Building Bridges

We encourage cross-community collaboration to foster shared British values within diverse communities both locally and nationally.

We aim to strengthen community ties through a variety of projects, ensuring participation from different groups and grassroots organisations. We have designed and implemented a range of projects which have accomplished positive change and fostered dialogue between communities.

Our impressive record in this area means we have been approached to work in partnership with other charities, organisations and government departments to deliver programmes promoting community cohesion and the strengthening of community ties.

The Big Iftar

We help to organise an initiative called The Big Iftar.

Opening the doors of mosques and local community centres to people from all backgrounds allows us to get to know one another and to celebrate our faiths together.

More than 100 iftars have been organised across the UK so far this year.

We recently held one at New Scotland Yard headquarters in London. The event, which launched under the slogan "respect and coexistence" was designed to build trust between the various communities and the police, as well as to bring people together in solidarity to reject violence and extremism.

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Stronger Together

In the aftermath of terrorist acts, we organise community events to express unity and solidarity. The idea is to reaffirm shared values and celebrate diversity in the face of all forms of extremism.

One of our first Stronger Together events was a vigil held after the Westminster Bridge attack.

We stand united against all types of violence, especially that perpetrated with the aim of dividing British people.

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The Salam Forum

The Salam Forum was launched in 2016 to bring the diverse Muslim communities of Britain together.

We meet quarterly to discuss topics pertinent to our communities, including problems such as sectarianism and hate speech.

Through the Salam Forum, we have enabled different groups to explore issues in-depth and constructively together.

We also run a retreat every summer to allow our widely different pool of forum members to get together, relax and have fun while continuing to build bridges through dialogue.

Meetings are held at ICIC offices on a quarterly basis. For more information on how to get involved please get in touch.

Fostering Community Relations

In the wake of recent terrorist attacks in the UK, Muslims are facing an unprecedented backlash from far-right groups as well as a broader rise in Islamophobia.

In response, we have designed a series of workshops involving community activists, academics and religious authorities, to discuss the challenges Muslims face in contemporary Britain.

We will discuss issues such as human rights, women's rights and sexual orientation. Our ability to respond to the current challenges to Muslims in the UK depends partly upon opening discussions between credible voices and practitioners from across communities.

The workshops will each take a particular theme as a starting point from which to discuss the related challenges and possible resolutions. Each invited member has the chance to contribute to the discussion and raise his/her own thoughts on the matter and put forward any recommendations. The discussion group is chaired by an ICIC affiliate and consequent meetings and follow ups are decided at the end of each discussion group.

The first workshop will look at religious perspectives on the LGBTQ community, followed by another focusing on positive engagement with its members. For more information on how to get involved please get in touch.