UK PM hosts first ever ‘Eid festival’

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron opened the doors of 10 Downing Street for the first time to celebrate the festival of Eidul Azha and also pay tributes to the rich contribution made by 2.5 million British Muslims to Britain’s national life.
David Cameron was joined on Monday night by cabinet ministers including Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, prominent British Muslims from different fields of life and over a dozen Conservative MPs.
Cameron in his speech recognized the immense contribution that British Muslims, over many generations, have made to Britain’s national life and stressed that Britain should be a country that celebrates and looks up to faith rather than treat it as an embarrassment or a problem.
Cameron recalled that during his stay with the Muslim Pakistani family, one of his duties was to take children of Abdullah and Shahida Rehman to the King Edward’s - a local Jewish school. He remembered asking Rehmans why they preferred sending their children to a Jewish faith school and their reply was, “We all are of Abrahamic faiths and we want our children to understand the importance of faith, and this is a very good school.” Cameron said he thought Rehman’s reply was a wonderful example of the important role that faith organizations play in our society.
PM Cameron urged for more efforts to examine how much various faiths have in common because they do have so much in common when they teach their followers about doing good work, living a good life as well as worshipping our God. “That is an incredibly important message,” said the prime minister.
He said Britain’s first mosque was built in Cardiff at least 150 years ago and today Muslims are the second largest non-Christian group serving in armed forces, who serve valiantly in Afghanistan and they are also the second largest religious organization in Britain’s police force.
“A huge amount is given by British Muslims into business life, into cultural life, and we should also remember the huge contribution that Muslim charities like Islamic Relief make to the relief of suffering around the world, as I myself have seen both at their depot in Birmingham, but also their amazing work on the ground. I think tonight is a good opportunity to recognize the massive contribution that British Muslims make to our national life,” the prime minister continued in his speech.