Asian rugby chief meets Prime Minister
Ikram Butt, Connecting Communities Manager and British Asian Rugby Association Managing Director was invited to No 10 Downing Street alongside other distinguished guests to celebrate Eid ul Adaha hosted by Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.
It was the first time a Prime Minister has held such an event at Downing Street which was attended by a host of dignitaries including, James Caan, business entrepreneur and Ministers Shahid Malik, Sadiq Khan & Mohammed Sarwar.
Gordon Brown had sent his best wishes to Muslims all over the world on the occasion of Eid ul Adha.
He said, “I send my best wishes to all Muslims in the United Kingdom and those around the world for the occasion of Eid ul Adha, which remembers the sacrifice of Abraham. Marking the end of the Hajj, this most holy occasion commemorates our common humanity and reminds us of the importance of devotion, fairness and the equality of all human beings before God.
It allows those of us of other faiths, and none, to reflect on the unique Islamic contribution to Britain and to share with you in celebration of all that has been achieved by British Muslims across so many walks of life. Today Muslims around the United Kingdom and the world will be reflecting on many challenges that face us and the deep moral issues like conflict, poverty and climate change.
Together we can stand up to these challenges and move forward to a better world.
Eid Mubarak to you all.” Eid Mubarak.”
The invitation for Butt to attend was worthy praise for his contribution and dedication in way of using sport & education as a means of bringing about a positive change and a meaningful difference to people’s lives here in the UK and abroad.
Butt commented ‘It was an honour and privilege to be invited to such a prestigious event and I‘d like to thank both Neil Turner MP and Shahid Malik MP for their continued tremendous support and for nominating me to attend the event.’
‘I was delighted to attend along with Junaid Malik and Hasan Pooya who have been instrumental in our endeavours of developing rugby / sport as a vehicle for positive change.’
‘During my brief discussion with Gordon, he asked me if I was willing to play rugby for Scotland. My response was at my age I was willing to play for anyone as long as an opportunity arose for me to put back my boots back on!’