The 8th International Conference on Proximity Amongst Islamic Schools of Thought hold in Birmingham

At a time of much tension, Britain's notable Sunni and Shia clerics have come together at a unity conference to discuss and dispel issues of sectarianism in Islam.

In recent years the way the mainstream media discusses Muslims has changed. The terms Sunni Islam and Shia Islam are now part of everyday rhetoric.



The conflicts in Syria and Iraq - and the roles of regional countries are now almost exclusively labeled in these terms. The tension - and violence - that this has caused cannot be denied. But community efforts for unity and dialogue do exist.



One such effort is the world forum for the proximity of Islamic schools of thought. The Iranian organisation has a long history of work to promote intra-faith respect and dialogue.



This year the organisations annual conference is held at a Sunni Mosque in Birmingham - where Shia and Sunni Muslims alike have come together to discuss effective ways to battle what they call a media calling for agitation and sedition. A clear - united message - from across the board.

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