Nottingham Muslims Mark Maulid with Love

TEHRAN (IQNA)- Celebrating the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), a group of Nottingham Muslims have handed thousands of red roses to shoppers at an event that aims to dispel misconceptions about Islam.

“The rose is a symbol of love, peace and harmony, and that is something we want to share,” Waheed Zaman, the founder of the Islamic group KQZ Institute, told Nottingham Post on Saturday, January 10.
“The timing has become more significant, but we had planned to do it anyway as a celebration of the birth month of Muhammad.
“We want to show that because of the actions of a couple of individuals that we cannot be divided, and that is our message we want to get across.”
Held under the slogan “love, peace and harmony”, Saturday's Maulid event aimed to show the true-face of Islam.
Some 2,000 roses were handed to Nottingham shoppers by about 50 Muslims from local groups who met by the Brain Clough statue.
Several local community groups have supported the event that was attended by city's officials like police and crime commissioner Paddy Tipping.
“We have got a strong community here in Nottingham,” the commissioner said.
“There are different ethnic groups within the community but traditionally have all got on together.
“The events in Paris are tragic but here in Nottingham we want to show that we are strong and united, whatever background we come from.”