25/07/2006

MCB embarks on UK tour

The Muslim Council of Britain is embarking on a five-week tour of the UK in a bid to widen its appeal.

The recently elected Secretary General, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, will embark on the 'Connecting with the Community' tour on Tuesday and it will run until the end of August.

The tour will travel to 16 cities, including Bradford, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Birmingham and Brighton.

Members of the local Muslim communities and those from the adjoining towns and cities will be invited to the public meetings which will be held in each city.

The Secretary General will also address conferences of local Muslim leaders and Imams as part of the tour, as will as separately arranged conferences for the participation of Muslim youth.

Dr Bari will be joined on the tour by Deputy General Dr Daud Abdullah, Assistant Secretary Generals and Sir Iqbal Sacranie, his predecessor. They will also be accompanied by the MCB's regional and local affiliates and other personalities from the respective towns and cities.

Commenting on the tour, Dr Bari said: "I am looking forward to speaking with a diverse range of British Muslims right across the country to hear their views on the issues that are of most concern to them. This tour represents an ideal opportunity to introduce the work of the MCB to others and to listen to suggestions about how we can facilitate greater cooperation among Muslims and non-Muslims to promote the common good.

The largest Muslim body in the UK, the MCB has faced criticism that it does not speak for all Muslims.

The announcement of the tour followed the launch of the Sufi Muslim Council, which took place at Westminster last week. The group said that its aim was to tackle the problem of Islamic extremism in the UK.

(KMcA)




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