The first Oxford Muslim councillor and ‘pillar of the community’, Sabir-Hussain Mirza died after testing positive with the coronavirus.

Mr Mirza was 75 years old and passed away on Thursday April 23 at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford and was buried the next day.

His brother Mirza Gulzar also passed away from the coronavirus just two days prior.

Tributes to the Muslim community figure were posted online and sent in letters to the family.

Mr Mirza was described by the Oxford Labour Party as a committed trade unionist and was a passionate advocate on behalf of Oxford’s diverse communities.

Manzil Way Mosque described him as a "pillar of the community and one of the first local ethnic trade union leaders.”

Labour MP Anneliese Dodds tweeting on Saturday, said: “Sabir was a dedicated Councillor and community activist, and a kind and warm person. He will be greatly missed.”

Mr Manzil has ten children and a wife, Kousar Parveen Hussain. His son, Shahbaz Hussain said: “My siblings and I (10 of us ranging in age from teenagers to twenties) could not have asked for a better father and my mother says she couldn’t have asked for a more kind, caring, and loving husband.

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"He was an instrumental member of the Oxford community, a selfless and great man.

“He was more than a father to me, he was my best friend, a great man, and a great teacher.”

Mr Mirza arrived in the UK aged just 13 years old from Kashmir in 1957 in hope of finding a better life for his family.

He began life in the UK as trade unionist and later worked for the NHS an operations service manager and head of security for the John Radcliffe and Churchill sites for 36 years.

He was the first Muslim city councillor for Oxford and played an important role in transitioning from Bath Street Mosque to Manzil Way. He was elected the Chairman of the Manzil Way Mosque and often preached interfaith harmony.

After 9/11 he co-founded the Anglo Asian Association and promoted interfaith harmony and organised moving faith walks with Rabbis, Priests and Imams.

Mr Manzil played an instrumental part in founding the Cowley Road Carnival, which has now been running for more than a decade.