Sharing and caring: British Muslims gather in London to celebrate Eid al-Adha

LONDON

Muslim men, women and children along with many groups and organizations gathered to mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday for the first time in London's famous Trafalgar Square.

As part of the "Eid on the Square" event organized by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, thousands came together to celebrate Eid al-Adha, one of Islam's holiest festivals alongside Eid al-Fitr.

On the third day of Eid, Sunday, the celebration welcomed families with a series of activities, a variety of culture, food, entertainment and Islamic-inspired art.

Along with the main stage, where live performances took place, organizations ranging from aid groups to cultural and educational institutions set up stalls in the square to inform Muslims about their services, offering entertaining activities.

They included the Yunus Emre Institute, Türkiye’s international culture and language center, Muslim Aid and the British Islamic Medical Association.

Speaking to Anadolu, Mohtasim Pal, a police officer and chair of the Muslim Association within the British Transport Police (BTP), said this celebration is a great opportunity for them to connect with the community, including people with different backgrounds and cultures.

Citing previous celebrations, Pal noted that they had a very different response today.

"We have a lot of people coming, taking pictures, especially kids are like using police hats by taking pictures," he said.

He added that many people visited their stall asking for HRD (Human Resource Development) on how they can join the police force and how to report crimes.

Khalid Javid, CEO of Muslim Aid, noted that they gathered with fellow brothers and sisters from the whole of the UK to celebrate Eid.

"We have people from Scotland, Ireland and Wales who have joined us," he said, noting that this is the first time Muslim Aid has sponsored something like this in partnership with the mayor of London.

"We're spreading the message of humanity, spreading the message of change, of hope," said Javid.

Mentioning their initiatives, he pointed out "A World You Want To See" -- a competition for children to say what they want to see in 40 years’ time.

"Because they're the ones who are going to be carrying on this legacy. This is where we are now, and we see the situation in Sudan, in Gaza and around the world, and the tragedy that the people are facing," he said.

"Where do we want to be in 40 years’ time? But to tell the story, we need to understand through a child's eyes what the story should be."

Khan also mentioned the crippling humanitarian situation in Gaza and Sudan during his speech at the event.

Ibrahim Ferullo, CEO and co-founder of Mentyoo, a service providing free mentoring to underrepresented communities, told Anadolu that they see this celebration as an opportunity to get in touch with "lots of different people from all sorts of backgrounds."

"I'm here with my social enterprise called Mentyoo, where we help young people get free mentoring advice on what to do with their lives," he noted.

On people's reaction and interests, Ferullo said they have had many different people at their stall, adding it's always lovely to see young children come and talk about their dreams and aspirations.

"We've had a couple of activities at the stall today, but then also people that are actively looking for support, and given that we are from immigrant backgrounds, there's not always that entrenched support here, and so we are able to fill the gap and offer that through our platform," he added.