2005 Theme

In 2005, Islam Awareness Week told the tale of two peoples as never told before. The Islam and Britain you never knew. Knowing that we live in a climate in which misunderstandings and hostility are all too common, this year’s theme was critical to help unearth our historical truths in order to carve a new public consciousness, one of commonality and inter-dependence.

It told a story of kings and paupers, of soldiers and sailors, of alchemists and anatomists and of mosques and universities. The story was one of interchange, of dialogue, of political alliances and of friendships from across continents and cultures. Above all it told the tale of interplay between Islam and Britain, of ordinary men and women here in Britain, of communities shaping themselves and of revolutionary ideas that shaped the Britain we have today. Today's Britain would be very different without Islam!

A specially commissioned publication introducing this history was produced for Islam Awareness Week 2005. By highlighting this relationship we can see that the presence of Muslims in the British Isles is not just a recent phenomenon and also raise awareness of the mutually enriching role that Islam and British culture have played in the past and continue to play today. An awareness which gives hope for the future.

See photos of the national launch at London City Hall

View PDF of booklet 1,000 Years of Islam in Britain