Sadaqa Day
1151. Julie Siddiqi
Julie Siddiqi, from London, is the founder of ‘Sadaqa Day’, which brings people together across the UK via their local mosques and other community groups to unite in voluntary action.
Recognising that many people want to volunteer but are unsure how to, Julie set up ‘Sadaqa Day’ in 2015 to coordinate projects which would easily allow people to participate in social action projects. In 2018 over 1,500 people took part in community action as part of ‘Sadaqa Day’, joining events in 30 locations across the country. This resulted in a record 25 Jewish-Muslim parternships through grassroots projects, for example with members of ‘Mitzvah Day’, ‘Norwood’ and the ‘Jewish Volunteering Network’ joining forces with Hendon Mosque.
Julie’s award coincides with ‘Sadaqa Day’ which took place on Sunday 24th March.
In a personal letter to Julie, Prime Minister Theresa May said:
“By founding ‘Sadaqa Day’ you have brought people together across the country through their local mosques and other community groups to unite in voluntary action. Your work to forge stronger ties between Muslim and Jewish communities is particularly inspiring and you should feel proud of everything you are doing to promote interfaith understanding and to tackle all forms of religious prejudice.”
Julie said:
“What a lovely surprise! It’s really humbling to be recognised for something I love doing so much, inspired by my faith teachings. Working with amazing people, encouraging more people to volunteer, bringing different communities together. Sadaqa, which means ‘charity’ in Arabic, is so much more than giving money. Time spent with and in service to others can make the world a better place and we all learn so much from each other.”