CROWDS of Muslims turned out to welcome a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad to their hometown.

The event in Walthamstow to celebrate the prophet’s birthday drew 20,000 people from across the UK and Europe.

The Eid Milad un Nabi Procession, which is in its 33rd year in Waltham Forest, took place on Sunday January 8.

Shaykh Dr. Syed Abdul Qadir Jilani, a Sufi descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, is the founder of the event and was greeted by Muslim and Christian leaders.

Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad is the last and final messenger of God.

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Dar-ul-Uloom mosque in St Mary’s Road, Walthamstow, helped organise the event in an effort to show people they denounce terrorism.

A spokesman for the mosque said: “We gather to show that the Muslims believing in the Sufi way of Islam are the orthodox Muslims and the central body of Islam consisting of the majority of Muslims in the world.

“This is proven by the number of Muslims that attended this event, something other small minority groups of Islam cannot show.

“In this procession we denounce terrorism and prove that is has no place in Islam and stress that the views of a few individual groups should not be pictured as the whole religion of Islam.

“We hand out chocolates and roses to all spectators as well as leaflets informing them about Islam - the religion of peace.”

Although crowds of women attended the event, they marched separately to the men.

A spokesman added: “The women have also gathered in their thousands to join this auspicious event to denounce the false propaganda spread about Muslim women.

“They join this event to show that they are happy with the religion of Islam.”

After marching through the streets of Walthamstow, the procession ended at Walthamstow Town Hall where the congregation listened to scholars reading teachings of the prophet.

Canon Steven Saxby, vicar at St Barnabas Church in Walthamstow, as well as councillors were in attendance.

Twenty-two per cent of people living in Waltham Forest are Muslims.