The Ninth Annual Ceremony Recognises the Very Best of British Muslim Achievements
 | Large image | Figure 1: Professor Mohamed El-Gomati receiving the Fazlur Rahman Khan Award for Excellence in Engineering, Science and Technology. The presenter is Professor Mark Welland, FRS, FREng, University of Cambridge. | |
The Guest of Honour Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, said: "In a short space of time the Awards have established themselves as a significant event for the Muslim community." Special guests included Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears, Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve and the Liberal Democrats Leader Nick Clegg. They were joined by civic and religious leaders, as well as representatives from the worlds of politics, business, sport and the arts, to honour unsung heroes and heroines of the community. Prime Minister Gordon Brown described The Muslim News Awards for Excellence as "a well-established event in our national calendar". Now in its ninth year, the ceremony has distinguished itself for pioneering an initiative that finds the very best in British Muslims. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "The Muslim News Awards are an important opportunity for us all to recognize and show our appreciation for the valuable contribution that British Muslims make to our shared society." The editor of The Muslim News and the main sponsor Ahmed J Versi said: "We began this event nine years ago because we believed that British Muslims have a lot to offer to British society. Nine years on, and the quality of nominations from our 150,000 readers show that British Muslims still have what it takes to be pioneering contributors to the common good." In a message, the Opposition Leader David Cameron said: "Over the years the Awards have firmly established themselves in the national calendar, and have helped us to celebrate the huge contribution which British Muslims make to each and every aspect of our society." The Liberal Democracts Leader Nick Clegg, who attended the event, said: "These prestigious awards not only provide an opportunity to acknowledge the excellence of the individual nominees in their respective fields, but they also encourage us to reflect upon the valuable social, cultural, and economic contribution made by the Muslim community in the UK." Fazlur Rahman Khan Award for Excellence in Engineering, Science and Technology  | Large image | Figure 2: Professor El-Gomati addressing the assembly after he received the award. | |
In his thank you speech, Professor El-Gomati referred to the excellent work done by the Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation, to which he is Deputy Chairman, and mentioned that throughout Muslim civilisation Muslim Scientists worked in harmony with Scholars of various other faiths. He particularly drew attention to Qusta ibn Luqa (worked in Baghdad in the 9th century), a Christian scholar in mathematics, medicine and mechanics, who even wrote a manual to Muslims on how to perform pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj) hygienically. Hence it is not new for Muslims to live in harmony and respect with non-Muslims. The list of the 2009 winners awarded the Ninth Annual Ceremony Recognises the Very Best of British Muslim Achievements: Further resources Welcome speech by Ahmed J Versi, Editor and Publisher of The Muslim News at the Ninth ‘The Muslim News Awards for Excellence' March 30 2009Muslim 'unsung heroes' honoured: A graffiti artist and teenage martial arts participant have been honoured in a ceremony recognising "unsung heroes" of the Muslim community in BritainMuslim News Awards for Excellence by Nick Clegg Online Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats last night attended the Muslim News Awards for Excellence to present the Ibn Battuta Award for fair, accurate and balanced reporting on an issue involving MuslimThe Muslim News Awards 2009 Panel of Judges The shortlist and winners of The Muslim News Awards are chosen by an independent panel of judges who reflect a cross-section of opinion, experience and expectationIslam's Banksy and the Muslim News Awards: These are the works of Mohammed Ali, an underground graffiti artist who is one of a handful of little-known people who have been nominated for the annual Muslim News AwardsPress Release - Ninth The Muslim News Awards for Excellence: NINTH ‘The Muslim News Awards for Excellence' shortlist published to celebrate British Muslim contributions to societyPrevious Winners: See the previous winners of The Muslim News Awards for Excellence
by: FSTC Limited, Sun 05 April, 2009
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