Tuesday 19 March 2019

One Love: An answer to New Zealand's terrorist attack.


One Love: An answer to New Zealand's terrorist attack. 


I know this is hard
To see the beautiful land called New Zealand
That produces our halal lamb
And the accent of the British and Aussie in one

Now to see slaughtered instead
Women, children, disabled men, whilst praying
In the House of God
On Juma was a shock; insane calculated Islamophobia it seem.

But to see how humanity came forward against evil
To watch a leader wear the hijab with her Irish colors
Ready to ban guns and get rid of bigotry
This is the type of leaders we want, not flattery.

It's easy to pray and easier to tweet messages of condolences
But to talk, to meet, to cry, to invite, to do something like save a life 
That takes courage which we lack
Didn't we learn from Taif? Or from the wife of the wheelchair husband?

I can hardly imagine what tears the mothers carry
What pain the fathers fetch
The hurt of  a young widow
The magnanimity of the husband to forgive the terrorist

But we will prevail
The love shown by the majority of the world
The brotherhood enjoyed by the many others so far
The tears we see on the faces of even murderers

That shit is real!
Don't make us feel like victims every time hate spills
Stand up against hate wherever you are like One Love
And that will bring down the House of White supremacy!

Habeeb Alli Bio


Habeeb Alli Bio

Habeeb Alli studied at Queen's College, Guyana, before he graduated with a Masters in Islamic Theology and Arabic Language from Deoband Islamic University in India. He also holds a Diploma in Journalism from Delhi.

Habeeb is the author of twenty-six publications on Canadian Muslims, Interfaith and Poetry including the recent Scaling Heights.


He is a member of the Canadian Council of Imams and served as Secretary for six years. Mr. Alli serves on Interfaith organisations like Abraham Festival in Peterborough Ontario and honorary director of Moeen Centre for persons with disabilities in Toronto.

Imam Alli has presented on Islam in many conferences over the past twenty-five years globally and is active on social media. The Junctian Network for Community Service recognized him in April 2017 and Vigor Humanitarian Award in 2020 and the Queen Jubilee Award and Humanitarian Award by MP Chaun Chen in 2022.


He presently serves as Executive Director of the One Love Family Services in Toronto- dedicated towards  humanitarian efforts in Canada and as a Federal Chaplain in Ontario with Correctional Services Canada and Spiritual Care Coordinator at Cummers Lodge, Toronto.


Habeeb had cofounded One Love Table food hampers program during Covid and the One Love podcast.


He has helped the charity called Service to Humanity in Skeldon – which was established to keep educated the laid off sugar workers children in Guyana

 

The Chaplain is the founder of the annual One Love Gala- in recognition of successful reintegration of multi faith inmates- onelovegala.org


The Poet and Author is the current President of the Pakaraima Writers Association.

 

He sits on a number of community boards and speaks several languages including Arabic and Urdu.

 

In Guyana, Habeeb helped start the Darul Uloom in Berbice and Diamond and the reestablishment of the Mosque in Golden Grove ECD.

 

Habeeb blogs at  https://whispersofkaieteur.blogspot.com/

 

He currently  resides in Toronto with his partner.