New head of Muslim Council welcomed

The new General Secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) has welcomed the appointment of Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari as the next Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB). Both men took up their positions on 5 June. The Revd Bob Fyffe commented: "There is a clear opportunity for people of faith to work closely together in building communities of mutual trust and respect. This mutual respect is the foundation of confident dialogue between our different faiths. I believe that with a strong sense of our own identity, of who we are and what we are, we can enter into more than dialogue. We can work together for positive, strong communities grounded in peace and justice. More than ever our country needs religious leaders who stand together for all that is best in our world, and who work hard at understanding each other's traditions.'" The Revd Bob Fyffe also paid tribute to Dr Bari's predecessor, Sir Iqbal Sacranie. "Sir Iqbal has led the Muslim Council of Britain through a very difficult time and has shown great leadership and strength. The work of our predecessors must now be built on and developed. We wish Sir Iqbal every success in his future work." CTBI is the official ecumenical body which brings together Churches of Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Pentecostal traditions. CTBI was set up to help the Churches think, work and pray together. Canon Bob Fyffe comes into the post at a time when the Churches have gone through a time of looking closely at new ways of working to meet new demands with shrinking resources and have made a fresh commitment to work together. He succeeds Dr David Goodbourn who has completed a seven-year term and is now president of the Partnership for Theological Education, based in Manchester. Source: CTBI