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General Assembly 20 - 26 May 2010:

Everyone has a responsibility to make the world a better place Kirk told in historic speech

THE Church of Scotland's General Assembly was told by its first Muslim speaker, Professor Mona Siddiqui, that every person has a responsibility to make the world a better place.

Ms Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic Studies and Public Understanding and Director of the Centre for the Study of Islam at the University of Glasgow, speaking this morning at the General Assembly, said we are all connected by God and that every individual has to confront their own struggles to make a better world.

She added that God had taken a risk on human kind, the only beings that have to make a choice, that of right or wrong.

Prof Siddiqui joined the University of Glasgow in 1996 and two years later founded the Centre for the Study of Islam. She provides invaluable consultancy work to institutions such as museums, local government and educational institutions, and also provides advice in legal cases, including anti-terrorism cases.

A regular contributor to the Scottish and British press, Prof Siddiqui is currently the Chair of the BBC's Scottish Religious Advisory Committee, a member of the Commission on Scottish Devolution and a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Islam-West Dialogue.

Ends

Note to news desk

For further information, please contact Nick Jury, Senior Media Relations officer, njury@cofscotland.org.uk.

GANR/04/05/10

Wednesday 26, May 2010

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