They came from across the country, more than 200 imams showing solidarity with their fellow Britons in the wake of the recent terror attacks, including the one on Saturday here at London Bridge.
And in an impressive display of interfaith cooperation, the senior Muslims stood side by side with Jewish and Christian leaders.
The scene of the lorry attack and stabbings on London Bridge itself has only just been unveiled after being cordoned off by police, but a sea of flowers lay there this afternoon amid a diverse crowd of local office workers, passers by and police officers paying their respects – with seven Christian street pastors on hand to offer spiritual support. People were laying bouquets before the imams arrived, with one young woman, her tears falling to the pavement, bringing a framed photograph of a loved one caught up in the atrocity.
Then, in moving scenes, the imams arrived to spontaneous applause, stopping the busy London traffic and bearing posters adorned with the messages 'ISIS will lose, love will win' and 'ISIS is the enemy of Islam,' each holding single red roses, also held by the Anglican Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun and the Catholic Bishop John Sherrington.
Qari Asim, an Imam at the Makka Mosque in Leeds who helped organise the vigil, told Christian Today: 'It is really important that we stand together – this is the third attack in the last three months. Each attack is an attack on our home, on all of us – these terrorists are trying to undermine our shared values. We want to send out a loud and clear message to wannabe extremists and to terrorists that Britain is our home and there is no distinction between being Muslim and British. Simply, we are tired of hearing the news of our fellow Britons being injured, tired of grieving for our neighbours.
'We are standing up to say this is not acceptable – this is a complete distortion of our faith. The path they may be considering following is not a path to paradise – terrorists are criminals, simple as that. If any ISIS sympathisers ever thought this is a short cut to heaven, we imams are very clear that this is anything but a short cut to heaven; this is not the path to paradise. We want to send a clear message that these criminals are not representative of Islam.'
Also speaking at the vigil was Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Senior Rabbi to Reform Judaism. She addressed the imams and the public, saying: 'We all weep for those we've lost. British Jews stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters when wickedness has attacked London. Now's the time for the very leadership that you are modelling as Imams – modelling for Britain today, not just for Muslims, but for all British people. Judaism and Islam are linked by a great prophet, Moses...Moses knew that the most influential leadership was not through grand presentations or speeches, but by meeting individuals face-to-face, in Hebrew, panim-el-panim, in Arabic wajeh le wajeh, building connections in the hearts of others. That is our work, to turn souls away from wickedness, and we are all together in that holy task.'
Bishop Chessun told the crowd: 'We welcome to London our Muslim brothers and sisters from all parts of the UK in your holy month of Ramadan so we can stand together..A strong sense of common purpose has built up within our communities over months and years.' He emphasised that 'The teaching of Jesus is to love God and love thy neighbour'.
Reflecting afterwards, he said that the vigil was 'not spontaneous' but 'a determined act of witness and solidarity which we in Southwark appreciate enormously'. He added: 'This has happened as a result of a decision to bring as many imams as possible together in Southwark...Our common response as fellow citizens of different faiths is to find ways to build on existing friendships, existing goodwill, to build resilience across communities and counter the wicked actions of terrorists.' The Bishop also spoke of 'the circles of suffering' beyond the local ones that are caused by terrorism. Southwark Cathedral remains closed and at what he said was 'the heart of the crime scene'.
Bishop Sherrington told Christian Today: 'I'm deeply moved by being present as we are remembering the victims. This courageous statement against extremism and violence is something that touches my heart. As Jews, Christians and Muslims together, as people of faith, we have the resources to overcome.'
The imams are conscious of tensions in the country, not least with just two days to go before the general election in which security is centre stage. Asked about Theresa May's latest proposal for a fresh security crack-down, Asim said there was a need for a balance between security and 'hard-won' freedoms: 'What we need to do is create a balance between liberties and security. We totally understand that the national security is really important. At the same time these are hard won liberties for which people have laid down their lives. The terrorists want to restrict our freedom, they want to undermine our democracy. It is the job of authorities to strike the right balance.'
May told supporters at a rally in Slough yesterday that she could scrap human rights laws to act against potential terrorism, and that she was considering new measures to restrict the movements of suspects who have not been convicted of any offence as well as making it easier to deport foreign suspects. 'If our human rights laws stop us from doing it, we will change the laws so we can do it. If I am elected as prime minister on Thursday, that work begins on Friday,' she said. In an interview with The Sun, May also indicated she was prepared to extend the time suspects can be held without charge to 28 days after it was reduced to 14 days in 2011. 'When we reduced it to 14 days, we actually allowed for legislation to enable it to be at 28 days,' she said.
Asim, who is also a spokesperson for the British Muslim Forum, stressed that 'religion is not the only factor of people being radicalised'.
Asked whether he is comfortable with the label 'Muslim community' when there is a diverse range of Islamic strands, Asim said: 'There is obviously huge diversity among the Muslim communities, but the principles are clear: you cannot take a life and harm fellow human beings. It is a complete distortion of faith for people to pursue these ends for their own geo-political aims. The criminals are effectively an affront to God and to humanity.'
As Bishop Chessun was rounding off the event, around a hundred officers of the First Response police unit came to lay their own flowers and pay respects. One officer could not hold back the tears and she waited patiently for the religious leaders to finish.
Within an hour and a half, the gathering had dispersed, but its powerful message, of interfaith and neighbourly love, endures.
