september 2009 ramadan 1430 ah new report on...

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

september 2009 newsletter 1

New Report on Muslim Youth by the Policy Research Centre

september 2009 / ramadan 1430 ah • number 35

much is written about young British

muslims, but what are young muslims

themselves saying and thinking about the

lives they live?

Seen and Not Heard: Voices of Young

British Muslims, by sughra ahmed,

brings together the views – the thoughts,

aspirations, and frustrations – held

by young British muslims of over 15

different ethnicities, from across england,

scotland and wales. in the foreword to

the report, the rt rev tim stevens, Bishop

of leicester and chair of the children’s

society writes: ‘As this report suggests,

“much is written about young Muslims but

we rarely seem to actually hear their voices”.

This report goes a long way to rectifying this

issue so that young Muslim voices are heard

and valued…’

the report was released on 1st september

and attracted media coverage domestically

as well as abroad – as far as the us,

malaysia, india, Pakistan, the Gulf

countries and much more. the Policy

research centre’s website received over

3,000 hits on the week of the launch and

over 1,000 copies were either downloaded

or sent out to people in the first week.

a variety of websites and blog sites have

also covered the report making it a useful

talking point.

a number of positive comments

have already started to come in from

politicians, community leaders, youth

workers and young people themselves,

including the Young muslims advisory

Group (which works with the

communities and local Government

department) and the mosques and

imams national advisory Board

(minaB).

the report enables female and male

voices to express, in their own words,

their outlook and how they feel they are

perceived, scoping topical issues such as

intergenerational challenges, identity,

gender, religious teachings, mosques

and the media. the findings contained

within this research provide an insight

into some of the more pertinent

questions asked by policy makers,

statutory services and community

institutions concerning a new generation

positioned to make its impact on society.

25 recommendations are made in the

report addressing issues as diverse as

education, policing, media and the need

for more investment in youth work.

crucially, women formed over 45% of

the participants in the research process.

women are largely forgotten in most

research ventures on young muslims,

which typically dwell on inner-city

concentrations that have already begun to

suffer from “research fatigue”. it’s an easier

route but by accessing male voices from

a single spot to speak for young people

across Britain, research projects can

inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes (for

example, less than 5% of British muslims

live in Bradford). according to census

data, the average muslim is 28 years old

(which is 13 years below the national

average), roughly half are below the age of

25 and one third is 16 or younger.

Seen and Not Heard challenges both

British society and the muslim commu-

nity to do more to connect with young

people and their latent talents. it makes

a number of recommendations to poli-

cymakers, statutory services and muslim

communities, including: better and more

informed outreach programmes to con-

nect with young people; the need for

greater investment in young people to

develop their capacity and to create lead-

ers and role models; and the need for ini-

tiatives that help bridge inter-generation-

al gaps within the muslim community.

Printed copies of the report can be pur-

chased on our website or via amazon and

a pdf version can also be downloaded for

free from: www.policyresearch.org.uk.


2 newsletter september 2009

research methodology and a period at the end of their research to finalize their thesis and take the university’s examinations. the periods in the uK would be approximately 10 weeks duration and the remainder of their research would be carried out at home with the assistance of a local supervisor directed by the lead supervisor from mihe.

Markfield Institute of Higher Education

principle approved the introduction of a “split site Phd” commencing in september 2010, subject to the finalization of arrangements for the validation of centres with partner overseas universities and training on the university’s requirements for research supervisors. students accepted onto this programme would spend a period at the beginning of their research to take training on

with effect from august 2009 the markfield institute of higher education became an approved candidate for accreditation of the British accreditation council for independent further and higher education. the new uK Borders agency (uKBa) guidelines under the points based system, now requires institutions of higher education in the united Kingdom to register with such accreditation bodies to enable them to obtain the uKBa’s license. the license, it is hoped, will streamline the process of visa applications for overseas students in the future.

M.Ed in Islamic Education a new master’s degree in islamic education: new Perspectives, validated by the university of Gloucestershire, will commence in february 2010. this new, full time programme is designed to critically explore diverse interpretations of “islamic education” and examine in depth the historical, theological and philosophical aspects of classical muslim educational thought and its institutions.

