As Remembering Srebrenica’s Regional Chair for London, I myself, along with the rest of the board and the wider organisation are united in our condemnation of the horrific terrorist attack at Finsbury Park Mosque last night. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this attack and we feel the loss of life deeply. Finsbury Park is a mosque that has helped us to commemorate Srebrenica in the past, actively reaching out to different communities to help bridge divides and create a cohesive society.
Terrorist attacks such as this seek to divide communities and spread fear and mistrust and we must all play our part, no matter how large or small, to build safer, more tolerant communities for everyone. Hate crime and terrorism is a real problem, but Remembering Srebrenica Community Champions have shown great resilience and generosity of spirit in coming together in the aftermath of attacks such as these. Next month, hundreds of people across London in mosques, synagogues, churches, community centres, schools and many more places will be joining together to remember Srebrenica and lead public awareness campaigns and activities to teach about the consequences of hatred and discrimination.
Events such as these provide an opportunity for people to get to know their neighbours, friendships to be formed and diversity to be cherished. I would encourage all of you to do the same and reach out to those in your community who you don’t know, and to remember where unchallenged hatred can lead whilst taking steps to make our communities better for all.
Rameez Kaleem
London and the South East Regional Chair of Remembering Srebrenica
There are some very practical steps which you can take to ensure the safety of our communities:
- Be vigilant – security is everyone’s concern. Read a helpful security guide for places of worship.
- Encourage people to report any incidences of hate crime to the Police, through the True Vision site.
- Bring people together through commemorative events or community activities.
