I am a Conservative peer and was recently appointed to the House of Lords. As chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum and the Ethnic Diversity Council of the Conservative Party I am involved in promoting inter-faith dialogue and harmony amongst various racial and religious groups.

It therefore gives me great pleasure to speak at an event which seeks to break barriers and build bridges between our various communities. Events like this gathering play an important role in affirming and celebrating Britain's status as a diverse and multi-cultural society. Mutual understanding, respect, and inter-faith dialogue are essential if we are all to coexist peacefully. Islam teaches us to celebrate the difference and diversity which God has purposefully created in our world.

Sura 49 ayah 13 of the holy Koran says:

'O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily the most honorable among you in the sight of Allah is he who has piety and righteousness"

And another surah 30 ayah 22 says:

"And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth are the (wonderful) differences of your languages and colours. Verily, in that are indeed signs for people of sound knowledge".

Despite the image portrayed in much of today's media, Islam has a long and proud history of tolerance and respect for people of other faiths. The Holy Koran is emphatically clear on this point, stating 'let there be no compulsion in religion', and this has been manifest in Muslim civilization throughout history.

The holy Koran refers to Jews and Christians as 'people of the book' and the four books of Allah are the holy Koran, the Torah, Injeel and Zaboor.

When the Muslims were persecuted at the start of our glorious religion the Muslims escaped to Abyssinia where they were given refuge by a Christian King who was King Negus. We have came to United Kingdom which is a Christian country and the British people for all their faults are generally tolerant and its important that we regard this country our home and live in peace and harmony with everyone.

As a member of the House of Lords I am privileged to have my own Coat of Arms designed by the College of Arms. On my Coat of Arms I have two doves because I am so proud of the fact that Islam is a religion of peace. It also has a row of books and a peacock holding quill pens. The coat of Arms has my motto which is 'Iqra'. 'Iqra' means read and implies education, literature, research and knowledge.

To us Muslims education and knowledge is very important and we are proud of our contributions to the world of Science, learning, literature, mathematics, medicine and commerce.

Muslims have also played an important role in the development and advancement of London and United Kingdom in many ways. They have done well professionally as well as in businesses and the academic world.

We need more Muslims from different parties in the Houses of Parliament. Muslims represent three percent of our population. I would like to see Muslims accounting for at least three percent of parliamentarians that would amount to at least thirty-five Muslims in both houses. For my part, I am mentoring Muslim parliamentary candidates. I am also helping English candidates in areas which have high Muslim populations. Furthermore I am member of a small group of parliamentarian who advice the Conservative Party on the use of moderate language and avoid words which cause offence or in any way inflammatory.

I want to take this opportunity today to urge my brothers and sisters to become politically active. I am not seeking you to join the Conservative Party, but to get involved in the party of your choice. By doing so we can change the attitude of the political parties towards the Muslims and ethnic minorities.

There is no point in sitting on the sidelines. The only way we can have influence is by being part of the political life of this country. Let us show our fellow Britons our belief in justice, our belief in man's moral duties, and let us show our fellow countrymen and women that we, like them share the same dreams of prosperity and peace.

Today there are global issues that face the whole of humanity, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. Our environment - the gift Allah has given us - is in grave danger, and we must all work together to protect it. My maiden speech at the House of Lords was on the environment because it is an issue that I feel passionately about, as a Muslim and a human being.

Our holy Prophet, peace is upon him, said: "The world is beautiful and green, and verily God, be he exalted, has made you His custodians over it, and He sees how you acquit yourselves"

We have a moral responsibility to keep the world beautiful and green and we should all work together to protect the earth and everybody living on it from the adverse effect of climate exchange.

To take the appropriate action, there needs to be a holistic approach with participation and support of local authorities, governments, international organizations, and we the people.

Finally I would like to say that there are more similarities between peoples than differences and we should all share the same hopes and take actions to maintain and promote peace and harmony with all the communities.

Thank you