Norwich to Jerusalem

07 August 2006

A STUDENT from Norwich is setting off on an arduous bike ride on Sunday, to raise money for oppressed people in Palestine.

Partly sponsored by UK charity Muslim Aid, Fares Hatoum will be joining two friends on the journey which will take them all the way to Jerusalem, if the situation in the region stabilises.

Fares, 22, who lives in Earlham Road when he is not studying at Cambridge University, will cycle from London to Dunkirk, through Belgium and into Germany, Luxembourg, France and over the Swiss Alps into Italy, where they will take a plane to Damascus.

From Damascus, the three cyclists will go to Jordan, cross into Israel, through the Sheikh Hussein's Bridge and from there they will circulate through Haifa and several cities and into Jerusalem, also visiting the West Bank.

Their ordeal is part of the Peace Cycle second London-Jerusalem 2,500 km bike ride. The first one took place in 2004 in which approximately 25 cyclists completed the journey, culminating with a meeting with Yasser Arafat in Palestine.

But the current volatile situation in the Middle East could result in the cyclists changing their route. If it gets any worse, they will go up to Rome and carry on into Spain, or another European route.

Fares is originally from Syria, which means he will not be able to enter Palestine because of his nationality.

“I want to go as far as the border,” he said. “I hope that my fundraising efforts reach those who need it most in Palestine.”

Throughout their journey, the three cyclists will be raising funds for Muslim Aid, an East London-based charity which is currently involved in providing humanitarian relief to the suffering in Palestine and Lebanon.

Fares and his friends Irshad Patel, Arif Delawara are collecting donations for the ride, and they will be delivering funds raised through Muslim Aid to emergency relief organisations in Lebanon and Palestine. People wanting to contribute to the appeal can do so via the Muslim Aid website, at www.muslimaid.org.

Individual donations can also be made to the cyclists at Irshad_patel@hotmail.com or Fares_hatoum2@hotmail.com, or by phoning 0207 377 4200 at Muslim Aid, or calling the cyclists on 07709139527.