Muslim Londoners have banded together to donate an outstanding 10 tonnes of food to the homeless and disadvantaged over the Christmas period.
The charity Crisis is set to distribute the food, with 90% going to non-muslims. The food collection was organised by Shaykh Abdul Qayum, who said: “Muslims are inspired by their faith towards helping others in need. It is a religious duty for Muslims to try to help others, irrespective of a person’s faith or background. This compassion is truly reflective of what Islam stands for.
“In the cold winter months when we have the luxury of a home and hot food, it’s easy to forget about others that are in dire need around us. So it is in that spirit we take part in this big food drive.”
Indeed, Christian Reverend Gary Bradley termed it, “all faiths working together for a common humanity.”
This comes after the Let’s Feed Brum initiative which saw Birmingham restaurants donating food to the homeless. Statistics from Crisis revealed that in between 2010 and 2015, the number of homeless people sleeping on the street doubled in size. Furthermore, there are an estimated 3568 people sleeping on the streets on any given night.
Christmas is the most opportune time for charities and other such initiatives to get the community involved in events such as fundraising, food drives and more. Ramadan served as another inspiring moment this year as the Muslim Charities Forum and the Charity Commission both estimated that British Muslims donated approximately £100 million to various charities.
