British Muslims must follow law of the land: Sir Ghulam Noon

London, Dec 12 (PTI) Muslims settling down in the UK must
not demand parallel Sharia law in the country and follow the
law of the land instead, leading Non Resident Indian (NRI)
entrepreneur 'Curry King' Sir Ghulam Noon has said.

"Those who are complaining about Sharia law, should
follow the rules of the land. If you want Sharia law then go
to the country where it is prevailing. This is my message,"
Noon said at the launch of his autobiography, 'NOON, With a
View'.

The 72-year-old Sir Noon, who narrowly survived the
recent terrorists' attack in Mumbai, said the UN should deal
with the scourge of terrorism and cautioned that unless
something drastic was done, the country which is harbouring
terrorists would have to pay a heavy price.

He also said that religion does not sanction violence and
terrorists have no religion.

"Quran says if you kill one human being, you are killing
humanity and if you save one, you are saving the humanity,"
said Sir Noon.

Narrating his brush with death when terrorists struck the
Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai on November 26, Sir Noon said he,
his brother and two others were to dine at the Hotel's
restaurant which came under attack but they decided at the
last moment to have their dinner in their room.

He said this was the fourth time he had narrowly escaped
death. He had earlier escaped a road accident as a 22 year old
in India before surviving an aircrash in Baghdad in 1972.

Subsequently, he also survived a bomb blast in a taxi
near the same Taj Hotel in Mumbai.

Lord David Sainsbury formally launched the 195-page book
in the presence of a distinguished gathering, which included
leading NRI Labour MP Keith Vaz, President of the Hinduja
Group G P Hinduja, Lord Bhiku Parikh and over a dozen MPs.

"This is the exciting story of a born entrepreneur who
started with a single small sweet shop in Mumbai and became
the head of a highly successful food empire," Lord Sainsbury
said.

Known universally as 'Noon', Sir Ghulam was born in
Mumbai and assumed control of the family business at an early
age and spent a lifetime in the food business.

Moving to the UK he launched a range of authentic ethnic
meals through 'Noon Products' and built a hugely successful
business.

In 1996 he was awarded an MBE in recognition of his work
as an employer and his charitable activities. He was Knighted
in 2002, and in addition to remaining active in business he
sits on boards of several government and charity organisations
including the Advisory Board for naturalisation and
Integration.

Sir Ghulam is married to Mohini Kent, author, journalist
and film-maker, and has two daughters.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in a message, described Sir
Gulam as "A great contributor to our country" while former
Prime Minister Tony Blair described him as "a great friend."

In his autobiography, Sir Ghulam refers to the
controversy over the 'cash for honours' candidly and also
considers his relations with Tony Blair and other senior
members of the Labour party.

Sir Ghulam also reflects upon the tough questions facing
Britain such as education, immigration, terrorism, and the
role of the government and private citizens. PTI