'Diversity: The Gift of Islam' Conference by Muslim Institute and Imaan

LONDON: The Gift of Islam conference will take place in London on 10th and 11th May 2014 at the Muslim Institute office.

The aim is to explore the Islamic ethos of respect for diversity, specifically in the context of Muslims in plural societies.

Through plenaries, workshops and informal discussions, it is hoped to live out and extend the Islamic values of critical inquiry, justice, community-building and learning.

The organizers hope that the cross-pollination of ideas and experiences amongst the panellists and participants will inspire everyone to incorporate them in the various aspects of their lives.
 

Source: Muslim Institute

To top

Post your comment here

Pizza Express reveals halal meat used in all chicken dishes 
 

UK: Pizza Express is serving ritually-slaughtered halal chicken in every dish on its menu that uses the meat, it has emerged.

But customers are only told that the chicken they are eating is killed in line with strict Islamic law if they ask staff, as it is not stated on menus.

Under Islamic law, chicken can only be eaten if the bird’s throat has been slit while it is still alive. A Koranic verse is also recited during the ritual.

Some non-Muslims object to halal because they claim the method of slaughter can cause unnecessary suffering.

The firm, which has 434 restaurants across the UK, states on its website: “All our chicken is halal approved but it is important to note that all birds are stunned before being slaughtered.

“Our chicken supplier is accredited by the British Retail Consortium. This means it meets the global standard for food safety and legality.”

Popular meals such as Pollo Ad Astra pizza, Pollo Pesto and the salads Chicken Caesar and Pollo Pancetta are all made with halal chicken.

A spokesman said: “At PizzaExpress the quality and integrity of our ingredients remain our number one priority, and we have always been happy to provide information on our ingredients to our guests.

"It is no secret that all the chicken used in our dishes is halal slaughtered. Our teams in restaurants have and always will provide this information, and in addition it is available on the customer service section of our website.

"We’re committed to high animal welfare standards and as such the birds are stunned before slaughter.

"The quality, safety and integrity of our products is paramount and our chicken supplier is accredited by the British Retail Consortium. This means it meets the global standard for food safety. None of our other meats are halal."

The revelation has provoked anger among campaigners. Stephen Evans, of the National Secular Society, told The Sun: “Unsuspecting members of the public are routinely being duped into buying meat from religious slaughter methods.

“Meat should be properly labelled, enabling consumers to make an informed choice about the food they’re buying.”

The halal meat market in the UK is worth around £2.6billion a year and it is expected to grow dramatically, with Britain’s Muslim population of 2.7 million predicted to double by 2030, according to the Pew Research Centre.

Meat inspector Richard North said chains such as Pizza Express served halal chicken to save money.

He added: “Keeping halal and non-halal meat is expensive and creates the risk of non-halal being fed to Muslims, which shops and restaurants know will cause uproar. Maybe they think non-Muslims are less likely to complain.”

Last week it was revealed that Subway has removed ham and bacon from almost 200 fast food outlets and switched to halal meat alternatives in an attempt to please its Muslim customers.

Turkey “ham” and turkey rashers will be used instead in 185 of its stores, where all the meat will now be prepared according to halal rules.

The chain, which has around 1,500 outlets across the UK, explained its decision by saying it had to balance animal welfare concerns with “the views of religious communities”.

Traditional halal slaughter has animals having their throats slit before bleeding to death.

In Arabic the word halal means “permitted” or “lawful” and covers anything that is allowed or lawful according to the Koran.

It is often used to indicate food – particularly meat – that has been prepared in accordance with Muslim principles and techniques.

In Britain, killing an animal without prior stunning is illegal but the law gives special exemption to Muslim and Jewish meat producers on religious grounds.

In the UK there are thought to be around 12 abattoirs dedicated to unstunned slaughter, while hundreds practise stunned halal slaughter.

The RSPCA said: “We recognise religious practices should be respected but we also believe animals should be slaughtered in the most humane way possible.”

A spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said: "As long as animals are still killed for food, banning the most inhumane slaughter methods – in which animals have their throats cut while they're still conscious – is a step in the right direction.

"No religion needs to slaughter animals for food, so the kindest thing that we can do for all animals is to leave them off our plates by adopting a vegan diet."
 

Source: Telegraph

Is this the best selfie, ever!
 

Source:  ILM Feed

The First Muslim on an SA Ballot Paper

SOUTH AFRICA: Dr Imtiaz Sooliman is renowned for his humanitarian work done through the much-lauded Gift of the Givers, an aid organisation he formed in 1992. But this humanitarian and activist has also dabbled in party politics. On the eve of South Africa’s democratic rule, Sooliman reluctantly found himself at the helm of the African Muslim Party (AMP).

In an interview with Cii Radio, Sooliman looked back to that tentative, sometimes turbulent, but euphoric period that saw the African National Congress (ANC) taking over as the ruling party, thus ending decades of apartheid rule under the National Party (NP). For his part, Sooliman headed the AMP, a party founded just two months before the first democratic polls. But, he admits, he was neither keen nor prepared for this role.

“I wasn’t even here when the party was formed… I was out of the country. When I came back they told me ‘you’re the leader’. I told them ‘I’m the wrong guy. I’m not a political activist. I don’t have any experience of the past. I don’t come from a struggle background’. Yes, we all lived in Group Areas… and we all had the same plight (as everyone else),” said Sooliman, noting that the top job should have gone to one of the many people who were more experienced and knowledgeable. His pleas fell on deaf ears. AMP founders had made their choice: Sooliman.

“People who selected (office bearers) insisted that I had to be the leader. I was very unhappy about that. Anyway, we did as best as we could. I was totally inexperienced, didn’t know how to debate at that time, how to discuss, how to fight (politically),” he said. Nevertheless, “fun” and “enjoyable” are some of the words he uses as he relives that learning curve or build-up to the watershed April 27 polls and AMP’s electoral campaign. “We went to different towns. People attacked you. They shot you down. They booed you. You said wrong things. On DVD it sometimes looks stupid, but it’s all a learning process,” Sooliman told Cii listeners.

On the downside, Sooliman recalls the Shell House massacre and assassination of Chris Hani, one of South Africa’s most-loved sons and SA Communist Party chief and Umkhonto we Sizwe’s chief of staff. Hani was slain in 1993, months after the Boipatong massacre where the police slaughtered 50 innocent people. At Shell House, ANC guards killed 19 members of the Inkatha Freedom Party just a month before the elections. Many more lives were lost during the entire transition period that was punctuated with massacres especially in townships where the “third force” was cited as a big factor. As for the oppression and hardships endured by black people in the past, Sooliman told Cii listeners that there was no justice on that front. “People lost out, to be honest… the victim has a right to decide what type of justice they want.”
 

“We all knew that if something was not done, the country could have gone up in flames like it’s happened in so many countries around the world,” the founder and chief executive officer of the Gift of the Givers said of the 1989-1994 transition phase. He also hailed the ANC, the NP and others for ensuring a political settlement and that violence that stalked South Africa didn’t degenerate into a full-scale civil war.

Despite the tragedies that preceded the polls, Sooliman is grateful. “The maturity of the leaders prevented (these tragedies) from going out of control… Remember, people were stockpiling food. People were told: ‘stockpile food stuff, we don’t know what’s going to happen’. There were some rumour mongers creating fear among the people – that was the bad thing. The wisdom and insight of the leadership of the different parties showed there was nothing to fear. That was the most peaceful day in the history of this country. The long lines of people waiting for hours from early in the morning, snaking for kilometers along, and people sitting with such humility and calmness – in the beautiful weather on that day – showed what we could achieve. And of course, you do the right thing at the right time. At the time it was about reconciliation, the sunset clause in Codesa… step by step, slowly, they got to BEE.”

