The Muslim Council of Britain wishes and Eid Mubarak to all of the Muslim communities across the UK and beyond.
I pray to Allah to keep you and your loved ones safe, particularly during these testing times. May you all enjoy and celebrate the day with loved ones, and may it be filled with peace and blessings.
While lockdown restrictions are easing, COVID-19 is still active and requires our communities to act diligently in order to protect ourselves and wider society.
This year of course is unlike any other, including restrictions on Hajj being in place and therefore presenting a challenging time for Muslims all over the world. However, Muslim communities are still able to make the most of Eid al-Adha.
The Muslim Council of Britain has worked with the British Islamic Medical Association to produce advice on how best Muslims can celebrate Eid al-Adha safely and in accordance with public health guidance in England.
It's been a busy month in the media with MCB engaging with dozens of media outlets to get the voice of MCB members heard in the mainstream media. Highlights include:
Bob Blackman MP engaging with Islamophobes Katie Hopkins and David Vance
The Independent: Muslim Council of Britain demands Boris Johnson take action against Conservative MP who took part in Katie Hopkins panel. A spokesperson for the MCB said: “However, Blackman also has a history: he previously retweeted posts by the former leader of the EDL, Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, shared Islamophobic stories on Facebook and was part of closed Facebook groups which have been found to be full of Islamophobic and racist content".
Remembering Srebrenica
The Muslim Vibe: Deputy Secretary General Hassan Joudi on Srebrenica, Hajj, and the Dangers of Othering "Othering has ironically increased as globalisation has caused the diversity of societies to surge in many parts of the world. Yet despite our physical proximity, those with divisive agendas or ignorant attitudes choose to reinforce what makes us different through labels including race, language, and religion that distract us from working together to tackle the real problems facing our society."
Assistant Secretary General Zara Mohammedappearing on East London Mosque and Bosnia Heritage Foundation's Virtual Srebrenica Memorial
Government's Commission to Tackle Racial Inequality
Newsweek: Harun Khan said that it was vital that the commission is "more than just a knee-jerk PR reaction" and got to the bottom of the causes of prejudice. "Islamophobia is commonplace in every walk of life, with the EHRC having reported 70 percent of Muslims experiencing religion-based prejudice".
BBC: A spokesperson for the MCB said, "The composition of the government's commission on race disparities sends a strong signal about its intentions. Many are partisans of a culture war keen on downplaying race disparities. The composition of this commission tells us that the government intends to row back on previous work to tackle racial disparities."
Uighur Muslims: MCB Calls for Strong Action Against Chinese Government
Religion Media Centre and The Sun: Harun Khan said, “The MCB has consistently been calling on the UK government and politicians to take action against the Chinese government over the ethnic cleansing of Uyghur Muslims. The situation in East Turkestan is deeply harrowing, from the forced sterilisation of women to the detention without trial in concentration camps of over a million people. Human rights must be at the forefront of our foreign policy.”
Politics Joe: Zainab Gulamali appearing on Politics Joe said, "The UK government has to discuss this with the Chinese government, the Chinese ambassador on TV denied it was taking place ... they have to be able to exert their diplomatic power, they have to be able to use the power that they have to impose sanctions on China".
Faith Communities and COVID-19
The Sunday Times published a letter to the editor from MCB's Hassan Joudi
Link FM: Maswood Ahmed speaking about guidelines MCB issued about re-opening of osques and Islamic schools & madrasas in lockdown and the need for act diligently in order to protect ourselves and wider society.
Link FM: Maswood Ahmed Assistant Secretary General, discussing guidance for Eid prayers and celebrations
Centre for Media Monitoring
Inspire FM: CfMM Director Rizwana Hamid appeared on Inspire FM to discuss CfMM's work and recent successes
Speaking up for British Muslims
Can you help us provide a strong voice for British Muslims? Become a Friend of the MCB today with a £10/month donation and make sure a strong community-rooted voice for British Muslim communities can continue.
Mosque & Madrasa Re-Opening Guidance
To support UK mosques with re-opening safely in line with public health regulations, MCB has issued a9-step guidance pack. The guide was produced after feedback webinars with over 30 regional and national Muslim associations and Councils of Mosques during early June as well as an earlier online consultation in May which received over 350 responses.
While the UK Government is yet to publish its own guidance, the Lancashire Council of Mosques has created a concise 12-step guide to help prepare to re-open madrasas, when the UK Government deems it is safe to do so.
