A star line-up of speakers gathered in Tooting on Thursday evening to talk to local residents about their experience of being a Councillor and local campaigning. The event was organised by Dan Watkins, Conservative Parliamentary Spokesman for Tooting, and supported by local mosques and the Conservative Muslim Forum (CMF), to encourage greater involvement of the Muslim community in local politics.
The event was held at Mushkil Aasaan’s community hall and was open to all, with 50 people attending, including Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Chair of the Balham Mosque and Tooting Islamic Centre.
Other speakers included Abdul Latif, Merton Councillor, Justine Greening MP, Secretary of State for International Development, Zac Goldsmith MP, Conservative Candidate for London Mayor, Hasina Momtaz, broadcaster and campaigner, and Rabia Bhatti, Chair of CMF Women.
Dan says:
‘I’ve worked closely with the Tooting Islamic community in recent years and know there is a deep pool of talent amongst the congregations of our local mosques. I’m delighted we had such a good turn-out at the event and have subsequently had several people come forward expressing a desire to get involved with local projects and campaigns.’
‘This meeting is just a start and I plan to run future events which bring together our diverse communities, through volunteering projects which improve our area and speaker events which focus on other important topics. The more time people of different backgrounds spend together, the more we realise how much we have in common, and the more we can achieve by working together in partnership.’
Ahmed Elmi, a Tooting resident, said:
‘It was informative and inspiring to hear views from so many high profile speakers, including two Muslim councillors, and the work they did and the local improvements they achieved for all of their constituents.’
The website of the Conservative Muslim Forum is www.conservativemuslimforum.com