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Episode details

Radio 4,2 mins

Abdurahman Sayed - 27/12/2017

Thought for the Day

Available for over a year

As Her Majesty the Queen reminded us so eloquently in her Christmas message this week the tragedies of the past year have provided examples to us all of bravery and resilience. And she spoke of the "sheer awfulness" of the Grenfell Tower fire. She said, "we expect our homes to be a place of safety - 'sanctuary' even - which makes it all the more shocking when the comfort they provide is shattered. Wednesday 14th June 2017 was a day that will never be forgotten when fire engulfed a residential building block in North Kensington, which resulted in the tragic death of 71 people. At the Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre we had been preparing for more religious activities in the last 10 days of the fasting month of Ramadan. Once we heard the news of the fire, we decided to cancel some of our programmes, free our halls and training rooms to welcome survivors from the Tower. This was a duty that emanates from our faith. The Almighty God says in the Holy Quran, Chapter 5 Verse 2: Help one another in virtue, righteousness and piety, but not in sin and aggression. In the very early morning survivors came to sleep after a long night of anguish and trauma. We immediately felt that the fire was a tragedy beyond our comprehension. I drove my car loaded with drinking water and dates to the nearby Notting Hill Methodist Church. Prior to that day, I had never visited the Church or met its Vicar. However, the emergency assistance that we all began to provide gave us the opportunity to build solid relations and partnerships for common good. Six months on, the recent memorial service, held at St. Paul’s Cathedral was reflective of the shared values we pride ourselves in, such as: inclusion, cohesion, tolerance and helping those in need. People of all faiths and no faith were welcomed at St. Paul’s Cathedral and it was a profoundly moving experience. As we look ahead to the inquiry, we recognise the extraordinary strength of feeling among the survivors and the victims’ families in their search for justice, and how tensions have been created that need to be addressed. However it is only in understanding the vital and complementary role played by communities, charities, the local council and national government that we stand a chance of building on the goodwill we have already seen, to achieve the best possible legacy from such a tragedy.

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