According to Ahlul Bayt News Agency (ABNA.ir), Survivor of the 7/7 London bombings in 2005 Gill Hicks won the special Judges award, while founder of the Union of Muslim Organisations (UMO) was selected for the Editor’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
The annual awards, in their tenth year, was attended by an audience of 800 politicians, religious leaders, journalists, community activists along with representatives from the world of sport, public services, culture and academia on Monday night.
Guest of Honour, Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, described the event, which is aimed to honour unsung heroes and heroines, as “an excellent opportunity to celebrate the fantastic contribution that British Muslims across the country make to the UK.”
“This year’s nominations are full of inspiring stories of individuals and groups who have made a real difference in their local communities,” Johnson said.
Hicks, who founded Making a Difference for Peace after losing both her legs below the knee in the 7/7, was greeted with a rapturous reception when being presented with her special award.
Toure, who is now captain of Manchester City after winning the Premier League title with Arsenal, spoke about the importance of his Muslim faith after being the surprise choice for the sports award.
The culmination of the four-hour ceremony was the presentation of the first lifetime achievement award to Pasha, who has been a veteran community activist in Britain for more than 40 years.
Muslim News editor Ahmed J Versi said the awards were launched ten years ago “because we wanted to acknowledge the noble accomplishments and displays of distinction within the British Muslim community and showcase the tremendous contributions British Muslims make to Britain.”
“We wanted also to identify and highlight Muslim role models for the younger generation,” Versi said.
Other special guests in attendance included Communities Secretary John Denham, the Conservative’s Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling, International Development Minister Gareth Thomas, Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve and Liberal Democrat peer Emma Nicholson.
Nominations for the awards, selected in 15 different categories ranging range from science and engineering to community development, young person and the arts, are chosen by the readership of the Muslim News and deliberated by a distinguished independent panel of judges.
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