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I was recently discussing with a family friend, the reasons why our parents had come to Britain and she added, `I still think I’d like to keep my flat in Karachi, I’d like to keep the option open because over there I feel the same when I go out, people don’t stare at me. Whenever I go back, I feel free.’ I wondered how it is that you can live your whole life in one place but feel that you don’t belong because of your colour, clothing or creed. Because how we feel in public, has a deep impact on our sense of self- worth, our emotional well being and our sense of loyalty.

So, as I’ve watched the recent marches and protests on the streets of Britain, whether in support of Israel or Palestine, I wonder what these demonstrations might cost us here? So much tragedy and grief mean emotions are running high on all sides, but we who live in peaceful societies have a duty to one another to ensure that our words and actions make others feel safe not scared. As both Jewish and Palestinian communities feel increasingly vulnerable, with many Jews feeling targeted in Britain, let’s remember that resentment and fear of those around us, is only ever destructive. Waving flags may be a powerful show of solidarity with a cause or a country but we also have other important loyalties, namely to those we call neighbours and friends, people who live on our streets and in our towns, whose children go to the same schools and with whom we share civic space. Islamic traditions speak powerfully of the place of the neighbour, that they have a right over us and that the duty of a Muslim is to be a blessing not a curse to those around them. Indeed, there’s a prophetic saying that if your neighbour isn’t safe from your actions, you aren’t a believer.

It is this web of relations which we build with those around us which make for a good and compassionate society. Sometimes when our loyalties feel conflicted, or when we feel helpless, the most moral thing to do as a citizen is simply to be kind to those who are near you, to reach to the very people you feel are on the other side, to listen to their stories and recognise their goodness. Because at some point, when our attention gradually moves away from distant conflicts, what still remains is how we feel about one another in the here and now, in the place we all call home.