Message of Appreciation from the Islamic Centre of England to the Insightful Believers

Below is a message from His Eminence Seyed Hashem Moosavi to the brothers and sisters who protected the Islamic Centre of England after the violent Islamophobic riots:

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I would like to extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the faithful, insightful, and passionate youth of different nationalities for attending the peaceful gatherings in front of the Islamic Centre of England. I appreciate their sympathy and sense of religious responsibility in holding these gatherings following the scenes of chaos and disorder on the 25th of September 2022 in front of the Islamic Centre of England, where mourners of the Arba’een procession of Imam Hussain (a.s.) and demise of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.a.) were violently attacked and beaten.

 The actions of these rioters last week can be examined and analysed from different dimensions:

• The aim of the rioters was certainly Islamophobic as they chose to attack a number of mourners and their places of worship on a day of grief and sorrow for the Muslim world in an attempt to distort the true face of Islam.
• The rioters abused the right to peaceful protest and the inviolability of human rights, as well as the right to legal protection. They violated all respect for humanity by harassing and violating believers’ religious and human rights in London. Therefore, in the 21st century and a country that claims to abide by the rule of law, these rioters have shown complete and unrelenting violence with no hesitation in attacking women and young children.
• The rioters displayed a new face to their brutality by disrupting public order and breaching the police barricade whilst injuring innocent people. They have admitted on their own social media pages that their actions have only brought dishonour to themselves, and thus they were the losers of this event.

In condemning this inhumane act, the Islamic Centre of England asks all believers to remain vigilant in upholding unity, peace, and the rule of law, and to also pay serious attention to the sanctity of religious values and places of worship.

May peace be upon him who follows the guidance!

Seyed Hashem Moosavi

Director of the Islamic Centre of England