inssue 38.indd - Islamic Foundation

Transcription

t h e i s l a m i c f o u n d at i o n n e w s l e t t e r
october 2010 / hul al-qa[dah 1431 ah
•
number 38
Eid Open Day
for New Muslims and their families
The Eid Open Day event, organized
by the New Muslims Project and held
at the Markfield Conference Centre in
the grounds of the Islamic Foundation,
grew from an evident need for a social
occasion which would provide the
opportunity for this growing community
to come together to celebrate the end of
Ramadan. For many converts to Islam
where there is often a lack of extended
Muslim family – at least for one of
the spouses, where there may well be
unresolved issues on the part of both
families, where there are difficulties in
finding celebratory opportunities within
a broader Muslim community, and
where the art of celebration is rather
muted, the Eid Open Day is always both
welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed by the
participants.
Nothing happens by magic and so
the arrangements for the day begin
several weeks beforehand with a team
of dedicated local volunteers who come
together on the back of the first email
from NMP central office at Markfield
to herald the dawning of a
new Ramadan and ultimately the start
of the preparations and plans for the
Eid Open Day which is usually held on
the Sunday following Eid. After several
successful events the list of providers is
extensive and includes Chuckle Chops
the Clown who provides endless fun for
the little children, the local Inflatable
provider, the kind ‘Tickled Skink’ ladies
who come with their variety of reptiles
and the knowledge of where each has
originated as well as how to provide for
their care, ‘Mr Softy’ – the ice cream
van, ‘Pony Parties’ which provides
the little Shetland ponies for rides
up and down the football green,
the Archery team which attracts all
those who think they have an eye
for hitting the jackpot, and the team
of face painters and henna artists
who are kept busy all day long
bringing out the little lion or tiger
in the faces of excited and delighted
children.
The morning of the event dawns with
ample prayers having been sent up
for a good day with, if God wills, a
little sunshine to make the occasion
a particularly bright and enjoyable
one. Health and safety is of primary
importance and the red and white
security tape is unfurled by the mile
so that the little people – and indeed
bigger ones, stay within the designated
areas and there is no straying onto busy
roadways, pathways or anywhere danger
may be a remote possibility. Everyone
comes as a family and enjoys the day
as one united front with particular
emphasis placed on being responsible
parents taking care of the children and
making sure they are supervised at all
times so that little accidents are avoided.
A great day is usually had by all but let’s
hear from the important people who
come to enjoy Eid - the families and
children... .
(Continued on page 2)
october 2010  newsletter  1
“I started out as a single female convert
to Islam hoping one of my friends would
invite me to share her family’s Eid.
Then I progressed to sharing Eid with
my husband at home alone and because
we were both new to Islam we had no
Muslim relatives to share our Eid with.
Then Allah blessed us with children and
we started to enjoy Eid, through sharing
in our children’s enjoyment. Just the five
of us at home was fine at first, when they
were little, but as the children grew and
their needs changed we wanted to give
them something more.
Alhamdullilah, the Eid Open Day event
was everything we were looking for.
A “one-stop shop” of Food, Fun and
Fabulous Entertainment with Friends,
that now makes our Eid’s the best ever.
And what did the children think? Well
here are some of their comments:•• “Really, really, really exciting and really,
really fun,” Abdul-Raheem age 7.
•• “The clown was fun and the big slide
was fantastic,” Abdul-Rahman age 9.
•• “I went on the bouncy slide and went
bounce, bounce and my dress went
sticking up on my face!” Haseenah
age 4.
$$$
37th Annual Board of Trustee Meeting
The thirty seventh Annual
Board of Trustees meeting was
held on 22 July 2010 at the
Markfield Conference Centre.
The meeting, chaired by Prof
Khurshid Ahmad, was attended
by both UK based and overseas
trustees who reviewed the work
of the Islamic Foundation, its
units and subsidiaries over the
past year and offered valuable
advice and suggestions to address
the ever-growing challenges that the
Foundation and its departments were
facing.
The Chairman in his opening
remarks gave a brief outline of the
key achievements and the problems of
the past year and suggested strategies
to overcome them. One of the key
issues discussed was the need to
induct new and younger trustees
to the Board in the future and Prof
Khurshid urged his fellow trustees
to give due consideration to this
2  newsletter  october 2010
Director of the Islamic
Foundation, Kenya, and a trustee
of the Foundation, about the
overall achievements of the
Foundation and the educational,
orphanage and agricultural
projects that the institution was
working on in Kenya.
issue. Dr Manazir Ahsan, Director
General, then presented his report on
the overall work and activities that
had taken place in the past year. He
highlighted the financial and human
resource challenges that need
to be addressed to sustain
and develop the work of the
Foundation in the future. The
trustees were then
apprised of the key
achievements of
the Policy Research
Centre, New
Muslim Project,
Kube Publishing
and the Markfield
Institute of Higher
Education.
