From the Community Newswire, with thanks to DP111.
Shafeeq Sadiq, national co-ordinator of Islam Awareness Week, said: “We need to remember the positive spirit that embraced the nation, and especially the capital, after London won the Olympic bid.
“It is with such optimism and hope that we will defeat terrorism.”
Now in its 12th year, the Islamic Society of Britain’s initiative aims to bring Muslims and non-Muslims together through a host of events and activities being held in towns and cities across the country.
During the week, the capital will see an east London mosque throw open its doors to the public, the staging of Islam-themed exhibitions and lectures and the screening of a film exploring the life of a great Muslim philosopher.
This year’s theme is “Past and Present: 1,000 years of Islam and Britain” and will highlight the relationship between Islam and Britain which stretches back more than a millennium to the eighth century CE when Muslim explorers and traders began to visit British shores and Anglo-Saxon sailors ventured to North Africa.
Mr Sadiq said: “For over a thousand years of Islam and Britain, one has given shape to the other, whether we call this the Islamic legacy of Britain or the British heritage of Islam.
“Amid all the negativity, our past actually shows a rich history of co-existence between Islam and the British Isles.
“We can choose to make the future. Let’s learn from the past and make it bright.”