WFCOM Signs Open Letter to PM Urging Immediate Action for Gaza

WFCOM Signs Open Letter to PM Urging Immediate Action for Gaza

WFCOM has joined more than thirty major UK Islamic institutions in an open letter to the Prime Minister, calling for urgent, concrete measures to end the humanitarian catastrophe and genocide unfolding in Gaza. The letter condemns the “harrowing scenes of intolerable human suffering” and urges the UK Government to uphold international law and protect civilian life.

What the Letter Calls For

• An immediate reinstatement of a ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and an end to the military occupation of Palestinian territories.
• Immediate lifting of the Gaza blockade and unfettered delivery of humanitarian aid, opposing all forms of collective punishment.
• Formal recognition of the State of Palestine, aligned with international consensus and United Nations resolutions.
• A halt to UK arms sales and military support to any party violating international humanitarian law.
• The absence of meaningful diplomatic or humanitarian intervention… undermines the UK’s stated commitment to international law, justice and the protection of human rights.

Who Signed the Letter?

The joint statement is endorsed by leading mosques, scholarly bodies and community organisations across Britain, including WFCOM, East London Mosque, Birmingham Central Mosque, Finsbury Park Mosque, The Islamic Cultural Centre at Regents Park, and many others.

How You Can Help

1. Share this article on social media to amplify the call for justice.
2. Write to your MP urging support for the letter’s demands.
3. Donate to trusted humanitarian agencies delivering life-saving aid inside Gaza.
4. Pray for peace, justice and security for our Palestinian brothers and sisters.

WFCOM remains committed to working with partners of all faiths and none to uphold the principles of compassion, justice and human rights. We pray for an immediate end to the suffering of the Palestinian people and for a just and lasting peace in the region.

Read the Full Letter

 The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP

Prime Minister

10 Downing Street

London

SW1A 2AA

Wednesday 21st May 2025

An Open Letter to the Prime Minister on the Horrific Situation in Gaza

Dear Prime Minister,

For over eighteen months, we have witnessed harrowing  scenes of intolerable human suffering and destruction in Gaza. It is abundantly clear, that contrary to international humanitarian law,

Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war against a defenceless civilian population. As famine looms, thousands of malnourished and emaciated children and babies now face the prospect of inhumane, agonising and preventable deaths.

More than two million Palestinians remain trapped in the Gaza Strip. The limited aid permitted into the besieged enclave has been woefully inadequate. A morally inexcusable failure to provide even the most basic aid to a starving population since the collapse of the ceasefire two months ago, has only intensified the suffering of innocent civilians, who continue to endure relentless and indiscriminate bombing.

This siege has created conditions described as a ‘hell on earth’.

Tens of thousands have been killed and displaced in Gaza. Meanwhile, the situation in the West Bank continues to deteriorate, with unlawful killings, armed settler attacks, and arbitrary mass detentions contributing to widespread human rights violations. We condemn all forms of extremism, terrorism, violence, and the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, regardless of the perpetrator.

Though we welcome the ‘joint country statement’ issued on Monday, 19th May, and our Foreign Secretary’s statement to the House on Tuesday, 20th May, we are profoundly concerned by the UK Government’s failure to act determinedly, not having adopted a consistent, firm and principled stance in response to policies that have constituted collective punishment and potentially, war crimes with the ethnic cleansing of the civilian population in Gaza. The absence of meaningful diplomatic or humanitarian intervention and continued material support to Israel, undermines the UK’s stated commitment to international law, justice and the protection of human rights.

As institutions of the British Muslim community, we respectfully urge you to take substantive action on the following points of principle and policy:

1. Call for the immediate reinstatement of a ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages, and an end to the military occupation of Palestinian territories.

2. Demand the immediate cessation of the blockade on Gaza, ensure the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, and vocally oppose all forms of collective punishment.

3. Underpin your call for a negotiated two-state solution, by formally recognising the State of Palestine in accordance with international consensus and United Nations resolutions.

4. Sanction and immediately halt the sale and export of arms, military equipment and support of any party engaged in violations of international humanitarian law.

We firmly believe that justice, accountability and sustained diplomatic engagement are essential foundations for just and lasting peace in the region. We therefore appeal to you to act decisively and urgently to uphold the principles of international law and the sanctity of civilian life.

After months of starvation, a token gesture of allowing limited food aid into Gaza will not be sufficient to prevent a further catastrophe. With thousands of humanitarian aid vehicles awaiting entry, at least 600 trucks are needed daily to meet the basic needs of the population.

The application of international law cannot be selective. Human rights, non-discrimination, and anti-racism must be universal. These principles cannot be withheld from a people based on their ethnicity or religion, nor should they be compromised by borders or systems of apartheid. A future of warfare, void of legal and ethical responsibilities, sets a dangerous precedent which will inevitably lead to the deterioration of Human Rights, which serve as the foundation of a democratic and civilised society.

As civic and faith-based institutions rooted in conscience and compassion, we believe it is our shared duty to work towards ending decades of injustice and displacement in Palestine. This must begin with acknowledging the root causes of the conflict and occupation. Justice and dialogue are prerequisites for peace and prosperity in the region. We must commit to a peace process grounded in justice, equality, and international law. We remain hopeful that our government will act on these most urgent concerns.

Yours Sincerely,

Jamiat Ulama-e-Britain (The Association of Muslim Scholars in Great Britain) • The Islamic Cultural Centre & The London Central Mosque Trust • East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre • Finsbury Park Mosque • Al Manaar – Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre • Al Muntada Al Islami & WLICC • Muslim Welfare House • Mayfair Islamic Centre • Masjid Al Tawhid Leyton • UKIM West London Islamic Centre • Al-Nagashi Mosque & Centre • North London Council of Mosques • Waltham Forest Council of Mosques • Wakefield Central Mosque • Sheffield Grand Mosque • Riverside Islamic Cultural Centre • Rabbaniah Islamic Centre Cardiff • Birmingham Central Mosque • High Barnet Islamic Centre • Rumi Mosque • Jalalia Jamme Masjid • Said Nursi Mosque • Enfield Town Islamic Centre • Heart of Enfield Mosque • Barnet Islamic Centre • Islamic Association of North London • Masjid Ayesha • Hendon Mosque • Al Risaalah Mosque Islington • Southgate Mosque • Edmonton Islamic Centre • Mariam Helping Centre • Seven Sisters Mosque • Garden of Firdaus • London Islamic Cultural Society • Palmers Green Mosque • Hounslow Muslim Centre • Madrasah Irshadul Islam • The Islamic Academy of Manchester