The Islamic Foundation - Official Newsletter 44

t h e i s l a m i c f o u n d a t i o n n e w s l e t t e r

november 2014 newsletter 1

International Day of ToleranceOman Exhibition

november 2014 / muharram 1436 ah • number 44

the mayor of hinckley and Bos-worth Borough council, councillor Jeffrey Bannister, opened a unique exhibition at the islamic foundation in markfield on tuesday 4th november. entitled Tolerance, Understanding, Coexistence: Oman’s Message of Islam, the exhibition was held in recognition of the un international day of tolerance and showcased the diverse range of reli-gious beliefs held in the muslim-majority oman.

abdur rashid siddiqui, secretery of the Board of trustees, welcomed guests and commended the govern-ment of oman for their initiative in promoting tolerance.

farooq murad, director of the islamic foundation said that the theme of tolerance and understand-ing fits in perfectly with the work of the islamic foundation over the last 40 years. Batool al-toma of the new

muslims Project highlighted human-ity’s need to create a community and how the very essence of this commu-nity can be seen in oman through the freedom of spiritual expression.

the mayor commented that it is “an asset not just to the Borough of hinckley and Bosworth, not just to england or the united Kingdom, but it is a fantastic asset for the rest of the world”.

dr abdullah al-mamari from the ministry of religious affairs in oman

thanked the islamic foundation for hosting the exhibition and said in his address: “there is nothing better than to spread messages of peace and goodwill to all people. it is our strong belief that peace and stability only can be realised today in any society through dialogue and understanding”.

the exhibition was hosted until saturday 8th november and received very positive responses. it is hoped that there will be further such events in the future.

Imam of Masjid Quba visits the Foundationsheikh mahmud Khalil al-Qari, imam of masjid Quba, madinah al-munawwarah, visited the islamic foundation and markfi eld institute of higher education on 7th october 2014. he was welcomed by the chairman, dr manazir ahsan, farooq murad and the staff. his recita-tion of some of the verses from the Quran was inspirational. he com-mended the education, research & dawah work of the foundation and

highly praised the extensive collection in the library.


2 newsletter november 2014

Markfield Institute of Higher EducationGRADUATION CEREMONY

mihe’s graduation ceremony for the academic year 2013/14, was held on 4th november 2014 at the markfield conference centre. this year there were a total of thirty-eight masters Graduates: with eleven awarded distinctions and five awarded merits. mihe’s first batch of undergraduate students were awarded Ba honours degrees: with two receiving first class honours. in addition, eight chaplaincy students gained the award of certificate in muslim chaplaincy: five of whom received distinctions.

short speeches were delivered by dr manazir ahsan, rector of mihe and dr Zahid Parvez, Principal of mihe. dr manazir ahsan highlighted that mihe now has a new academic partner, newman university, Birmingham, which validated its undergraduate and post graduate programmes in march 2014. this change was necessitated by the expiry of our current validating partnership with the university of Gloucestershire. he also informed the gathering of students and parents that after a long wait our application for student finance was approved by the higher education funding council for england (hefce) in august this year. this implies that our students on the Ba islamic studies programme will be able to apply for a student loan to pay their tuition fees and for maintenance grants to help them through their studies.

mihe was delighted to welcome Professor stephen hill, the dean of corporate learning at the university

of Gloucestershire, who conferred the awards on the graduates and addressed the audience with an engaging speech. this was followed by an interesting short speech by dr Zavid chariwala, the student representative who was also the highest achieving student at mihe. the Guest of honour, Professor mohamed al Gomati, from the university of York and also chair of the foundation for science technology and civilisation, provided an interesting speech focusing on the interaction of science and civilisation. the ceremony was concluded by dr ian williams with the vote of thanks.

the graduation ceremony signalled the end of another academic cycle in the on-going development of mihe; being the final graduation ceremony where students were awarded degrees by the university of Gloucestershire. from next year, the majority of students will be graduating with degrees from mihe’s new validating institution, newman university, Birmingham.

at the annual Board of trustees meeting on 20th June, Professor Khurshid announced his retirement as chairman of the islamic foun-

dation. Professor Khurshid was the founding chairman who guided the institution since its inception in 1973 with the vision of creating an excellent centre for research, education, training, publications and interfaith relations. the board expressed their appreciation for his out-standing service and guidance to the institution and prayed that allah

swt accepts and blesses him with good health. they also thanked him for continuing his association with the foundation as a board member. the Board appointed dr manazir ahsan mBe as the new chairman

and mr farooq murad as director General.

