(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - In a celebration attended by the city officials and British Muslim leaders, Muslims in Cambridge celebrated late Friday, June 24, the inauguration of their first Muslim council in the city, hoping to bring together the growing number of Muslim communities in Cambridgeshire.
"Many of the Muslims in this county come from different countries and different backgrounds," Dr Tahir Kamran, chairman of the council said, the BBC reported.
"Culturally they are quite diverse, but ideologically they have so much in common."
Representing 29 Muslim organizations and some 7000 Muslim population, Dr Kamran said it would provide "a platform" for different groups.
Officially launching it, the council hopes to draw in more Muslim organizations.
The Cambridge Muslim Council intends to be an "umbrella organization promoting peace, tolerance and understanding" throughout the county, said Dr Kamran.
Vice-chairman of the council, Mirza Baig, agrees.
Baig noted that with so many different organizations in existence, coordinating events and meetings had become a problem.
Yet, under the new council, all such organizations would be held under one umbrella of common grounds.
"It was especially a problem for service providers because if they wanted to disseminate information to Muslims, they didn't know which groups to contact,” Baig said.
"The council will provide a central interface to interact with those outside the community, and at the same time will give all Muslims the opportunity to have their say.”
The inauguration event was held late on Friday at the Holiday Inn.
Along with Cambridgeshire Muslim leaders, the event was attended by the city’s MP Julian Huppert, mayor Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith and Farooq Murad, the Muslim Council of Britain chairman.
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