Uighur Muslims: MCB Calls on Foreign Secretary to Take Action
The MCB has called on the Foreign Secretary to follow up his strong stance condemning the ethnic cleansing of Uighur Muslims “with equally strong actions”.
The MCB has also written to the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of Muslim-majority countries which have supported China despite these atrocities, calling on them to raise this with their respective governments.
Following concerns surrounding Labour Party policy on the issue of Kashmir, the Muslim Council of Britain facilitated a roundtable discussion on Monday 20 July with a range of leading experts to support Labour’s Shadow Foreign Affairs team in its policy development.
Read the specific recommendations put forward by the MCB here.
Governments Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities
Commenting on the appointment of Dr Tony Sewell, a spokesperson for the MCB said:
"The composition of the Government’s commission on race disparities sends a strong signal about its intentions. Many are partisans of a culture war keen on downplaying race disparities.
Bob Blackman MP Condemned for 6th Islamophobic Incident
Bob Blackman MP was found to have been on a programme with notorious promoter of Islamophobic and far-right hate, Katie Hopkins, who was only recently banned from Twitter. This follows several other Islamophobic incident, having previously retweeted Tommy Robinson and hosted anti-Muslim extremist Tapan Ghosh in the House of Commons.
Regarding this incident, a spokesperson for the MCB said: “This in and of itself is totally unacceptable. This merits immediate disciplinary action by the Conservative Party. If the Conservative Party do not request a resignation, it will provide yet further evidence that claims of taking the issue of racism seriously, are nothing more than meaningless words.”
2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, the most greusome tragedy to occur within Europe since the Second World War. Over 8,000 Muslim Bosniak men and boys were slaughtered due to their faith, by units of the Bosnian Serb Army of Republika Srpska.
Of the mass graves that were made, new remains are still being found to this day, and on the 11th of July every year, an honorary burial is held at Potocari Memorial Centre in Srebrenica.
Zara Mohammedappeared on East London Mosque and Bosnia Heritage Foundation's Virtual Srebrenica Memorial.
FREE Webinar "Intro to Media Monitoring": Wednesday 12 August at 6pm on Zoom!
MCB's Centre for Media Monitoring has secured 100s of corrections in both print and broadcast media. Learn how you can do the same, and be part of the campaign to promote fair and responsible reporting of Islam and Muslims.
20 July: MCB's Research and Documentation Committee submitted evidence to the Low Pay Commission’s inquiry into 2021 minimum wage rates. Click here to read.
27 July: ReDoc submitted evidence to the House of Lords Public Services Select Committee Lessons into Coronavirus inquiry. Publication coming soon.
Click here to view all MCB consultation responses and submissions.
MMCWA (Malayalee Muslim Cultural and Welfare Association UK) is a registered charity established in 2004 by Muslim Community from Kerala (South India) living in the UK. Main aim of the association is to provide social, religious and cultural support to the community, giving special attention to the needs of youngsters providing guidance and support to understand their religious and cultural roots at the same time integrating well into the social structure of Great Britain. More on www.mmcwa.com
Ana Huna strives to improve the general welfare and spiritual development of children with SEND (Special Educational Needs & Disabilities) and their families within the Muslim community. To achieve this, Ana Huna is raising awareness within mosques; offering families support to access services, and promoting social inclusion by fostering friendships among young people.
Maswood Ahmed attended and spoke at an inter-faith meeting at St George's in the East (Church) with faith leaders campaigning for aid for school children facing hardship.
16 July Zainab Gulamali attended City Hall’s Faith and Belief Advisory Panel Meeting on re-opening places of worship
19 July Maswood Ahmed delivered a talk (on-line) on Importance of Voluntary Work in Islam Dawatul Islam UK & EIRE members.
20 July Public Affairs and Legal Affairs Committee roundtable with the Labour Party on Kashmir
30 July Zara Mohammad speaking at CBHUK Webinar: Reflections of Hajj
Community News
PPE Initiative by the Abdullah Quilliam Society
Returning to the mosque must be done in the safest way possible. You can now buy your PPE through the Abdullah Quilliam Society Masjid's PPE Initiative, and support the restoration of Britain's first mosque.
The MCF has compiled a list of Muslim charities doing an array of work during the COVID-19 crisis. Click here to read the full report.
Click here to see the MCB's list of volunteer initiatives.
Aishath Shahama is a MSc Positive Psychology student at the University of Bolton doing a Postgraduate research project on the relationship between subjective well-being and religiosity among Muslims. If you are interested in completing this survey, please click here.
