The
300-strong student society received the accolade
at a celebration organised by the Young Muslim
Organisations UK and the Muslimaat UK.
Attended
by over 800 people, this year's event entitled
Raising Spirits in the Age of Terror was
addressed by Dr Hisham al-Awadi (UK) and Dr
Tariq Ramadan (Switzerland) via video link.
Eminent personalities like Iqbal Sacranie,
Secretary General of the Muslim Council of
Britain, Kat Fletcher, President of the National
Union of Students and the heavyweight boxer
Danny Williams addressed the audience and
presented some of the awards.
For
the first time the award ceremony included the
Islamic Society of the Year Award, nominees
included Cambridge, Oxford and Nottingham, but
the inaugural winner was the University of
Leicester Islamic Society. Awarded for its
development, support and representation, the
efforts of the Islamic Society members, both
past and present were acknowledged by the
presentation by Wakkas Khan, President of FOSIS.
“This
is a testament to all of those members of the
Islamic Society over the years who put their
efforts for the Islamic Society, whether through
attending talks and lectures, organising events,
supporting the campaigns and representing the
students on campus” said a jubilant Zakariyya
Khan, President of the University of Leicester
Islamic Society.
He
added: “The award ceremony was held to
celebrate the positive achievements of Muslim
students in a time of turmoil, the awards were
to inspire, motivate and invigorate every Muslim
student. The University of Leicester Islamic
Society would like to thank everyone for their
support.” In recent months the Leicester
Muslim students have raised money for local
charities including Human Appeal International,
The Prince's Trust, Target 2015 and Cancer
Research. Zakariyya said: “ Receiving this
award is does not mean we will be taking a back
seat from now on, as things can only get
better.”
“This
semester we are planning to continue raising
money for charity, for causes such as the
Tsunami disaster and local women’s refuges.
Also, one of our key aims is to raise the
awareness of Islam, and clarify the growing
misconceptions about a religion founded on
Peace.”
http://ebulletin.le.ac.uk/news/2000-2009/2005/02/nparticle-69z-n34-k6c