Leader's impassioned plea as deadly toll of virus on community is laid bare

In an emotional interview, Coun. Mohammed Iqbal bared his soul to Leader Times as it emerged that four respected elder members of the Ghausia Masjid mosque in Nelson had died from Covid-19 - a stark reminder of the fatal threat the virus continues to be.

Coun. Iqbal, who has devoted the best part of his life to serving the community in Pendle, spoke about the personal impact the pandemic has had on him, as a friend to so many families who have lost loved ones.

"In a normal year, we would have around 50 Muslim burials at Walton Lane Cemetery in Nelson, but last year we had 96," he said.

"I knew virtually every single one of those families. I help residents do the paperwork for burials so I have seen first hand the impact. At one point, we were burying two or three people a day. I would like to thank our cemetery staff who have gone above and beyond. It has become a seven-day a week job."

Coun. Iqbal revealed that capacity at Walton Lane had been estimated to last around eight to 10 years, but this had been reduced by a couple of years due to the pandemic. He added that the council would have to look at alternative burial venues in the future.

He added: "Among that awful death toll we have seen four elder members of the Ghausia mosque who have succumbed to this dreadful virus, half of the committee. These were the president Mohammed Anwar, as well as Raja Ghazanfar Ali, Haji Khadim Hussain and Haji Asghar Ali

"All were very well known respected members of our community who had devoted their lives to helping others."

However, the council leader said he hoped that some good could come from their deaths by bringing home the reality of the virus to the younger generation, some of whom were not taking it as seriously as they should.

"In a strange way, the deaths of the committee members has really hit home with younger members of our community as they knew them personally. Young people may feel invincible to this virus, but the risk is that they can spread it to older relatives. Obviously, there are a lot of multi-generational households among our community so that risk is greater."

The council leader also revelead the impact of the virus on fellow councillors. Whitefield ward Coun. Asjad Mahmood lost his father, while Bradley ward Coun. Mohammad Sakib lost two brothers to Covid in the space of a month.

Coun. Iqbal said local and national scholars were playing their part in fighting another obstacle to getting the vvrus under control - inaccurate fears over the vaccine.

"There have been a lot of conspiracy theories that the vaccine is not halal, but this is simply not true," he said. "I am turning 50 on Friday and I will certainly be having my vaccination when it's my turn. I would urge everyone to do the same.

"Scholars are doing their bit to quash this myth about the vaccine. The mosques are currently closed but we are trying to do our bit through word of mouth as it's a bit harder to get the message out there.

"However, we may look to partially reopen the mosques this week with a view for reopening for Friday Prayers the week after."

Finally, speaking with his council leader's cap on, Coun. Iqbal said the council's own publicity campaigns around the vaccine were designed to get the numbers down.

"Infection rates are falling in Pendle, but we are still above the national average. I would plead with everyone to respect the rules, social distance, wear a mask and get the vaccine when you can. The more we do this the sooner we can get back to normal and beat this dreadful virus."