Al-Mahdi Institute Blog

SHORT STORY COMPETITION

2010-03-23T12:40:00.002Z

The Muslim Youth Helpline in association with The Muslim Writers Awards presents:
SHORT STORY COMPETITION 2010

‘Reinvent Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” from the perspective of a young British Muslim.’*
FIRST PRIZE: £400
Sponsored by roast

Runner-up prize: £100
Sponsored by the Creative Muslim Network

Maximum 3,000 words
Two age categories: 14-19; 20-25
Final deadline: March 31, 2010

To enter, email your story to competitions@muslimyouth.net.
You will receive a confirmation email

* You don’t have to stick to the original story – just be inspired by it!
For more details, email: musab.younis@myh.org.uk
For full terms and conditions, see: http://www.muslimyouth.net/competitions

Imam Ali Seminar and Workshop Series 2010

2010-02-08T14:39:00.004Z

Imam Ali Seminar and Workshop Series 2009-2010

Imām Alī ibn Abī Tālib ('a.s):

'O Mālik! The people are either brothers in religion or your equal in creation'.

(Nahj al-Balāgha Letter no. 53)

Tuesday 16th February 2010
Seminar 6
Time: 09:30am- 01:30pm
Oliver McTernan
Director and Co-Founder- Forward thinking

Tuesday 20th March 2010
Workshop 7
Time: 09:00am-01:30pm
Dr. Sajjad H. Rizvi
Director, Centre of Islamic Philosophy

Tuesday 20th April 2010
Seminar 8
Time: 11:00am-12:15pm
The Revd Dr Toby Howarth
Inter Faith Adviser to the Bishop of Birmingham

Tuesday 11th May 2010
Seminar 9
Time: 11:00am-12:15pm
Professor Charles Burnett-Warburg Institute-University of London

Seminars and Workshops will be held in

Al Zahra' Library

Main Room

For more details please contact
Al-Mahdi Institute 532, Moseley Road, Birmingham B12 9AE
Tel: 0121 446 5047

All are welcome to attend http://www.almahdi.edu/

SWISS ANTAGONIST OF MINARETS EMBRACES ISLAM

2010-02-08T14:10:00.003Z

RENOWNED Swiss politician Daniel Streich, who rose to fame for his campaign against minarets of mosques, has embraced Islam. A member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) and a well-known politician, Daniel Streich was the first man who had launched a drive for imposition of ban on mosques minarets, and to lock the mosques in Switzerland. The proclamation of Streich’s conversion to Islam has created furore in Swiss politics, besides causing a tremor for those who supported ban on construction of mosques minarets. Streich propagated his anti-Islamic movement far and wide in the country, sowed seeds of indignation and scorn for Islam among the people, and paved way for public opinion against pulpits and minarets of mosques. But now Streich has become a soldier of Islam. His anti-Islam thoughts finally brought him so close to this religion that he embraced Islam. He is ashamed of his doings now and desires to construct the most beautiful mosque of Europe in Switzerland. The most interesting thing in this regard is that at present there are four mosques in Switzerland and Streich wants to lay the foundation for the fifth one. He wishes to seek absolution of his sin of proliferating venom against Islam. He is thinking of a movement contrary to his previous one to promote religious tolerance and peaceful cooperative living, in spite of the fact that ban on mosques minarets has gained a legal status. This is the greatest quality of Islam that it comes up with even greater vigour, when it is faced with confrontation. Abdul Majeed Aldai, the president of OPI, an NGO, working for the welfare of Muslims, says that Europeans have a great desire to know about Islam. Some of them want to know about the relationship between Islam and terrorism; same was the case with Streich. During his confrontation, Streich studied the Holy Quran and started understanding Islam. He wished to be hard to Islam, but the outcome was otherwise. Aldai further says. Recently the question of ban on minarets was put to voting in Switzerland, wherein the Swiss nationals gave the issue a legal status.

As per voting results 42.5 per cent people voted in favour of the minarets and 57.5 per cent supported the ban, while the Muslim population in Switzerland is only 6 per cent. The most wondrous thing in this regard, therefore, is the support of 42.5 per cent of population for only six per cent Muslims. The analysts claim that ban on minarets and Islamic rituals has attracted the people towards Islam. Streich was an important member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). His importance could be estimated from his influence on party’s policy making, in which he always had a prominent role. His movement against minarets was aimed at gaining political attention and interest. He won the slot of military instructor in the Swiss Army due to his popularity. Born in a Christian family, Streich had a comprehensive study of Islam merely to malign and confront, but Islamic teachings had a deep impact on him. Eventually he de-linked himself from political activities and he embraced Islam. Streich has termed the SVO activities against the Muslims as satanic. He says that he used to read the Bible and often went to chapel, but now he recites the Holy Quran and offers his prayers five times a day. He further says that he cancelled his party membership and made public his conversion. Streich says that he has found the truth of life in Islam, which he could not find in Christianity. On the other hand the Swiss military authorities have feared that Streich, who was once a military instructor, might reveal army secrets to the Muslims. An SVP National Council member says that Streich as military instructor could be dangerous. However, a spokesman of Swiss Army while rejecting this impression said that the performance of our military was more important than that who instructed it. However, from within their own ranks, a man is now working for the promotion of Islam and its teachings.