Appointment of New Chairman and Director General

t h e i s l a m i c f o u n d a t i o n n e w s l e t t e r t h e i s l a m i c f o u n d a t i o n n e w s l e t t e r


New Muslims ProjectSpirituality – The Plight of the Convert Muslimin its efforts to contribute towards and broaden the muslim communities understanding of the phenomena of conversion and the needs of this specific group, the new muslims Project held a round table discussion in london in may 2014, in association with the muslim college. the exercise, which explored different expressions of spirituality from the point of view of the convert participants, culminated in a report which is in the process of publication and will be available widely in december this year. the subject matter of the round table discussion has of late, become a serious concern to those who support newcomers to the faith, as they observe more closely the struggle to find the ways and means that would lead towards a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God and a sense of fulfilment to the converts’ challenging and often perilous journey to islam. the lack of secure and safe spaces, as well as a more all-encompassing appreciation and understanding of the concept of community was highlighted as the most urgent needs for converts to islam as well as a more culturally sensitive respect and approach to their particular needs to be incorporated into their service provision. the discussion was welcomed by the participants and it was suggested that more such opportunities should be made available in the future to discuss issues that pertain to converts and the conversion process.

Living Islam Festival

the new muslims Project attended the living islam festival held at the lincolnshire showground immediately after ramadan this year. as well as having a stand in the bazar, theypresented two panel discussions, conversion to islam: integration or isolation and conversion to islam: spiritual sanctuary or radicalism and racism. the titles were decidedly challenging as a means of drawing out some of the very pertinent issues, experiences and concerns expressed by converts and to inform the wider muslim communities in attendance. we were fortunate to have

imams abdul latif finch and shuhaib webb from the usa together with dr. muhammed siddique seddon, sr’s erica timoney, imelda ryan and Julie siddiqui all from the uK as panellists and whose accumulated experiences and personal knowledge of conversion was most enlightening. Both panel discussions were facilitated and chaired by Batool al-toma, director of the new muslims Project at markfield.

Ramadan Retreat

the ramadan retreat attracted even more participants as those who were of the adventurous kind were invited to consider camping, glamping and caravaning when the ‘full to bursting point’ accommodation failed to contain all who expressed an interest in attending. thankfully the weather was beautiful and made the occasion an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Arabic Coursesa new phase of the residential arabic courses held by nmP began on 17th november. delivered by sheikh tijani Gohbiche, the following courses will be held in 2015:

Intermediate Arabic: Level 1 – 12-16 January 2015

Intermediate Arabic: Level 2 – 9-13 March 2015

Advanced Arabic: 11-15 May 2015

Beginners Arabic again on 14-18 September 2015

Qatar University Graduation Ceremonythe nmP visited Qatar for the graduation of the nmP students on the completion of their arabic for non native speakers academic year’s scholarship in June this year. the office is in the process of assessing the applications received for the two scholarships awarded to the nmP for the academic years 2015/2016. this is a unique and valued opportunity and one for which the nmP sincerely thank the university of Qatar on behalf of all those new to islam who have, over the past 10 years, benefitted so hugely from the generosity of this award.



Kube Publishing

NEW TITLES

Reclaiming Jihad: A Qur’anic Critique of Terrorismelsayed m. a. amin

in this important and timely work elsayed amin critiques misreadings of the Qur’an that have been used to justify terrorism. he distinguishes both islamic jihad and

armed deterrence from modern terrorism through examination of the 9/11 attacks, and proposes legal proscriptions for terrorism from the Qur’an on the basis of its political, social and psychological impacts.

Seven Steps to Spiritual Intelligence musharraf hussain

how do we develop a spiritual life? how do we change ourselves so that we can live by the universal spiritual values of islam? 7 Steps to Spiritual Intelligence tells us how to come

closer to God in seven steps: through genuine seeking of God, discipleship of a spiritual director, learning and understanding spiritual intelligence, simplicity and contentment, striving to practise, remembering God and praying to him, and self-inspection and self-control.