“split site” Phdtraditionally mihe receives a large number of applications from academic staff employed in universities and staff employed in the financial, legal and government sectors who wish to carry out research related to a topic in their home country and gain a Phd degree from a uK university. the university of Gloucestershire has in



UNISSA students can now pursue studies in UK

B o a rd of Tr uste e s Annual Me e t i ngthe Board of trustees of the

islamic foundation held their 36th

annual meeting at the markfield

conference centre on 28 august

2009. the chairman of the Board,

Professor Khurshid ahmad and

the director General, dr manazir

ahsan, presented the annual report

for the period July 2008 to June

2009 and highlighted some of the

challenges facing the institution

in the future and the plans and

strategies to tackle them.

the meeting was attended by

trustees from the uK and abroad,

including dr abdullah omar naseef

from saudi arabia. amongst

the special invitees were Prof

Galadanchi and Prof ibrahim

umar, Vice chairmen of

islamic foundation nigeria,

who presented their annual

report for 2008.

one of the main resolutions

passed this year by the

Board of trustees, was the

constitution of the islamic foundation

advisory Board. the advisory Board

would seek to enlist the cooperation

and participation of a wider spectrum

of scholars and community leaders in

the promotion of the objectives and

activities of the islamic foundation

and will comprise prominent

individuals from wider society. it

is hoped that the advisory Board

will be formulated some time in the

coming year.

tuesdaY, aPril 28, 2009uniVersiti islam sultan sharif ali (unissa) and the markfield institute of higher education of united Kingdom have agreed to cooperate on exchange programmes for students and staff, as well as academic materials, with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (mou) yesterday.

signing on behalf of unissa was its rector, dr hj mohd Yusop hj damit while rector dr m. manazir ahsan represented markfield institute of higher education.

Present to witness the ceremony were Pg dato seri setia dr hj mohammad Pg hj abdul rahman, deputy minister of education, and the British high commissioner to Brunei, John saville.

in an interview with the Brunei times, hj tarip mat Yassin, registrar of unissa, said that students of unissa will have the opportunity to pursue postgraduate studies in islamic studies and islamic banking and finance at the markfield institute of higher education based in leicestershire in uK, under the mou.

according to the markfield institute of higher education website, the islamic Banking and finance programme aims to develop a critical and analytical approach to economics, banking and management founded by islamic perspectives and provide a greater awareness of islamic values and principles. this is done through appreciation of their application in management and financial institutions.

the islamic studies programme is designed to develop a critical and analytical approach to the study of islam and provide a greater insight into the sources and origins of islamic thoughts, particularly the al-Quran and al-sunnah , together with a knowledge and understanding of the life of Prophet muhammad (Peace be upon him) and its contemporary significance.

unissa said the mou will facilitate both institutions to promote cooperation in

the academic field for the advancement of knowledge and intellectual development.

in a statement issued by the university, unissa has been active in promoting itself internationally by establishing partnerships with higher educational institutions in malaysia and middle east to facilitate cooperation in the various fields of mutual interest.

The Brunei Times

unissa rector dr hj mohd Yusop with mihe rector dr manazir ahsan, deputy minister of education Pg dato seri setia dr hj

mohammad and British high commissioner John saville.



dr m. umer chapra, delivered a series of lectures under the theme: “the islamic Vision of development and its implications for islamic economics and finance” from 27 - 29 may 2009. dr. m. umer chapra who is a senior advisor at the islamic research & training institute part of the islamic development Bank Group in Jeddah, is regarded as one of the most prominent islamic economists in the world. he has made seminal contributions to islamic economics and finance over more than three decades in the form of books and monographs and more than seventy papers and book reviews. he dr chapra has received a number of awards, including the islamic development Bank award for islamic economics, and the King faisal international award for islamic studies.

each of the lectures was extremely well attended and included students and staff of the markfield institute of higher education together with invited guests. the lectures covered the following subjects:-

lecture 1 - “the islamic vision of development (Maqasid al Shari‘ah) and its implications for islamic economics and finance”: here dr chapra discussed how the islamic vision of development emanates from the fact that islam is a blessing for mankind and promotes the well-being of all. the islamic vision guides the development of islamic economics because it outlines the meaning and purpose of life and the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families, groups and organizations.

lecture 2 - “the nature and significance of islamic economics in the light of the Vision specified above”. : the purpose of islamic economics is to both provide a solution to problems using scientific methods and promote human well-being.

the pursuit of well-being demands fulfillment of the basic needs of all

people, satisfying both material needs and non material needs. a balance is needed between the material and the non-material needs. what is necessary is to inject a moral dimension into economics. we need to realize humanitarian goals.

