LONDON: The Muslim Council of Britain has given three Pakistanis special awards for sacrificing their lives while protecting their communities from looters during riots in Birmingham in August this year.
The Young Muslim Beacon Awards ceremony, held at the House of Lords, honoured Haroon Jahan, Shazad Ali and Abdul Musavir for Model Citizenship and was attended by Attorney General Dominic Grieve, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow MP, MCB Secretary General Farooq Murad, Lord Shaikh, Lord Qurban Hussain, MPs Sadiq Khan, Yasmin Qureshi and Neil Jameson, Executive Director of London Citizens and James Cathcart CEO of the British Youth Council.
The special posthumous award was received by Abdul Quddos, brother, and the father of Abdul Musavir and Shazad Ali. The attorney general paid tribute to the sacrifice of three British Pakistani men and said their families provided “moral leadership and exemplary mannerism” to the wider communities.
“They brought the country together and upheld the rule of law. All of us saw the riots tearing our communities apart but at the same time we were overwhelmingly impressed by the dignity of the victim families.
The award given to them is recognition of their talent and participation in the civic life of Britain and they best deserve it.” The Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, said the awards in their 4th year were inspiring to the Muslim youth and showed that Muslims were huge asset to Britain.
“Britain is proud of Muslims and their future potential should be championed and nurtured.” Neil Jameson praised the role of mosques and Muslim community leaders were playing a great role in preventing young Muslims to go on rampage.
He said protecting the streets and cities is not only the responsibility of the police and the government but the equal responsibility goes to the communities to take ownership of the streets. “Those images must never happen
again,” he said.
Farooq Murad told The News that annual awards are designed to recognise the very best of projects and organisations working in our communities to help improve the lives of young Muslims locally, regionally and nationally. That’s why these awards are so important in recognising the important work of local projects and organisations working - often voluntary - helping to build a better Britain for all”.
Lord Shaikh said, “We need to recognise the considerable achievements of the Muslim youth who act as role models. Nearly all of the young Muslims are born in this country and this is our home.” Lord Qurban, Sadiq Khan MP, and the National Union of Students Vice President Usman Ali also addressed the gathering on the occasion.