Suffolk MP Dr Dan Poulter met members of Ipswich’s Muslim community at the town’s mosque to discuss national and international issues.
Dr Poulter, MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, visited the mosque after Friday Prayers before returning to the House of Commons for Saturday's historic Brexit sitting.
More than 400 worshippers from across Ipswich and Central and Eastern Suffolk had gathered for the prayers, after which Dr Poulter met with Muslim community leaders - many of whom live in North Ipswich - to talk about Brexit, concerns about escalating tension in Kashmir, and local issues as well as to share the strong sense of community shared by those within Suffolk's growing Muslim community.
Visiting the Mosque near the town centre, Dr Poulter said: "I was delighted to have been invited to visit the mosque by Abdul Motlib and to meet so many representatives from across the Muslim community in Suffolk. It's clear to me that there is a great sense of community spirit and friendship within the community.
"Many of the community leaders are local business people and the uncertainty created by Brexit being unresolved is not good for business.
"So we talked about the need to get Brexit done, healing rifts across our communities and also about the importance of getting back to the day to day business which affects each and every one of us - tackling crime and investing in our health and education services.
"Many of our local Muslim community also have friends and relatives who live in Kashmir and, like me, are concerned about the escalating violence in the region since the Indian government imposed direct rule from Delhi.
"This is clearly a complex issue but now I am better informed of the feelings of our local Muslim community, I shall be better placed to raise these issues in Parliament and to ask the government to be more proactive in helping to bring calm to the situation in Kashmir."
The Ipswich Mosque hosts up to 700 of the Muslim community for worship each and every Friday and will shorty be hosting an open day for everyone in Suffolk who wants to learn more about Islam and the local Muslim community.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here