Dewsbury Eid-Milad Peace Procession: Mosque Imams give important message to youngsters as new academic year begins

The annual peace walk was jointly organised on Sunday, September 6 by Westtown's Gulzar-E-Madina Jamia Mosque, based on High Street, and the Ghausia Jamia Mosque on Warren Street, Savile Town.

Led by local Imams, the faithful walked from the Westtown place of worship across the Calder Bridge. The parade then made its way past ASDA supermarket into Savile Town towards Warren Street, where the procession ended with a prayer service for world peace held outside the Ghausia Jamia Mosque.

There are three Eid festivals in the Muslim calendar. Eid-Milad is the first, celebrating prophet Mohammad's birthday.

The second religious celebration is Eid-Ul-Fitr, which takes place immediately after the month of fasting Ramadhan ends.

The third is Eid-Ul-Adha, commemorating Abraham's test of faith when he became ready to sacrifice his son Ishmael upon the Lord's command.

Mosques have also been busy organising their own individual Eid-Milad gatherings inside their premises.

Besides the activities at the Mosques, families and close relatives tend to gather at each others’ homes as part of the Eid-Milad celebrations, mostly during the evenings when the Koran and Islamic poetry are read. The invited guests then sit down to enjoy an Indian cuisine feast.

A statement issued to the Reporter Series by the area's Sufi-Muslim Imams had an important message for the young generation.

The Imams said: “This year's Eid-Milad celebrations are obviously coinciding with the start of the new school academic year. Our message therefore is a clear cut one for our youngsters.

“You must behave like ambassadors of your faith. Show respect to your teachers when in the classroom, and also whilst you are in the corridors during lesson change-over and at break-times.

“A teacher's rank according to Islam's teachings is equal to that of your parents. So give the same level of respect and affection to your teachers as you would give to your own mother and father. Study with your best efforts at school and college.

“Your grandparents came during the 1960s to work in the local area’s mills at a time when the factories were crying out for manual workers. The route of this year's peace procession, similar to previous years, went past some of those nostalgic mill buildings which are now, for various demographic reasons, standing empty.

“Two generations from your families worked long tiresome shifts not so long ago inside these buildings. They were part of a very disciplined law-abiding generation. They worked hard, they pair their taxes, and they contributed to the local area's economic progress.

“You must, as the next generation, now continue that same tradition of showing discipline and working hard through your own unique experience and skills to help build a better society for everyone.”

Some of the faithful taking part in the peace walk waved green Sufi-Muslim flags. The colour green in Islam is a symbol of love for nature and the environment.

Roses and samosas, along with orange juice, were given out free to passing pedestrians and motorists.

Volunteers from a number of local Mosques helped out by walking as stewards alongside the procession. Dewsbury West Councillor Khalid Patel also volunteered his time as a steward to ensure everything went ahead smoothly on the afternoon.