lecture 3 - “the Global financial crisis: is it possible for islamic finance to help minimize the frequency and severity of such crises in the future and to help realize the islamic vision?”: the prevailing global financial crisis is the most severe in living memory. the cause could be excessive and imprudent lending. islamic economics provides risk sharing and says that a debt cannot be sold. this market discipline imposed by islam will put a check on excessive expansion of debt.

lecture 4 - “is the movement for integration of the world economy or Globalization in conformity with the islamic Vision? strengths and failures of the globalization movement and what needs to be done to enable it to realize its professed objectives”. integration of the world economy is necessary because it leads to greater efficiency, accelerated development, mutual dependence and promotes better understanding. there cannot, however, be integration without justice. fairness in human interactions is indispensable, everyone should benefit from integration. the new global economy does not give justice the place it deserves. Justice requires values and principles other than self interest or material benefits alone

lecture 5 - “the causes of muslim decline and the need for reform in the muslim world”. in the early centuries, islam did serve as a blessing for all mankind, it promoted moral as well as material uplift, ensured justice, good governance and removed barriers to trade. islam was far more advanced than europe or china.

the position now, however, is that muslims are 22% of the population of the world but produce only 8% of the real GnP of the world. there is bad governance, corruption, lack of justice, poverty and misery of the poor. muslim states are backward in several walks of life, moral, economic, political, social, educational, technological, and military. the world needs to promote moral as well as material development. without justice there can be no development.

it is, however, possible for muslims once again be a blessing to mankind but as the Qur’an says: “allah does not change the condition of people until they change themselves”. so what needs to be done? start from where the Prophet (peace be upon him) started - reform the human beings and the institutions that affect them. Values are of no significance if people do not know them, this requires proper upbringing and education. improve the condition of the people first then hold dialogue with their Governments and try to reform them in a peaceful manner.

these lectures covered important and wide ranging issues and provoked a great amount of thought and questions, all of which dr chapra dealt with in a patient and informative way. a high level of audience response took place.

we are extremely pleased to announce that dr chapra has accepted the role of Visiting Professor to the markfield institute of higher education. we look forward to welcoming him back in the future.

lecture series by dr umer chapra on

“The Islamic vision of Development and its implications”



my experience at mihe covered three

months and eighteen days time, from the

13th of february to the 31st of may 2009.

during my permanence at the campus, i

had the pleasure of experiencing mihe’s

hospitality, thanks to the mihe staff,

the library staff and those colleagues

belonging to the islamic foundation.

all of them were very helpful in many

ways - the accommodation and facilities;

the programme of studies attended; my

research and access to the internet and

english and arabic sources.

as for the study program, i wanted to

limit my courses to those of history

of islam; muslims in Britain and to

islamic Philosophy and theology, so as

to have more time to interact with the

students and the staff. my first purpose

was to look at the mihe methodology

of teaching islamic subjects to muslim

students, by participating in the

different classes and debates, which were

facilitated by the lecturers. i discovered

that mihe’s methodology is more

focused on the active reasoning and

exchange of experiences, rather than

passive memorization of principles. in

this sense, some of the students found it

difficult to accept such a methodology,

trying to reproduce the same method

used in their own countries. in fact, it

was interesting to see how they reacted

during the debates on very sensitive

issues such as the crusades, colonialism,

western and european policies on

immigration and integration and even

philosophical and theological issues.

however, after a few classes almost all of

them were able to accept the challenge

of approaching islam in another way.

Because of this, i consider mihe’s

methodology well integrated within the

european context and particularly in the

British academic system.

students at mihe come from england,

asia and middle-east countries, with

their own academic background. such

a richness of cultures, languages and

way of understanding life and the west,

gave me the opportunity to widen my

knowledge on the different aspects of

their countries, but also to question

my own way of teaching islamics to

christian students in italy. teaching,

studying and research are not intellectual

activities only. they are related to prayer,

becoming part of students’ life. in this

sense, looking at my muslim friends

praying their prayer, inspired me to do

the same and to dedicate my prayer

to them. it has been really a dialogical

exchange of spiritual and intellectual

insights, which gave us the opportunity

to know each other, beyond our

prejudices and misunderstandings.

