On the night of Tuesday, 9th August, 2011, Tariq Jahan lost his son in the UK riots. This is what he said to the press afterwards:
My name is Tariq Jahan. I’ve come to speak for what happened to my son. His name was Haroon Jahan.
I’m not no professional TV man, but what I have to say I’ve written down, and if you can understand, we should be able to get along.
Last night, we lost three cherished members of our community. They were taken from us in a way that not father, mother, sister, brother should have to endure.
Today, we stand here, to plead with all the youth to remain calm, for our communities to stand united.
As we stand here today, this is not a race issue. The family has received messages of sympathy and support from all parts of the community – all faiths, all colours and backgrounds.
Please respect the memory of our sons, and the grief of our family and loved ones by staying away from trouble, and not going out tonight.
Basically, I lost my son. Blacks, asians, whites, we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? What started these riots, and what’s escalated, why are we doing this? I lost my son. Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home – please.
And last, to all those people who were there, when the incident took place, I was there too, I know who you guys are. Please come forward. I need witnesses to prove that my son was innocent, and the two other chaps that died with him for no reason. Please, I beg you, come forward. You guys know me, I know you. We were all there together, please come forward.
Thank you very much…
What’s going on? I’m mourning my son, and you lot are starting up again – why? Grow up guys, grow up, go home, yeah. You guys have got nothing better to do? Go home man. Stop messing around.
Tariq Jahan, Birmingham, UK, 10th August, 2011
Tariq Jahan’s plea for calm over hit & run deaths / Uploaded 10.08.2011 by Comfortablynumb1975x 2011, SkyNewsUK, viewed 12.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ1VjUSKevc
For a powerful opinion piece, see what Faisal Hanif has said in The Guardian, 11.08.2011. Some other sources are listed below, and will be updated from time to time.
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Sources (in date order)
UK Riots : violence spreads beyond London / Reported by David Bowden, Sky News, Youtube.com, uploaded 09.08.2011, viewed 15.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKJv_lwtz2k
Tariq Jahan’s plea for calm over hit & run deaths / Uploaded 10.08.2011 by Comfortablynumb1975x 2011, SkyNewsUK, viewed 12.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ1VjUSKevc
Father of boy killed in Birmingham riots speaks / Uploaded by ITN News, Youtube.com, 10.08.2011, viewed 15.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwdhjE9tu10
Riots expand outside London, as many Britons worry over safety, property / Judy Warner & Margaret Woodruff, PBS Newshour, 10.08.2011, viewed 12.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oWNcw8dits
Father of Birmingham victim calls for riots to end, TelegraphTV, Telegraph, 11.08.2011, viewed 12.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEa8bGvzDrk
Tariq Jahan’s is the patriotic voice of a first-generation Muslim migrant / Faisal Hanif, The Guardian, 11.08.2011, viewed 12.08.2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/11/tariq-jahan-first-generation-muslim-migrant
A shrine for three brothers : Against all odds, peace is restored to Birmingham streets where men died, / ‘Daily Mail Reporter’, Daily Mail, 11.08.2011, viewed 13.08.2011, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024991/Birmingham-riots-Against-odds-peace-restored-streets-3-men-died.html.
Grieving father’s voice of sanity: As ‘race murder’ of three young Asians sends riot city to boiling point, man who lost son calls for calm, / Michael Seamark, Daily Mail Online, 11.08.2011, viewed 12.08.2011, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2024375/BIRMINGHAM-RIOTS-Race-murder-victim-Haroon-Jahans-father-Tariq-calls-calm.html
Birmingham riots : Grieving dad who helped stop Birmingham riots insists he is no hero, Author Unknown, Birmingham Mail, 12.08.2011, viewed 13.08.2011, http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2011/08/12/birmingham-riots-grieving-dad-who-helped-stop-birmingham-riots-insists-he-s-no-hero-97319-29222407/
Party leaders unite to pay tribute to Tariq Jahan / Jonathan Walker, Birmingham Mail, 12.08.2011, http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2011/08/12/party-leaders-unite-to-pay-tribute-to-tariq-jahan-97319-29222267/.
Birmingham riots : West Midland chief constable praises grieving dad Tariq Jahan / Author Unknown, Birmingham Mail, 12.08.2011, viewed 13.08.2011, http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2011/08/12/birmingham-riots-west-midlands-chief-constable-praises-grieving-dad-tariq-jahan-97319-29222412/
Twitter pays homage to Tariq Jahan / Paul Bradley, Birmingham Mail, 12.08.2011, viewed 13.08.2011, http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2011/08/12/twitter-pays-homage-to-tariq-jahan-97319-29221804/
Birmingham Riot 2011 : Live event Tariq Jahan / Abdul Quddoos speech / Uploaded by BhamUrbanNewsUK, Youtube, 14.08.2011, viewed 15.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrQnb9p5IE
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Websites
BhamUrbanNewsUK / Youtube.com, viewed 15.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/user/BhamUrbanNewsUK#g/u
comfortablynumb1975x / Youtube.com, viewed 15.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/user/comfortablynumb1975x#g/a
itnnews / ITN News, Youtube.com, viewed 15.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/user/itnnews#g/u
skynews / Sky News, Youtube.com, viewed 15.08.2011, http://www.youtube.com/user/skynews?ob=5#g/u
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This post will be updated from time to time. (Updated 13.08.2011 ; 15.08.2011)
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