Sunday 14^th June 2020 – The East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre is calling for further action to address health inequalities faced by BAME communities from COVID-19.

A leaked draft of a Public Health England report cites racism as a possible factor in why people from BAME communities are at increased risk of dying from the virus.

We urge the Government to:

• address these inequalities, especially racism, and find solutions for the safety and welfare of BAME people
• fund organisations that work closely with BAME communities to support and mitigate the impact of COVID-19

Director of the East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre, Dilowar Khan, said, “Most of the people we serve are from the BAME communities, their health and safety is a priority for us. We now need urgent Government action to tackle underlying racism and remove these serious inequalities.

“As a charity and community-centred organisation, we are doing everything we can to help. The Government needs to support faith institutions close to the BAME communities to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Since the pandemic began, the East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre has supported the local community, Muslim and non-Muslim, though no funds or resources have been made available by the Government. This has included a food bank to help the vulnerable, a temporary mortuary to deal with the influx of deceased and help funeral services cope, the delivery of medicine, and the provision of over 8000 meals to NHS staff and those in need.”

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