Financial Accounts
for financial year 2009 were
presented and the budget for 2010 and
2011 was presented and approved.
This was followed by a presentation
from Mr Muhammad Rao Akhtar,
The meeting concluded with
lunch which the staff of
the Foundation joined, and during
which the gathering was addressed
briefly by Dr Abdullah Nassief and Prof
Khurshid Ahmad. The occasion also
served as an occasion to bid farewell to
three colleagues who were leaving the
employment of the Foundation and
the Markfield Institute. The trustees
thanked Br Khalid Ghouri, Accounts,
Sr Humeyra Ceylan Izhar, Library and
Br Hylmun Izhar, Markfield Institute,
for their hard work and dedicated
service and wished them all the success
for the future.
Markfield Institute of Higher Education
new academic Staff in mIHe
during the summer three new members
of academic staff joined the markfield
institute to strengthen the existing
faculty.
Dr Ugi Suharto joined as full-time
senior lecturer in islamic economics,
Banking and
finance and
course leader
for islamic
Banking
finance and
management.
ugi, originally
from indonesia,
obtained his Phd
in 2000 from the international institute
of islamic thought and civilization
(istac), malaysia, in islamic civilization
(majoring in islamic economics). Both
his B.ec (1990) and master of economics
(1993) are from the international islamic
university malaysia (iium). he spent 2
years at the university college of Bahrain
(ucB), 5 years at the international
islamic university malaysia (iium), and
a further 7 years at the international
institute of islamic thought and
civilization (istac). he served as the
director of the islamic finance Program
during his time at the university college
of Bahrain.
Dr Ian Williams joined as part-time
lecturer in
islamic studies
and education.
ian holds a
Phd in islamic
studies and an
ma in religious
Pluralism
both from the
university of
derby. he has taught at the university
of chester, uce Birmingham and
Birmingham city university prior to
joining mihe. ian also teaches at al
madhi institute, Birmingham.
Dr Shahrul Hussain
joined as part-time lecturer in islamic
studies. shahrul obtained his Phd
from the university of aberdeen after
completing a Bachelors degree in islamic
Jurisprudence from al-azhar university,
egypt. he has been teaching at the darul
uloom, Birmingham and has worked
as educational development manager
at the Bordesley centre for further and
higher education, Birmingham.
ab
new Registrar appointed
Mr Itqidar Cheema has taken up the post
of registrar, effective form 1 october
2010. he was previously an assistant and
deputy registrar at the university of
the Punjab, Pakistan, and since coming
to the uK, has been a registrar at two
private colleges prior to joining markfield
institute of higher education. he replaces desmond
mcmichael who will be taking up the position of senior
assistant at the
British university
in egypt. des has
been the registrar
at markfield
institute of higher
education for
the last five years
and has made
a significant
contribution to the development of the institute during his
time here.
MIHE’s Pioneering Work on the
Shores of Mauritius
on the 22-25 of september,
mihe was privileged to
extend its expertise to
the shores of mauritius
by developing its first
co-operation with the latiff
mohammedally institute of
management in enhancing
islamic finance in this sector
in mauritius. two seminars
were scheduled for this
premier: islamic wealth management
and islamic product development.
each seminar lasted for two days at the
intercontinental hotel near its gorgeous
and sunny beach!!!.the seminars were
targeted for the high profile experts
in the arena of finance and were well
acclaimed by the industrial players who
attended. the participants came from
various stratum of the islamic finance
sector – regulators from seychelles and
mauritius, offshore companies, asset
management companies, insurance
sector, banking sector, and consultants
from luxemburg.
the wealth management course is
an emerging sphere for consultancy
in islamic finance because the
number of hnwi (high net worth
individuals) in the muslim world is
increasing exponentially and their
demands for investment and estate
planning requires especial portfolios
arrangements. this seminar gave a
bird’s eye view as to how to plan and
invest islamically for such categories of
clients.
the islamic product development
is another area which the islamic
finance industry is striving to come
to term with because often it tends to
replicate the conventional products.
consequently there is a lack of
originality in the products. islamic
financial product development
demands some special financial and
contractual engineering. this seminar
tried to achieve this by analysing ways
to structure products from a shariah
perspective. Product structure varies
from generic products to the high
financial engineering required for
Project financing, offshore products
etc. the seminars were delivered by
sheikh faizal manjoo.
Director General IRTI visits the Foundation
Professor Bambang
Brodjonegoro, director
General, islamic
research & training
institute (irti) part of
the islamic development
Bank, Jeddah visited
the foundation and the
markfield institute of
higher education on
Prof Brodjonegoro addressed the students undertaking
the masters programme in islamic Banking, finance
and management at mihe and encouraged them to
pursue research in islamic economics and finance, and
said that irti was keen to support this by providing
scholarships and grants. he spoke specifically about
irti scholarships that are available to students wishing
to purse their Phd at mihe in the field of islamic
economics, Banking and finance. further information
can be accessed from www.irti.org
Prof Brodjonegoro, who recently took over as director
General, was on his first visit to the uK. during his visit
he was particularly keen to further strengthen the existing
relationship between irti and the markfield institute and
identifying areas of mutual cooperation and development
in the future.