Beyond the academic activity, i had the

opportunity to see how mihe covers

the area of inter-religious relations

with the christians: church of england

and the different British protestant

denominations. in collaboration with

st. Philip’s centre, located in the city of

leicester, mihe provides a formation

for chaplaincy in hospitals, prisons and

other important social places. such a

formation is very important for giving a

valuable social service to Britain and for

promoting integration between muslims

and non muslim communities.

as for the collaboration with the

catholic church, unfortunately, there

is more to be done for deepening

relations, whether at local level and at

institutional level. in this sense, after

having established linkages with the

diocese of nottingham and in special

way with the local catholic community

of markfield, coalville and leicester, i

can offer mihe my collaboration for

deepening such relationships in the field

of inter-religious relations. the same

can be done, by appointing a visiting

professor, for presenting to muslim

students the catholic understanding of

history, Philosophy and theology in

relation to important socio-historical,

Philosophical and theological muslim

issues. such collaboration can be fruitful

in the long term in order to enhance that

spirit of good relations and dialogue,

which is so crucial in the present

european christian and muslim social

and religious contexts. Best wishes to

mihe for its commitment to muslim

education in Britain,

Dr. Father Paolo Nicelli is an Academic at

Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Italy

Father Paolo Nicelli’s experience

at Markfield Institute of Higher Education (MIHE)



KUBE PUBLISHING FORTHCOMING TITLES

Kube has implemented a new stock/accounting system

to allow accurate costing and stock management. this

system has brought to light important information which

has allowed the Kube management to make changes and

improve operations.

in december 2008, Kube also signed a distributor agreement

with consortium, minneapolis, usa and will be supplying

its titles to mainstream usa and canada from september

2009. Kube has also signed distributor agreements in egypt

and iran and are supplying books in these two new regions.

further distributors are being explored with the aim to

have global distribution deals in place by the end of 2010.

on the editorial front a number of exciting new titles are

under development covering a very wide range of subject

areas, keeping the current market in mind. a number

of new titles are also in the pipeline for release in 2009

and 2010 which will inshaAllah help improve Kube’s

performance in the coming years. Kube has also forged a

co-publishing agreement which will allow publication of a

greater number of titles at a fraction of the cost.

Kube Publishing

www.kubepublishing.com

in the shade of the Qur’an, Volume XViiSayyid Qutbsurah 62 -77

Pp. xxxiv + 444

isBn: 978-0-86037-417-6 PB, £11.95

isBn: 978-0-86037-412-1 hB, £17.95

Volume XVii completes the set to bring

out the largest and most profound work

of sayyid Qutb. this tafseer has been

universally recognized as an outstanding

contribution to islamic thought and

scholarship. edited and translated by

adil salahi



KUBE PUBLISHING FORTHCOMING TITLES

Al-Ghazali’s Revival of the religious

Sciences: an abridgement by salih ahmad

al-shami

Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali

Translated by Mokrane Guezzou

Ihya al-‘Ulum al-Din (The Revival of the

Religious Sciences) is the masterwork of

imam abu hamid al-Ghazali (1058–

1111 ce), widely considered as one of

the most significant figures in islamic

intellectual history. in the east, al-Ghazali

was generally thought to have been the

renewer (mujaddid) of the fifth century of

the hijrah, while in the west, the works

of ‘algazel’ were translated into latin as

early as the twelfth century ce. al-Ghazali

provided a synthesis of islamic orthodoxy that, in achieving

a balance between exaggerated literalism and excessive

rationalism, has exercised great influence down to the

present day. armed with an impressive philosophical and

religious erudition, al-Ghazali wrote powerful refutations

of the ismailis and the muslim philosophers in defence of

islamic orthodoxy. al-Ghazali’s scholastic brilliance was

shown by his works in logic, philosophy, jurisprudence,

legal theory and mysticism, all

acknowledged as classics in their respective

fields. the widely-praised abridgement by

the syrian scholar salih ahmad al-shami

preserves the gist of each chapter without

adding anything to the original text, and

has retained only those Prophetic reports

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the works of the hadith specialist al-hafiz

al-iraqi and murtada al-Zabidi, the

famous commentator on the Revival. the

abridgement is accompanied by indexes of

Qur’anic verses, Prophetic reports and of

persons as well as a general subject index

to provide for full and easy referencing.

Presented conveniently in a single

volume, this first authoritative abridgement in english of

al-Ghazali’s Revival will be of broad interest to specialists

in classical islamic thought as well as to general readers and

students.