Based on the teachings of classical scholars including imam Ghazali and upon years of practical experience in teaching young muslims, dr musharraf hussain has given us a contemporary and highly accessible way to understand and apply islamic teachings to spirituality.

A Treasury of Hadith:A Commentary on Nawawi’s

Selection of Forty Prophetic

Traditionsibn daqiq al-‘id, translated by

mokrane Guezzou

this classical short commentary on imam nawawi’s famous collection of forty-two traditions of the Prophet muhammad, may allah bless him and give him peace, is an

authoritative introduction to key islamic principles and teachings. in this collection imam nawawi, accounted as a hadith master, collated together those traditions that he considered were fundamental to the entire islamic faith.

the commentary given by the great hadith master shaykh al-islam ibn daqiq al-‘id is simple but erudite. includes a ribbon bookmark and decorative end-papers.

Worship in Islam – An In-Depth Study of ‘Ibadah, Salah and Sawmsayyid abul a‘la mawduditranslator and editor: ahmad imam shafaq hashemi

Worship in Islam is in-depth study of the nature and significance of islamic spirituality by one of the leading muslim intellectuals

of the twentieth century. Presenting a holistic view of the islamic system, sayyid mawdudi highlights islam’s social, economic and political dimensions, which he argues has the capacity to resolve emergent issues and problems that humankind faces.

Reclaiming Jihad: A Qur’anic Critique of Terrorismelsayed m. a. amin

in this important and timely work elsayed amin critiques misreadings of the Qur’an that have been used to justify terrorism. he distinguishes both islamic jihad and

armed deterrence from modern terrorism through

Seven Steps to Spiritual Intelligence musharraf hussain

how do we develop a spiritual life? how do we change ourselves so that we can live by the universal spiritual values of islam? Intelligence

A Treasury of Hadith:A Commentary on Nawawi’s Selection of Forty Prophetic

ibn daqiq al-‘id, translated by

mokrane Guezzou

this classical short commentary on imam nawawi’s famous collection of forty-two traditions of the Prophet muhammad, may allah bless him and give him peace, is an

YZ

Worship in IslamDepth Study of ‘Ibadah, Salah and Sawmsayyid abul a‘la mawduditranslator and editor: ahmad imam shafaq hashemi

study of the nature and significance of islamic spirituality by one of the leading muslim intellectuals



A Whisper of Peacedawud wharnsby, illustrated

by shireen adams

a collection of poems by dawud wharnsby about peace, nature, islam, God, animals loving the Qur’an and more. from the author of Colours of Islam and A Picnic of Poems this delightful collection is perfect to sing

along to. it covers important themes in islam – its message of peace, love of the Prophet muhammad, God’s nearness and caring for and marvelling at the wonders of the world.

She Wore Red Trainersna’ima B. robert

when ali fi rst meets amirah, he notices everything about her - her hijab, her long eyelashes and her red trainers - in the time it takes to have one look, before lowering his gaze. and, although ali is still coming to terms with the loss of his mother and exploring his iden-

tity as a muslim, and although amirah has sworn never to get married, they can’t stop thinking about each other. can ali and amirah ever have a halal ‘happily ever after’?

She Wore Red Trainersna’ima B. robert

when ali fi rst meets amirah, he notices everything about her - her hijab, her long eyelashes and her red trainers - in the time it takes to have one look, before lowering his gaze. and, although ali is still coming to terms with the loss of his mother and exploring his iden-

tity as a muslim, and although amirah has sworn never to

A Whisper of Peacedawud wharnsby, illustrated

by shireen adams

a collection of poems by dawud wharnsby about peace, nature, islam, God, animals loving the Qur’an and more. from the author of Picnic of Poems collection is perfect to sing

New Commissioning Editor, Trade and Academic Books

dr mohammad siddque seddon has joined the Kube

team as commissioning editor. dr seddon brings with

him a wealth of experience and expertise and will take

over from Yahya Birt. it is with great sadness that we bid

farewell to Yahya, who has been Kube’s commissioning

editor for the past six and a half years. under Yahya’s

editorship Kube has brought out some wonderful

books and established its identity in the muslim

publishing industry. Yahya will still be a part of Kube’s

editorial board.

