My friend and mentor Ayatollah Sayyid al-Milani, who has died aged 80, belonged to that rare breed, a traditionally trained Muslim cleric who was also a trailblazer in the advancement of inter-religious understanding.
Milani’s open-mindedness, forward thinking and widely recognised status as the spiritual leader of the UK’s 100,000-plus Shia community allowed him to provide guidance to British Muslims in difficult times, notably after 9/11, at the beginning of the invasion of Iraq and during the rise of Islamic State.