Prof Brodjonegoro also had the opportunity of meeting
Prof Khurshid ahmad, chairman of Board of trustees,
other trustees and senior management of the islamic
foundation and the markfield institute. they all wished
Prof Brodjonegoro every success in his role as director
General and hoped that he will be able to take irti to
new heights in the future.
monday 19 July 2010.
Business Development in Southeast Asia
during the months of march till may 2010, raja
idris Kamarudin, Business development executive
for international markets, the markfield institute of
higher education (mihe), was in south east asia
(sea) to promote the postgraduate courses and training
programmes available from mihe in sea, particularly
in Brunei, indonesia, malaysia and singapore.
the visit also saw the finalisation of the agreement between
mihe and Bank islam Brunei darussalam (BiBd) for the
training in “certificate in islamic finance: an appreciation
of shari‘ah Principles and regulatory frameworks” for the
final two batches of staff members of BiBd. the first of
these was successfully carried out in June 2010, with the
final one to take place in January 2011.
working together with our partners in these four
countries, raja idris was able to meet and make
presentations to undergraduate and postgraduate
students in major universities in malaysia and indonesia
and with professionals working in singapore and
Brunei.
as with previous visits, during this visit, raja idris also kept
in touch with and worked very closely with our former
students in these four countries and mihe has now set up
a database and mailing list of all these former students to
enable us to update them on what is happening in mihe
and also for these former students to update us.
ab
Relationships with Universities
in Bosnia
as part of our continuing drive to promote
mihe and its course across europe, our Business
development executive, asim riaz paid an
exploratory visit to various universities in Bosnia
and herzegovina from 17-22 august 2010. the
aim of this visit was to develop relationships with
academic institutes and universities not only to
provide opportunities to students in Bosnia to
study at postgraduate level for islamic subjects in
the uK, but also to explore other areas of mutual
co-operation such as staff exchange and the
organisation of joint seminars.
the Business school of sarajevo, islamic faculty
of university or sarajevo, islamic Pedagogical faculty
of university of Zenica, islamic Pedagogical faculty of
university of Bihac are among the major institutes that
were visited where meetings were held with heads of
departments and deans of the faculties to discuss the
various areas of mutual interest.
these institutes showed a great deal of interest
in benefiting from mihe’s academic experience,
particularly in the areas of islamic Banking and finance
and islamic education. these institutes are very keen
to hold joint seminars to address some of the issues
within islamic education and islamic banking, as well
as to provide a platform to introduce mihe to their
students.
at the same time, several meetings were also
conducted with individuals interested in studying
at mihe for ma and Phd degrees. the visit was
immensely fruitful and there is keen interest among
these institutes to further strengthen the relationship
by way of signing formal mou’s in respective areas
of expertise. the future plans include a follow up
visit to during term time when it is hoped that
specialist academic seminars may be organised at these
institution to create awareness about mihe amongst
the students.
Kube Publishing
KUBE AT ISNA 2010
Kube Publishing participated in the 47th annual isna
convention in the united states, which attracted 35,000
visitors to the rosemont convention center, rosemont,
illinois. the theme of this year’s convention was ‘nurturing
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andre carson of indiana were among those who addressed
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decade but this is the first time they have gone beyond retailing
to create brand awareness for their publishing work by taking
part in the ‘meet the author’ programme. four of Kube’s
new works were featured: rafey habeeb’s Shades of Islam and
dawud wharnsby’s For Whom the Troubadour Sings, both
poetry collections, saad and habeeb Quadri’s popular, streetsmart book for teens, The War Within Our Hearts (which were
sold out of), and Julie mair’s charming storybook, The Perfect
Gift. everyone presented their work at the programme and
signed many copies of their books. Julie mair also promoted
her work, including her earlier storybook Amira’s Totally
Chocolate World (also published through Kube), at the iqra
Book center in chicago. dawud wharnsby also did further
performances and book signings at iQra in chicago and with
halal co. in washington dc.
With a Foreword by the Guardian’s
S.M.
Atif Imtiaz
Madeleine
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that British muslims should move away from identity politics
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NEW TITLES
ABU HANIFAH - HIS
LIFE, LEGAL METHOD
AND LEGACY
Mohammed Akram Nadwi
Surah al-Kahf (Chapter of the Cave) comes exactly midway through the Qur’an,
and covers four historical events and two parables. As many ahadith encourage the
memorization and recitation of Surah al-Kahf either in whole or part on Fridays as
protection against Dajjal (the Anti-Christ), it is essential to understand this surah and to
implement the antidote provided therein. It includes a brief note on the phenomenon
of Dajjal based on authentic ahadith.