750 pp. isBn 978-0-86037-452-7 hB

Price £40.00

Publication date: march 2010

towards

understanding the

Qur’an

Volume 9: surah

al-ahzab –

as-saaffat Sayyid

Abul A’la Mawdudi

translated & edited

by Zafar ishaq

ansari

isBn: 978-0-860374-22-0 hB, £17.95

isBn: 978-0-86074-27-5 PB, £10.95

Release Date: december 2009

this tafsir answers contemporary

questions and makes the Qur’an fully

relevant to the concerns of our day,

yet it loses none of its timelessness

nor sacrifices any of the traditional

understanding. each surah is prefaced

by an account of the background and

teachings. maps and indexes add greatly

to the work.

a trust of treasures

Mehded Maryam Sinclair

32 pages

isBn: 978-0-86037-462-6 hB, £5.95

recommended age: 5+

do you ever sit down and watch the

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Beautifully illustrated, this book will

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for whom the

troubadour sings

Dawud Wharnsby

extent: 156 pages

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dawud wharnsby’s

unconventional

approaches to

writing and religion

challenge how we look at our own lives

in relation to others and the world

through which we all journey. this book

collects together all the lyrics that have

inspired faith communities around the

world for two decades. dawud’s work

as a writer, inspired in part by his deep

respect for spiritual scriptures and

the Qur’an in particular, goes beyond

the realms of testimony, praise or

propagation. readers of all ages and faith

traditions are offered intimate glimpses

into the human experience.



New Muslim Projectduring april 2009 the nmP took a

group of new muslims to perform

umrah in makkah and to visit the holy

sites of medina. the converts were

guests of the international association of

new muslims who provided an extensive

programme and were extremely

hospitable. to sum up the visit one

convert said, ‘the spiritual blessings

of our journey, cannot be captured in

words.’

June 2009 saw the return to the uK of

the two arabic language scholarship

students from Qatar university and as we

write another two students are preparing

to depart for Qatar. the scholarship

programme is proving to be a great

success and all students state how much

they have benefited from the time spent

in Qatar.

the beginning of ramadan afforded the

opportunity for a group of new muslims

led by sr. Batool al-toma to enjoy the

spiritual benefits of a week

spent in turkey. a full

programme of excursions

to places of historical

and cultural interest took

place along with visits to

the beautiful mosques of

istanbul and Bursa. the

participants were able

to experience the best of

ramadan as it is embodied

in turkish culture.

the latest edition of the

meeting Point newsletter was published

to coincide with the start of ramadan.

this has continued in its new extended

format and continues to be a highly

regarded resource for those new to islam.

the Qura’nic arabic courses have

continued to be much in demand.

courses were held in march and may

2009 and were as usual well attended by

students from around the uK. sheikh

tijani’s ability to inspire his students

means that they leave feeling spiritually

refreshed as well as making marked

progress in their understanding of

Qur’anic arabic.

the preparations for the annual

programmes for ramadan, the ramadan

retreat and the eid open day are

underway and we are expecting the

attendance of a large contingent of

converts from all over the country.

Interfaith Discussion at the Library

in the last lunch hour lecture event on 23 July 2009, we

discussed interfaith and what it means to people personally.

mary Barber, from st. Philip’s christian-muslim women

dialogue group in leicester, and sughra ahmad, research

fellow at the islamic foundation, were invited to talk about

their experiences and how they see interfaith. the talks were

very elucidating and illustrated the importance of interfaith

relations in communities. Both speakers talked on a personal

level and how they are involved in dialogue and the difference

it makes to them and to others’. during the question and

answer session, the audience commented and were keen to find

out how they could get involved in local activities on interfaith

and dialogue. one of the suggestions made is that a local group

could be established in markfield and meetings could take

place in the library. this is another example of how the library

can be a centre of any kind of learning or education activity in

the local community. this also encourages the local residents

to use the special library in the village.

Donations

the library’s collection has been developed mainly by receiving

donations from different organisations or people who have an

interest in islamic studies or the muslim world. in July 2009,

the library received a large collection of books on islamic

civilisation and north africa from dr elizabeth savage,

director and co-founder of sanders research associates in

dublin. we would like to thank to dr savage for her very kind

contribution to the library and its development. we always

welcome book donations to the library and would like to

thank all the donors who have made it possible for the islamic

foundation library to grow and become a well established

a academic library as well as a private collection. for more

information about membership and donations please check

www.iflibrary.org.uk or call +44(0)1530 249 301.

