The Covid-19 vaccination roll-out program has been in full swing in Birmingham. We have been witnessing many initiatives undertaken by the local Government authorities to discuss different aspects and how to maximise the rate of vaccination among the people.
Along with the initiatives by the Government authorities, Al Abbas Islamic Centre of Birmingham Jamaat is the first mosque in the UK to be made into an NHS Covid-19 vaccination centre, in partnership with the Masters Pharmacy Group. The Centre is open to all from the wider society. (Refer to our article on Al Abbas Islamic Centre).
Visit by the Secretary of State for MHCLG
On 30th January 2021, Secretary of State for Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), Mr Robert Jenrick visited the Al Abbas Islamic Centre and appreciated the efforts of our community in offering to convert the centre to a vaccination hub. He said, “The role of a faith leader is extremely important in building trust in the vaccine and the vaccine roll out program, encountering misinformation that we see on social media and elsewhere as quickly as possible. I think it’s incredibly powerful to see what you’re doing here, what Shaykh Nuru has done for his community and I strongly encourage others of all faiths to step up and do the same.”
Mayor & Faith Communities Covid-19 Vaccination Roundtable
The West Midlands Combined Authority organised a virtual Mayor & Faith Communities Covid-19 Vaccination Roundtable discussion on 1st February 2021 with the local faith leaders and community groups. It was hosted by the Mayor of West Midlands, Mr Andy Street who was joined by a panel of experts for the roundtable discussion. The main objective of the discussion was to offer insight and support around the Covid-19 vaccinations and discuss how to effectively maximise the rate of vaccination across West Midlands and address the queries and concerns of the people that are the cause of hesitation towards taking the vaccine. The discussion was followed by live Q&A session with the attendees.
A Resident Aalim and Community Member on the Panel
Our community Aalim, Shaykh Nuru Mohamad was present on the panel in the capacity as the Imam of Al Abbas Islamic Centre. Khoja community member Dr Rizwan Alidina was also a member of the roundtable panel in the capacity of a GP in Birmingham, having a frontline experience; and a member of the governing body in Birmingham and Solihull CCG.
Other prominent key figures on the panel were, Dr Justin Barney (Director of Public Health for Birmingham City Council), Dr Ash Banerjee (Public Health – England, Screening and Immunisation lead for the Midlands) and Dr Sara Raystrick (Chair of the Coventry and Rugby Clinical Commissioning Group).
Shaykh Nuru Mohamed highlighted the importance of taking the vaccination and discussed the responsibility of a community leader to spread awareness about the vaccination. He said, “It is a religious and moral obligation to save a life. It is not negotiable… When we speak, people listen. As faith leaders, people listen, people respect us. We are people who are central to our organisation and our communities, and we’ve been doing incredibly well especially through West Midlands. You know, combine authority, fixed strategy group, let’s keep doing it, we will win the battle, I have no doubt about it in my mind … and informing people that this is the right thing to do and go for it.”
While discussing the status and types of people currently being vaccinated in Birmingham, Dr Rizwan Alidina mentioned that “As you are aware that Birmingham having a higher Muslim population, we tend to have volunteers who do our burial rites rather than the undertakers and these are the people who are usually lost to the system because they don’t have any professional registrations and ways of being tapped into when we need to protect them and they are the ones who are covering Covid-19 burials, sometimes up to 10, 5-10 a day. So I’m pleased to announce that as a CCG, we have reached out to the Birmingham Muslim Burial Council and to various mosques in various groups and we have made sure that they have available appointments for these volunteers to be covered.”
In addition to the Mayor & Faith Community roundtable session, Shaykh Nuru and Dr Rizwan were also invited to a roundtable discussion by Mr Daniel El-Gamry, special advisor to the Prime Minister, for a discussion on promoting vaccine take-up in South Asian groups, which was conducted on 5th February 2021.
For information on the views of Sayyid al-Sistani & a Panel of Medical Experts on the Covid-19 Vaccination, please visit: COVID-19 Vaccine Guidance
We pray to Allah (swt) to increase the tawfeeqat of these individuals and to protect everyone from all harm and danger, Ameen.