Mustapha Audhali, from Knowle in Solihull, has signed up for The Peace Cycle which will see him clock up over 2,500 miles as he cycles from Trafalgar Square to Jerusalem, home of three world religions.  | | Mustapha Audhali |
Mustapha, who has just graduated, will begin his journey for peace from London with 10 others, and will be joined by up to 200 more peace campaigners along the way, many of whom will hail from Europe, Australia and the USA. He will also be joined by fellow Brummies including Khurram Yaqoob, brother of British peace activist Salma Yaqoob. Together, the volunteers will cycle their way across Europe taking in France, Switzerland, Italy, Greece and Jordan.
Training Mustapha, 21, said: "I am taking this challenge very seriously and I don't want to let down my sponsors. I know I will have to be very fit so I am training three to four times a week, slowly building up the distance I cover. "I have pledged to raise £2,000 to take part in the Peace Cycle. I want to support work in seeking long-term peace and justice for the people of Palestine and Israel." Mustapha has already raised his minimum of £1,500 to pay for the travel expenses and is concentrating on raising funds for the charities involved. Last week, in a ten minute collection at the Birmingham Central Mosque, worshippers contributed £2,500 towards his cycle for peace. Mustapha was very grateful for this gesture and stressed its benefit for the suffering people of Palestine. Coming together He said: "I am very happy that people from all faiths and backgrounds are coming together to support this very important moral cause. Israel is perpetrating blatant gross injustices yet no one seems to be making an effort to stand up and speak out. "The Peace Cycle is here to help express a louder voice to speak out against these injustices caused largely by the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land." Mustapha, a former pupil at Arden School in Solihull, believes that peace can be achieved if effort is made on both sides and believes that both Israeli Occupation and militant suicide bombings must be stopped to achieve peace. The 21-year-old believes this can be done "by showing the world that people from all walks of life will not tolerate gross injustice and inequality to innocent people." Towards peace Dr. Mohammad Naseem, Chairman of the Birmingham Central Mosque, said: "The cause of Palestine is a just cause. We need to draw world attention to the plight of Palestinians who are going through the most horrendous circumstances. I think Mustapha is taking a very commendable step towards the purpose of peace." The Peace Cycle is being supported by various Christian, Jewish, community and human rights organisations. Mustapha's peace journey to Palestine will begin on August 14 and the charity cycle challenge will last 6-8 weeks. To find out more about The Peace Cycle, call Laura Abraham on 07941 056616 or log onto: www.thepeacecycle.org Mustapha's Diaries Mustafa's diary part 1 - London to Geneve Mustafa's diary part 2 - Geneve to Firenze
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