Muslims from all over Britain are converged on the The Tower of London on Sunday 13th May 2012 for a 10km charity walk to raise £500,000 for the Queen’s charities. The Tower of London is an iconic attraction of London which is steeped in British history. The castle was used as a prison since at least 1100, although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat – the moat was the location of the event. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
The event also saw the launch of a fleet of 100 special London buses with the Diamond Jubilee logo and the Ahmadiyya Muslim motto ‘Love for All, Hatred for None’.
UK Ahmadiyya’s national president Rafiq Hayat said: “We share in the national pride at the Queen’s Jubilee and feel duty bound to serve Queen and country and regard this as an important act of faith.
“This charity walk is testament to our faith and sense of duty to Queen and country.”
Attending the annual charity walk this year were London Mayor Boris Johnson, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles, MPs and senior Met Police and Armed Forces figures.
Boris Johnson said: “It’s fitting that different communities making up the fabric of British life play a part in honouring our monarch on this special occasion.
“The Ahmadis who built the first London mosque have been an important part of our history and it’s fitting they are part of the Diamond Jubilee celebration.”
Two races took place, the first one was around the moat while the second route started from the Tower of London and took participants up Tower Bridge, across the opposite side of the river going past City Hall and back across London Bridge ending at the Tower. Attendees were treated to lunch after the event.11 Charities will benefit from the race and further details and donation can be made at http://www.amacc.org.uk
The charity walk and bus campaign kicked off a series of Jubilee celebrations including a letter to the Queen from the worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Community, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, inter-faith peace symposiums and jubilee dinners, with mosques lit up and decorated with the Union flag and prayers for the Queen.