Two major community organisations have come together to support the community of Birmingham amid the biting impact of the cost of living crisis. Masjid Al-Falaah and Islamic Relief joined forces earlier today (June 5) to distribute meat and food parcels to Brummies as part of the Islamic festival of Qurbani, aiming to aid families and individuals most affected by the crisis.
Community Effort to Alleviate Hardship
The mosque and charity helped donate food to families in Birmingham, as well as providing food to a homeless shelter. Qurbani, meaning sacrifice, is part of the Islamic month of Dhul Hijjah, where Muslims worldwide slaughter an animal to reflect Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail for God. Today, at least one third of the meat is given to the poor or vulnerable, with tradition dictating that Muslims keep a third for their family and give the final third to neighbours.
Voices from the Event
Dozens of Brummies attended the community donation event. Rashid Campbell, Islamic Relief's community fundraising officer, highlighted the significance of such initiatives: "Our hopes in running programmes like this is definitely to bring ease to people who are suffering through the increasing, biting cost of living crisis that we're all feeling. People are one paycheck away from disaster sometimes - maybe the washing machine breaks down. I've heard that parents are choosing not to eat so their children can eat." He added: "We're hoping to bring ease and a bit of happiness with the addition of the Qurbani meat so people can maybe cook a roast meal, or they can have a pilau or biryani in this special time of year."
Adil Parkar, general secretary at Masjid Al-Falaah, emphasised the importance of community solidarity: "We're trying to showcase that Birmingham, with all its diversity, all its challenges are still together. We are a community that helps out each other." He continued: "We've seen a lot of food deprivation in Birmingham, and there are people we speak to who have not eaten in days and there are kids who have not eaten in days, so the impact is clearly about putting some food on the table for them." Adil shared that the initiative is also about "dignity," describing how the mosque can be a place which may be "slightly easier" for some to attend if they need aid.
Councillor Mumtaz Hussain, of Aston ward, added: "It's really important for organisations, like the mosque, to reach out to the community, to give out food packages. At the moment, with the current cost of living crisis, everybody's feeling the pinch."
