MANCHESTER – Thousands of Muslims flocked to northern Manchester city Saturday, October 28, to attend the annual Muslim Lifestyle Expo 2017, an event organized to project a positive image of the country’s Muslim population.

Rauf Mirza, one of the organizers of Muslim Lifestyle Expo (MLE), told Anadolu Agency the event aims to “project British Muslim community a positive light.”

Mirza added that the MLE organizers “have tried for three years to project a more positive image about British Muslims by all moderate lifestyle aspects people enjoy,” Anadolu Agency reported on Sunday, October 29.

“We have businesses participating from all across the UK.”

The event, held on October 28-29, is deemed the UK’s largest showcase of Muslim lifestyle.

Planned at Event City, the event includes modest fashion shows, live comedy, food demos by top chefs, and so much more for the whole family.

The event attracted non-Muslim visitors who were introduced to the rich Islamic culture.

In the event, the Greater Manchester Police, Royal Air Force and Home Office opened their stands for recruitment; they also explained their project to community members.

At the event, artist Ranaaz Shahid spoke about how she was inspired by Islam itself while creating beautiful calligraphy portraits.

“I used Islamic geometry patterns. I see a lot of non-Muslims in my trips. There are people who want to learn about our culture, our religion and where all these Islamic geometry started from,” Shadid said.

Police officer A. Sardar explained the purpose of a stand by Greater Manchester Police force at the event.

Sardar told Anadolu Agency there is “massive emphasis on police forces to become more diverse”.

“We have 120 Muslim officers within the Greater Manchester Police force,” he said, adding that they want to see the numbers go up.

The UK’s first Muslim lifestyle event was first launched in 2015.

The Muslim Lifestyle Expo was held amid aims to break social barriers and stereotypes, providing a neutral and friendly environment which attracted visitors from outside of the vast Muslim community, welcoming interest in Islamic culture and the modest fashion industry.

There are about 3 million Muslims living in the UK and this number is expected to reach 5.5 million by 2030.