As South Africa marks 20 years of freedom and readying for May 7polls, Sooliman urges his compatriots to vote. “The worst thing to do is to say you’re not going to vote. You can only change your own situation by voting – and that’s the law of any country. If you’re not happy with what’s happening – change the system, put somebody else.” said the former AMP leader. “You have a democratic country – you now have a right to choose what you want or who you want and the only way you’re going to do it is not by sitting at home and crying about it but by being active and going forward,” observed this humanitarian and former politician.
  

Source: CII Broadcasting

The First Mosque to Be Designed by Women

ISTANBUL: The Şakirin Mosque is thought to be the first Mosque in Turkey to be designed by women. The Mosque, which is situated in Istanbul, combines a contemporary and modern design whilst paying homage to traditional Ottoman design.

The 500 capacity Mosque was designed by interior designer Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu who is famous for designing shops, restaurants and luxury hotels along with other female artists receiving worldwide acclaim.

Source: LLM Feed

'People grab our veils, call us terrorists and want us dead': What it's really like to be a Muslim woman in Britain

Islamophobic attacks have been on the rise ever since 9/11, but it is mostly women being attacked, a recent report suggests. Ava Vidal shares stories from British Muslim women who face everyday awful abuse

UK: “It is something I have got used to since 9/11. From being called Osama Bin Laden to Paki-terrorist I have heard it all,” Zab Mustefa, a British Muslim journalist, who specialises in women's rights and culture, tells me.

Since the terrorist attacks on New York City that brought down the twin towers, it seems life has not been the same for Muslims that live in the western world. Suddenly there was a spotlight shone on Islam when most non-Muslims had barely given it a second thought before.

“Either you’re with us. Or you’re with the terrorists,”announced the then president of the USA George W Bush in a sombre tone at a press conference following the attacks.

And many people decided that all Muslims were against 'us'. Everything was under scrutiny. Their style of dress, their beliefs, their way of life. People that had never even read the Qu’ran believed they had more knowledge than Islamic scholars.

“Look at the way they treat their women!” is a statement that I often hear. “Forcing them to cover up. Not allowing them to go out alone and controlling everything that they do.”

“What about Saudi Arabia? They don’t even let women drive!”

But it's a false perception.

I am not denying that there are countries where the predominant religion is Islam where women are treated badly. But patriarchy is the problem, not Islam. In Islam, the rights of women were recognised much earlier than they were in the West.

In any case, we in the UK don’t come up smelling of roses when we examine the inequality between the sexes either. A UN human rights inspector recently declared the sexism in the UK to be more ‘pervasive’ and ‘in your face’than any country she has ever visited and that included some Muslim countries.

What I find totally abhorrent is the fact that since concern for Muslim women is so often cited, how come they are the targets of so much abuse in today’s society?
 

The Telegraph

Prime Minister applauds 'so inspiring' Muslim Scout leader

UK: A Muslim Scout leader who has brought together hundreds of young people from different faiths and backgrounds has won an award from the Prime Minister.
Amir Cheema has spent the past 11 years dedicating his spare time to encouraging Muslim boys and girls, as well as young people from other backgrounds, to join the Scout Association. Yesterday the Muslim Scout Fellowship, part of the wider movement, announced a 13.5 per cent increase in its members and a rise of 85 per cent in the past five years.

David Cameron has given Mr Cheema, an engineer and father from Bristol, the Points of Light award for his outstanding commitment to volunteering and transforming people's lives. Points of Light is an idea borrowed from the United States. It was set up by George Bush Snr and continued by his successors in the White House, to recognise people who make a difference to their community and inspire others.

Mr Cheema has been praised for improving community cohesion by bringing young people from different backgrounds and faiths together as leader of a group in Brunel Scout District. He volunteered after seeing his son flourish as a Beaver Scout. Mr Cheema travels across the UK to set up Scout groups, particularly among young people who would not automatically think of joining the movement.