Kube in the CommunityKube organised workshops for the scouts at the isB

living islam festival in august encouraging children to

use their muslim perspectives creatively and arranged

for a number of our authors to take part in a range of

lectures and panel discussions. on sunday 10th august

Kube hosted two creative writing workshops and a

nasheed concert at the islamic foundation. one happy

attendee left the following message on our facebook

page: “amazing day with dawud wharnsby yesterday

in markfield. fantastic opportunity to write and record

music. thank you Kube publishing for organising this.”

following sustained study and training under the guidance of a midlands family mediation ser-vice, Batool al-toma has com-pleted her mediation qualification and has been awarded a certifi-cate of recognition for aim – all issues mediation, which includes children, Property and finances under the British national family mediation council. it is hoped that the skills acquired will be helpful towards assisting families in crises towards finding positive solutions to their concerns, thus safeguarding the long term care and well-being of all within.

Family Mediation



The Library

last summer the foundation

suffered a great loss when two

of its long serving trustees

passed away within couple of

weeks. Br. chaudhry abdul

majid was one of the founding

trustees and thus served the

foundation for over 40 years.

he was born in sailkot, Pakistan

and served in the air force

there before coming to the uK

in early 1960s. he started a grocery business in slough and

later moved to leicester in 1969 and set up a textile factory.

his business acumen guided the foundation in moving

to 223 london road and later to much larger premises at

markfield. he served as the foundation’s treasurer for many

years and was also one of directors of markfield institute

of higher education. Br. abdul majid was also involved in

community work in leicester and was elected President of

the newly established mosque in sutherland street. he died

after a short illness on 29th June/ 1st of ramadan.

Obituaries ...

syed faiyazuddin ahmad

joined the islamic foundation

as public relations officer in

1984. he played a pioneering

role in introducing the

activities of the foundation at

home and abroad as well as in

the interfaith groups. he had

to take premature retirement

due to ill-health but he

remained associated with the

work of the foundation as a trustee until his death. he was

actively engaged in the activities of the uKim in leicester

and produced a newsletter Minaret for about 8 years. Br.

faiyaz was keenly interested in interfaith dialogue and was

one the founders of leicester council of faiths and was

its president for many years. in recognition of his selfless

efforts he was made a life-member of the council. he was a

regular contributer to the muslim world Book review. his

friends and admirers included people of all faiths. Br. faiyaz

died after a long illness on 15th July/17th ramadan.

Chaudhary Abdul Majid & Syed Faiyazuddin Ahmad

we pray that may allah swt in his infinite mercy accept the good deeds of both our dear brothers and forgive their shortcomings and elevate them to the highest ranks in Jannah in the company of the virtuous people. (amin)

Popularity and significant use of Urdu resources with the passing of time, popularity and demand for research oriented books in the urdu language has increased tremendously. Previously, use of the urdu collection was somehow limited to speakers of urdu, mainly from the subcontinent. however, things have changed and researchers from europe and other parts of the world, though not being native speakers of urdu, are using resources written in the urdu language for

their research. dr eniko sunaga, a researcher from Japan is one of them. she was involved in conducting her Post-doctoral research at mihe recently and reviewed mawdudi’s tafhim al-Quran. she was a great user of the library’s urdu collection and was extremely amazed and impressed by the vast collection

of urdu books and journals. taking into consideration current and future needs of all library users, the library makes great effort to arrange the resources required by its researchers. upon the recommendation of dr

Dr Eniko Sunaga

ataullah siddiqui and Professor dr a.r. Kidwai, the library has recently procured in a number of newly pub-lished books in the urdu language. a large number of these books are published by the islamic fiqh academy (ifa), new delhi, india. the subjects and topics relate to various disciplines of islam. most of these books pub-lished in india are written by well-known scholars and researchers, others are translations from arabic into urdu. it is hoped that the addition of new urdu books will attract the attention of its readership.

