Pandemic brought out best in British by uniting all races
Commentator on faith and counter- terrorism
AS we approach the end of the second lockdown tomorrow, it is worth looking back to the lessons learnt from the first. Then, as more recently, there have been stand- out heroes, especially those in the NHS, the social services and the private sector workers who kept essential services going.
More than ever, we as a society appreciated their efforts, while at the same time initiatives such as clapping for the NHS brought us closer together.
Now, with three vaccines on the horizon, there is a real hope that things will return to normal. But we should not forget the lessons that 2020 has taught us about building bridges.
If the first lockdown brought us together, the second was in more danger of tearing us apart, with the perceived injustices of the tier system and how it affected different towns, regions and communities. This showed how resentments can easily be stoked and how we must act to calm them down.
The vaccines bring hope that by spring life will return to something closer to normal. We may then look back at 2020 with fear and anxiety for all the pain and turbulence it created, and reflect upon how the trauma of the pandemic has changed and shaped us all.
THE fact is that Covid- 19 has waged war on each and every one of us. It has taken away family members and stopped short the lives of so many others.
Yet the pandemic showed us how resilient our nation is and how we came together in this battle for our collective safety.
We must also acknowledge that something in the soul of our country changed through this pandemic – something that we should cherish.
In the fight against the virus, many of those who gave up their lives to save others came from Black and Minority Ethnic ( BAME) communities. In the frontline defence against the virus, we saw hospital porters, nurses, doctors, carers and public transport workers give their lives to keep services going.
Who can forget Dr Alfa Saadu, Amged El- Hawrani or Abdul Mabud Chowdhury, who died serving their patients, and the many others from BAME communities who held the line trying to save the lives of members of the public?
Who can forget the pictures of doctors and nurses looking overwhelmed, but giving hope to those who were alone in hospital and the reassurance that they gave us all?
Nor should we forget the organisations that helped, such as the Worcester Muslim Welfare Association, which opened a food bank to support families in desperate need of basic essentials during the pandemic, the Inverness mosque that donated food made during Ramadan to the homeless in the local area, and the Sikh gurdwara in Slough that opened its community kitchen and fed thousands by putting the concept of seva – or “serving ( the poor)” – at the heart of its work.
These initiatives brought us closer together and were crucial in building bridges between different ethnic groups. We didn’t see black or white at these points, we just saw “us”: a collective of people coming together to protect men, women and children from a microscopic enemy.
This moment, of all races, faiths and cultures coming together, was the best of Britain.
The pandemic has done something to race relations in our country and I believe it has broken down our perceptions about our fellow citizens of colour. It has bonded us at a human level, and connected us at an emotional and spiritual level. The flip side is that some tried to blame the spread of Covid- 19 on Muslims, Jews and Eastern Europeans, as though they were the primary “superspreaders”.
BUT rightfully, the vast majority of the British public saw through this and consigned such attempts to manipulate public opinion into the dustbin of history.
As we move towards Christmas and much- needed time with families and friends, we should remember that through the hardships of this year we inadvertently demonstrated the courage of many within our communities.
Let us also not forget the examples of hope that shone through during the height of the pandemic; the churches, mosques, gurdwaras, temples, synagogues and community centres that opened up their hearts and resources, to share them with those who had little. Care, affection and empathy are core values of our communities and our country and we must never lose sight of them.
‘ Many who gave their lives came from BAME communities’
Fiyaz Mughal is the founder of Faith Matters ( faith- matters. org)