Muslims in Britain mourn riot heroes

Canterbury, England August 18 (ENInews)--More than 20,000 mourners, most
of them British-born Muslims, gathered in Birmingham, England on 18 August
for the funeral of three young men mown down by a car while defending their
community and homes from rioters and looters last week.

"These three people (Haroon Jahan, 21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and
Abdul Musavir, 31) are martyrs and the best we can do for them is to pray for
them and for ourselves and to pray for our community," said Muslim scholar
Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, speaking at the service.

The mourners, including some Muslims from Europe who had travelled to
England for the funerals, comforted one another and wiped away tears as Muslim
leaders called for peace in Birmingham's Asian-dominated Winson Green
district. The three men died on 10 August in a week that saw days of rioting and
lootings spread from London to the English Midlands.