The law of a country can ban minarets but not minds and hearts.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/International/30-Jan-2010/Swiss-antagonist-of-minarets-embraces-Islam/

SINGLES MUSLIM MARRIAGE EVENT

2010-02-08T14:02:00.000Z

SINGLES MUSLIM MARRIAGE EVENT

Date: Sunday 28th February 2010
Time: 12pm - 6pm
Venue: Gables Hotel, Old Damson Lane, Solihull,Birmingham B92 9ED
To book or for more information please contact:
Tel: 077 373 093 49Email: info@stareventsteam.co.uk
Web: www.stareventsteam.co.uk

WEEKLY CONSERVATION & OUTDOOR EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES (Birmingham)

2010-02-08T13:57:00.000Z

WEEKLY CONSERVATION & OUTDOOR EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES (Birmingham)

Every Sunday, 11.00 am - 12.30 pm, there will be litter clearing in natural open spaces, along with opportunities to learn moreabout wildlife history and take part in heritage walks.

Every Saturday, 9.00 am - 11.00 am, there will be horticultureand gardening activities.
Includes learning through practise about the growing of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. Involves knowledge of land replenishment, pest control, plant and seed planting and propogation times, harvesting, storageand cooking / salads, medicinal and economic uses.

Every Saturday, 10.00 am - 3.00 pm - Meadow, Woodland, Heathlandand Marshland habitat conservation and management. This involves shrub, watercourse and woodland management.

For more details about these and other activities contact:
E-mail: shukoorr@yahoo.com Tel: 07980 857 639

HAITI EARTHQUAKE APPEAL

2010-02-08T13:53:00.002Z

HAITI EARTHQUAKE APPEAL

A devastating earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scalestruck Haiti on 12 January 2010, killing thousands andaffecting up to three million people.

Children are the most vulnerableChildren and women are the most vulnerable in this kind of crisis.It’s a hugely traumatic experience for any child to go through,and we have to make sure we get help and protection to them fast.
Chariots For Children collaborate with Muslim Hands of Nottingham,UK, where they already sent their teams and start working at the ground.

What your money could buy:
£15 can provide hygiene kits for two families
£20 — 3 tarpaulins or plastic sheets to provide basic shelter to protect families
£40 — 24 buckets to help families carry clean water
£42 can provide temporary shelter for a family
£80 can provide meals for twenty families

To donate online goto www.chariots4children.org

Unity

2009-06-15T16:11:00.009+01:00

O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female,

and made you into nations and tribes that you may know one another.

Verily, the most honorable of you with Allah is the one who has piety. -Q. 49:13

_______________

If a person thinks well of you,make his idea hold true. -Ali b. Abi Talib

Verily, the procession of people's needs towards you is from among the blessings of Allah (swt) upon you. Therefore,grieve ye not because of these blessings. -Husayn b. Ali b. Abi Talib

Al-Mahdi Institute - Imam Ali Seminar and Workshop Series 2009-2010

2009-05-31T12:58:00.002+01:00

Al-Mahdi Institute
Imam Ali Seminar and Workshop Series 2009-2010
Imām Alī ibn Abī Tālib ('a.s): 'O Mālik! The people are either brothers in religion or your equal in creation'. (Nahj al-Balāgha Letter no. 53)

Tuesday 15th September 2009
Seminar 1
Time: 11:00am-12:15pm
Dr Mohamed Jindani
Ismaili Institute

Tuesday 20th October 2009
Seminar 2
Time: 11:00am-12:15pm
Dr Edward Kessler
Director, the Woolf Institute of Abrahamic Faiths,
Executive Director, CJCR and CMJR

Tuesday 17th November 2009
Seminar 3
Time: 11:00am-12:15pm
Dr Matthijs van den Bos
Lecturer in International Studies
Birkbeck, University of London

Tuesday 22nd December 2009
Workshop 4
Time: 09:00am-01:30pm
Dr Fazlun Khalid
Founder Director
Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences

Tuesday 23rd January 2010
Seminar 5
Time: 11:00am-12:15pm
Dr Colin Turner
Reader In Islamic Studies
University of Durham

Tuesday 16th February 2010
Seminar 6
Time: 09:00am- 01:30pm
Oliver McTernan
Director and Co-Founder
Forward thinking

Tuesday 20th March 2010
Workshop 7
Time: 09:00am-01:30pm
Dr. Sajjad H. Rizvi
Director, Centre of Islamic Philosophy

Tuesday 20th April 2010
Seminar 8
Time: 11:00am-12:15pm
The Revd Dr Toby Howarth
Inter Faith Adviser to the Bishop of Birmingham

