British Muslims give an extremely English response to an EDL march [TWEETS]

Sophia Akram


The Union Jack came out in full force in the heart of Britain on Saturday 7 April as two very different events took place in Birmingham. The English Defence League (EDL) marched through the city centre. But Birmingham Central Mosque held a counter event with bunting, cakes, and tea.

Related articles

Guess which was better attended?

OK, if you need helping out, people chose [paywall] cake over hate:

https://twitter.com/HMachaggis/status/850988867494834176

And while two people were arrested during the far-right group’s demonstration, others were having a very nice time at the Mosque’s “best of British” tea party:

https://twitter.com/ibrownlad/status/850748379147771904

It was no coincidence, of course. The tea party was a direct response to the EDL March. And people thought it was a perfect way to make a stand:

And it’s obvious where the police wanted to be:

And unity was certainly the message the Mosque were trying to get across:

Down with this sort of thing

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner said the EDL were “spreading a message of hatred”.

They have come from outside Birmingham and don’t understand our values.

The guests were also pleased that the Birmingham Muslims were open and part of the community. One woman said:

Being English doesn’t mean hating other people. It’s about [us] all being part of something. And its nice that the mosque have opened the doors.

And this isn’t the first time England’s Muslim community has tackled hate with tea. In 2013, six protesters turned up outside York Mosque to protest. Members of the Mosque met them with tea and biscuits and invited them in. And it seemed to work.

Some might regard these responses as being quintessentially English. Indeed. There is more that unites us than divides us. Carry on.

Get Involved!

– Read more Canary articles on Islamophobia.

Featured image via Twitter

We need your help ...

The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads.

Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion.

We have been fighting against an establishment that is trying to shut us down. And like most independent media, we don’t have the deep pockets of investors to call on to bail us out.

Can you help by chipping in a few pounds each month?

The Canary Support us

Comments are closed

Related articles