The 30th November 2013 marked the 79th monthly session of Gosha-e-Durood at Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International London. The event began with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an by Hafiz Asim Shabbir, the first hafiz produced by MQI London followed by the recitation of Qaseeda Burda Shareef by the young brothers from MYL London. A Naat in praise of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was beautifully recited by young brother Hafiz Hassan which overwhelmed the participants with deep emotions.

The participants were encouraged to focus on their inner spirituality and the relationship they have with Allah and His Beloved Prophet (S.A.W.). The message of Minhaj-ul-Qur’an International, an organization solely promoting peace throughout humanity, was eloquently reiterated to the audience by Allama Muhammad Zeeshan Qadri. He also delivered an inspiring speech on the importance of respecting others in community by giving definitive evidence from the Holy Qur’an and Hadith.

On this occasion, a team from National Health Service (NHS) was also invited by Brother Rafiq Ahmed, executive member of MQI London for the awareness event which coincided with mouth cancer. The purpose of the mouth cancer team is to promote welfare of the local community attending the mosque. The NHS mouth cancer team gave a short presentation on the importance of mouth cancer to the audience. People from different community backgrounds showed a great interest and asked questions. Free leaflets and experts in the field were available to provide information and advice on this issue.

Following were the main points/important information shared with the audience by NHS team lead by Coveney Ann and Abdul Malik :-

1. Mouth cancer causes more deaths per number of cases than breast cancer, cervical cancer or melanomas.

2. There was a 50% increase in incidence between 1999 and 2007.

3. In the UK there were 7,556 cases of mouth, throat and head & neck cancers in 2003.

4. Despite treatment, there were 2,718 deaths in 2005 - that's approximately one death every three hours from mouth, throat or head and neck cancers.

5. Figures in 2010 from Cancer Research UK show that more than 6,500 new oral cancer cases alone are diagnosed in the UK, with one person dying every five hours from the disease.

6. Due to late detection the mortality rate from these cancers is just over 50 per cent despite treatment.

7. The ratio is 2:1 men to women.

8. 87% cases occur in the over 50 age group.

9. Mouth cancers are becoming much more common in younger people.

MQI London showed their gratitude to Ms. Coveney Ann and Mr. Abdul Malik for arranging the stall in partnership with them to serve the community of Newham borough. There was a great atmosphere throughout the whole programme and was enjoyed by adults and children alike. At the end of programme, food was also served.

Reported By: Moazzam Raza