Image: David Dibert, Unsplash
ELLIOT'S WEEKLY ROUND-UP: WESTMINSTER ATTACK
The news has been dominated by the attack on Westminster this week.
A car driving at speed ran into pedestrians and then a policeman was stabbed.
The person who carried out the attack has been referred to in a number of different ways including: Adrian, Khalid, a bright and sporty pupil, friendly and polite, a middle aged father, a soldier of Islamic State, a Muslim convert radicalised whilst in prison, a body builder, a portly man, violent, shy, friendly and approachable, nomadic, a former English teacher, middle aged murderer, pure evil scum, a good listener, a dad who gave football tips to boys in the neighbourhood, someone who would play football but was not very good, a grandfather, a criminal, a manager.
Who exactly was he?
But as Brendan Cox stated - husband of murdered MP Jo Cox - we should focus on the victims of the crime. Forty people have been injured and four have died: PC Palmer, Spanish teacher Aysha Frade, American tourist Kurt Cochran who was celebrating his silver wedding anniversary, and cricket loving Leslie Rhodes - a retired London window cleaner.
“What the terrorist would like to happen is for us to fall apart and start blaming groups of people, to say that in some way this is Muslim or Islam as a whole.”
The attack has been condemned by The Muslim Council of Britain. The Mayor of London has thanked the emergency services and warned Muslims to be vigilant against hate preachers.
“Terrorists want to attack London is because they hate the fact that we don’t just tolerate each other – whether you’re a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, member of an organised faith or not, we respect, embrace and celebrate each other and that’s going to carry on”
Muslims from around The UK have condemned the attacks including groups from Lincoln , Blackburn and Muslim leaders from Waltham Forest.
Another group have gone beyond words to do something positive for the victims. It has raised funds for the families of the by setting up a website entitled Muslims United for London. At the time of writing it has raised over £20,000.
Our response
Let's pray for the victims, let's pray against radicalisation and for those developing anti radicalisation strategies. Let's continue to reach out to our Muslim colleagues and neighbours with the love of Jesus.
“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.”