October 7 anniversary: faith leaders urge public to reject 'prejudice and hatred in all its forms'
On October 7 last year, Hamas terrorists stormed into southern Israel killing around 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage. Around 100 remain captive.
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Hide AdThat attack sparked Israel’s brutal invasion of Gaza and now the conflict has spilled into Lebanon, with Iran getting involved.
The past 12 months has seen more than 2,600 protests take place on UK streets in relation to the war and some 550 arrests, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
Meanwhile antisemitism and incidents of anti-Muslim hatred hit new highs, organisations monitoring such reports said.
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Hide AdThe Hamas attacks were commemorated in Leeds and London yesterday, with the Leeds Leads Against Antisemitism group holding a rally in the city centre.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby joined Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis and the chairman of the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board Imam Qari Asim to say they “stand united in our grief”.
All three have signed an open letter acknowledging that, while times are “challenging”, there is no place for antisemitism and Islamophobia in the UK.
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Hide AdEarlier this year the leading bishops in the Church of England, including Justin Welby, called on Israel to stop its “relentless bombardment” of Gaza, as they insisted the manner in which the war is taking place there “cannot be morally justified”.
Published yesterday, a joint letter from various faith leaders, said: “It has been a year since the brutal Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, and the start of this devastating war in Gaza and beyond.
“During this time, the scale of human suffering has been horrific.
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Hide Ad“As people of faith from Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities in the UK, while we may hold different views about aspects of the conflict, we stand united in our grief and in our belief that our shared humanity must bring us together.
“Our faiths and our humanity teach us that we should mourn for all the innocent people who have lost their lives.
“In these challenging times, we must also reject those who seek to divide us. Anti-Jewish hate and anti-Muslim hate have no place in the UK today. We must stand together against prejudice and hatred in all its forms.
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Hide Ad“The UK has long been a model of different communities and religions getting along with each other. We commit to upholding and nurturing this proud tradition.”
The latest figures from the Community Security Trust (CST) saw 5,583 incidents of antisemitism recorded between October 7 2023 and September 30 – three times that of the previous 12-month period.
Tell Mama recorded 4,971 incidents of anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia in the same period, which it said is the highest total recorded in over a decade.
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Hide AdWhile Sir Keir Starmer has said the “sparks” from the conflict in the Middle East “light touchpapers in our own communities here at home” as he called out ”vile hatred” that has been seen against Jews and Muslims since October 7.
The Prime Minister wrote in the Sunday Times: “The flames from this deadly conflict now threaten to consume the region. And the sparks light touchpapers in our own communities here at home.”
He continued: “There are always some who would use conflict abroad to stoke conflict here. Since October 7, we have watched vile hatred against Jews and Muslims rise in our communities.”
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Hide AdSir Keir has expressed concern about the war in the Middle East continuing to escalate, with the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and Iran’s missile strikes on Jerusalem.
The Prime Minister added: “The anniversary of the October 7 attacks should remind us of the cost of political failure.
“No security will be found in greater destabilisation. A better future will not be won by traumatising, orphaning and displacing another generation.”
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