Based on a seminar paper presented by Khurram Murad in the 1980s, this concise
presentation clarifies the dynamic ideas portrayed in the majestic Qur’an through an
examination of Surah al-Kahf. Abdur Rashid Siddiqui has edited the text and completed
those sections that were not in the original paper. The authors have concentrated on
the message that the Qur’an expounds from various episodes narrated in this surah.
Khurram Murad (1932-1996), former Director General of the Islamic Foundation
(1978-86) was a consulting civil engineer by profession and worked in that capacity in
many countries. He was actively involved in the Islamic work since his youth and he
was the President of Islami Jami‘at-e-Talabah, Pakistan (1951-52) and a leading figure
in the Jama‘at-e-Islami Pakistan holding a senior post of Na’ib Amir from 1988 until
his death. Among his 32 published books in English and Urdu are In the Early Hours:
Reflections on Spiritual and Self Development, Way to the Qur’an, Islamic Movement
in the West: Reflection on Some Issues, The Qur’anic Treasures, Who is Muhammad
(peace be upon him), Gifts from Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Interpersonal
Relations: An Islamic Perspective, apart from number of books for children. He was the
founder editor of the quarterly Muslim World Book Review, UK and the editor of the
monthly Tarjumanul Qur’an, Lahore from 1991 until his death.
ISBN 9780860374534
THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION
United Kingdom
IBRAHIM KHAN AND THE
MYSTERY OF THE HAUNTED
LAKE
Farheen Khan
the second book in a series of
adventures. ibrahim and Zayn
find themselves challenged by
an unexpected mystery during
a class vacation at the beautiful,
remote camp chimo. how can
they catch the culprit and prove
that the ‘ghost’ terrifying their classmates is a hoax?
ISBN: 978-0-86037-423-7
age: 5+
price: £3.99
   ’ 
Khurram Murad & Abdur Rashid Siddiqui
Abdur Rashid Siddiqui has been the Vice Chairman of the Islamic Foundation since
2005. He is a librarian by profession and worked as an Information Librarian at
the University of Leicester for 32 years until his retirement. His publications are
two volumes of 55 Khutbah for Friday prayers under the title Lift Up Your Hearts,
Man and Destiny: Some Reflections on Iqbal’s Concepts of Khudi and the Perfect
Man, Qur’anic Keywords: A Reference Guide; Key to al-Fatihah: Understanding the
Basic Concepts, Key to Al-‘Imran: Resurgence of the Ummah and Nawa-e-Benawa
(an anthology of Urdu poetry). He also edited a collection of essays entitled Tazkiyah:
The Islamic Path of Self-Development.
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 (chapter) is prefaced by
an account of the background and teachings. maps and indexes
add greatly to the work. this volume covering Juz ‘amma (Part
30) of the Holy Qur’an covers Surah Al-Naba' (chapter 78) till
surah al-nas (chapter 114).
ISBN: 978-0-86037-443-5
Price: £10.95
Key to Al-Kahf Challenging Materialism & Godlessness
abu hanifah nu’man ibn
thabit (d. 150/767) is one
of the great pioneers in
the history of islamic law.
he was among the first
to deploy the recognized
methods of legal reasoning
consistently, and to gather
the judgements and rulings of his time into a systematic
corpus. the fiqh that evolved from his style of reasoning,
carried on by his brilliant students, became associated
with his name. the hanafi school is the one most widely
followed among the world’s sunni muslims. this study of
abu hanifah’s life and legacy is based on the traditional
sources. it includes a short survey of how hanafi fiqh
evolved in different regions of the islamic world. it
offers a clear reminder of the criteria and conditions
traditionally applied before any ruling gained general
acceptance. mohammed akram nadwi, former student
then teacher of hanafi and shafi’i law at the prestigious
nadwat al-ulama (lucknow, india), is currently a
research fellow at the oxford centre for islamic studies.
he is the author (in arabic) of several biographies, and
editions and translations of classical hadith and fiqh
works. his most recent publications in english are a
multi-volume primer of hanafi fiqh (al-fiqh al-islami,
2007-), and al-muhaddithat: the women scholars in
islam (2007).
ISBN: 978-1-84774-017-5
Price: £6.99
TOWARDS
UNDERSTANDING THE
QURAN:
JUZ ‘AMMA, PART 30
Sayyid Abul A‘la Mawdudi
KEY TO AL-KAHF.
CHALLENGING
MATERIALISM AND
GODLESSNESS
Khurram Murad & A.R.
