British Council work to build bridges celebrated by Muslim body

The British Council ‘Our Shared Europe’ project, for which the award will be given, focuses on recognising the integral role of Muslims in Europe’s past, present and future. The project is the British Council’s response to one of the major cultural challenges facing Europe today – the growing mutual mistrust between Muslim communities and the wider European Society.

Dr. Anas Al-Shaikh-Ali, Chairman of the Association of Muslim Social Scientists said: "The AMSS (UK) is pleased to present its 2009 Building Bridges Award jointly to the British Council ‘Our Shared Europe’ project, and to the 1001 Inventions: Muslim Heritage in our World.

“Today's socio-political climate is marked by increased divisions along ethnic and religious lines. This is seen internally in Europe among communities and externally between Western societies and Muslim societies. This situation creates problems for citizenship in humanity. Both the British Council and 1001 Inventions projects are playing an admirable and significant role in building bridges at a time when such endeavours have become ever more difficult and challenging.

The British Council ‘Our Shared Europe’ project, in seeking to find common ground and build shared values, perspectives and behaviours based on mutual respect and trust, is a marked step forward in developing a vision of the world based on an inclusive view and thereby a shared future."

Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council, said: “The British Council is proud and delighted to receive the Association of Muslim Social Scientists’ prestigious Building Bridges Award for our work in bringing communities together worldwide.

"The work we do in exploring inter-cultural differences with communities in the UK and overseas is also important to developing a better understanding of how we can create stronger bonds between communities here in the UK. We look forward to working together with the Association of Muslim Social Scientists and other groups to create more cohesive communities,” he said.

Previous recipients of this award include the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams for his work developing interfaith relationships.

The British Council has a strong background in bringing communities worldwide, including Muslim and non-Muslim communities, together. The British Council Global Exchange programme, run in partnership with the VSO, also brings young people from diverse backgrounds, including Muslim and non-Muslims, to live and work together in countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan and the UK. At the invitation of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art the British Council organised the first exhibition of British art ever to be seen in the Islamic Republic in 2004. The British Council is currently running an English teaching centre at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the global centre of Islamic learning.

The Building Bridges Award will be presented to the British Council and 1001 Inventions at the annual Zaki Badawi Memorial lecture which this year will be delivered by the British Council’s Director of ‘Our Shared Europe’, Martin Rose.

For more information or to attend the Zaki Badawi Memorial lecture, please email Sorcha Clifford or contact on 020 7389 4889

The Zaki Badawi Memorial lecture will take place on June 5th at 6pm in London.

*Case studies of British Council Global Exchange participants, demonstrating our work in linking Muslim and non Muslim communities, are available on request. 

About the British Council

Celebrating 75 years in 2009, the British Council is the UK’s international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We work in over 100 countries worldwide to build engagement and trust for the UK though the exchange of knowledge and ideas. We work in the arts, education, science, sport and governance and last year over 128 million people benefited from our projects. We are a non-political charitable organisation which operates at arm’s length from government.  Our total income in 2007/8 was £565 million, of which our grant-in-aid from the British government was £197 million.