Over 800 people celebrated the ninth Annual The Muslim News Awards for Excellence - Britain's longest standing Muslim awards event - Monday at London’s Grosvenor House. The coveted award ceremony recognised the very best of Muslim contribution to British society. The special Judges award went to Birmingham-based graffiti artist Mohammed Ali. The other 16 winners are listed below.The Guest of Honour, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, said, “In a short space of time the Awards have established themselves as a significant event for the Muslim community.”
Special guests included Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears, Shadow Justice Secretary Dominic Grieve and Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg.
They were joined by civic and religious leaders, as well as representatives from the worlds of politics, business, sport and the arts, to honour unsung heroes and heroines of the community.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown described The Muslim News Awards for Excellence as “a well-established event in our national calendar”. Now in its ninth year, the ceremony has distinguished itself for pioneering an initiative that finds the very best in British Muslims.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said, “The Muslim News Awards are an important opportunity for us all to recognize and show our appreciation for the valuable contribution that British Muslims make to our shared society.”
The editor of The Muslim News, and the main sponsor Ahmed J Versi said, “We began this event nine years ago because we believed that British Muslims have a lot to offer to British society. Nine years on, and the quality of nominations from our 150,000 readers show that British Muslims still have what it takes to be pioneering contributors to the common good.”

In a message, Opposition Leader, David Cameron said, “Over the years the Awards have firmly established themselves in the national calendar, and have helped us to celebrate the huge contribution which British Muslims make to each and every aspect of our society.”

Lib Dem Leader, Nick Clegg, who attended the event, said, “These prestigious awards not only provide an opportunity to acknowledge the excellence of the individual nominees in their respective fields, but they also encourage us to reflect upon the valuable social, cultural, and economic contribution made by the Muslim community in the UK.”