Siddiqui
surah al-Kahf (chapter
of the cave) comes
exactly midway through
Challenging Materialism & Godlessness
the Qur’an, and covers
four historical events
      &
    
and two parables. as
many ahadith encourage
the memorization
and recitation of this surah, either in whole or part on
fridays as protection against dajjal (the anti-christ), it is
essential to understand this surah and to implemement the
antidote provided therein. it includes a brief note on the
phenomenon of dajjal based on authentic ahadith. Based
on a seminar paper presented by Khurram murad in the
1980’s, this concise presentation clarifies the dynamic ideas
portrayed in the majestic Qur’an through an examination
of surah al-kahf. abdur rashid siddiqui has edited the text
and completed those sections that were not in the original
paper. the authors have concentrated on the message that
the Qur’an expounds from various episodes narrated in
this surah.
ISBN: 978-0-86037-454-3
Price: £3.75
Key
ey to
Al-Kahf
New Muslim Project
Ramadan Retreat
This year’s Ramadan Retreat, held
on the weekend of 27 – 29 August
2010, again proved to be a spiritually
enhancing experience. Those new
and not so new to Islam from around
the country gathered to share a
peaceful and illuminating weekend.
Presentations ranged from the first
entitled ‘Taking a Second look at a First
Impression’ delivered by Ahtisham Ali
which highlighted a number of verses
from the Qur’an which have been used
out of context resulting in curtailing
the rights of individuals and women’s
rights in particular.
This long and intriguing insight lasted
for much longer than anticipated
with interest at an all time high as
the speaker moved from one highly
captivating issue to another. No less
captivating was the next presentation
by Luqman Ali on ‘Ascention and
Mission – the twin life responsibilities
of a Muslim’ which took a long hard
look at the responsibilities we have
both vertically and horizontally in our
relationship with God and humanity.
In the late afternoon Abu Muntasir
‘Reflected on Ramadan’ and helped
focus flagging intentions and lift the
spirits of those who were finding
the daily fast long and arduous –
particularly those in the throes of
their first or second fast in their
conversion to Islam. After
Iftars the focus was on
contemplation and prayer
followed by a long earned
rest after the long days of
Ramadan. Sunday brought
with it new and refreshed
spirits as Usman Bugaje
shared the wisdom of his
experiences of the Muslim
world and how we, the
newly emerging convert
community, need to
inform and equip ourselves
to positively and wholeheartedly
address the global as well as national
contemporary challenges faced on a
daily basis.
The weekend wound down to a
thought provoking conclusion with
Peter Stockton presenting an overview
of his book ‘Transcending Jerusalem’
in which he suggests that ‘if Jerusalem
is the heart of the world, and that the
health of that heart lies only in fidelity
to God, then understanding
the meaning of the city, and
finding grounds for hope and
fear in its story, is nothing less
than the key to the current
predicament of God’s world.
We must heal Jerusalem; but
to do this, we must heal our
hearts. And for this, the long
story of the city’s travails
offers precious and sobering
counsel.’
A most interesting and
spiritually inspiring weekend was had
by all and the messages sent back speak
for themselves….
“I just wanted to thank you so much
for inviting me along to the Ramadan
Retreat. It was a really wonderful
opportunity and so helpful to be able to
talk to so many open-minded and kind
people. I came away with many new
friends, who I feel I can turn to if I have
any further questions. I found the talks
very thought provoking and interesting
and it was really refreshing to be able to
learn more about the impact of culture
on religion, which I think is especially
important for Muslim converts. It was
such a well-organised, special weekend
and really helped me to think more
clearly about Islam and what it means to
me.” Jenny Hiley
I have been blessed with the opportunity
to attend many seminars and events
at the Islamic Foundation, and so it
occupies a warm place in our hearts.
Whether this is due to the warm
welcomes, the beauty and tranquility
of the setting or the fact that as I like
to think the sky above the Foundation
must be packed with angels recording
the many times that Allah’s name is
mentioned, I don't know, I guess it is all
of this and much more too.
Since the first Ramadan retreat was
held my husband and I have tried to
attend each year. It is the highlight of
our Ramadan, a chance to focus on
our spiritual wellbeing while the kids
play to their hearts content in a safe
environment. The weekend had such
an effect on me that I floated back to
Manchester on a cushion of spiritual
wellbeing, Alhamdullilah. Hajer,
Manchester
The Islamic Foundation Library
Farewell to Librarian
The Library staff bid farewell to the
Librarian, Humeyra Ceylan Izhar,
MA MCLIP, in July 2010 as she left
the Foundation to start a new life,
Inshallah, together with her husband,
Hylmun, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Humeyra will be deeply missed at the
Foundation in her drive to raise the
profile of the Library; as well as in the
village of Markfield where she won the
hearts and minds of the locals.
Humeyra was instrumental in setting
up the Markfield Interfaith Group
(MIG) which, through her initiatives,
has been meeting regularly since
November 2009. The next MIG
will be in 19 November 2010, and a
Geometry/Islamic design workshop
by Tom Bree is planned. Funding for
this event is from the Community
Development Foundation.
