“We believe in us”: bringing communities together

On 30th April, Lindsay Simmonds and Julie Siddiqi walked down the street in Golders Green in silence. They don’t intend to back down against violence, in the meantime they share their stories with Leïla Davaud

A group of women in a long line walking down the street — Women walking for peace in Golders Green

A split screen. On one side, Lindsay Simmonds, a jewish scholar. On the other, Julie Siddiqi, a Muslim activist. Two women, two faiths, one goal: “Peace between our communities.”

Lindsay and Julie have been friends for fourteen years. They both participated in a leadership scheme linked to the Cambridge Interfaith Programme. “We knew we had found a soulmate in each other. The two of us navigating faith and patriarchal religious institutions.” They understood each other instinctively.

For years, their friendship fed directly into their work. Lindsay is a Research Fellow at the London School of Jewish Studies, a scholar of women in Biblical narrative and Jewish law, and co-chair of the Jewish-Muslim women’s network Nisa-Nashim.

Julie co-founded that same network and co-chairs the UK Muslim Network. Between them they have spent decades building the kind of bridges some people want to burn down. Following the attacks against Israel on 7th October 2023, the importance of this work increased.

“After the Hamas attack, we had a deep conversation,” says Julie. “We were able to talk about the events without fear of being judged by the other.” The violence did not produce the division many would expect. “We’ve always been active,” says Lindsay, “but what happened then and everything since has propelled us to do more.”

This need for action led them to Westminster Abbey. Lindsay and Julie gathered a room full of women from different faiths, or none, each carrying different kinds of influence, to reflect on how to respond to an inflamed world.

“It was supposed to last one hour,” Lindsay recalls, “but nobody wanted to leave. We are women of faith in peace building. Conflicts travel but peace can do just the same. So we asked ourselves: What can we do as ordinary women to show up and do our part?”

On 29th April 2026, two Jewish men were stabbed in a terror attack on Golders Green Road. The suspect, a Somali-born British national who had previously been referred to Prevent, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Lindsay and Julie immediately called each other.

“After the attack in Golders Green, I wanted to be intentional,” says Julie. “To go there, to see it, and to be seen.” So they decided to walk down the main street of Golders Green, one of the most Jewish neighbourhoods in London, and then have lunch, in peace.

They mentioned it to a few friends, in case anyone else felt the same impulse. Within twenty-four hours the message had spread further than either of them expected. On 30 April, around 150 women gathered at Golders Green station and walked together in silence.

“It was quiet, gentle, peaceful,” says Julie. They were there to stand against hatred and division. “There is something about walking in the street side by side, coming from different life paths,” Julie adds. “That is how the world really is.”

“It was not a march”, assures Lindsay. “It was a walk. It was boring in an exceptional way.” The distinction matters to her. There was no noise, no demands, no chanting. People stopped and asked what was happening. Conversations started on the pavement.

For Julie, the response confirmed something she had sensed was shifting. “Lots of the women said they wanted to do more. Muslims showed up. Mosques have been attacked too. None of this is acceptable. I feel scared of what will happen to both our communities. But in the last few weeks there has been a shift, and the walk is proof of that.”

Afterwards, the two women slipped away for lunch at a restaurant nearby. “Julie was the only Muslim there,” says Lindsay, “but she was welcomed by everyone.”

Both women are clear that what they do is not political positioning. “We do this because we believe in us. I study our texts and I embrace our values. One of the religious imperatives is to love each other.” Lindsay also acknowledges the backlash her position brings. “It comes, and it is not comfortable. But we won’t be silenced. We will continue to show compassion. No matter what.”

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