Leaders have a say in Muslim peace event

A MUSLIM group held a peace conference at the weekend.

Local leaders spoke at the event at Huddersfield Town Hall yesterday.

The meeting was organised by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association.

Among the speakers were Kirklees Mayor Clr Jean Calvert, deputy council leader Clr Jim Dodds and Kirklees divisional police commander Chief Supt Barry South.

Rafiq Ahmad Hayat, national head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, also addressed the event.

He presented Clr Calvert with a cheque for £250 for the West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Trust, which is trying to build a children’s hospice and respite centre in Brackenhall.

Munir Ahmed is president of the Huddersfield branch of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association. He said: “The objective was to get people from different backgrounds together and talk about how we can promote peace.”

Mr Ahmed is concerned about the perception of Muslims in wider society.

He said: “The 9/11 attacks created a lot of misunderstandings. Islam was being demonised as some kind of terrorist form, which it is not.”