Jasmine Ansari is now in post as the
new Librarian. Prior to joining the
Foundation, Jasmin was Academic
Liaison Librarian at the University of
Westminster.
Semester one. For students studying
law there will be an introduction
session on Law resources including
specialist databases i.e. Lexis Library
database and Westlaw.
The Library is facing a challenging
time in a climate of recession and cutbacks and now has to look at creative
ways of generating income through
increasing its external membership at
the same time as continuing to provide
a good service to staff and students,
bearing in mind that numbers of the
latter are expected to continue to rise.
The Library has established contact
with the Learning Centre at the
University of Gloucestershire and
Jasmine visited the Library there in
September, 2010. Library staff can
avail from training courses that the
University offers from time to time
to collaborative partners. MA MIHE
students have full access to the offcampus online databases which can be
accessed from the Learning Centre’s
website.
Training/Workshops
In the new academic year, the Library
plans to have regular ‘drop-in’ sessions
and workshops during the lunch
period and will be offering training
on how to search for journals both in
print and via electronic resources in
For further information about services
and training events in the Library
please email:
[email protected].
ef
Ramadan at the Islamic Foundation
Ramadan at the Islamic Foundation
proved to be rather quiet this year
as the campus was bereft of the
usual gaggle of students attending
the Markfield Institute of Islamic
Education from all over the world.
The students for the new academic
year were not due to arrive until
early October while the students
from the previous year had
departed over the Summer months.
Not to be disheartened however the
Ramadan management team set
about organising a busy schedule
for the staff designed to focus
the mind and refill those half empty
glasses with the spirit and enthusiasm
of Ramadan.
A weekly Qur’an study was organised
and led by some of the more
theologically minded within the ranks
while countless others delivered a daily
reminder after the Dhuhr Prayer in
the Mosque. Sheikh Safi Shahadah
arrived from Syria just in time to lead
the Tarawih Prayer which was very
well attended and appreciated by all
the worshipers, some of whom came
from as far afield as Loughborough
and Leicester. The last ten days were
particularly important in terms
of dedication, contemplation
and prayer while Du’a and Dhikr
followed the Tarawih as a means
of strengthening the resolve and
replenishing the weary hearts for the
year ahead.
We look forward, God Willing, to
enjoying all the rewards promised
in the blessed month which will
carry us through the months ahead
and through to the next blessed
opportunity we look forward to next
Ramadan.
Staff Activities
Dr Ataullah Siddiqui
•• 5 – 7 March 2010 delivered the key
note speech on ‘Witness and co-witness: Mission and dawah in a plural
society’ at the Theologisches Forum
Christentum – Islam conference
organised by Akademie der Diozese
Rotternburg-Stuttgart Germany
•• Was invited to be a member
of an independent review of
Chaplaincy provision in the
University of Bradford. The review
was commissioned by the ViceChancellor of the University and
the Dean of Bradford Cathedral.
After several meetings (between
March and July 2010) it made 14
recommendations to the University.
•• 14 – 16 May 2010 shared a platform
with Dr Olav Fykse Tveit , the
Secretary General of the World
Council of Churches conducting a
dialogue Bible study on the text of
the Gospel according to Matthew
chapter 25 verses 31 – 46 often
referred to as ‘The judgment of the
nations’. The Bible study was part of
the programme of the Kirchentag.
This church convention, celebrated
ecumenically was organized
by Protestant and Catholic lay
movements and attracted about
125,000 participants.
•• 16 – 18 June 2010 invited to
participate ‘From World Mission
to Interreligious Witness Visioning
Ecumenics in the 21st Century’
at Trinity College Dublin. He
presented a paper on ‘Islam and
Public Witness: Issues in dawah
and Religious Pluralism’. He also
participated in a panel discussion
on ‘Dissent, Witness, and Public
Theology’.
•• 13 – 14 July 2010 was invited
to deliver a lecture on ‘Islamic
Studies in Western Universities
– with reference to England’
at Kolon in Germany. The
conference was organised by the
German Council of Science and
Humanities. In the conference a
report ‘Recommendations on the
Advancement of Theologies and
Sciences concerned with Religions
at German Universities’ was also
launched. The Recommendations
also includes teaching of Islam in
Higher Education.
•• 3 August 2010 was invited by the
Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies
to deliver a lecture on ‘Working
with faith to promote community
relations’ to its Young Muslim
Leadership Training programme.
•• 16 – 17 September 2010 was
invited by the Catholic Academy
in Berlin tom to share a platform
with professor Graham Ward of
Manchester University on ‘Religion
in a Secular City’ [keeping in mind
the contribution of Harvey Cox’s
The Secular city]. Siddiqui also spent
half a day with PhD. students in a
colloquium on Christian-Muslim
relations, Religion and secularism
and Muslims living as a minority in
different parts of the world.
