The words of Tariq Jahan, who managed to speak with dignity and compassion after his son was killed in the UK riots, are truly inspirational :
From The Guardian :
“Tariq Jahan, said he was nearby and rushed to help. “I ran towards the commotion and the first guy I found was someone I didn’t know. I started giving him CPR until someone pointed out that the guy behind me was my son on the floor,” he said.
“So I started CPR on my own son, my face was covered in blood, my hands were covered in blood. Why, why?
“He was trying to help his community and he has been killed.” Describing his son, a mechanic and keen boxer, as “a very well-liked kid”, he said: “I can’t describe to anybody what it feels like to lose a son. He was the youngest of three, and anything I ever wanted done, I would always ask Haroon to sort it out for me.
“A day from now, maybe two days from now, the whole world will forget and nobody will care.”
In a message to the local community, he implored: “Today we stand here to plead with all the youth to remain calm, for our communities to stand united.
“This is not a race issue. The family has received messages of sympathy and support from all parts of society.”
Visibly emotional, Jahan added: “I lost my son. Blacks, Asians, whites – we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this? Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home – please.” “
- Amid all the bad news, Tariq Jahan made me proud to be British (Daniel Hannan in The Daily Telegraph) ;
- Matthew Taylor in The Guardian :
It seemed that these words had struck a chord. Following a moving candle-lit vigil on the petrol forecourt, those that had gathered after final prayers followed Jahan’s lead.
There was quiet anger – at the police and those that had been responsible for the rioting – and a deep sadness. But there was also a determination that they would act “nobly”, that they would stand together and show that there was a way through this that did not involve revenge or violence.
- Tariq Jahan’s is the patriotic voice of a first-generation Muslim migrant (Faisal Hanif in The Guardian)