Tuesday 11th May 2010
Seminar 9
Time: 11:00am-12:15pm
Professor Charles Burnett
Warburg Institute
University of London

Seminars and Workshops will be held in Al Zahra' Library, Main Room
For more details please contact Academic Registrar: hirjia@almahdi.edu
Al-Mahdi Institute 532, Moseley Road, Birmingham B12 9AE
Tel: 0121 446 5047 All are welcome to attend www.almahdi.edu

Jews and Muslims will be able to reject invasive post mortems

2009-05-19T11:58:00.004+01:00

From Times Online
April 21, 2009

Jews and Muslims will be able to reject invasive post mortems
Richard Ford, Home Correspondent

Jewish and Muslim families will be able to prevent pathologists from cutting open the bodies of their loved ones for inquest post mortems, the Government announced today.
Coroners will consider faith issues when deciding how to determine the cause of a death and, where possible, will use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning rather than an invasive autopsy.

Muslim and Jewish communities object to invasive post mortems because they conflict with religious beliefs about the sanctity of the body. The announcement by the Ministry of Justice is part of the biggest overhaul of the death certification and coroners system for more than one hundred years.

Bridget Prentice, a junior justice minister, said: “The loss of a loved one is extremely difficult for any family to deal with. For some individuals and members of faith groups, the thought of an invasive post mortem can compound the grief and distress, particularly when the procedure is against the tenets of the individual’s faith.”

A trial scheme is already being conducted by Coroner Jennifer Leeming in Salford and Bolton.
Mrs Leeming has been piloting a system where pathologists can use a hospital scanner to determine the cause of death instead of the conventional post mortem.
The MRI scans have been operated out-of-hours by radiographers at North Manchester General Hospital and Rochdale Infirmary with the results sent back to the coroner on a computer disc. The 3D scans, like those used on pregnant women, cost £500, with subsequent scans costing £350 each. Families who opt for them are asked to foot the bill.
Mrs Leeming said the results are “more than 99 per cent” accurate. The area has a large Jewish and Muslim community, but the scan is available to people of all faiths.

However, the Ministry made clear that because an MRI scan may not be the appropriate means to determining a cause of death in every case, the coroner will be required to make the decision on a case by case basis. The reforms to the death certification and coroner system follow a recommendations made by an inquiry chaired by Dame Janet Smith in to the circumstances surrounding the UK’s worst serial killer Dr Harold Shipman.
Shipman, who died in prison, is believed to have murder 215 elderly patients.

The existing coroner system was created in 1887 and despite reviews in 1966 and 1971, little action was taken to modernise it until Dame Janet reported five years ago.
There are about 500,000 deaths a year. In 2007 234,000 deaths were referred to a coroner, of which 100,360 required post mortem examinations - a fall of 20,000 in three years.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article6140789.ece

Muslims more patriotic than Brits

2009-05-19T11:50:00.005+01:00

Muslims more patriotic than Brits

Thursday, 07, May 2009 04:25
By Ian Dunt

Britain's Muslim population identify with Britain more than the general population, a surprise new poll has found.
A Gallup survey found 77 per cent of Muslims said they "identified with the UK", compared to just 50 per cent of the public at large.
Seventy-five per cent of the Muslims questioned also said they identify with their religion.

"This research shows that many of the assumptions about Muslims and integration couldn't be more wide of the mark," said Dalia Mogahed, executive director of the Gallup Centre for Muslim Studies. "British Muslims want to be part of the wider community and contribute to society however in many cases it is a harsh economic reality that holds them back and stops them from realising their full potential."

The survey, conducted with the interfaith Coexist Foundation, found far greater trust in institutions among Britain's Islamic community than for the population at large.
Belief in the courts, honest elections, financial institutions and the media were far higher in the Muslim groups, although for obvious reasons confidence in the military was lower.
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain said: "I hope the findings of this poll will bring about a qualitative contribution to the discussion on British Muslims.

"For too long, we have been subject to cynical opinion masquerading as fact. British Muslims are very much part of this nation's cultural, social and economic fabric. But naysayers will want to tell you otherwise, and will wish to drive a wedge between fellow Britons."
Eighty-two per cent of Muslims said they were loyal to the UK, although this is not felt by the general public, only 36 per cent of whom agreed.

Similarly, 88 per cent of Muslims did not think removing the veil was necessary for integration, but only 47 per cent of the general public agreed with them.
The survey also contained evidence of increased hardship among the Muslim community, with only seven per cent describing themselves as thriving, compared to 56 per cent of the general population.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "This report's findings are good news for the long-term integration of British Muslims.
"However, there are real challenges in the economic marginalisation of communities where Muslims are much less likely to be in work."
Gallup conducted face-face interviews with over 500 Muslims in 18 areas where they constitute 5 per cent of the population. It then compared the results with 1,000 interviews with the general population conducted over the phone.

http://www.politics.co.uk/news/equality/muslims-more-patriotic-than-brits-$1293822.htm