Dr Abdullah Sahin
•• May 2010 contributed a paper
entitled Umma and Muslim Sense of
Belonging in Modern Europe at the
International seminar on Different
Perspectives on Good Citizenship
organised by the department of
Theology, University of Utrecht, the
Netherands.
•• May 2010 led a workshop on
“Theology of Mission in Islam;
challenges facing dawa in Britain”
at the Queen’s Foundation,
Birmingham.
•• September 2010 contributed an
article, Islamic Education and
Religious Subjectivity: Reflections
on Religious Nurture among
British Muslim Communities, to
the Biannual Journal of the Oasis
International Foundation (No12
December 2010). The journal is
based in Rome and published in 4
languages.
Fozia Bora
Spoke on 'Historiography in Mamluk
Egypt: the Interplay Between
Normative and Subversive Impulses'.
at the ‘Arabic Pasts: Histories and
Historiography’ conference, jointly
convened by ISMC, Agha Khan
University and SOAS, University of
London on 17 September 2010, and
topic was
Dr Abul Hassan
•• “A new perspective: Islamic
Business Ethics and Islamic Finance
Customer Loyalty”, (2010) Business
Islamica, Vol. 7 (No.7), July.
•• Research paper: “The CSR
Disclosure of Islamic Banks
“(with Sofyan S Harahap) (2010),
International Journal of Islamic
and Middle Eastern Finance and
Management, Vol 3, No. 3, pp. 203227
•• 2010 Abdelhamim Brahimi and
Khurshid Ahmad (Chief Editors).
Encyclopaedia of Islamic Economics,
London: Encyclopaedia of Islamic
Economics, publishers, Muslim
World Book Review, Vol. 30, No.4,
pp.50-56
•• A research paper titled “Capitalism,
Financial Crisis and Islamic
Economics” has been accepted for
presentation at the International
Research Seminar on “Global
Financial Crisis and the Resilience
of Islamic Financial Services” to be
held in Kuala Lumpur on 18-19
January, 2011 jointly organised by
Islamic Development Bank Jeddah
and International Islamic University
Malaysia
Dilwar Hussain
•• Various lectures at Centre of Islamic
Studies, Cambridge University,
Imam Training Course, 7-9 June
2010.
•• Meeting of European Policy
Planners Network, Copenhagen, 2425 June 2010.
•• Workshop for the Leicester
Community Cohesion and
Education Conference, 9 July 2010.
•• Keynote lecture on the Idea of
Community, Muslim Institute
Conference, Cardiff, 23 July 2010.
•• Lectures on Islam at Greenbelt
Festival, 28 August 2010.
•• Presentation on panel, launch of
Pew Report on Muslim Networks
and Movements in Western Europe,
Chatham House, 15 September
2010.
•• Panel discussion on Anatomy of
British Society, Wroxton College,
Oxford, 22 September 2010.
•• Media: BBC Radio 4 (two
interviews) and BBC local radio.
Sughra Ahmed
•• June: Faith X Change: presentation
at University of Leeds on Policy
and Academia using Seen and Not
Heard: Voices of Young British
Muslims as a case study
•• September: Panellist for Religious
Literacy in Leadership for Higher
Education programme (with
Goldsmiths College)
•• (with Dilwar Hussain and Ataullah
Siddiqui) (eds.) British Secularism and
Religion: Islam, Society and the State
(Markfield: Kube Publishing, 2011).
•• Media: BBC Radio Leicester and
Lancashire
•• (with Philip Lewis) ‘The Pattern
of Islamic Reform in Britain: the
Deobandis between intra-Muslim
sectarianism and engagement
with wider society’ in Martin van
Bruinessen and Stefano Allievi (eds.)
Producing Islamic Knowledge:
Transmission and dissemination in
Western Europe (London: Routledge,
2011), pp. 91-120.
•• BBC Radio 2, Good Morning Sunday
Yahya Birt
•• ‘Governing Muslims after 9/11’, in S.
Sayyid and Abdoolkarim Vakil (eds.),
Thinking Through Islamophobia:
Global Perspectives (London and New
York: Hurst and Columbia University
Press, 2010), pp. 117-27.
•• ‘Foreword’ in Abdelwahab El-Affendi
(ed.) About Muhammad, the Other
Western Perspective on the Prophet of
Islam: A Short Anthology of Writings on the Prophet Muhammad
from the 18th Century to the Present
(Richmond, Surrey: Legacy, 2010), pp.
xi-xiii.
•• (with Sophie Gilliat-Ray) ‘A mosque
too far? Islam and the limits of
British multiculturalism’ in Stefano
Allievi (ed.) Mosques in Europe: Why
a solution has become a problem
(London: Alliance Publishing Trust,
2010), pp. 136-52.
