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The Peace Institute
Report 2019
The Peace Institute
Report 2019
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The Peace Institute
Report 2019
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The Peace Institute CIO
Charity Commission Reference No: 1170207
Contents
1.0 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 4
2.0 Introduction to “The Peace Institute” ........................................................................... 5
3.0 Objectives of “The Peace Institute” ............................................................................... 5
4.0 Strategies ........................................................................................................................ 6
5.0 Activities Undertaken ..................................................................................................... 6
5.1 Interfaith and Intra Faith Work .................................................................................. 6
5.2 Mid Yorkshire NHS Hospitals Trust ............................................................................ 6
5.3 Clerics Tea.................................................................................................................... 7
5.4 Faith Advisory Service at the University of Huddersfield.......................................... 7
5.5 Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) ........................................................ 7
5.6 International Forums .................................................................................................. 8
5.7 Mosque Open Day ...................................................................................................... 8
5.8 Documentaries on Islam in the West ......................................................................... 9
5.9 Conflict Resolution at Local Schools ........................................................................... 9
5.10 Encouraging Democratic Participation ..................................................................... 10
5.11 Plight of Muslims Globally ........................................................................................ 10
5.12 Combating Racism..................................................................................................... 10
5.13 Srebrenica Genocide Memorial and Holocaust Genocide Memorial Days ............ 11
5.14 Working with other Charitable Organisations ......................................................... 11
6.0 Volunteers ..................................................................................................................... 11
7.0 Income Sources ............................................................................................................. 11
8.0 Plans Going Forward ..................................................................................................... 11
9.0 Financial ........................................................................................................................ 12
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Report 2019
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1.0 Introduction
This report provides a summary of some of the work undertaken by The Peace
Institute in partnership with other stakeholders. The work of “The Peace institute” is
vast and covers many aspects of religious, social, cultural and political life.
Most notable is our work related to bringing about a better understanding of Islam as
a peaceful way of life through direct evidence from scriptures, the Quran, as the
word of the Almighty and the Sunnah, which are the words and actions of Prophet
Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم).
As Muslims living in Europe we have a special responsibility. Life for Muslims is
becoming more and more challenging. It is not just enough to say that Islam is a
peaceful way of life. Our actions must always demonstrate this, even though we can
see a tide of hostility and crimes against people of faith.
Our vision is a world of diversity and multiculturalism. True respect without
assimilation. A place where no one is excluded for what they believe but appreciated
regardless of how different it may be.
Our late colleague Jo Cox MP, in her maiden speech encapsulated everything by
saying,
“While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I
travel around the constituency is that we are far more united and have far
more in common with each other than things that divide us.”
Finally, our sincere thanks to all our advisors, peaceful volunteers, campaigners
supporters and well-wishers who make the work of The Peace Institute possible.
Going forward the challenges will become greater. We ask the almighty to forgive
any of our shortcomings (Amen).
Mufti Mohammed Amin Pandor
Moulana Yousaf J Baig
Sister Halima Hossain Moulana Hashim Sacha – (On Sabbatical)
22 October 2020
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2.0 Introduction to “The Peace Institute”
The Peace Institute is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (COI). The principle office is in England and was registered with the Charity Commission in 2016 under charity number 1170207.
3.0 Objectives of “The Peace Institute”
Our objectives have been set out in our governing document as follows;
1) To advance the true Islamic faith as a peaceful way of life in UK and abroad for the benefit of the public through;
a) Providing places of worship, religious ceremonies and safe social facilities and spaces for youth and others for moral and spiritual improvement.
b) Holding of religious worship.
c) Religious communications including lectures, dialogue, literature, advice and awareness on Islam using all forms of media.
d) Resolving conflicts and challenges pertaining to the peaceful Islamic beliefs and practices.
e) Researching, responding, challenging and disseminating evidence based information on contemporary issues and challenges affecting Islam.
f) Engaging and interacting with the wider public and other institutions to raise awareness and understanding of the peaceful nature of Islam.
2) The prevention or relief of poverty or financial hardship anywhere in the world and to anyone by providing and / or assisting in the provision of food, housing, education, training, healthcare projects and all necessary support designed to enable individuals to generate a sustainable income and be self-sufficient.
3) The relief of financial need and suffering among victims of war, natural disaster, trouble, catastrophe or other kinds of disaster in the form of money or other means deemed suitable for persons, bodies, organisations and / or countries affected including the provision of medical aid.