Mr Cheema said: "It's a massive privilege to accept this award on behalf of the fantastic volunteers from the Muslim Scout Fellowship and my Brunel Scout District, who work tirelessly to help young people experience the adventure of a lifetime. I look forward to continued contributions and to hearing from all members of the community, including people who have not yet experienced Scouting – please do come forward and help transform lives.

"I am grateful to Allah for giving me the energy and opportunity to help young people. Helping young people grow and develop through adventurous fun and purposeful activity is the best way to develop a peaceful and productive society."

Mr Cameron, who has faced criticism for not being vocal enough about the "big society", said: "I'm delighted to recognise Amir as a Point of Light. What he is doing is so inspiring. By pioneering the growth of Scouting in Muslim communities he is making this great tradition something that can be shared by everyone. Scouting has made an extraordinary contribution to our country for over a century. It's fantastic that this movement is still growing and that Amir's work is at the heart of a wider ambition to unite our communities in the service of others."

The Scouting movement has grown by 100,000 members in the past 10 years. In Mr Cheema's own district, membership is up 3.5 per cent. Of the 500,000 Scouts in the UK, 2,000 are Muslim. Out of 40 million scouts worldwide, 10 million are Muslim.

Anyone can nominate a person for a Points of Light award by writing to the Prime Minister.

Source: The Independent

I'm the first London Mayor of 'Muslim extraction', Boris Johnson boasts as he pleads for Arab investment in the capital

UK: Addressing the Ninth World Islamic Economic Forum, Mr Johnson urged wealthy figures from across the Arab world to invest in London.

He told them: ‘Let’s build up trade, co-operation and partnership and let us do it in a city that has risen since the days of Offa to become the greatest on Earth.

‘With more American banks than NY, more museums than Paris, less rainfall than Rome and the greatest centre for Islamic finance in the world.’
 

‘I am very proud to be here this morning because I am sure that I am the first Mayor of London of partly Muslim extraction, and indeed the descendant of a Muslim entrepreneur by the name of Ahmed Hamdi.

‘My father’s father’s father’s father - a pious man of Anatolia who made the Haj and who more or less cornered the beeswax market in Istanbul, which was a very good idea because you needed beeswax candles to light the mosques.

‘So he was in the same commercially agreeable position as the big six energy companies in Britain today, though his prices were obviously more reasonable.

‘He flourished mightily minding his own beeswax, as we say in England.’
 

However, he said Mr Hamdi was ‘overwhelmed by a technological disaster’ when American Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb.

His son abandoned beeswax and become a controversial politician and journalist and was eventually assassinated, Mr Johnson said.

His great-grandfather ‘grew up knowing the Koran off by heart and he would have been stunned to find that his descendant had gone on to become Mayor of this city, and even more amazed to find that the world had so progressed that today we are welcoming the world’s first Islamic Economic Forum to take place outside the Muslim world’.

Mr Johnson announced a £100million fund to encourage tech start-ups from the Muslim world to move to Britain.

It comes after David Cameron unveiled a £200million new Islamic bond - known as a ‘sukuk’ - which complies with Islamic rules on investments and said the London Stock Exchange will launch a new Islamic index alongside the FTSE.
 

Mr Johnson said London was being transformed by new transport investments and developments that 'turn out not just to be financed by Muslim investors but whose funding methods often turn out to be sharia compliant'.

They include the Emirates Air Line cable car across the Thames, development of Battersea and the Shard 'the only building in the world that looks as though it is actually emerging through the skin of the earth like the tip of a gigantic cocktail stick emerging through the skin of an intergalactic pickled onion'.

Mr Johnson went on: 'You may ask yourself why are investors picking London: I will tell you – we have the right time zone, language, we have the rule of law, we have a glorious free press.

'But above all we are open to talent and to trade with people from different cultures and backgrounds

'You can see it in the shisha bars and the fantastic Shubbak festivals and to all those who say we should be less open and less welcoming, I would point out that this has long been the secret of London’s success.'
 

Source: Daily Mail