A Service of Hope held by Finsbury Park Mosque and Muslim Welfare House

Hundreds attended a prayer service held at very short notice for the victims of the Finsbury Park hate attack today, July 3^rd, which was attended by many London leaders, including the Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor of London for Policing and Crime, Sarah Newton MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Vulnerability, Safeguarding and Countering Extremism,  Dr Ahmad Al Dubayan, Director General of the London Central Mosque, Bishop Pete Broadbent, Acting Bishop of London,  Councillor Richard Watts, Leader of Islington Council, the Rt Hon Jeremy Corbyn MP,  Member for Islington North and Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition, and Dr Omer El-Hamdoon, President of the Muslim Association of Britain.

Mohammed Kozbar, Chair of Finsbury Park Mosque, and Jeremy Corbyn MP

Every speaker offered condolences to the victims, especially to the family of Mr Makram Ali, who was murdered, and also offered praise and thanks to Imam Mohammed and  the members of the community who prevented further violence who prevented retaliation towards the attacker,  as well as to the emergency services for their prompt response.   Many speakers further made the point that such non-violent responses did not just happen out of the blue, but were the work of years of community-building and peace-making between groups.

Mohammed Kozbar, Chairman and Director of the Finsbury Park Mosque, cited the Constitution of Medina as central to Islam, in proclaiming a bond between all humanity, with equal rights for all, together with the right to practise one’s religion in peace.   The recent crimes were hate crimes, and that terrorism had no religion.  He stressed that Islamophobia is a fact, and is experienced by his and mosques throughout the country, despite the fact that they have opposed extremists such as Abu Hamsa for the last 12 years.   He called for open discussion of why young Muslims turned to violence, and not to be afraid to analyse the causes.

Bishop Pete Broadbent celebrated the fact that London communities have been able to work together for the Common Good, and that this is the reality, not the hate crimes.  We should resist the media myth that social problems are caused by migration, and affirmed that any scapegoating and hate crime are not done in the name of Christianity.

Several Muslim leaders paid special tribute to MP Jeremy Corbyn, who, despite his recently assumed national leadership role, has not slackened his longterm support for the Muslim Community in Finsbury Park.  Corbyn  declared that all local communities and faith communities were united against the attempted divisions of violence, having come together in great numbers several times over the last 2 weeks to offer support to the mosque communities.  He further thanked the Finsbury Park Mosque and Welfare House for their services to the whole community over the last decade, reiterating that such solidarity is not the fruit of a few hours, but is produced over years of service and interaction.

Dr Omer El-Hamdoon, President of the Muslim Association of Britain led the final prayers, including,

‘O Allah, … Allow us to work together in that which we agree upon, and allow to pardon each other on matters we disagree … and to rejoice in that which brings us together’.