Muslim chief in plea to leaders
15 July 2005
The Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain has visited community leaders in Leeds saying he wanted to take "concrete steps" to ensure an atrocity like the London bombings never happened again.
Sir Iqbal Sacranie told a meeting of Islamic and community group leaders in the city: "We are all responsible for it in a way because we have been talking about the fact there are elements within the community who perhaps are carrying out the rhetoric and message of hate and very little has been done.
The community across the country condemns such activities but beyond that, what have we been doing?"
Sir Iqbal said he and other members of the council were in Leeds to listen rather than make lengthy statements about what has to happen next.
He said he had already spoken to a number of groups in the city adding: "They are all in a state of shock, as we all are."
Sir Iqbal listened as representatives of a range of Muslim and other groups gave their views at the Baab-ul-Ilm Centre, in Shadwell.
He told the meeting to expect a statement from Islamic scholars from across Britain at the London Central Mosque which was "so powerful and so strong" it would leave no-one in any doubt about the Muslim communities' attitudes to atrocities such as the London bombings.
He said: "That statement is going to re-define the position about what Islam has to say about acts of atrocity, acts of murder and criminality."
Asked if he supported the call for a public inquiry on how the bombings happened he said it was too early to say and the police should be left to get on with their investigations at this time.
Sir Iqbal later left the centre to meet groups in the Beeston area of the city and will later pray at the Leeds Grand Mosque before leaving for the meeting of scholars in London.
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