By Mike Albo, Thanks to Golden Age of Gaia
Their signs said “Every chapter of the Quran starts with the word “mercy.” “Terrorism has no religion,” and “Islam promotes human rights.” Thousands of peace-promoting Muslims took to the streets of London last week, and it was barely covered by the media
Thousands of people took part in the annual UK Arbaeen Procession, coordinated by the Husaini Islamic Trust UK. The march is held each year to mark the Arbaeen, or mourning, of Imam Husain – a seventh-century leader who fought for social justice.
But after the ISIS attacks in Paris, Beirut and Brussels, this year’s organizers decided to also denounce terrorism. Waqar Haider, one of the organizers, told The Independent: “For us it was a controversial move to go political. Normally we don’t mix politics with mourning. However with what’s happened recently, we thought we had to make sure we as a community totally disassociate ourselves with what’s happening elsewhere in the world.”
Still, the event was barely covered in the popular media. Volunteer Mohammed Al-Sharifi told The Independent: “Unfortunately [some] media outlets have gone for stories that to some extent can be divisive. If a group of Muslims do something good, it’s not mentioned or the religion is not mentioned. But if someone does something [negative], it is on the front page and their religion is mentioned.”
Openhearted Rebellion 