£130k raised by Rochdale Council of Mosques to help Rohingya refugees

Photo: Doliz Miah Photography

The annual dinner raised £130,000

2 More Image(s) In Gallery

The Rochdale Council of Mosques (RCM) annual dinner at Rochdale Town Hall on Thursday (28 September), raised £130,000 to help the Rohingya refugees.

The dinner was attended by the Mayor Ian Duckworth, Mayoress Christine Duckworth, MPs Liz McInnes and Tony Lloyd, Council Leader Richard Farnell, councillors, imams, representatives of mosques and community organisations.

The event commenced after sunset prayers with a recitation of the holy Qur’an by Qari Abbas.

RCM chairman, Tahir Mahmood, addressed the 340-seat sell-out dinner, he said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to Rochdale Council of Mosques’ annual dinner. The past year has flown so quickly and whilst there is much good that has happened since we last met, the sad reality is that our world has become more polarised, more prone to scaremongering and more challenging a place to live in.

“We have had to endure the heartache of the senseless loss of young lives as a result of the cowardly attack in Manchester, the suffering of millions affected by the ongoing war in Syria, the continued subjugation of Palestine and more recently the shocking and indiscriminate persecution and mass killing of the Rohingya people in Myanmar.”

Horrified by the actions, the Rochdale Council of Mosques responded by raising the issues with elected representatives, holding a peaceful demonstration in Rochdale (organised by a host of community organisations) and attended the London demo. Collective prayers have been held at the mosques and a vigil was also arranged by a group of young people.

An appeal was made through the mosques for cash donations so money can be sent via selected charities and NGOs working in the refugee camps to provide badly needed shelter, food and medicine.

A brief overview of the past year at the Rochdale Council of Mosques was presented, including, stronger and more constructive ties with local and national agencies, plus schools and colleges, supporting teachers and volunteers at mosques and teaching centres. Training and information, including fire safety training (delivered by GMFRS), a number of mosque open days, and guidance for educational establishments on various topics, including Ramadhan and Hajj.

Representatives of the Muslim charity – led by Fawad Chohdary – spoke about the work they are doing on the grounds in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, what is needed and how donations can be made. A video was shown of the current situation.

This was followed by the fundraising, conducted by Na’eem Raza, and £65,000 was raised on the night in addition to £8,000 in ticket sales and £57,000 from mosque collections prior to the dinner.

Mr Raza also conducted a small auction of donated items.

After the three-course dinner, guests were then entertained by comedian Aatif Nawaz and international nasheed artist, Najam Sheraz.

Dobir Miah, CEO of RCM, said: “It is so pleasing to see a full house and so many kind-hearted people of all walks of life in our borough coming together to raise such a staggering amount. It truly is a remarkable gesture by the people of Rochdale borough.

“On behalf of the RCM, I would like thank everyone who attended the annual dinner and for their generosity – we hope it will go a long way in easing the pain of the Rohingya people. Can I also thank those who helped put this event together, the donors, volunteers, colleagues and our charity partners Muslim Charity and Al Mahmood Foundation.

“We will continue all our efforts to ensure that the world does not forget the plight of these people and we hope and pray the violence comes to an end very soon. We hope that the Rohingya people can rightfully go back to their ancestral homes and rebuild their lives without prejudice, fear or oppression.

“We must all stand firmly against oppression and injustice wherever it happens.”

Over 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled their homes in Myanmar (formerly Burma), with huge numbers crossing the border to Bangladesh, where refugee camps are full, and tens of thousands are trapped on hillsides without access to food, water or medicine.

Many Rohingya say that Burmese government security forces have torched their villages and killed civilians.

In 2013, the minority group - who make up 1.1 million of the South East Asian country’s 53 million population, but who are not recognised as full citizens - was described by the United Nations as 'one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.' The upsurge in violence perpetrated by the Burmese army against the minority group has been likened by the UN as ‘ethnic cleansing.’