Donation of multilingual booksthe library has recently received a donation of approxi-mately a hundred and fifty extremely valuable multilingual books from dr david waines who is a retired professor of islamic studies from the university of lancaster. the donation includes arabic, english & spanish books. dr siddique seddon from Kube Publishing has very kindly arranged for this generous donation. the library also received a donation of a few arabic english books from dr muhammad isa waley. other donations include some books in the hindi, Bengali and Kurdish language. the library is very grateful for all these generous donations.



Successful Youth Leadership Training Programme

Between the 2nd and 5th may 2014, the islamic foundation

held a Youth leadership training Programme with the aim

of equipping young muslim sisters and brothers with islamic

knowledge so as to develop their skills and understanding of the

Quran and hadith as well as communication proficiency. the

intensive course was specifically designed and conducted by

abdur rashid siddiqui to meet these goals. this was achieved

through guided study sessions, lectures, workshops, group

discussions and informal sessions led by scholars like Professor

Khurshid ahmad, dr manazir ahsan, dr ataullah siddiqui,

dr riza mohammad, mawlana rashid naumani and farooq

murad.

the feedback received has been very positive and all

participants have praised the programme and indicated their

eagerness to attend such programmes in the future.

“the 2011 census is a gold mine of information

to help muslim communities plan for the future”

according to dr Jamil sherif, who delivered a

public seminar on this theme at mihe on 9 april

2014. the audience included community organis-

ers from the east and west midlands and mihe’s

faculty and students. dr sherif outlined the age,

socio-economic, and health profiles of muslims

in leicester and neighbouring towns and linked

this to the services that would be expected from

mosques and community institutions in the next

10 to 15 years.

he indicated that the muslim population in

leicester was about 62,000, forming 19% of the

total population, with the east midlands home to

around 141,000 muslims.

dr sherif suggested the youth profile and diversity

ought to be reflected in the decision-making com-

mittees of mosques and community bodies. he

also noted that while the muslim elderly popula-

tion was low today, it will increase to about half

a million by the 2030s. Planning must begin for

this now by initiating appropriate capital invest-

ments for an elderly care infrastructure, including

nursing homes. in the lively question and answer

session that followed, participants noted the need

to increase awareness of census data amongst

mosque imams, in particular the social realities.

Muslims in Leicester and the East Midlands

Eid Prayers held at the Islamic Foundation

the islamic foundation

organised eid Prayers for the community for both eid

ul-fitr and eid ul-adha. the prayer was led by the director,

farooq murad. he highlighted how the festivals were rooted

in the revealed knowledge, the fi rst being a thanksgiving

festival for receiving the guidance and completing the month of

fasting. fasting itself prescribed to nurture the qualities we need to benefi t from

the guidance. the second eid celebrates the completing of the revelation and

symbolically ties it with the sacrifi ce of Prophet ibrahim as the model of

loyalty. those attending were served refreshments by the markfi eld conference centre. families much appreciated the occasion and suggested that eid prayers should be an established event with more activities.

festival for receiving the guidance and completing the month of fasting. fasting itself prescribed to nurture the qualities we need to benefi t from

the guidance. the second eid celebrates

Paradise on fire, by abdul hakeem, Kube's recent publica-tion based on the life of syed ali Geelani and his struggle for freedom in Kashmir was launched on 23rd august in Birmingham. the gathering was addressed by Prof.

Khurshid ahmad, lord nazir ahmed, lord Qurban hussain, amongst others. they high-lighted the relevance of this book to under-standing the plight of muslims in Kashmir. the participants included a cross section of commu-nity representatives including councilors.

Paradise on fire, by abdul hakeem, Kube's recent publica-tion based on the life of syed ali Geelani and his struggle for freedom in Kashmir was launched on 23rd august in Birmingham. the gathering was addressed by Prof.

Khurshid ahmad, lord nazir ahmed, lord

Successful Book Launch



Staff ActivitiesDr Zahid Parvez• in July he visited oman and introduced

mihe to the Grand mufti, the ministry of awqaf, and the ministry of endowments and religious affairs.

• in august, he visited a number of uni-versities and institutions in Pakistan to promote mihe and develop partnerships with educational institutions. during his visit he gave a number of lectures.

