A cab driver from Tower Hamlets who volunteers as much as 4 hours a day at his native mosque, takes one accountability particularly critically.
Originally from Bangladesh, 29-year-old Muhi Mikdad moved to London when he was 18 and has been volunteering because the age of 16.
When Covid-19 hit in March 2020, he determined to surrender as a lot time as he might to volunteer at the East London Mosque, delivering groceries, medication, speaking to households who’re remoted – and washing the bodies of those that had died.
In Islam, it’s important to scrub the bodies of the dead earlier than burial, each for the protection of these dealing with the deceased, but additionally to pay respect to the one who has handed.
In the primary few months of the pandemic, at least 20 bodies can be despatched to the mosque every day, together with many who had misplaced their lives to coronavirus, they usually all wanted washing.
Muhi mentioned: “It’s a nice honour to have washed these bodies for burial. In our faith, we consider that washing these bodies earlier than burying them is a very rewarding job so it’s been a true honour for me to have carried out one thing like that.”
(Image: Muhi Mikdad)
Muhi had ‘by no means seen a dead physique earlier than in [his] life’ earlier than he began volunteering.
He mentioned: “At the start, I used to be a little bit nervous however after I washed my first physique, I used to be very assured.
“I’m very joyful that I’ve carried out it.”
Muhi spoke to medical doctors at the Royal London Hospital about the potential of catching Covid-19 from dead bodies, however they reassured him it was unlikely.
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He wears masks and gloves and makes certain to scrub his palms earlier than and after every physique so there is not any cross-contamination.
Muhi mentioned: “I’m self-employed so I could make additional time to exit and assist others.
“There are some folks right here who’re very weak and really outdated so I do their buying and each day I’m going house occupied with whether or not they’re okay and the way I may help.”
(Image: Muhi Mikdad)
In the previous 12 months he has helped greater than 500 households, delivering greater than 1,000 luggage of groceries and washing at least 5 bodies a day to organize them for burial.
Muhi believes that we ‘have to assist each other as a lot as we will’ in the course of the Covid-19 disaster.
He informed MyLondon: “I simply need to encourage the youthful technology to surrender their free time for volunteering.
“I don’t see many younger folks doing that however even when they simply did one or two hours a week, they might make a distinction.”
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Muhi is not paid, taking sufficient cash to cowl the price of the buying or the prescription cost.
No matter the climate, even in the course of the heavy snow London noticed a few weeks in the past, he can be out serving to folks.
Even contracting coronavirus in December, which fortunately didn’t have an effect on him massively, did not deter him from volunteering as soon as he was totally recovered.
When he had the virus, he was unable to assist anybody however was nonetheless inundated with requests. Muhi needed to say no, however appreciated ‘the quantity of affection and needs they despatched me’.
He mentioned: “It was superb.”
Have you carried out any volunteer work in the course of the pandemic? Let us know in the feedback.
