A Message Of Peace
Never did Shamim dream that her son’s love of football could achieve so much…
Shamim and her son Kashif, have come a long way since their early days living in a bed and breakfast hostel for homeless people. Alone, with no possessions and shunned by family and friends, never in her wildest dreams did Shamim ever imagine that one day her son would grow up to be an international footballer, travelling the world to promote world peace.
“My childhood, freedom and education were stolen from me when I was just fourteen years old,” Shamim says. “I was born in Uganda and one day my brother told me I was to be married to an older cousin. I was shocked but had no choice. Shortly after I was married, Idi Amin came into power and we had to leave Uganda for the UK. It was heart breaking leaving the country of my birth. My family would not let me integrate into Western culture.
“I was desperate to improve our quality of life, so taught myself to type, got a job and was really happy. But my family didn’t approve of my working and made life so difficult for me I had to give it up. The stress this caused resulted in my husband and I separating. I was banned from seeing my children and disowned by my family.
“It was an incredibly dark time but I remarried and had Kashif. Sadly, more family conflict led to the disruption of my second marriage and I found myself a single mother living in a bed and breakfast hostel. This was not the life I wanted to give my son. But my prayers were answered eventually when I found a job in a bank in London.
“Kashif was six or seven when he started to play football in school. I looked for local clubs so he could play more but he had a hard time getting on as there were no Asian role models for him to aspire to and no other Asian children in the clubs. Even though this was disheartening I encouraged Kashif to keep tr ying. I had to keep him motivated and it felt like we both made it together when he landed his first professional football contract.
“I feel blessed that something as good as the idea of using football as an instrument for world peace came out of Kashif’s difficult start in life. If my son had not faced the hardships he had maybe he would not be doing the wonder ful work he does today. Growing up, he heard all my stories about what it was like to have to suddenly leave everything behind or risk a concentration camp, so he understood tolerance from a very early age. Even as a little boy he was kind and caring, so I’m not surprised he wants to make a difference now he’s a grown man.”
“The hardships we faced inspired my son to make a difference in the world”
and world leaders could learn a lot through the rules of football!
“Playing football is a great way to unite people. My mum took me to training sessions every Saturday and matches every Sunday. Her whole weekend was taken up with taking me to football and washing my kit. She used to stand in the pouring rain and cheer me on. The sound of my mother’s voice from the sidelines propelled me to the next level.
“Being a young British Muslim footballer puts me in a unique position to give something back to the UK, the country of my birth. Misunderstanding, lack of dialogue and isolation worry me. I honestly feel we are all conditioned to identify with our own race, our own religion, our own country, or even a particular football team, but history shows we cannot live our entire lives in such a small box. We need to interact, learn each other’s cultures and respect humanity!”
“My aim is to break down barriers and help others achieve their dreams”