• Visited oslo between 19-21st september where he met with leaders of the muslim community from across western europe. during his visit he gave a keynote speech on extremism and radicalisation.

Dr Abdullah Sahin

• Gave key note speech, entitled The Qur’anic Transformative Educational Vision, at the annual meeting of muslim teachers’ association. (april 2014)

• Gave a seminar at the annual National Prayer Breakfast at westminster on the ‘role of Islamic literacy in addressing challenges of religious extremism’ (may 2014).

• delivered a paper entitled ‘the role of imam training institutions in contex-tualising islamic religious authority in western europe: challenges and ways forward’ at the international conference on Imams in Western Europe organised by luiss Guido carli university & John cabot american university, rome, italy (november 2014)

Dr Ataullah Siddiqui

• in october, delivered a public lecture: ‘Muslims in midst of change: Challenges of modernity and secular culture’ at howell’s school cardiff organised by association of muslim Professionals, wales.

• Presented a paper ‘Muslim Perception of Asian Christianity’ at university of munster in Germany in september.

• delivered a lecture on ‘West and its suspicion of Islam’ at the fiqh academy, delhi india.

Revd Dr Ian G Williams• Presented a paper on ‘when your

research polymorphs ¾ through: a study of a religio-social movement in action’ university of Gloucestershire Postgradu-ate research conference, in may

• delivered a paper on “Gender and lead-er-ship in the hizmet movement of hojaeffendi fethullah Gulen: a critical examination of islamic feminism, ijti-had and women’s roles in a contempo-rary religio-social movement”. derby university in June

• delivered a paper on “leading dou-ble lives?” the role and place of faith schools in the english education system in creating social cohesion and spiri-tual capital in British pluralist society; an analysis of schools and curricula in the west midlands, uK. coventry uni-versity conference in november

Sheikh Faizal Ahmad Manjoo• delivered the key note speech at Inter-

national Conference of Global Islamic Studies 2014 (ICGIS 14) organised by university of salford in June

• Presented a paper ‘A Conceptual Analysis of Longevity Risk from the Conventional and Islamic Finance Perspectives’ at the Islamic Banking & Finance Conference 2014 organised by lancaster university, durham university and aston university in June

• organised a workshop for Presidents of mosques on the theme of ‘Improving the scope of masajid management’. there were representatives form 30 masjids from across uK in June.

Mr Farooq Murad• delivered a presentation on muslims in

Britain at a conference of the muslims of europe on ‘Unity in Diversity: Searching for the future together in Europe’ in Brus-sels in may, organised by the turkish min-ister of religion, mr mehmet Görmez.

• spoke at the annual dinner of curriculum for cohesion held at the royal over-seas league in June

• Joined a panel at the muslim world leadership forum held at Queen eliza-beth conference centre in september. he spoke about the challenges with sukook.

• Presented traning sessions at the Brit-ish islamic medical association (Bima) conference held at leicester. he present-ed an overview of the muslim commu-nity and conducted a session on leader-ship. the event was attended by almost 50 doctors.

w w w . i s l a m i c - f o u n d a t i o n . o r g . u k

The newsletter is published by the Islamic Foundation. For further copies or more information about its projects, publications and courses, contact:

THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION, markfield conference centre, ratby lane, markfield, leicestershire le67 9sy, uKTel (01530) 244944/5 Fax (01530) 244946 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

the foundation and mihe have had the privilege of welcoming a number of prominent national and international visitors during the last few months:

Afzal Khan MEP the newly elected meP from the north west, former lord mayor of man-chester visited the foundation to meet

the trustees and staff on 31st July. he expressed the need to conduct further research into the issues of european policies on the muslim communities and organising events to share the experiences of muslim communities across europe.

Prof. Dr. Hazizan Md Noonthe director of centre for islami-zation (centris) at the international islamic university of

malaysia visited the foundation on november 13th to discuss the possibil-ity of collaboration with mihe. he met with dr manazir ahsan, farooq murad, and dr Zahid Parvez.

Visitors

facebook.com/islamicfoundationmarkfi eld

Documents

The Islamic Foundation - Official Newsletter 44