Southwark’s Muslims come together for Eid celebration

Southwark's Muslim community came together for a borough-first when it marked Eid at a celebration in Dulwich Park on Sunday 12 September.

Speaking after the event the council's cabinet member for equalities and community engagement, Councillor Abdul Mohamed, described it as a unique coming together of the borough's diverse Muslim population.

As many as two thousand people gathered as the sun shone in the park to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan, including Muslims from countries across the globe, plus many non-Muslims too.

The event was a collaboration between the council, the Southwark Muslim Forum, and lots of other volunteers from all sections of the local Muslim community.

Its aim was to for the first time bring all sections of the diverse Muslim community together, and to make sure that non Muslim residents also felt very welcome.

There were a host of exhibitions, performances food stalls and children's activities - plus rappers and poetry.

Councillor Abdul Mohamed, Cabinet Member for Equalities and Communities, said:

 

"Idd Ul Fitr is a celebration that follows the holy month of Ramadan. This happened last Friday for the UK but local young Muslims wanted to share some of the traditional festivities of this day with the wider community.

"It was an omen that the sun shone on Dulwich Park as our Muslim and non-Muslim communities mingled. Southwark's riches in diversity and cultures were put on show. I don't know of anywhere else where people from different backgrounds appreciate and value each other quite as much as they do in Southwark.

"I am glad that we were able to arrange this event and fulfil the wishes of the local Muslim people we regularly meet who asked for us to provide an Eid event where Muslims from all over Southwark could gather together as a community and also meet other residents of the borough. I hope everyone came away from the day as enriched and inspired I was."