Journal Section

the library updated its journal section in June 2009 to

provide easy access and to make more use of the sources.

firstly, the ‘weeding’ process took place under the supervision

of dr ataullah siddiqui. on completion of this process shelf

guides were amended accordingly. the subject guide, which

lists the journals by subject, has been updated and more

journals were included into the list. nearly 100 journals have

been sent for binding. Journals not yet catalogued have been

identified and entered into the system for readers’ use. the

section has more journals and more space after the project

finished and readers find it easy to use.

LIBRARY



Conference on Islamic Perspective of Management and Finance at the University of Leicester

the islamic economics unit extended cooperation and provided logistic support in organising an international conference on islamic Perspective of management and finance held on 2 – 3 July 2009 which was organised by the management school of the university of leicester. academics and scholars from malaysia, indonesia, oman, saudi arabia, uae, Pakistan, Bangladesh, sudan, nigeria and the uK presented 21 papers during the two day conference.

Giving a key note address at the inaugural programme of the conference, Professor Khurshid ahmad, chairman of the islamic foundation, said that islam is not merely a religion in the limited sense of the word, but a guide for human interaction in all realms. the modern world, he argued, has severed the links between economics and ethics. efficiency has been given precedence

over justice and equity. a new holistic approach – an islamic approach – is needed, so that efficiency and justice can co-exist.

Professor ahmad asserted that islamic Banking and finance now seems to be a reality and is on its way to being institutionalised, although at different levels in different countries. the western world, especially the uK, is now selectively and cautiously positioning itself to invest in this system. he said that there are promising signs that islamic finance spread across 70 countries, has grown to almost a trillion dollar industry. despite its growth, given its current size and composition it is still a niche market in the overall global financial industry. he emphasised that in order to address the current financial crisis, the global economy must be reformed so as to accept a diversity of cultural regimes and economies based on justice, equity

and welfare to become a permanent reality.

Professor martin Parker of the management school, university of leicester, welcomed Professor Khurshid ahmad. he said that it is vital that we regularly update our ethical knowledge so it continues to reflect our academic life. it is good to know that participants and presenters of the conference will demonstrate and continue to value the ethical approach to islamic banking. People think that shari‘ah compliance is an ethical way of doing business as well as managing relations and that is why there is a need for fruitful dialogue between islamic and conventional financiers in the academic discourses.

dr. manazir ahsan, director-General of the islamic foundation also attended the inaugural programme of the conference.

the islamic foundation organised a summer programme for 34 boys and girls from the sultanate of oman on 23 July – 6 august 2009 at the markfield conference centre. the programme was organised in partnership with maths Genius, a youth training company based in muscat. the group of young people were accompanied by sheikh Khalfan al-esry and mrs azza al-ismaily, chief executive of the company. the programme consisted of a wide range of activities including formal english lessons, interactive skills development sessions and organised visits to various museums, attractions, theme parks and other places of interest.

Summer Programme for Omani Youth



Staff Activities

Dr Ataullah Siddiqui• delivered two lectures to licensed

ministers at chester diocese on 23

april 2009 entitled ‘a short history

of christian-muslims relations in

Britain’ and ‘islam and christian

theology’.

• delivered two lectures on ‘islam’s role

in modern muslim states’ Politics’

and ‘educational establishments’

relationship with islam’ at the

school of lifelong education and

development of Bradford university

on 28 april 2009. these lectures were

attended by the senior management

of the university including the Vice-

chancellor.

• delivered the Keynote speech at

the annual General meeting of

Peterborough interfaith council on 16

may 2009.

• spoke on ‘inter-religious cooperation

in the uK’ at the university of utrecht

consultation on ‘muslim Participation

in multicultural societies: inter-

religious cooperation’ on. 20 may

2009. the consultation was organised

jointly by the department of theology

(faculty of humanities, utrecht

university)and netherlands research

school for theology and religion

sciences (noster).

• invited on 21 - 22 may 2009 at the

deutscher evangelisher Kirchentag

Bremen Germany to speak about the

‘common word’ document addressed

to christian leaders all over the world

by muslims. the Kirchentag is one

of the biggest bi-annual christian

gatherings in europe attended by the

most senior politicians and public

figures and by the students and their

families. this year it was attended by

over 100,000 people.

• delivered the Keynote speech at

the methodists for world mission

conference at the hayes conference

centre, swanwick on 6 June 2009. the

conference was supported by various

other christian organisation including

christian aid.

• spoke on ‘realism and expectation:

critical approaches to islam in

teaching’ on 13 July 2009 at the

‘centre for trans-cultural studies and

Global cultures’ of hope university of

liverpool.

