Council of Indian Muslims (UK)

M Ghazali Khan

London: 23 March Multiculturalism, love for humanity and tolerance is not a new concept but something that was introduced by Muslim sufis in India centuries ago, said the Indian High Commissioner to the UK Nalin Surie. He was speaking at a dinner hosted in his honour last night jointly by the North London Muslim Community Centre (NLMCC) and North London Muslim Housing Association (NLMHC). The High Commissioner stressed that mutual tolerance and the desire and ability to welcome differences and diversity is a prerequisite for peace and prosperity of human society. Being a vital ingredient of a cohesive society it is now being promoted by almost all the modern societies like Britain.

Mr Surie encouraged the audience to invest in India that offered bright business opportunities. He said the government was aware of some difficulties faced by foreign investors and efforts were being made to remove whatever bureaucratic hurdles there were.

The High Commissioner assured the NLMCC of help and cooperation in its programmes to keep the British born Indian Muslims in touch with India. He promised to donate books to NLMCC’s library and presented 15 CD’s on “Urdu & Modern India” a 24 minutes and 42 sec documentary film produced in Urdu and English by Kamna Parsad. Unfortunately, however, the CD presented in an impressive case with a caption on top “A public Diplomacy Initiative of the Government of India”.

In his welcome address, Chairman of NLMCC Mr Munaf Zeena, who is also the Chairman of Council of Indian Muslims (UK)—CIM, said that Indian Muslims Diaspora in UK was proud of its Indian heritage and felt elated at the initiatives taken by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government to make India a rising economy and wished to participate in the development of the country. “The North London Muslim Community Centre, The North London Muslim Housing Association, the Council of Indian Muslim UK and many other organisations represented here today aspire to participate and contribute in this process.” He made particular mention of the opening of the multi- million rupees Jamnaba Hospital in Bardoli, Gujarat, for which NLMCC and CIM organisers had raised millions of pounds.

Zeena also said that for the progress and prosperity of the country all communities needed to be taken on board and practical steps were needed to make justice a reality. Urging the High Commissioner to remove the difficulties in obtaining visas by visitors to India, Zeena said, “...people who are of Indian origin ... find it difficult to prove their Indian origin or with those that have spouses who are not Indian. A problem faced by young children as well as older people. Similar difficulties are faced by some people who are very much Indian.”

In his introduction of NLMCC its honorary secretary, Mr Shabbir Gajia said, “Open to and welcoming every resident of Hackney without any discrimination on the basis of caste or creed, the NLMCC is run and managed by Muslims of Indian descent who take pride in their multi-cultural background inherited from and brought with them by their ancestors. The reflection of this multi- culturalism may be seen in this gathering attended by the representatives of Jewish, Christian, Hindu and of course Muslim communities.”

Displaying his ever jovial style and testifying Mr Gajia’s claim, widely respected Rabbi Herschel Gluck, chairman and founder of the Muslim-Jewish Forum, said, “Many will be surprised to see a Jewish addressing this august gathering. But, Your Excellency, please take a message to India from here this evening how Muslims and Jews live and co-exist with each other in Hackney. Here we celebrate our diversity and our differences.”

In the wake of Gujarat genocide, Rabbi Gluck had joined the CIM in condemning the massacre of more than 2000 Muslims and had compared it with the holocaust. The Rabbi prayed and wished for a prosperous India where all communities live and enjoy life peacefully.

The dinner was attended and addressed by several other dignitaries including Councillor Ritaa Krishna, a person of Indian origin and Cabinet Member for Children and Young People and speaker of Hackney Council Cllr Sally Mulready and Chief Executive of NLMHA Ahmad Mapara.