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A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Dr Myriam François, journalist and research associate at the Centre of Islamic Studies, SOAS University of London.

Good morning.

Black Lives Matter has brought to the fore once again the profound impact of white supremacy and violence against bodies racialized as black or brown. From police brutality in Minneapolis, to sweat shops in Bangladesh to Grenfell and Aylan Kurdi. Our society is being confronted with the darkness – or indeed – the whiteness in our midst.

The Prophet Mohamed, peace be upon him, taught that someone is either your brother in faith, or your brother in humanity, and indeed as Muslims, we are taught that God – Allah – cares not for wealth or accolades, but what is in our hearts – our good deeds being the measure of our worth. This sentiment is echoed within many faiths and indeed among some of no faith, but should never be confused with the misplaced idea that quote unquote ‘I don’t see colour’. We may believe that the true value of humans lies beyond our physical manifestation, but our bodies exist in societies, themselves governed by structures which have created a hierarchy of human value in our midst, whether acknowledged or not.

As both a Muslim and someone racialized as white, my faith compels me to challenge injustice and my racial identity means I carry a hefty responsibility in confronting my participation in and complicity within unequal power structures.

I pray that those among us racialized as white take up the baton being handed to us by activists and others. May we step up to confront the demons in our midst and have the courage to challenge inequalities, even when they may be benefiting us and may we have the courage to stand for the God-given dignity of all of Allah’s creation.

No justice, no peace. Amin.