• delivered two lectures – ‘state of

higher education in england’ and

‘islam and/in the west’ to an invited

audience at muslim college london

on 21 July 2009.

• spoke at the ‘Young muslims

leadership Programme’ at oxford

centre for islamic studies on 6 august

2009.

Dr Abdullah Sahin • developed a new ma level study

program entitled med in Islamic

Education : New Perspectives. the

programme aims to offer professional

development opportunities for

practitioners in diverse muslim

educational settings and those in the

wider educational field. the course

contains three new modules: Islamic

Education: Theory and Practice;

Introduction to Educational Studies:

Religion, Pedagogy and Identity

Formation; Developing Research

Strategies in Islamic Education. the

programme is validated by the

university of Gloucestershire and will

be offered at mihe beginning with the

spring term 2010.

• in June 2009 gave a seminar

presentation at the Queen’s

foundation, Birmingham on

“re-thinking islamic mission

in multi-faith Britain”.

• conducted a workshop on “challenges

facing muslim communities in

Britain” at the national conference

entitled Hospitality, Anglicanism and

Islam held in Birmingham (17-19

august 2009)

Sheikh Faizal Manjoo• faizal manjoo has been presenting

live talk shows on radio ramadan in

leicester. he ran two sessions, one on

islamic finance and another on the

biographies of muslim personalities,

who have influenced islamic history

such as shah waliullah al-dehlavi,

al-Ghazali, rabia Basri and al-razi.

• he also participated in a conference in

london on ‘transition management

for Pension funds’ organised by Global

Pensions on 9 september 2009.

Dr Abul Hassan• delivered second oxford islamic

finance round table talk organised by

dar al istithmar and oxford centre

for islamic studies and held on 15

april 2009.

• attended the “faith in capitalism”

conference held on 16 June 2009 in

london. contributed in the panel

discussion in the high level academic

research on ‘faith consistent investing’.

the conference was organised by

international interfaith investment

Group in association with islamic

cultural centre, london

• Presented a paper titled “after credit

crunch: the future of the shari‘ah

compliant sustainable investing” at

the conference on “islamic Perspective

of management and finance held

on July 2-3, 2009 at the university of

leicester.

• delivered lectures of the teaching

module” islamic capital market” at

the Post Graduate ief Programme at

the trisakti university on 21 July to 1

august 2009 at Jakarta campus.

Publications

• “Bringing swfs towards shari‘ah

compliance”, Business Islamica,

Vol.3(6), June, 2009, pp.52-55

• “shift of Power: muslim countries and

sovereign wealth funds”, Capital, Vol.

4(6), June, 2009, pp.56-60

• “following the rules: how do islamic

and ethical investing impact Portfolio

Performance?” Business Islamica, Vol.

3(no. 6 &7), July-august, 2009,pp.

32-39

• “corporate social responsibility of

islamic financial institutions and

Businesses: optimising charity Value”,

Humanomics, Vol. 25, no. 3, pp.177-

188(issn 0828-8666, emerald Group

Publishing limited, uK 1526-5943)



Dilwar Hussain Seminars and Lectures

• four presentations between may and

July 209 on British Muslim Identity, st

Philips centre, leicester.

• three lectures on Muslims in Britain,

spectrum national methodists

conference, derby, 12 may 2009.

• lecture on Islam and Pluralism,

university of Birmingham &

Birmingham faith leaders summer

school, 16 July 2009.

• Presentations on Muslims in Britain

and Islam in the modern world,

akademie der diözese rottenburg-

stuttgart interfaith summer school,

weingarten, Germany, 22 – 23 July

2009.

• Presentation on Islam and Community

Organising, citizen organising

foundation summer interns training

seminar, london, 30 July 2009.

• two presentations on Muslims Trends

in Britain, Pew forum on religion in

Public life, washington, 6 – 7 august

2009.

• two presentations on British Muslim

Identity and Is Britain Christian?,

Greenbelt christian festival,

cheltenham, 28 august 2009.

Yahya Birt Publications

• ‘the radical nineties revisited: Jihadi

discourses in Britain’ in madawi

al-rasheed and marat shterin (eds.)

Dying for Faith (london: routledge,

2009), pp.105-110.

• ‘islamophobia in the construction of

British muslim identity politics’ in

Peter e. hopkins and richard Gale

(eds.) Muslims in Britain: Race, Place

and Identities (edinburgh: edinburgh

university Press, 2009), pp.210-227.

