Nadine Osman
An inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire has uncovered that Kensington and Chelsea Council “severely failed” Muslim survivors by neglecting to provide halal food during their temporary stay in hotels.
The final report, released on September 4, highlighted that the 2017 tragedy, which claimed 72 lives, 70 percent of whom were Muslim, was the culmination of “decades of failure” by both the central government and the construction industry in addressing the dangers posed by flammable cladding.
The inquiry also criticised the local council for not adequately supporting residents from diverse backgrounds, particularly during Ramadan, when many residents were observing fasting and halal food was not provided at all hotels. Additionally, it was difficult to maintain the prescribed mealtimes during the holy month.
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Zara Mohammed, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain, responded to the findings, telling The Muslim News that the Grenfell fire—a tragedy that “could have been avoided” if those responsible for public safety had acted. She said, “The findings of the Grenfell Inquiry are both damning and heart-wrenching, exposing decades of neglect, corporate greed, and systemic failures that led to the loss of innocent lives.”
The victims of Grenfell were abandoned by those in power. It was local heroes, especially the Al Manaar Mosque, who provided sanctuary and support when public services and government failed to act. Many of the victims were Muslims, and today, we learn of the mistreatment they faced from the council, even during the holy month of Ramadan, when little to no provision of halal food was made. This highlights yet another failure in supporting minority and faith communities.
The families and communities affected by Grenfell now need justice. The government and public authorities must act on these recommendations, and those responsible must be held accountable. We cannot allow this tragedy to be forgotten or let those who died be disregarded.”
Lawyers representing the Grenfell Tower community accused the Metropolitan Police of Islamophobia in July 2022. The allegation stems from a document that suggested there could be “crime and disorder” in the aftermath of the tragedy, citing the belief that “the majority of those affected are from a Muslim cultural background.”
The document, which evaluated potential “community tension” just four days after the fire, raised concerns about possible unrest if the death toll were to be revealed, anticipating a “substantial rise” in numbers. Dr Shabna Begum, CEO of the Runnymede Trust, highlighted the connection between race, the Grenfell tragedy, and broader housing inequalities. She cautioned that it is “only a matter of time before a similar large-scale tragedy occurs again.”
“The Grenfell fire was a preventable tragedy, marred at every point by structural and direct racism — from those who were killed to the treatment of survivors, the bereaved, and the wider community, as the latest report from the inquiry confirms. Seven years on, there is still no justice for the victims, and thousands of unsafe buildings still stand across the country,” she said.
“People of colour are feeling the harshest impacts of the housing crisis, disproportionately live in unsafe and unsuitable homes, and are often funnelled into the poorest quality and least desirable social housing. As a bare minimum, everyone should have access to safe, suitable, affordable housing,” she added.
The Grenfell inquiry report highlighted the lack of support for people from migrant backgrounds whose first language was not English.
“Those who obtained information about the support available were the first to receive assistance, while those who did not were left behind,” it said.
Interpreters were often not provided, and in some cases, were provided, but in the wrong language, the report found.
There were also barriers to mental health support for survivors, according to the report.
The head of policy at Action for Race Equality, Meka Beresford, hoped the lessons and recommendations from this report were taken seriously “as a matter of the utmost urgency.”
“Those impacted by the Grenfell tragedy have been systematically failed at every stage. The final report published today is clear — if you are Black or Brown, a Muslim, or speak English as an additional language, you were faced with barriers to even the most basic forms of support following the fire.
“Decades of failure predated the tragedy, and we must not wait any longer to put an end to the pervasive institutional racism and Islamophobia in Britain today,” Beresford said.
Grenfell fire victims
Afrasiabi, Fatemeh, 59, Iranian
Afrasiabi, Sakineh, 65, Iranian
Ahmed Elsanousi Fathia, 77, Sudanese
Ahmedin, Amal, 35, Sudanese
Ahmedin-Tuccu, Amaya, 3, Sudanese
Alhajali, Mohammad, 23, Syrian
Amied Neda, Mohamed, 57, Afghan
Atala, Alexandra, 13, Lebanese
Begum, Husna, 22, Bangladeshi
Begum, Rabia, 64, Bangladeshi
Belkadi, Leena, 6 months, Algerian
Belkadi, Malak, 8, Algerian
Belkadi, Omar, 32, Algerian
Bernard, Raymond, 63, Trinidadian
Chiejina, Vincent, 60, Nigerian
Choucair, Fatima, 11, Lebanese
Choucair, Mierna, 13, Lebanese
Choucair, Nadia, 33, Lebanese
Choucair, Sirria, 60, Lebanese
Choucair, Zaynab, 3, Lebanese
Choukair, Bassem, 40, Lebanese
Daniels, Joseph, 69, Indian
Deen, Jeremiah, 2, Sierra Leonean
Deen, Zainab, 32, Sierra Leonean
del Pilar Burton, Maria, 74, Spanish
Disson, Anthony, 65, English
El Wahabi, Abdulaziz, 52, Moroccan
El Wahabi, Faouzia, 41, Moroccan
El Wahabi, Mehdi, 8, Moroccan
El Wahabi, Nur Huda, 15, Moroccan
El Wahabi, Yasin, 20, Moroccan
Elgwahry, Eslah, 64, Egyptian
Elgwahry, Mariem, 27, Egyptian
Gomes, Logan, Stillborn, Portuguese
Gottardi, Marco, 27, Italian
Haftom, Berkti, 29, Eritrean
Haftom, Biruk, 12, Eritrean
Hamdan, Farah, 31, Algerian
Hamid, Mohammed, 25, Bangladeshi
Hanif, Mohammed, 26, Bangladeshi
Hashim, Firdaws, 12, Ethiopian
Hashim, Yahya, 13, Ethiopian
Hashim, Yaqub, 6, Ethiopian
Hassan, Fethia, 10, Egyptian
Hassan, Hania, 5, Egyptian
Ibrahim, Abufras, 39, Sudanese
Ibrahim, Isra, 33, Sudanese
Ibrahim, Rania, 30, Egyptian
Jamal, Nura, 35, Ethiopian
Kani, Hamid, 61, Iranian
Kedir, Hashim, 44, Ethiopian
Khalloufi, Khadija, 52, Moroccan
King, Victoria, 71, English
Lamprell, Deborah, 45, English
Mahmud Idris, Amna, 27, Eritrean
Maunders, Gary, 57, Afro-Caribbean
Mendy, Mary Ajaoi, 52, Gambian
Miah, Komru, 82, Bangladeshi
Moore, Ligaya, 79, Filipino
Murphy, Denis, 56, Irish
N.A, Sheila, 80, English
Paulos, Isaac, 5, Eritrean
Power, Steven, 63, English
Rahman, Hesham, 57, Egyptian
Saye, Khadija, 24, Gambian
Sebbar, Abdeslam, 77, Moroccan
Trevisan, Gloria, 26, Italian
Tuccu, Mohamednur, 44, Eritrean
Urbano Ramirez, Jessica, 12, Colombian
Vital, Ernie, 50, Dominican
Vital, Marjorie, 68, Dominican
Yawar Jafari, Ali, 82, Afghan
