Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra. Photo: Facebook.

One of Britain’s leading Muslim figures has expressed his hope that a newly erected state-of-the-art Jewish community center in London will help to bring followers of the respective faiths closer together.

Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, assistant secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, told the Jewish News he felt “encouraged” to see the word ‘Jewish’ in seven-foot high letters at the JW3 and that he hopes the community does more to “wear its Jewishness on its sleeve.”

“I think our Jewish communities need to show confidence and their presence because they’re a valuable community and a valuable asset to multicultural Britain,” he said. “I would like to see more Jewishness worn on its sleeve because that’s the way we can build confidence in this community and in wider society. Religious communities are good for our country.”

Mogra added, “I’m sure there will be many things we can do together at this center. It would be great to hold a Muslim event here. This would speak volumes of the friendship we enjoy and send a very strong message to other Muslim-Jewish communities and particularly in the holy lands that we need to live together in peace and do justice to one another, that way we can build confidence in this community and in wider society. Religious communities are good for our country.”