21 June 2010

Muslim Council of Britain Elects New Leadership and Pledges to Build Alliances

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) concluded its 13th Annual General Meeting in London on Sunday 20th June 2010 with the election of a new Secretary General, Farooq Murad, Deputy Secretary General, Dr Shuja Shafi and Treasurer, Harun Rashid Khan.

.... He also pledged, "with grit, determination and heart, I will tirelessly champion the great challenges of our time. We are a diverse, young and evolving community and I want to say to the rest of the country – we are all in this together.

We may differ in our religious convictions but we all have the same worries and concerns – whether we can cling on to our jobs in this recession, whether our schools cater for the needs of our children or whether we are moving in the right direction in creating a more cohesive Britain”. [MCB] Read more

The MCB's Wonderland election .... Those now reaching middle age envisaged a very different future for the Muslim community – one of much greater self-confidence and participation in mainstream British life.

But entrenched conservatism stubbornly persists in the local mosques and dominates the MCB membership, while a younger contingent continues to fall prey to radicalisation. One of the few issues which binds both those generations together is the rallying cry of Islamophobia – but it's a preoccupation which digs the community even deeper into isolationism and suspicion. [Guardian Cif] Read more