEoEmT69WVw
Contact:
E-mail: info@sicm.org.uk
The Shia Ithna’ashari Community of Middlesex (SICM) is a local Muslim organisation based at Mahfil Ali in Harrow, which is heavily involved in the local community. Further to its deep and long-standing inter- and intrafaith work, it is a founder of a local food bank, Sufra, leads health awareness sessions, provides volunteers to help the homeless and supports the development of sustainable mental health resources in communities with MIND in Harrow. It is currently in the process of building a multi-purpose community centre (the Salaam Centre), which encapsulates its vision of building a more open, accepting and engaged community. To find out more about the Salaam Centre, visit www.thesalaamcentre.com.
Follow SICM:
Website: www.sicm.org.uk
Twitter: @sicm_mahfil_ali
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sicm.mahfil.ali