Moroccan footballers showed power of loving family relationships - Qari Asim

What struck me was the huge connection these Moroccan players had with their mothers, who all seem to have played big roles in helping with their careers. Here were demonstrations of loving family relationships and I think it resonated with millions watching, including a lot of aspiring young people.

For me, it neatly encapsulated what 2022 has been about: family, faith, and community. For many, it has felt like the year we rekindled family ties, prioritising them over things like social media, rediscovering the bonds we may have taken for granted before the enforced separation of lockdowns.

There are so many examples of this that I have seen. Many who worked mainly night shifts before Covid had their working pattern change after the pandemic, so that they could spend more time with their family and children. Lockdowns made them realise what they were missing in life. Listening to the emotional and traumatic stories of refugees, who have been separated from their families, helps us appreciate how much we take our loved ones for granted.

With the war in Ukraine ongoing and prices still rising, family connections will only become more important into the next year and beyond, in part because the cost-of-living crisis will lead to changes in family life and family structure. Think, for instance, of the cost of external care for elderly relatives, versus the cost of care at home, or of the new hybrid working, with more people now working from home, alongside family.

Beyond the family, it can often feel like we are becoming ever more divided, but 2022 showed that this is not necessarily true. When HM Queen Elizabeth II died, we came together as a nation.

We came together to help Ukrainians take refuge in the UK. We are coming together to fight climate change, and we are coming together for those in need. Just as we did at a street level during the early days of Covid, communities are organising and digging deep to help people struggling to put food on the table or buy basic goods. At our Makkah mosque, we are again arranging for winter food parcels to be sent out. This year, demand has doubled.

Our communities are often very good at rallying round to help those who need it and I have seen so many examples of it this year.

Of course, there are fears and concerns going into 2023. Any influx of refugees can result in a backlash, and rise in Islamophobia especially if politicians choose to scapegoat them, and we must guard against this.

Separately, as with any economic downturn, it is the young who suffer most, and we can ill afford a generation of young adults who get left behind. Likewise, with the world’s richest only growing richer, rising wealth inequality in almost every country is exacerbated by the climate emergency. Look no further than the devastating floods that left one third of Pakistan under water. Entire villages were washed away, and ten million children now need immediate lifesaving support.

As we enter 2023, I hope we take - and continue - the best of 2022: by coming together, reaching out to one another, giving messages of hope, and holding up examples of tolerance, diversity, and progress.

Qari Asim, Imam at Makkah Mosque Leeds and Chair of Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board. He can be reached at @QariAsim.