Ahsan Ahmedi, Secretary External Affairs, Jamaat Crawley
On 14 September 2022, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Crawley hosted an interfaith memorial service for the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Noor Mosque in Crawley.
The event attracted many senior officials from the county, including the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, the Bishop of Horsham and Lews, Her Worship the Mayor, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Sussex and faith leaders from Christian, Hindu and other faiths, as well as councillors and friends and neighbours.
Following the recitation from the Holy Quran, the local President of Jamaat Crawley, Adeel Shazad Sahib welcomed all guests.
Rev Gordon Parry then read a passage from the Bible. Personal recollections were then given by Henry Smith MP, who had met the Queen on several occasions.
Ashwin Soni from the Hindu Temple revisited her visit to Uganda when he was a child and felt very proud when the Temple in Crawley was awarded the Queen’s award a few months ago.
Other speakers included Petr Lamb MP, Martin Weightman of the All Faiths Network and Graeme Wilson from the Church of Scientology, all giving their recognition of Her Majesty’s services to just causes and to the nation.
Iyyad Daud from the Crawley Interfaith Network shared CIFN’s message of condolence with the audience.
This was followed by an address by the Rt Rev the Bishop of Horsham and Lewis.
The concluding address was delivered by my humble self.
A short message of thanks was then given and the event ended with a silent prayer for Britain, world peace and the reign of the new King, King Charles III. A book of condolences was signed by the guests and members of the Jamaat.
