​Devoted Christian MacFarlane-Barrow awarded by UK Muslim community for charitable work

A Scot who founded a charity to feed children in developing countries is to be awarded one of the UK Muslim community’s highest honours.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of Mary’s Meals, and a devoted Christian, is to receive the Ahmadiyya Muslim Peace Prize in London.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which strongly rejects violence and terrorism in any form and for any reason, founded the prize to recognise important contributions to the advancement of global peace.

Mary’s Meals is a global movement, founded by MacFarlane-Barrow in 2002, which sets up community-run school feeding programmes in some of the world’s poorest communities.

By providing a nutritious daily meal in school, Mary’s Meals attracts chronically hungry children to the classroom, where they can receive an education that can be their first step on the ladder out of poverty.

This has always been a mission that has involved people of lots of different faiths and none, united in a common desire to see the hungry child fed and educated

MacFarlane-Barrow said: “I have been motivated to do this work by my own Christian, Catholic faith, but this has always been a mission that has involved people of lots of different faiths and none, united in a common desire to see the hungry child fed and educated.

“To have the work of Mary’s Meals recognised by a community that promotes peace and inter-faith understanding means a huge amount to me personally.”

The prize-giving ceremony will take place at Western Europe’s largest Mosque, the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden, London.

MacFarlane-Barrow will receive his prize from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Caliph, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who leads the global community that is established in 206 countries and lives by its motto of Love for All Hatred for None.

Mazoor will deliver the keynote address on Caliphate and peace.

Condemning the horrific acts of extremists, he said: “As Muslims it is our duty to remind people of the true and peaceful nature of Islam. In fact all religions taught peace as can be seen from the lives of all prophets.

“I call upon all good natured people to unite against hate and through prayer and perseverance work to bring peace to the world.”

Other distinguished guests at the event include the Secretary of State for International Development, Justine Greening; the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey; and Catholic Archbishop Kevin McDonald, who will all be speaking at the event.