• ‘Promoting Virulent envy?

reconsidering the uK’s terrorist

Prevention strategy’, RUSI Journal,

154/4, august 2009, pp.52-58.

• ‘the personal isn’t always political’,

Guardian Comment is Free, 20th

august 2009.

• ‘don’t repeat this mistake’, Guardian,

14th september 2009.

Batool Al-Toma• delivered a final Journey course in

Bristol on 30 may 2009.

• Participated in a workshop held in

ipswich as part of the Jimas regional

conference on new muslims on 28

June 2009.

• invited to speak at the launch of

the Peterborough muslim women’s

network in 30 July 2009.

made in europe organised a pilot

run of its act Global Project in June

2009 at the markfield conference

centre. the act Global project

aims to develop understanding,

skills, motivation and networks

among young muslims to take

an active role in the fight against

global poverty.

made in europe is a new

organisation which has grown

out of a vision to harness the

enormous energy and potential

of young european muslims

to contribute and add value to

the current responses to global poverty

issues. it seeks to address the under-

representation of the muslim and

ethnic minority communities within the

sector and facilitate the recognition and

contribution of faith in international

development.

in the act Global Pilot, made in

europe, in partnership with

Globalmedic provided training to

young people in the uK on key

issues around global poverty, team

work and campaigning skills and

basic training on water purification

devices and mobile hospitals. the

participants will then take part in

an accompanied disaster response

deployment overseas for 10 days.

on their return, they will participate

in a community awareness raising

campaign about global poverty and

the millennium development Goals

(mdGs) in the uK engaging with other

young people, community groups,

mosques and the media.

Events at Markfield Conference Centre



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]

Visitorsa number of prominent national and

international visitors have graced the

foundation during the last few months:

Prof Paolo

Branca, head of

arabic &

islamic studies

at the universita

cattolica del

sacro cuore,

italy visited the

markfield institute of higher education

on 29 may 2009. Prof Branca was

following up on the work initiated by

father Paolo nicelli during his stay at

markfield. during his discussions with

members of staff at mihe, he was keen

to explore ways of further cooperation

between the institutions.

Prof Yasir

Suleiman, head of

department,

department of

middle eastern

studies at the

university of

cambridge, visited

the foundation on

3 June 2009. Prof suleiman was

impressed by the range of work being

done by the foundation and was

thankful to senior members of the

foundations staff for their active

participation and contribution to the

government project he heads on

‘contextualising islam in Britain’ project.

he was keen to explore areas of mutual

benefit and cooperation between the

foundation and the university of

cambridge.

Prof M.H.

Jawahirullah,

President,

tamilnadu

muslim

munnetra

Kazhagam, a

muslim

political

party based in tamilnadu, india, visited

the foundation on 12 June 2009

accompanied by dr saleem ajumal. Prof

Jawahirullah appreciated the work that

has been done by the foundation at local

muslim community level as well as its

international contribution. Prof

Jawahirullah was on a lecture tour to the

uK where he was speaking at a number

of venues.

Aneeq Ahmed from ARY Digital and

Orya Maqbool Jan from the Daily

Express, Pakistan, visited the

foundation on 18 June 2009. the

visitors expressed happiness with the

contribution that has been made by the

foundation in promoting true islamic

values over the years. they were

particularly impressed with the

foundation’s contribution in the field of

publications and suggested ways in

which the literature could be more

accessible.

Dr Adnan Al-Bazi,

chancellor,

al-ittihad university

in the emirate of

ras al-Khaima,

united arab

emirates visited the

markfield institute of higher education

on 29 June 2009. dr al-Bazi met the

management and senior members of

staff at mihe and discussed areas of

common interest that could be explored

for future cooperation between the two

institutions. the meetings considered

how the university could act as an

overseas postgraduate centre for mihe

and also looked at students from the

university joining mihe for their

postgraduate studies.

Sheikh Khalfan

Al-Esry, from the

sultanate of

oman who

accompanied the

group of omani

youth in the

summer was in

the foundation

from 23 July 2009 to 6 august 2009.

sheikh Khalfan is well known in oman

for presenting islam and actively

promoting better understanding

between muslims and non-muslims

residing in the sultanate. he appreciated

the efforts being made by the

foundation in creating awareness about

islam and muslims and was keen to

continue to cooperate in the area of

youth training.

september 2009 ramadan 1430 ah new report on...

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