The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr George Carey, issued a statement following a private meeting with Muslim community leaders at the UK Turkish Islamic Cultural Centre, Shoreditch in London earlier today. Dr Carey was accompanied by the Bishop of Rochester, the Rt Revd Michael Nazir-Ali and the Bishop of Stepney, the Rt Revd John Sentamu.

Dr Carey said:

"I was grateful for the invitation to visit this magnificent mosque and cultural centre and to meet with a broad range of Muslim community leaders.

"Dialogue between those of different faiths has always been important; it is something to which I remain deeply committed and my visit here reflects that reality.

"The opportunity to listen to the views of those from within the Islamic tradition has been a most valuable one. Especially at this time, when faith itself is under scrutiny, it is good for faith leaders to hear from one another.

"There is much that we already share. We must seek to build upon it both through dialogue like this, and at grassroots level in our local communities and our daily lives.

"These are challenging times for us all. We can meet them both by cherishing and celebrating our legitimate diversity, and by developing and strengthening the values and goals we hold in common."