A humble English man of Middle Eastern, or possible Persian, descent on Wednesday taught the world a very important lesson – tolerance and community spirit.
Grief-stricken Tarik Jahan spoke of the deep sadness at the senseless killing of his 32-year-old son Haroon, in the riots in Birmingham. Tarik was out with fellow residents of his estate, trying to protect homes and businesses from rampaging looters. Out of the blue, three men were mown down by a car, containing thugs. It was done purposely. It was callous, cold-blooded and senseless murder.
Tarik only saw three men in a bloody mess. He went to the nearest and began to administer CPR and that is when he felt a tap on his shoulder – someone told him that one of the men was his son. In his own words: “I rushed to him, I tried to save him. My hands were bloody, he was in a mess. Why? Why?”
Tarik Jahan made a statement to the media later in the day. He was flanked by black people, Asians, whites and Muslims. Two men of different races had their hands on his shoulders to keep him steady as he spoke.
Tarik called for the violence to stop, for the senseless killing, rampaging and looting to be brought to an end. All the while, the small community shed tears and shared his grief. Tarik explained that the people on his street were ethnically diverse and from different cultures, but they all stood side-by-side to protect their homes, businesses and families. “This is what community is all about,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. In one last magnanimous gesture, this grief-stricken man urged people not to seek revenge for his son’s death, urging people to stay calm and strong.
This article will not do justice to this man’s actions. It is courage and self-control which many people would not be able to muster. Questions will arise from this, as they will in other places. Sheiks stood guard outside their temple in London, swords drawn. Turks came out of their take-aways, armed with skewers to ward off looters. And in Haroon’s case, fathers, brothers and sons stood shoulder to shoulder, ready to fight for their right to a peaceful life.
England must be wary. It is clear that in cities of millions, ‘peace-time’ police complements are not enough. The government responded and flooded city centres with thousands of extra officers, but the threat of vigilante action and sectarian violence is very real and palpable.
On Wednesday night, the ‘Army of St George’ took to the streets. Most where white indigenous Londoners, and their intentions were good. But, there is a potential flashpoint. If the riots continue, and fear continues to grip communities, England could be in for a race war. With people’s adrenalin up so high, a scenario of a vigilante group attacking a black man, a brown man or even a yellow man, mistaking him for a yob, becomes increasingly more likely. This is not the way out of this. The way out was shown by the multi-ethnic communities of England who turned out en masse, broomstick and shovel in hand. The way out is the solidarity shown by all those who fixed post-it notes onto shop facades. The way out is taking the attitude which Tarik Jahan did. It is the only way to heal the deep wounds that the country has suffered.