Islamic religious leaders have been criticised for failing to attend a ground-breaking seminar on the issue of forced marriages.

About 200 Muslims gathered in the Carlisle Business Centre, Manning-ham, Bradford, for the meeting organised by local pressure group Our Voice.

The delegates heard from Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, who is leading the Government's working party on the issue.

But the deputy leader of Bradford Council, Councillor Mohammed Ajeeb, said it was vital for the communities to face up to the reality that forced marriages happened and to find solutions through education and support for parents and their children.

He said: "I am disappointed to not see any imams in the audience. Imams are people who have a captive audience every Friday and they have to educate parents on what Islam says on forced marriages. They are our religious leaders and their words can be more acceptable than mine or yours."

But the president for the Council for Mosques, Liaqat Hussain, said there had been no deliberate avoidance. Organisers had not given enough notice of the meeting.

Delegates were reminded that the Islamic faith demands consultation between young people and their parents in the choice of brides and grooms for a good arranged marriage.

Saireen Khanum, of Our Voice, spoke about the runaway brides of which about 300 are reported missing to the police in Bradford each year.

"The majority of these women love their families and their parents and are good Muslims who have respect for their faith. All they want is to be consulted about their partners. This, I believe, is a fair demand."

She said the Muslim community's lack of action on the issue was "an unforgivable negligence".

Lord Ahmed stressed it was a problem for all Britain's Asian communities and not just Muslims. He assured the audience the Government's efforts were not aimed at tightening immigration laws."

Home Office ministers would be holding meetings in Bradford in the coming weeks before reporting back to the Government by the end of this year.

One delegate, Humera Khan, urged people to use the opportunity and stop being defensive. "We may be very cynical but we must support what is good. Who cares who started the debate - let's be proactive."

Council for Mosques president Liaqat Hussain, denying that local imams had refused to attend the meeting, said: "I only found out about this meeting on the Saturday afternoon and I was already tied up with other commitments by then.

"It is up to the organisers of such meetings to ensure that people know about it in advance.

"Imams are very busy with many religious services to deliver. I'm sure that if you asked a priest to attend a Sunday morning meeting at a moment's notice, he would not do it."

He said: "As far as the issue of forced marriages is concerned, Islam absolutely does not condone forced marriages.

"Both parties, men and women, must agree to the marriage and if they are pressurised or under duress, the validity of that marriage must be questioned."

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