Dear Friends,
Yesterday’s attack in Westminster was inspired by hatred and a desire to divide people. We must not allow such actions to achieve their aims and lead to more hatred being displayed in our communities in response. As Remembering Srebrenica Board Chairs from the six English regions, as well as Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, we work with 1,000 Community Champions of all faiths who bring people together to help build cohesion and stronger communities.
Like many others all over the world, we were shocked and saddened by the hatred we saw in yesterday’s attack. As a clear example of the consequences of hatred and intolerance, the Srebrenica genocide teaches us the value of unity, interfaith cooperation and understanding, and those are the values that we and our Community Champions represent.
As Remembering Srebrenica Board Chairs, we stand united in condemnation of those who sought to bring fear and division to the UK through this terrorist attack.
Such horrific incidents will not deter our 1,000 Community Champions, but will spur them on. We will be bringing people together across the UK this July by holding Srebrenica Commemorations and community cohesion activities during the UK’s Srebrenica Memorial Week from 9 to 16 July to learn the lessons from the past and not allow fear to divide our communities.
We agree wholeheartedly with the words of Brendan Cox, whose wife was murdered by a terrorist, who said: “We have to remember that the person who did this is no more representative of British Muslims than the person who killed Jo is representative of people that are from Yorkshire.”
We hope you will join us in bringing together your local community and taking a stand against hatred during Memorial Week.
Dr Waqar Azmi OBE, Chairman of Remembering Srebrenica UK
The Very Rev Dr Lorna Hood, Chair of Remembering Srebrenica Scotland
David Melding and Saleem Kidwai OBE, Co-Chairs of Remembering Srebrenica Wales
Peter Osborne, Chair of Remembering Srebrenica Northern Ireland
Rameez Kaleem, Chair of the London and South East Board
Anousheh Haghdadi, Chair of the South West Board
Dr Helen Connolly, Chair of the East Midlands Board
Alma Aganovic, Chair of the West Midlands Board
Elinor Chohan, Chair of the North-West Board
Zeynab Ahmed, Chair of the Yorkshire and North East Board