4) The promotion of religious and racial harmony for the public benefit through;
a) Promoting knowledge and mutual understanding between different groups on different belief systems and no belief systems.
b) Advancing education and raising awareness about different racial and religious and non-religious groups to promote good relations and highlight common ground to promote humanity and harmony.
c) Working towards the elimination of discrimination and mistrust on the grounds of race, religion and no religion.
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4.0 Strategies
We want to make our organisation as a one stop shop where all people (people of faith and no faith, Muslims, non-Muslims) or those who wish to know more about our faith can gather together to learn. We are planning to build a “Peace Centre”. This will be a state of the art matchless facility for Muslims and Non-Muslims in UK and will be a beacon of peace and understanding between Islam and the West. We propose to build a facility accessible by all who wish to understand real Islam in the 21st century and its compatibility with global universal values and train the next generation of youth.
5.0 Activities Undertaken
The activities of “The Peace institute” is very wide and covers aspects of religious, social, cultural and political life. Some of our activities and initiatives include the following;
5.1 Interfaith and Intra Faith Work
Directors of The Peace Institute actively participate on various interfaith and Intra faith forums. Our organisation Co-chairs the faith forum with the Team Rector at Dewsbury Minster the respected Reverend Simon Cash.
5.2 Mid Yorkshire NHS Hospitals Trust
The Peace Institute were invited to join Health Care forum to ensure the voice of service users is taken into account in decision making at the Mid Yorkshire NHS Hospitals Trust. In the medical field Muslims have unique requirements and The Peace Institute is able to offer a religious perspective on issues affecting Muslim patients.
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5.3 Clerics Tea
As part of the interfaith week, The Peace Institute invited Hazrat Allama Dr Khalid Mahmud (Sufi Master of Chishtiya Sabriya Order) and Rt Revd Jonathan Robert Gibbs Bishop of Huddersfield and other local Christian and Muslim clergy to discuss the importance of Abraham (Peace be Upon Him). This was a great success in getting Muslim and Christian Clergy to have theological dialogue in a safe and welcoming environment.
5.4 Faith Advisory Service at the University of Huddersfield
The Peace Institute offers faith advisory support at the University of Huddersfield as part of a team of faith advisors from the Christian, Jewish and Hindu faith representatives. As Islamic scholars we have offered counselling and rulings on a range of issues to students at the University. The Peace Institute is heavily involved with the University student services in the relocation and redesign of the new faith centre at the University because by far Muslims students are the heaviest users of the Faith Centre.
5.5 Relationship, Sex and Health Education (RSHE)
Representatives of The Peace Institute under Kirklees Parents and Community Alliance (KPCA) with the support from IMWS, PKWA and Huddersfield Muslims are actively involved in dialogue with Schools, the Council and other stakeholders to ensure after the mandatory introduction of RSHE in September 2020;
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Schools consult meaningfully with parents and the local community as required by legislation.
Schools apply the Equality Act 2010 evenly for all the protected characteristics.
Children from a faith background “feel included”.
Parents from faith background “do not feel excluded”.
Faith sensitivities are taken into account.
Teaching is age appropriate.
5.6 International Forums
The Peace Institute continuously receives invitation to attend international conferences on global peace and the new challenges faced by Muslims. This participation has now put the Peace Institute amongst global peace organisations in certain countries working for the betterment of humankind for justice, peace and equality.
5.7 Mosque Open Day
The Peace Institute headed a very successful Mosque open day in Leeds at (Masjid Ibraheem) and Dewsbury (Darul Ilm). This was attended by officials and local residents. Visitors were able to ask the Scholars sensitive questions on;
Terrorism and Extremism in Islam.
ISIS and other extreme ideologies and their relationship to Islam.
Role of women in Islam.
Scientific contributions from Islam.
Other pertinent issues in the media.
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The scholars were able to explain, backed up by authentic source material (Quran and Hadith) how they have been misinterpreted by those who wished to divide us. The visitors commented that they had never had this type of opportunity to discuss these types of issues with classical scholars.
5.8 Documentaries on Islam in the West
The Peace Institute were involved with Belgium and Russian media channels in making documentary films about how Muslims live peacefully and how they have integrated into the UK. The feedback from the producers indicated that the documentaries were very well received and dispelled number of myths people had about Islam and Muslims.
5.9 Conflict Resolution at Local Schools
The Peace Institute have been involved with Kirklees schools to resolve conflicts between the schools and the parents. These conflicts revolved around;
Inappropriate homework given to pupils.
Halal meat issues.
Racism against refugees from Iraq.
