BUILDING THE SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY

Published by Islamic Circles on 8 August, 2005 - 08:13

Assalámu `alaykum wa rahmatulláhi wa barakátuhu .

I pray that you are under the shade of Allah's mercy, in the circle
of his generosity and in the remembrance of his habib (saw)insha'Allah,

We would like to invite you to the following:

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Islamic Circles Presents:

BUILDING THE SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF OUR COMMUNITY

with

Imam Siraj Wahaj,Shaykh Abdullah Hakim Quick,

Ustadh Shabir Ally & Dr Jamal Badawi

Date: Wednesday 10th August 2005
Time: 5.00 pm - 9.00 pm
Venue: The Froud Community Centre, 1 Toronto Avenue,
on the corner with Romford Road, Manor Park, London E12 5JF

a) Background

With nearly 1 million Muslims in the Greater London area from every
corner of the world, and with up to 60% of them being below the age
of 40, London, and the UK in general, has enormous potential to
serve as a beacon for constructive Islamic development and progress
on a variety of levels over the next 10-15 years. Which other capital
city in the West has such a high proportion of Muslims? It is something
unique and yet another of the blessings of Allah (swt) for which we
are ungrateful.

In "Londonistan" alone there are hundreds of mosques, some of which
are purpose built Islamic centres. Signs of Islamic activity and
practice are evident across the capital; and there are many Muslims
working in fields ranging from finance, IT and media to medicine,
engineering and social science. Numerous well-established Muslim
businesses, information networks and finance personalities operate
from London as their base, making it one of the world's most important
centres for Islamic Finance, dawah and influence.

However, in spite of such factors to London's advantage, the Muslim
community has been unable to deal with many of the social ills that
have steadily crept into our society and have largely neglected the
root causes of these problems in favour of somewhat academic lecture
based discussions. The lack of viable alternatives for our community,
despite the beautiful marble floored mosques and elaborate community
centres, has left huge social problems such as domestic violence,
psychological instability, youth crime and disaffection, and rising
divorce rates, seriously unaddressed.

Unfortunately, mainstream Muslim organisations are not addressing
these issues in a practical manner, and those groups that are, are
usually struggling in terms of finance, reliable manpower and lack of
publicity and awareness about their work. Many of these initiatives
have subsequently collapsed, leaving people to resort to "secular"
institutions, which may be commended for their professionalism and
ability to secure funding but are too often insensitive or unaware
of the religious and cultural values of Muslims.

b) Introduction

This event with world-renown scholars will highlight the importance
of supporting social institutions on a grassroots level by raising
awareness of our responsibility towards such issues and inspiring
people to use their skills, time and experience constructively for
the service of the community. In order for our respected guests to
address these problems and make this seminar more practical, a number
of innovative grassroots organisations have been invited to briefly
highlight their work and requirements. These initiatives have been
engaging in tremendous work for several years but have not had the
platform to highlight the tangible benefits of their efforts. Rather
than recreating the wheel, the objective would be to assist these
organisations, not just financially, but also by focussing on the
fundamental Islamic values that they seek to promoter. Attendees
would have the opportunity to sign up as volunteers for various
projects.

c) Invited Organisations

1. Muslim Youth Helpline and Network - A 24-hour telephone helpline
for Muslim youth facing a variety of problems, including drugs,
gang violence, bullying and isolation.
* and

2. Muslim Women's Helpline - A free service for sisters facing
domestic violence, social exclusion and marital problems.
*

3. Muslim Mediation Service - A free conflict resolution service
offering help and mediation between disputing neighbours, family
members and couples facing marital crises, as well as helping to
resolve mosque committee disputes.
*

4. Foster Care Link - An network that facilitates and encourages
Muslims to get involved in caring for vulnerable children through
fostering and adoption.
*

5. Sakinah Counselling Service - Provides a holistic approach to
counselling. Offers help with emotional, physical and sexual abuse
whilst giving individuals a chance to work through their problems
and difficulties and facilitating their Islamic spiritual needs.
*

6. Islamic Foundation for Ecological and Environmental Sciences -
Perhaps the only Muslim Environmental NGO in the world that raises
awareness of environmental issues and their link to core Islamic
beliefs, as well as implementing hands-on programmes in the UK
and abroad.
*

d) Event Details

Mantras and slogans such as "Islam can solve all our problems" and
"Islam has the most comprehensive social system" have too often
failed to materialise and many Muslims and non-Muslims cannot see
how Islam provides viable solutions to the social ills within our
community. One of the key reasons for this is not due to lack of
knowledge, as there are plenty of us today who might know more
ahadith by heart than even some of the Sahabah (ra). Rather, it
is the failure of "practicing Muslims" to become proficient and
experienced in social sciences and to set up appropriate
institutions with good planning and resources so as to implement
these solutions in practice.

Instead of preaching to the converted and hyping up the Ummah,
the purpose is to channel these energies into a productive and
action-orientated event. The speakers themselves have always
wanted to address such issues in a practical way but have rarely
been given the opportunity to do so for various reasons.
The speakers will focus on the following main areas:

* The importance of social institutions in the community and
the need for more counsellors, psychotherapists and campaigners,
particularly amongst Muslim men, who have sadly become docile
and apathetic in recent years.

* The necessity of financing these projects from 'our own pockets'
instead of depending on handouts, and the parallel need for
volunteers to spend their time for such initiatives. The
benefits of volunteering as opposed to armchair philosophy will
be expounded upon here.

* Case studies from their own experiences where such projects
have succeeded in uplifting the community.

Following the lectures a representative from each organisation
will briefly present their work and operational requirements.
This would be followed by a general fundraising session. We have
set a target of £25,000 for the evening. The total money that is
raised would be split equally between the different organisations.
Attendees would then be able to visit the stalls and it is hoped
that some of them will get involved, insha'Allah.

Islamic Relief will also provide an update on the famine crisis
in Niger. This is an excellent opportunity for Muslims of all
backgrounds to get involved in community development work. All
people are welcome to attend.

We hope that the model of this event will be adopted by other
organisations across the country so that we can truly begin
the process of addressing the vital issues rather than merely
talking about them.

*Just turn up on time and on the door
*ALL WELCOME including sisters and children
*Refreshments available

HOW TO GET THERE:

Buses: 25, 147, 86
Nearest Tube: East Ham (District Line)
Nearest Rail: Manor Park (From Liverpool St)


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DIRECTIONS:

Road: From the A406 (North Circular), turn off at Ilford and go towards
Central London along the A118(Romford Road). The Froud Centre is
located on the 4th intersection on the right.

Rail: Come out of Manor Park station onto Station Road. Cross over,
turn right and walk to the main traffic lights. Turn left at this
junction onto Romford Road. Walk 300 metres up the road. The Froud
Centre is located on the 5th intersection on the left.

Tube: Come out of East Ham station, cross over to the opposite side
and catch the 147 bus. Ask the driver to drop you off on Romford
Road near the petrol station. When you exit the bus turn left and
walk 100 metres up the road. The Froud Centre will be on your right.

For more details contact:
Tel: 07092 032 136 / 07092 032 763
E-mail:

Wassalaam 'alaikum wa rahmatullaah.

Admin - Islamic Circles

- Islamic Circles is a community-based initiative that has been running
at the Froud Centre since January 2001. We hold Islamic lectures and
Arabic classes on a weekly basis, and also organise with a wide range
of regular events and activities, including short courses, seminars,
workshops on issues relevant to the Muslim community, social gatherings
like Eid parties, matrimonial services and events and much more.