As we usher in the New Year let’s hope and pray that there will be an end in sight but, sadly, it is not just the pandemic that continues to blight our lives.
Our brothers and sisters in Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Kashmir, and elsewhere in the Middle East, Far East, Africa, and Asia are all too familiar with the cost of conflict, persecution, and strife. While the war in Afghanistan may have ended, human suffering will continue for many years to come. The country is hurtling headlong into the precipice of a humanitarian aid disaster.
These events will challenge all of us and we will be judged by how we rise to meet these challenges. While the international community is coming together to help we know our own Muslim communities in Europe will also be working hard to do their bit through one-person efforts right up to organised aid via major charitable institutions.
Our global peace ambassadors will also continue to work for the common good.
Meanwhile, Muslims in Europe face additional hurdles from racism and Islamophobia but we will also confront these issues with the same stoic resilience and fortitude which has helped us previously.
Let’s determine to make 2022 the year when we are all much kinder to each other as we celebrate our diversity and inclusion.
Stay safe and stay protected no matter who you are or how you pray or don’t.
EML President Dr Alfredo Maiolese and EML Director-General Dr Yvonne Ridley
