Lord Sheikh (Chairman) and Mohammed Amin (Vice-Chairman) were invited by the National Association of Muslim Police to attend their annual awards ceremony and also present the Young Persons Award.

Lord Sheikh in his speech emphasised the point that it is important that the achievements of young Muslims are recognised. He said that in his speech in the House of Lords recently he referred to this point.

Lord Sheikh also stated that nearly all the Muslims are law-abiding citizens and accepts the fact that there is a problem with a tiny minority of youths who do not follow the true message of Islam. It is important that all Muslims give the message that Islam is indeed a religion of peace and dispel any misunderstanding between people.

Sometimes there are problems amongst people of different religious beliefs which arise from misunderstanding and we must all make an effort to dispel these misunderstandings.

Lord Sheikh further said that there are a number of Muslim youths who have done very well in every walk of life and they have been very successful and they should be the role models for others to follow. He urged Muslims to be involved in every walk of life in the United Kingdom and also think about joining the police force and the army as there are many successful careers for them to follow.

Lord Sheikh presented the Young Persons Award to Bahar Abbasi who was recognised for his considerable achievements.

STATEMENT FROM CMF

The Conservative Muslim Forum is dismayed by the ignorance which underlies Pastor Jones’ intention of burning 200 copies of the Quran on Saturday 11 September, to coincide with the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Pastor Jones’ planned book burning has been condemned by many faith leaders in the USA. The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called it a “disrespectful, disgraceful act” and the US Attorney General Eric Holder has called it idiotic and dangerous. General David Petraeus, the US and NATO commander in Afghanistan has warned that it will imperil the lives of US and other NATO troops, including British servicemen.

The CMF hopes that Pastor Jones will see reason and desist from his plan.

The best response to such bigotry is for Muslims to ensure that they make people aware of the true principles of Islam. For example, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) has announced a “Learn, Don’t Burn” initiative which involves distribution of 200,000 Qurans to replace the 200 copies that Pastor Jones plans to burn.

Cllr Mohammad Bhatti (Member of the Conservative Muslim Forum Executive Committee) organised a charity dinner in aid of the flood relief efforts in Pakistan.

Lord Sheikh was in attendance and in his speech referred to the fact that the floods have had a devastating effect in the lives of nearly 20 million people. People have been killed and their houses, crops and infrastructure has been damaged.

The immediate necessity is to provide emergency relief which will have to be followed by assistance in the rebuilding process. As a result of the floods there is the danger of an outbreak of cholera and some people, particularly children, have suffered from diarrhoea, skin diseases and with the stagnant water which is trapped in certain areas, there is also the danger of the spread of malaria. Lord Sheikh made a donation and the event was extremely well supported by the efforts of Cllr Bhatti and other organisers. A total sum of £40,000 was raised.

It was stated at the dinner that some of the organisers will themselves travel to Pakistan in order to ensure that the relief is undertaken effectively and in the proper manner.

Lord Sheikh (Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum) & Lady Sheikh met a Parliamentary delegation from Afghanistan led by the Speaker of their Parliament H.E. Younus Qanooni. The British Group Inter-Parliamentary Union had organised a Welcoming Reception in the Houses of Parliament for the cross-party Parliamentary delegation from Afghanistan, His Excellency was accompanied by two lady Members of the Afghani Parliament.

During his discussions Lord Sheikh expressed pleasure that there were now women Members of Parliament and steps were being taken for the empowerment of women. Lord Sheikh also said that he supported initiatives to build infrastructure, provide help to the agricultural programmes and win over the Taliban.

Lord Sheikh (Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum) attended and made a presentation of an award at the first annual ILM Day Awards organised by the Islam Channel at Hilton Metropole London. Lord Sheikh spoke before presenting the award and made the point that the theme of the awards was “ilm” which has the same meaning as the motto which appears on Lord Sheikh’s coat of arms. The motto is “iqra” and the coat of arms shows a peacock holding two quill pens and there is a row of books and all these signify the fact that Lord Sheikh is very keen to promote education.

Lord Sheikh also said that the words “education, education, education” were in fact emphasised by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan who was the founder of the Aligarh Muslim University. Lord Sheikh also referred to the fact that Muslims have a rich history in knowledge and education relating to science, mathematics and astronomy and hoped that the young Muslims who received the awards today will continue with the culture of advancement and excel in the pursuit and imparting of knowledge.

The dinner was extremely well attended and Lord Sheikh congratulated the Islam Channel for their achievement in organising such a splendid event.

Lord Sheikh (Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum) was a special guest and presented an award at the ceremony organised by HE the High Commissioner for Bangladesh to mark the achievements of the British Bangladeshi students.

Lord Sheikh commented that he was pleased to be asked to make the presentation as he has a keen interest in promoting education. He stated that OFSTED reports from secondary schools have shown that many Bangladeshis are making significant progress in their education compared with other ethnic minorities. Lord Sheikh also added that he is interested in the wellbeing of the Bangladeshi community and he is a Vice-Chairman of the Britain-Bangladesh All-Party Parliamentary Group.

Lord Sheikh (Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum) was invited to be the Guest of Honour at the sumptuous dinner and event held by the Federation of Bangladeshi Caterers to celebrate the National Victory Day of Bangladesh and the first anniversary celebration of the Federation.

Lord Sheikh talked briefly about the history of Bangladesh and supported the aims of the Federation. Lord Sheikh mentioned that the Bangladeshi community have not only been successful in the catering business but in various professions. He referred to the Bangladeshi who were present at the dinner and the fact that the Bangladeshi caterers had provided the British community with excellent cuisine and that the favourite dish in the United Kingdom is now chicken tikka masala. The caterers do provide employment and generate revenue for the country. Lord Sheikh also talked about his love of the Bangladeshi culture and the country’s folklore.

Lord Sheikh (Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum) co-hosted and supported the Young Muslim Beacon Awards event which was held at Westminster House. There were several members of the CMF in attendance.

Lord Sheikh in his speech stated that it is important for us to recognise the achievement of the Muslims who have excelled in different fields in the United Kingdom.

Lord Sheikh also said that the Muslim youth have to try to reach for the sky and the difference between being ordinary and extraordinary is the word extra. The Muslim youth therefore need to endeavour to attain that extra factor. He referred to his own life where he started with a company as an employee and ended up being the Chairman and Chief Executive and the majority shareholder of that company. Lord Sheikh then presented an award to the winner of one of the categories.

Lord Sheikh spoke at the Deen Fest held at Alexandra Palace organised by the JAN Trust. The event was held to celebrate the positive contributions Muslims have made to the UK and to promote interfaith dialogue.

Lord Sheikh referred to the fact that Muslims have done very well in every walk of British life and contributed to the advancement and wellbeing of the United Kingdom. Lord Sheikh explained the true meaning of the word “jihad” and stated the fact that suicide bombing is forbidden in Islam.

Lord Sheikh (Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum) is a patron of the Pakistan-India Friendship Forum UK and he attended and spoke at a dinner organised by the Forum at the House of Lords. Lord Sheikh emphasised the importance of people-to-people contact and referred to the speeches by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah at the time of Independence.

He also stressed that if there is more trade between India and Pakistan it will lead to a strengthening of relations between the two countries. He referred to the formation of the common market which helped to create friendship and harmony between Germany and France and other European countries after the Second World War.