I noted with particular interest the front page coverage on the 9th July. The sentiments of anger of local Muslims at the few misguided individuals responsible for terrorist attacks, in my view are right and justified. In the same edition, there was a piece that dealt with the multi faith, multi-cultural football match. I believe that this was a fitting tribute to the victims of the 7th July bombing in London.

If I may be a little boastful, this is what Leicester does best, to recover from setbacks and mend the fractures of our common humanity. All those that were involved are to be congratulated on making this event a potent symbol of our unity and determination to defeat evil. I must recognise the commitment of the Leicester Mercury in following these events, and without their coverage our determination would be blunt.

There is however a lot to do. My caveat is that we need to address some of the difficulties ahead and realistically develop our own "road map" to counter extremist ideas that target some of our youths. We must navigate, with care and empathy in order to achieve our objectives, as I believe that there is a real risk that we could alienate some sections of our community.

We must validate and recognise the excellent work that has been done by our mosques and existing organisations. Our faith leaders from all faith groups have a vital role to play in creating positive social development and countering theological rhetoric that can divide us and disturb our cohesion.

I sense disillusion between young people and their organisations about conventional leadership roles and the purpose of Mosques and their lack of providing a platform for the many stakeholders also making broad assertions about the role of women in Islam. This issue I know is often fraught with difficulty but we must not choose the path of least resistance.  We must showcase the positive work of Muslim women in wider society and heir valuable role within the family nucleus all of which must be recognised.

As Muslims we have an absolute duty in our faith to uphold our core human values and represent our faith to the world in a faithful manner, without dogma and rhetoric. We must be true to ourselves and with all others and we must not allow anyone to hijack the teachings of our great faith. I believe that Muslims have and continue to denounce any such attacks to our freedom and the value of life itself.

Whilst I hope that we can grow in our understanding and of respect of other people's views; and that we have a firm resolve and strong determination to change things for the better. I make a personal request that everyone work with us in promoting a deeper understanding between communities.

Extremists have no place in our community and country.