December RIP

Really sorry to hear about Wally Owst - I guess that many of us on this site benefited from his hard work and dedication. His contribution to local amateur football was immense and we all owed him a debt of gratitude.

 

FRIDAY Night Dinner and Carry On star Rosalind Knight has died at the age of 87.

 

Roxette drummer Pelle Allsing has died at age of 60 - a year after the Swedish band's singer Marie Fredriksson lost her battle with brain cancer.

 

RIP


Touching tributes to Hull community leader who united a city
Imam Hafiz Salik who was well-loved and respected by all communities died suddenly
James Campbell
When Imam Hafiz Salik arrived in Hull from Pakistan he only planned to be in the city for a couple of months.

But 35 years later he had become one of the Hull's best-loved and respected community leaders who devoted his life to ‘making the impossible possible’.

On Monday it was announced the 67-year-old leader of Hull Mosque and Islam Centre had died suddenly but peacefully.

Imam Salik practised what he preached, promoting unity among the city’s wide and diverse culture and being there for those who needed him most.

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He also promoted forgiveness which was never more apparent when, in 2013, he was brutally attacked in Spring Bank West when a stranger stopped his car and punched him in the face which left him blind in one eye.

Shortly after the attack he said: “I have always said we should talk to these people who rebel and do things like this and try to make them good citizens.

“I do have sympathy, I think they do not understand me and my work, because if they did, they wouldn’t have done this. If they came forward, I seriously will forgive them.”

Watch: Imam Salik providing a tour of Hull Mosque
Imam Hafiz Salik giving a guided tour of Hull Mosque 22-3-18

Tap to play

Take a tour of Hull's mosque with Imam Salik
The outpouring of grief at this unexpected loss will reverberate through the city.

Imam Salik’s son Ateeq paid an emotional tribute to his father.

“Around 35 years ago my father was welcomed to Hull with open arms,” he said.

“At the time he said he would only be in Hull for a couple of months but he just fell in love with the city.

“It was the people he fell in love with, along with the culture. He never wanted to leave even they had had many opportunities to do so.”

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Imam Hafiz Salik and his son Ateeq were critical of Mr Oxendale's actions
Imam Salik was integral in promoting the work of the Muslim community in the city.

“He came here as an Imam and helped set up the mosque and Islam centre that it is today,” Ateeq said.

“He spent his time bringing the community together and bridging the cultural and religious gaps that existed.

“My father had a great reputation and sat on various police boards and other community groups.

“He was recognised in 2001 for his services to the community. He made the impossible possible.”

Imam Salik worked hard to better himself and undertook self-study in Pakistan before moving to England.

“My dad came here as a young family man and two of his children were born in Hull,” Ateeq said.

“Being able to speak seven languages meant he could connect with many different people from different backgrounds.

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The Bishop of Hull, Peter Frith (right) shows unity with Imam Hafiz Rahmat Azi Salik of Hull's Islamic community outside the Mosque on Berkeley Street, Hull in 2001
“In the 1990s he helped refugees who came over from Chechnya and then Bosnia.

“He also helped those who fled Iraq in the early 2000s. They all needed guidance when they arrived here and my dad provided that and helped them get jobs.”

His ability to unite and bring communities together was never more apparent than after the 9/11 terrorist attack in the USA in 2001.

“One of his proudest moments was when he stood in solidarity with the Bishop of Hull shortly after the 9/11 attacks,” Ateeq said.

“Tensions were high and he was there uniting the city and preaching tolerance.”

But it was not addressing political and religious divides that Imam Salik will be most remembered for.

Instead it was his tireless day-to-day work with those with in Hull who he helped improve their lives.

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A look around Hull's mosque on Berkeley Street, Hull. Pictured is Imam Hafiz Salik in the prayer room (Image: Peter Harbour)
“My dad’s biggest legacy was simply helping the community,” Ateeq said

“There are hundreds of people in Hull he helped put through the education system while he also provided extracurricular activities through the mosque.

“There were those heading down the wrong path and he made sure they moved back and got their lives back on track.

 

He sounds like a fine man. RIP Hafiz.

The bloke who thumped him sounds like a massive ****er.

 

My wife knew Mr Salik through her work and has just been sobbing at the news. A genuinely lovely man. RIP

 

Decent innings that, she did well to survive the Brighton bombing in 1984.

 

Badly injured in the Brighton Bombing.

RIP.

 

Very strong character and constitution RIP

 

Bread actress Eileen Pollock, who played Lilo Lill, has passed away at the age of 73.

 

Britain's most famous aristocratic supermodel Stella Tennant has died aged 50

 

Leslie West guitarist in Mountain aged 75

One of my hero's

RIP

 

Mine too. RIP Leslie West. Boy, did he have some stamina on stage, even 15 years ago when I last saw him.

 

saw them many times over the years - RIP to one of the true guitar greats

 

Great band. The connection with Cream - Pappalardi & Bruce - was what got me interested in them (Mountain). No doubt they were underestimated by the mainstream, but hell, they had an incredible stage presence...you don't get invited to Woodstock without pedigree.

 

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John Edrich 83 RIP

 

A fine cricketer who sold his wicket dearly. RIP.

 

Edrich and Boycott. An iconic opening partnership.