Britain without Muslims would be less vibrant: Envoy

New Delhi

27 March 2007

"A Britain without Muslims would be unthinkable -- a very different,

less vibrant, culturally poorer and significantly less economically successful place,"

British High Commissioner to New Delhi Sir Michael Arthur said.

"So I feel proud that with many communities we can also legitimately claim to be a

country of one British people whatever an individuals's race, religion or culture. We

have shared values and we are a nation in which British Muslims, and those of other

faiths, are an integral and vital part of our society," he said after inaugurating a photo

exhibition by Peter Sanders at the Experimental Arts Gallery, India Habitat Centre.

The "Art of Integration Exhibition: Islam in Britain's Green and Pleasant Land" is

organised by the British High Commission and South Asian Council for Minorities.

On the occasion Sir Arthur said, "In 2005 the FCO (Foreign and Commonwealth Office)

sponsored Peter Sanders to take a collection of photographs depicting Muslim life in

Britain. This resulted in The Art of Integration Exhibition: Islam in Britain's Green and

Pleasant Lands. This is a unique exhibition by Peter Sanders, who is a Muslim convert

and interestingly converted to Islam following a spiritual search to India in the 1970s."

He noted certain facts that illustrate how deeply Muslims are part of the fabric of UK

society. The 2001 census found there were approximately 1.6 million Muslims in Britain,

making Muslims the largest religious minority in Britain. Almost half of British Muslims

were born in the UK. Britain now has four Muslim MPs, five Muslim members of the

House of Lords, one Muslim Member of European Parliament and over 200 Muslim

municipal councillors.

"Modern Britain is generally comfortable with being tolerant of different groups, but at the

same time we need to provide a sense of common purpose and identity for everyone to

feel part of one society. Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and other faiths have

a perfect right to their own identity and religion .... This is what Britain is about ....

However, to overcome unnecessary misunderstandings and distrust requires work on all

sides. In modern Britain, these misunderstandings are being addressed and

discarded," he added.