‘Give the people of Afghanisthan their country’

An anti-war assembly was organised today at Trafalgar Square, protesting the 10^th year and continued UK presence in Afghanisthan. The events for the day were put in order by different volunteer organisations like Stop War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and the British Muslim Initiative.

The demonstration included a line-up of popular figures who spoke on war and its adverse effects. Julian Assange, the founder of whistle-blower website Wikileaks says, “Wars are a results of lies” referring to the Second World War and the wars of Vietnam and Somalia. He also went on to say that “journalists are war criminals” because they were not transparent and supported the government’s vested interests.

Nearly 5000 protestors (figures quoted by the organizers) bared the biting wind and the occasional drizzles to listen to other speakers like Jemima Khan, associate editor of The Independent Online, John Pilger, journalist and broadcaster and George Galloway. There were a string of performances from musicians Brian Uno, Rebecca Thorn and comedian Mark Steel.

All of them shared the same message that the government should withdraw troops from Afghanisthan and channel the expenses of war towards healthcare and education in the UK.

The campaigners also held a Naming the Dead Ceremony, in which 120 names of British soldiers and Afghan civilians who died in the 10 years since the war began were read out. The same number of balloons was released.

The protest ended with a march to 10 Downing Street, where it was reported that few demonstrators were ‘kettled’ by security forces.

Eid at the Square on it’s fifth year

The Eid-ul-Fitr festival on Saturday at Trafalgar Square, now in its fifth year, is backed by the Mayor of London and executed by the Greater London Authority (GLA). Muslims celebrate Eid, after the Ramadan month of fasting. Rozina Ahmed, Senior Events Officer at the GLA says that this year is different from the previous years, mainly because it is an effort by the Mayor to bring together London Muslims for his volunteering programme ‘Team London.’

“ ‘Eid at the Square’ has received positive response mainly because it is open to all communities and is an integration of tradition and modernity,” she says.

A glance around the Square and it wasn’t hard to spot American Exchange students feasting on Eid delicacies, an African family taking a tour around a procession bus and Indians ogling at handmade jewellery. A sea of London-Muslims danced along to live folk and rock music.

The stage was set for performances from only Islamic artists, including M2M band member Rakin Niass, London based artist Nabila, French MC Akeem and British born Quest Rah. Jo from Kent says “The performances are very different because Muslim artists bring in such variety to musical genres as we know it.”

It was a ground not only for showcasing Islamic culture, but for social campaigning as well. Yussuf Abdali, a volunteer at ‘Interpal: Helping Palestinians in Need’ says, “The event attracts a huge crowd and provides us an ideal opportunity to raise money and awareness.”

Imir Tahir Shahbuddin, who was reciting verses from the Holy Qur’an, sums it up, “Eid teaches us to empathize with those less fortunate.”