HARROW Council has become the first London borough to fully fund the teaching of Islam in primary schools.

Resource packs, which will be used in schools across the borough, were presented to primary school headteachers, the leader of Harrow Council Councillor Navin Shah, chief executive Joyce Markham, Harrow's director of learning Javed Khan and representatives from the Muslim community including Sir Iqbal Sacranie, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), at Harrow Central Mosque in Station Road, Wealdstone on June 24.

The packs were produced by the MCB, in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills, to provide children with a better understanding of Islam.

The religion is already part of the school curriculum, along with all other world religions.

The resources, which include books, artefacts, CDs, videos and teaching aids, were tested in schools across the country.

They cover basic Muslim beliefs and practices through interactive class projects.

Resources for secondary schools are also being developed and will be available to Harrow's schools.

Mr Sacranie said: "We believe education is the key to creating a vibrant and understanding society.

"These resources, developed by our team of educationalists, aim to support the teaching of Islam in schools by making available creative, engaging and child-friendly resources on Islam and Muslims.

"We want to ensure that every school child in Britain has access to high quality Islamic resources through their schools."

Councillor Bill Stephenson, Harrow Cabinet Member for Education said: "Harrow is very proud of its rich breadth of cultures and we are keen to use every opportunity to promote a genuine understanding of diversity across the borough.

"The new resources will help school staff further develop their approach to high quality teaching of Islam- a religion that is far too often misunderstood."