A FOUR-DAY event for hundreds of Muslims on the site of a North Yorkshire school has been cancelled at the 11th hour.

About 700 Muslims from all over the country had been expected to attend ‘Islamia Village’ over the Bank Holiday weekend at the Thorpe Underwood Estate, home of Queen Ethelburga’s College, between York and Boroughbridge.

But an estate spokesman said there had been problems in accommodating some of the key speakers and the Trustees had had no choice but to cancel the event, which would have provided a holiday retreat.

The Islamic Network, which was organising the event, was unavailable for comment.

The Press reported earlier this month how the organisation had been promising “four days living with world-renowned speakers at first-class facilities undisturbed by the hustle and bustle of daily life.”

But several of the speakers were understood to have attracted controversy over the years over comments they were reported to have made about matters such as Islam and Western values.