By APP
London : The British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has hailed the achievements of the Muslim community in the United Kingdom saying that they provide the society with role models they could all be proud of.
“These awards celebrate the achievements of British Muslims in all walks of life. They identify Muslim achievers and highlight the wonderful contribution that British Muslims make,” Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on the occasion of the annual ceremony for the “The Muslim News Awards” here on Tuesday.
“Equally importantly, they challenge the stereotypes and negative portrayal of Muslims in many parts of the media. They provide us with role models we can all be proud of,” the Prime Minister said in a video message to the annual ceremony.
The eighth edition of awards organised by weekly The Muslim News, brought together politicians, religious leaders, journalists, community activists along with representatives from the world of sport, culture, academia, amongst others, to celebrate the many talents and achievements of Muslim communities in such diverse areas as arts, sport, education, technology and business.
“Britain simply wouldn’t be the same without the achievements of Muslim entrepreneurs, doctors, teachers, writers, artists and sportsmen and women,” said Brown. He also said he was impressed that the professionalism of the awards that were organised entirely by volunteers, most of the under 30 and 95 per cent of them women.
In a keynote speech at the ceremony, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the annual was a “showcase” of the key role that British Muslims play in UK life in a wide range of professions and fields. “By celebrating the many contributions of those that represent the best of Britain we can inspire others and also show that we are a nation in which British Muslims are an integral part of our society in politics, business and social life,” he said.
The Opposition Conservative Leader, David Cameron, in his message on the occasion said, “These Awards have gone from strength to strength over the last eight years. This is testament both to The Muslim News and the organisers of the awards, and to the huge contribution which Muslim people make to British society.”
“These awards play a vital role in sending out the message that the Muslim community in Britain make a highly valuable contribution to public life in a range of areas,” the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg said. The event “serves an excellent role in providing Muslims across Britain with role models that that can inspire them” and at the same time “demonstrates that in modern Britain Muslims can, and do, thrive in the widest possible spectrum of contemporary life,” he said in his message.
The paper’s Editor, Ahmed J Versi, in his welcome address spoke of “yet another difficult year faced by the Muslim community’ culminating in the “breathtaking over- reaction of the main stream media to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s thoughtful observations on the place of the Shari’ah in Britain today.”
Nominations for awards were classified in 15 different categories of Muslim achievements, ranging from science and engineering to community development, young person and the arts. This year’s shortlist of nominees ranged from the Leicester-based Muslim Youth work Foundation (MYWF), which integrates Muslim and non-Muslim expertise in youth work, Art Islam, a young London-based venture that welcomes artists with an interest in abstract Islamic art to Alan Johnston BBC journalist, who was kidnapped in Gaza and held prisoner for 114 days, and boxer Amir Khan.