LONDON, March 23 (IslamOnline) - British Prime Minister Tony Blair was heckled as he spoke at a Muslim community awards function held Wednesday night at the Savoy hotel in London.
Blair was speaking at a Muslim News Awards dinner
"When are you going to stop killing our children in Iraq?" yelled a guest seated in the back, criticizing the British government's policy on Iraq. Blair however did not appeared distracted by the heckler and continued with his speech.
A Downing Street spokesman later said that the Prime Minister was not put off by the incident and had received "a very warm welcome" at the dinner.
In his speech, Blair even made a joke about the foot and mouth crisis, stating that he read a chapter (sura) in the Qur'an called Al An'am, or the Cattle.
Several Muslims were recognized at the dinner for their positive contributions to British society. Among those honored was Iqbal Sacraine, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain.
Michael Ancram, Tory Party chairman, Simon Hughes, Liberal Democrat MP, and Sir Richard Wilson, Cabinet Secretary presented awards to the honorees.
