“UK Muslims contribute hugely to British society”

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UK Muslims are integrated into the fabric of the British society and are contributing to various fields, including politics, finance, law, healthcare, teaching, journalism and sports, a group of prominent UK Muslim officials said at a conference in Bangladesh, according to The New Nation.

The five-member British Muslim delegation is in Bangladesh to clarify misconceptions over the role Muslims play in the United Kingdom, explain their relationship with the British government, and project a positive image of “Islam in Britain”, the UK officials said.

The British delegation includes Waseem Yaqub, the UK Director of Islamic Relief, the largest British Muslim charity, Lutfur Ali, a top Muslim businessman, Omar Faruk, government legal service holder in the UK, community activists Ayesha Gamiet and Sahana Khan, among others of the British High Commission in Dhaka.

"The visit to Bangladesh is one of a series of high profile visits that the foreign and Commonwealth Office arranges for prominent British Muslims to enable the cross-fertilization of ideas between British Muslims and Muslims around the world,” the visiting members said.

"Britain now has more than 1,200 mosques and 110 Muslims schools. The first large Muslim population in Britain dates back to the 1700s when Muslim sailors, many of them from Bengal, were recruited by the East India Company to serve on British merchant ships,” Waseem Yaqub said.

The United Kingdom now has more than 1.8 million Muslims, most of whom come from the Indian subcontinent.

AlJazeera