A 102-year-old man who raised thousands of pounds during the COVID-19 pandemic has observed a minute of silence at home with refugees from Ukraine and other countries.
Dabirul Islam Chowdhury was awarded the OBE for raising £ 420,000 after Captain Sir Tom Moore inspired him to walk around his garden in Bow, East London, while starving for Ramadan.
On Saturday, he welcomed people from around the world to his home to support Ukrainian refugees and raise money for the Ramadan Family Engagement charity.
Members of the Ukrainian community, who were recently displaced by the Russian invasion, observed a 102-second silence led by Mr. Chowdhury, who was fasting again, in the garden of his common residence.
And people from more than 300 cities around the world and countries, including Bangladesh, Canada, India, Pakistan and Turkey, joined the live stream to take part in the event.
Image: Dabirul Islam Chowdhury, 102, held a 102-second silence in front of his home in East London
A man, Akke Rahman, believed to be the first British Muslim from Bangladesh to climb Everest while on hunger strike, also joined a live broadcast of the event from base camp in Nepal.
Mr Chowdhury and members of his community then spoke to refugees about the war in Ukraine in the garden.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Chowdhury said he was excited to launch the initiative for a moment of silence for people in need and those killed in the war.
“I have full sympathy and full support for them,” he said.
“I pray for them. They must stop. They must understand each other. Fighting will never solve the problem.”
In an interview with the PA news agency, he added: “There are many people who are without food. There are many people who are hungry. There are many people who are dying. I like to support them.”
“If you help someone, you will benefit. I want to see people who fight, stop fighting, “he added.
Image: People from different countries gathered in support of refugees from Ukraine
In a 102-second silence, he said: “One minute is nothing, we support them with the sign of one minute.
“I will tell humanity to help others and God will help others.”
Mr Chowdhury became well known during the pandemic when he raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the victims of COVID-19 and the NHS, walking every day during the month of Ramadan while fasting.
“I thought the crisis was over and the pandemic was over. “I never thought I would see this day when the people of Ukraine are crying and desperately in need of support,” he said earlier.
“Refugees, mothers and children are suffering. I can’t just sit and wait for the end of the war; we have to do something now.”
Ellie, 16, who left her parents in Ukraine to stay with a relative in the United Kingdom, said: “My parents are in the war zone, I don’t know when I will see them again. But the love and support I receive from Dabirul and others gives me hope. Young Ukrainians are grateful for this initiative. “
Yulia Nikolaychuk, a 30-year-old doctor from the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv who fled the country last month, joined the event and said she wanted to do something to help people back home.
“It was March 15 and we decided to leave Ukraine, there was no food,” she said.
Ms Nikolaychuk and her five-year-old son Nikita managed to reach London in two weeks in Poland and are now staying with their families under the government’s refugee scheme.
As for how the war uprooted her life, she said: “We had other plans for our lives. Now I have no plans. I don’t know how we will live the next few days and the next few years.”
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