The peace parade on Sunday, October 15, was organised by the Gulzar-E-Madina Jamia Mosque in Westtown and Saville Town's Ghausia Jamia Mosque, during the Muslim holy month of Rabi-Ul-Awwal.
The special month of Rabi-Ul-Awwal is a four-week festive period which saw prophet Mohammad's birthday celebrations taking place across the Kirklees region.
The festival of Eid-Milad is a very special time for the area's Sufi-Muslim communities who tend to see all the festivities, and especially the yearly Dewsbury peace procession, as an important event in the local Muslim calendar.
There are three main festivals in Islam. The first is Eid-Milad celebrating prophet Mohammad's birthday.
The second is Eid-Ul-Fitr, and the third is Eid-Ul-Adha. The Eid-Milad celebrations ended over the past weekend.
Local residents had been busy throughout this holy Eid-Milad period putting up colourful, brightly lit illuminations on their living room windows. It was also a time for families and relatives to get together in the evenings for Koranic recitations and Islamic poetry readings, followed by everyone enjoying mouth-watering Indian meals.
Many Sufi-Muslim women were also actively busy organising their own female only Eid-Milad events within local Mosques, as well as in hired out community centre venues.
This year's peace parade saw the faithful gathering in huge numbers outside Savile Town's Warren Street based Ghausia Jamia Mosque.
Led by local Imams, the worshippers then waved green Sufi-Muslim flags of peace through Savile Town's streets, and afterwards walked past ASDA supermarket and the Dewsbury Health Centre building towards Westtown. Free cartons of hot Indian Pulao rice were also handed out to passing motorists.
The peace procession ended outside the premises of the Gulzar-E-Madina Jamia Mosque, where a special prayer service was held for world peace.
Speaking to the Reporter Series, the Mosque Imams said: "As usual, this year's Dewsbury Eid-Milad Peace Procession was a walk of peace and love. It was a non-political gathering where prayers were read for world peace.
"Our message to our youngsters is a clear one - live your lives as ambassadors of peace, and as good role-model citizens. This is exactly how the holy prophet Mohammad lived his life - and its exactly how he won over people's hearts and minds.
"Drive your cars slowly and carefully, show respect to your teachers at school or college, and always be polite to the elderly.
"So make it your obligation as good law-abiding citizens to ensure our neighbourhoods are good, peace loving and quiet places with a lovely environment for everyone to live in and thrive."
Free samosas and Biryani rice, along with warm herbal tea, were served to everyone after the procession ended.
Stalls selling special non-alcoholic Ithar perfume, prayer caps, and green Sufi flags were also set up outside the Gulzar-E-Madina Jamia Mosque while the faithful went inside to listen to speeches from the Imams.
1. Peace procession
Five of the local Mosque Imams leading the procession Photo: Submitted
3. Peace procession
The peace procession leaves Ghausia Jamia Mosque from Warren Street, Savile Town, led by local Mosque Imams Photo: Submitted
