I often reflect on an old Irish proverb: “In the shelter of one another, the people live.”

As a Muslim, those words also resonate deeply with my faith. My faith repeatedly urges us to feed the hungry and protect the vulnerable. We are bound together in responsibility for one another.

No child chooses the circumstances of their birth. Yet across the UK, we know that too many children go to school hungry, unable to concentrate because they have not eaten. Families are quietly shouldering the stress of making ends meet.

Schools are a particularly powerful place to address divisions.

For me, as a person of faith, a mother, and someone who works daily with communities, this level of inequality is not something we can close our eyes to. That is why the Muslim Council of Britain has been consistently supporting the campaign for Free School Meals for All. 

This campaign is about nutrition, but it is also about dignity, fairness and solidarity. When every child receives a Free School Meal, no one is singled out. No child has to feel embarrassed in the lunch hall. 

At the Muslim Council of Britain, we see the incredible power of community on a daily basis. 

In every part of the UK, people of all religions and none step up for each other, volunteer their time and give back to their communities in countless ways. Whether it is checking in on a neighbour, running food banks or supporting local schools. Diversity, when embraced, strengthens us all.  

But we also see where this social fabric is fraying. Too often, politics plays on fear and division. Increasingly, some are using dog whistles that set communities against one another. Sadly, poverty has been used as a tool for scapegoating, rather than something to be tackled together. 

Free School Meals for All are a way of pushing back against that divisive politics. 

They affirm that every child is worthy of the same care and opportunity. It levels the playing field, giving children what they need to learn and grow. And they reflect the kind of society I believe most of us want: one that values compassion, solidarity and justice.

Schools are a particularly powerful place to address divisions. Free School Meals can help turn the lunch table into a place of belonging, where no child is “othered” for what they bring, or don’t bring, to eat. 

In Islam, feeding others is among the greatest of deeds. 

During Ramadan, Muslims break their fast, often with neighbours of all faiths, knowing the transformative power of sharing food. A simple meal can bring comfort, unity and dignity. Why would we not want our schools to be places where that same ethic is lived out every day? 

The Irish proverb is right: we live in one another’s shelter. 

Today, that shelter may be under strain, stretched by inequality, division, and a politics that too often lacks empathy and compassion, but it is not beyond repair. 

Of course, Free School Meals for All will not solve every problem. But they are a start. They are a rejection of stigma and division. And they are a reminder that in the UK, we still know how to look out for one another. 

If we want to rebuild trust and solidarity in our society, we should begin with our children. 

Feeding them is not just a policy choice, it is a moral duty, a faith duty, and a human duty. And in fulfilling it, we strengthen the shelter that allows us all to live, together.

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