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Islam's place in contemporary British society

16/05/2006
Letter published in The Times

Sir, There are hundreds of thousands of Muslims in Britain who do not follow their religion as strictly as do the older generations, or as preached by organisations such as the Muslim Council of Britain. We are the mainstream Muslims who are keen to live in peace and harmony with other faith groups, feel proud of being British and are patriotic.

I do not feel that the Islamic organisations are in any way representative, or even appreciative of the issues that I face living here in a multicultural and multifaith society. I know of no organisation that represents the secular and liberal Islam that the vast majority of Muslims follow, and there is no platform for such individuals to voice their opinion.

Reaching out to the silent majority and engaging them in a dialogue would bear far more positive results for the integration of Muslims into British society than merely following the suggestions of local imams or hardline organisations.

Dr Shaaz Mahboob, Hillingdon, Middlesex