The Muslim Council of Britain’s Hassan Joudi, Public Affairs team member, delivered the following speech at an iftar dinner hosted by the Liberal Democrats on 9 March 2026 in London with Rt Hon Sir Ed Davey MP.
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Brothers and Sisters of all faiths, beliefs and none.
Peace be with you, As-salaam Alaykum.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), founded in 1997, is an inclusive umbrella body of over 500 mosques, charities, professional networks and more, representing a large cross-section of Muslims in the UK today.
We are pledged to work for the common good of society as a whole, encouraging individual British Muslims and Muslim-led organisations to play a full and participatory role in public life. Our mission is empowering British Muslims to achieve a just, cohesive and successful British society for all.
Specifically when it comes to politics, the MCB is committed to promoting engagement in the political process, while maintaining a non-partisan stand that does not endorse any particular party or candidate.
This means we are open to engagement with all political parties that share our vision of a prosperous and tolerant United Kingdom.
We conduct voter registration campaigns and provide our member organisations with toolkits, guidance and resources to mobilise, organise and get involved.
This year, the run up to the upcoming Local Elections on 7 May in England, as well as Welsh and Scottish parliamentary elections, coincides with the Holy Month of Ramadan.
So back in January – which seems like a world away given everything that has happened in the world since then – we launched an aptly-named campaign “Hungry for Change.” It includes:
- A guide for British Muslims on registering to vote and the necessary ID requirements
- An explainer on what councillors and local councils do, and how its differs to MPs elected in General Elections
- Template posters for display in mosques and community centres
- Do’s and Don’t for mosques and community centres that are registered charities, in-line with latest Charity Commission guidelines
- A “Get Out The Vote” champions programme, engaging volunteers to rally their local community to ensure they are registered to vote and turn-up on polling day
- and much more
We chose the name “Hungry for Change” intentionally.
Because today, during the Month of Ramadan, many of us fasting may of course be feeling hungry.
But our nation, our United Kingdom, is also hungry. After years, decades, of a politics that seems to be sliding further and further away from any semblance of morality.
Of Government policies that seem grounded more in George Orwell’s 1984 prophecies of doublespeak and Two Minutes Hate, rather than British values.
And of politicians prioritising the interests of anyone other than the voters who put their trust in them when casting their vote.
We are hungry for a better future.
From education, to housing, to social services to parks and leisure and so much more that our Local Councils are responsible for. We are hungry for a better future.
So during this Month of Ramadan, followers of Islam across the world, from Africa to East Asia, from the Indian Sub-continent to the Middle East, to here in Europe and the British Isles, practice discipline and self-control by temporarily refraining from eating and drinking during daylight hours.
But we don’t do it just for its own sake.
It is meant to be a training ground. A boot camp.
A spring-board for the rest of the 11 months of the year, to be the best version of ourselves we can be. And in so doing, bring about a better community and society around us.
That is the MCB’s vision. And we look forward to a mutually respectful relationship with the Liberal Democrats and other political parties, to make sure that our best years as the United Kingdom are not behind us, but ahead of us.
Thank you.
Photo credit: chan lee (unsplash)