At a community event in Walthamstow, East London, Muslims from all backgrounds gathered to discuss how to help the millions affected by the devastating floods in Pakistan.

After tilawat of Qur’an, Dr Salim reminded the audience of the blessings of ramadhan and the generosity that Muslims show one another during this month, seeking the reward from Allah (swt). He urged all to help our brothers and sisters in Pakistan who were suffering the effects of the floods and the incompetence of the Pakistan government’s response. He stressed that this is a Muslim problem, not a problem for Pakistan alone.

Pervez Hassan then addressed the audience on the practical steps Muslims can undertake from the UK in order to help alleviate the suffering in Pakistan and help raise the call for a change to the Khilafah ruling system. He praised the response of the Muslim masses in various places in contrast to the Zardari regime’s neglect of the people of Pakistan. He said this discredited government, like the dictatorship before it, continued to station over 140,000 troops in the north west of Pakistan to fight America’s war, rather than deploying them to provide aid in the flood affected areas – slavery to America instead of looking after its citizens.

He said that people had no trust in the current system, and that it was time to call for a change to the khilafat system, so that a sincere Islamic leadership can mobilise the resources of the ummah to help those affected in the floods. In the time of the Khilafat, when there was famine in Madinah, other provinces (wilayah) of the Khilafah provided caravans of food from Egypt and Syria at a time when Camels and messengers were the only means of communication. So surely today, it is should be possible to mobilise resources to address this catastrophe.

He said it is an Islamic duty to account these rulers and call for their removal and urged the Muslims here to contact their relatives from Pakistan and urge them to support the work for Khilafat in Pakistan as the way to bring about a new system and leadership that looks after the affairs of the Muslims as Allah (swt) ordered.

22nd August 2010