18 Aug 2011

Thousands mourn Birmingham riot victims

Around 20 000 people have gathered in prayer to honour three men killed during the riots in Birmingham. Channel 4 News Midlands Correspondent Darshna Soni spoke to those paying their respects.

The crowd gathered at Summerfield Park in Winson Green ahead of the funerals of Haroon Jahan, 21, Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, who were killed by a car as they protected stores from looters.

The crowd gathered at Summerfield Park in Winson Green ahead of the funerals of Haroon Jahan, 21, Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, who were killed by a car as they protected stores from looters.

Four men are currently in custody charged with their murders.

Read more: 'Don't march for my son' urges father of hit and run victim

The mourners were mainly Muslim men, but people of all races, religions, and ages gathered to pay their respects.

The hour-long service began with religious speeches from Sheikh Ali Muhammed Yaqoubi, a Syrian Muslim scholar.

“As Muslims we have proven to be more loyal to this country than even the natives. These three men sacrificed their blood,” he said, whilst stressing that any retaliation for the deaths would be “un-Islamic.”

Our Midlands Correspondent talked to some of those who had gathered to pay their respects.
"Have u ever seen anything like this?" a young Asian woman, who had grown up in Winson Green, told me.
She was referring to the huge crowd of 20 000 people that had gathered in the park.
They were mainly Muslim men. But as I looked around, I also saw people of different faiths, different backgrounds, different ages.
"I'm here from Sutton Coalfield," one White man told me. "I'm here because I was deeply moved by the words of Tariq Jahan."
"I also have a son and I wanted to know I felt some of his pain and I stand with him."
An elderly Black man said he'd been in this country since the 50s "but I've never seen anything as bad as I saw last week. Let's hope the youngsters understand that what happened just wasn't worth it.
This in a city with a history of racial tensions, which had been brought to the brink by the events of last week.
I asked the woman from Winson Green what she felt on seeing so many come together. "It's great that we're all here, Black, White, Asian. I just hope it lasts. I hope tomorrow we don't all go back to living our segregated lives."

Tariq Jahan, the father of Haroon who has been praised for his part in quelling racial tensions in the city, thanked the crowd for their presence.

He said: “This is for the three shaheeds [martyrs]. Please remember them.”

Atif Iqbal, from the multi-faith group United Birmingham, said the number of people turning out show their respects would be testimony to the men’s honour.

“Tariq Jahan has become an inspiration for all of us because he really at that moment in time showed the best of humanity,” he said.

“He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t shouting, no bitterness, he was a calming, reassuring voice and single-handedly, there’s no doubt about it, he brought peace and calm to the streets not only of Winson Green and Birmingham, but he had a profound impact nationally as well.”

The service in the park will be followed by a private burial service in Handsworth Cemetery.