The teaching of RSHE which would have been insensitive and age inappropriate to children which would have left children and families excluded. This initiative is still in progress.
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5.10 Encouraging Democratic Participation
Scholars of The Peace Institute have been active in getting people involved in democracy and ensuring they register themselves to vote. The Peace Institute equipped people to have informed choices and above all participate in the democratic process. We also arranged Hustings where we invited prospective MPs to face questions from the public.
5.11 Plight of Muslims Globally
The Peace Institute continues to support victims of global conflicts.
This includes raising awareness through seminars and public meetings, collecting donations, writing to officials and making Duas.
We have supported the plight of;
The Rohingya people in Rakhine state, Myanmar numbering over 1 million.
The Uighur Muslims in China (East Turkmenistan) who have been brutally detained in re-education camps numbering up to 1.6 million.
Palestine Israel and India Kashmir conflict.
5.12 Combating Racism The Directors of The Peace Institute joined with other organisations and young people to peacefully combat racist demonstrations held in Kirklees against Muslims. The Peace Institute and partners held a “Diversity Day” where people from different walks of life came together to show how united we are and did not want the racists in our town. In the words of our late MP Jo Cox, “We have
more in common than divides us”.
The Directors liaised with police and other authorities to ensure the diversity day was a success. The diversity day event passed off very peacefully.
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5.13 Srebrenica Genocide Memorial and Holocaust Genocide Memorial Days
The Directors of The Peace Institute took an active role in remembering victims of both genocides. These remembrance days
are very important because the world
said never again after the atrocities of World War 2, unfortunately history repeated itself in Europe. We talked about how historically the Muslim have always welcomed Jewish refugees to Muslim lands particularly the Ottoman Sultans.
5.14 Working with other Charitable Organisations We have worked closely with other UK registered charity on a variety of projects locally and nationally who have people already on the ground to ensure satisfactory delivery of aid to those in need.
6.0 Volunteers
We are grateful to our dedicated volunteers who are an important resource in both our faith and community work. Volunteers have been involved in all our activities and have given their valuable time freely. All our trustees have also given their time freely.
7.0 Income Sources
All the funds received are solely from Muslim donors only in the form of Zakat, Sadaqa, Fitrana and Lillah.
8.0 Plans Going Forward
The Peace Institute is now poised to take the next leap. It will keep up with its usual activities but work extra hard to establish a Peace Centre in Kirklees to meet the challenges our youth and women face in 21st century Britain. We are planning to build a “Peace Centre”. This will be a state of the art matchless facility for Muslims and Non-Muslims in UK and will be a beacon of peace and understanding between Islam and the West. We propose to build a facility accessible by all who wish to understand real Islam in the 21st century and its compatibility with global universal values and train the next generation of youth.
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9.0 Financial
A financial summary has been uploaded onto the Charity Commission’s website https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission
Section A Receipts and paymentsUnrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
fundsTotal funds Last year
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts Carry over from last year 13 - - 13 -
Zakat - 8,499 - 8,499 -
Firtana - 15 - 15 -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total (Gross income for
AR) 13 8,514 - 8,527 -
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table). - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total receipts 13 8,514 - 8,527 -
A3 PaymentsZakat CN 100016 - 150 - 150 -
Zakat CN 100017 - 200 - 200 -
Zakat CN 100018 - 8,149 - 8,149 -
Fitrana CN 100019 - 15 - 15 -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Sub total - 8,514 - 8,514 -
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table) - - - -
- - - -
Sub total - - - - -
Total payments - 8,514 - 8,514 -
Net of receipts/(payments) 13 - - 13 -
A5 Transfers between funds - - - - -
A6 Cash funds last year end - - - - -
Cash funds this year end 13 - - 13 -
The Peace Institute
01/01/2019
Receipts and payments accounts
ToFor the period
from
CC16a
1170207
31/12/2019
CCXX R1 accounts (SS) 1 22/10/2020
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
CategoriesUnrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
Agreement Error OK OK
Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
- - -
Fund to which
asset belongsCost (optional)
Current value
(optional)
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Fund to which
asset belongsCost (optional)
Current value
(optional)
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Fund to which
liability relates
Amount due
(optional)
When due
(optional)
-
-
-
-
-
Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
Date of
approval
B5 Liabilities
B3 Investment assets
Details
Details
B2 Other monetary assets
Details
Total cash funds
(agree balances with receipts and payments
account(s))
B4 Assets retained for the
charity’s own use
Details
B1 Cash funds
Details
Print NameSignature
CCXX R2 accounts (SS) 2 22/10/2020