Muslim World League
31 July – 2 August 2010
This three-day Conference, held in
Makkah al Mukarramah, was organised
under the patronage of the Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullan
Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud and marked
the 50th Anniversary of the Muslim
World League. Dr Manazir Ahsan
was invited to present a paper on ‘The
Muslim World League: Co-operation with
Muslim Minorities in the West’ to over
500 delegates with over 300 coming from
outside Saudi Arabia.
The Conference was opened by HRH
Prince Naif Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud,
Second Deputy Premier and Minister
of the Interior on behalf of the
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques,
in which he welcomed the guests of the
Muslim World League participating
in the Conference and confirmed the
keenness of the Kingdom for the unity
of the Muslim Ummah and solidarity
of its nations as well as defending
its religion and values
as well as supporting
Muslim causes. During
the welcoming speech, the
efforts of the Muslim World
were applauded and the
significance of the Muslims’
co-operation in helping the
Muslim Ummah restore
its status and dignity were
recognised. The opening
ceremony was attended
by their Eminences,
Excellencies, scholars, distinguished
members of the Councils of the Muslim
World League, heads of Islamic centres,
ministers and ambassadors of Muslim
countries affiliated with the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
Throughout the Conference, careful
consideration was given to the following
subjects - Islamic Dawah & Education,
the Unity of the Muslim Ummah, the
Causes of Muslim People, Muslim
Minorities, Civilisation Dialogue,
Confronting Terrorism, Media & Culture,
Economy & Development, Problems &
Obstacles, the Muslim World League
and the Future. Recommendations
for addressing each of these subjects
were discussed and finalised. Further
information can be found on the
Muslim World League website
www.muslimworldleague.org
Visitors
the foundation and mihe have
had the privilege of welcoming a
number of prominent national and
international visitors during the last
few months:
Usman
Bugage
national
secretary for
the action
congress
Party, nigeria
visited the
foundation
from 25 august 2010 and spent two
weeks at markfield during the month
of ramadan. during this time the
staff at the foundation were fortunate
to listen to his friday khutbah, his
presentations on the Qur’an and the
opportunity to interact with him. we
hope to welcome him back very soon.
Dr Mohamed Abdul Latif
director General (r&d), higher
education commission in Pakistan
visited the markfield institute of
higher education on 13 september
2010. during his visit, dr latif met
the director and the academic
director of mihe and discussed
areas of common interest that could
be explored for future cooperation
with institute. dr latif was impressed
by what has been achieved by the
institute over the years and was keen
to establish a close relationship with
the institute especially n developing
joint postdoctoral research
between the institute and academic
institutions in Pakistan.
sheikh dr
husam alfarfour
head of
academic
affairs and
mr maher
abu dhahab,
from alfatih institute, damascus visited the
foundation on 12 august 2010. alfatih institute has had a long standing
arrangement with the markfield
institute of higher education for a
number of years, and has sent several
batches of their selected graduates to
pursue their masters qualifications at
mihe. during the visit, members of
the delegation held several meetings
with mihe’s management to discuss
the ongoing relationship and to explore
areas of further cooperation for the
future.
Dr Adnan
Al-Wazzan
member of
the shoura
council of the
Kingdom of
saudi arabia,
and former
rector of
umm al-Qura
university and member of mihe’s
advisory Board visited the foundation
on 21 July 2010. dr al-wazzan was in
markfield to attend the meeting of the
advisory Board and was requested to
join the Board of trustees meeting to
benefit from his advice and guidance.
we were fortunate to welcome dr
al-wazzan in markfield in september
2010 when he was on a private visit to
the uK.
Visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the UK
16–19 September 2010
this was the first state visit by a pope to this country and as such
was an historic occasion. the theme of the three-day visit was
the motto of the great english writer and religious thinker John
henry newman: heart speaks unto heart.
on the first day of the visit, 16 september, Pope Benedict was
received by Queen elizabeth ii and Prince Philip at the Palace
of holyroodhouse, edinburgh, the queen’s official scottish
summer residence. as co-chairs of the interfaith network for the uK, dr manazir
ahsan and the rt rev alastair redfern, Bishop of derby, were invited to attend the
reception at holyroodhouse. in most of his speeches throughout the visit, the Pope
emphasised the importance of interfaith dialogue and engagement.
after meeting with Queen elizabeth and other state officials, Pope Benedict delivered
an address recalling “the deep christian roots” of British life at the same time
acknowledging the change in recent decades as “today, the united Kingdom strives
to be a modern and multicultural society”.
You can now follow the activities of the Policy research centre on facebook.
Just search for ‘Policy research centre’ or follow this link
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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, uK
Tel (01530) 244944/5 Fax (01530) 244946 E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
www.islamic-foundation.org.uk
www.islamic-foundation.org.uk

inssue 38.indd - Islamic Foundation

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