Nelson peace delegation is Wembley bound for anti-terrorism conference

Wembley Arena is expected to be filled with 12,000 people for the conference, which has been organised by Minhaj-ul-Quran, an international organisation representing a moderate vision of Islam, working for peace and integration.

It works in more than 90 countries around the world and has an office in Cross Street, Nelson, from where spokesman Adnan Sohail said: “There will be Muslims and non-Muslims going down from Nelson in coaches and we will be aiming to get the message across that there should be no terrorism, as terrorism has no religion.

“We want to show cross-faith solidarity and commitment to peace, harmony and cohesion.”

Former Pendle councillor and North-West Conservative MEP Sajjad Karim will be among the speakers and those attending will also hear video messages of support from Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Communities Minister Eric Pickles, Labour Party leader Ed Miliband and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

The conference will call on people to reject terrorism and extremism in the wake of the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon.