One of London's main railway stations, King's London, on Tuesday displayed an Islamic saying or chadiz about Ramadan on its main information board, sparking a mix of criticism and celebration on social media. Due to the controversy, Network Rail, the UK's state-owned railway company, was forced to remove the message and promised to investigate the reasons for its appearance.
The hadith of the 9th of Ramadan read: "The Prophet Muhammad said: 'All the children of Adam are sinners, but the best sinners are those who repent frequently.'" The announcement was accompanied by the schedule of two of the five daily prayers stipulated in the Muslim holy month.
Network Rail usually displays general messages celebrating the festivities on its information panels, including that of Ramadan, as it had done in previous days, but it is not explained how a jadiz was shown instead, according to what it told British media.
"We celebrate all major religious holidays, from Christmas to Ramadan, at King's Cross to reflect our diverse and multicultural passenger and employee base," a company spokesperson said. However, he also noted that "our main departure board should be reserved for train information and our general Ramadan celebration messages were not used for some reason, which we are investigating. Everything has been corrected."
The company thus settled a trail of critical voices against the initiative, including those of the former leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party, the far-right Nigel Farage, who stated: "Aren't we supposed to be a Christian country?" .
From a different perspective, the British Humanist Association (Humanists UK), a group that defends secularism, also spoke out, considering that public train stations "should not urge 'sinners' to repent." "It is obviously inappropriate and deeply wrong - added the entity on social networks - to transmit hadiths or any religious scripture to passengers. We will write to the secretary of transport to express our concerns."
Other users, such as The Islam Channel, welcomed the message: "The beauty of Ramadan in unexpected places. A Ramadan jadiz seen at King's Cross Station reminds us of the blessings and wisdom this holy month brings."
