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The Muslim Council of Britain | Providing a voice for British Muslims
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Monthly Briefing
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September 2019
Issue 61

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Macmillan Coffee Morning

On 26 September 2019, the Cambridge Eco Mosque held a Macmillan Coffee Morning where MCB Secretary General Harun Khan called the work that Macmillan does "part of the Islamic tradition to be a communal obligation. In other words a duty that we as a society - collectively - owe to one another."

"I know of mosques up and down the country, from London to Glasgow, who will be hosting their own coffee mornings this year. Bringing communities together for the common good is what we at the Muslim Council of Britain strive to achieve as well."

"Macmillan has raised over £200 million over the years through these coffee mornings. We pray that these events go from strength to strength every year, and that we continue to be able to congregate together for good."

The campaign to get more mosques to run their own Macmillan Coffee Mornings was pioneered by the Baraka Khan Foundation.

Autism Hour

Autism Hour - Get your mosque involved!

On Sunday 16 of June 2019, ** Finsbury Park Mosque ([link removed])
hosted the first ever Autism Hour held at a mosque in the UK. This pioneering initiative was conceived by sister Sara Mangera, in conjunction with the National Autistic Society and supported by the MCB.

Visiting the mosque is an integral part of a Muslim’s life but for autistic Muslims, it is often a difficult and anxiety-filled experience with too many bright lights, packed and crowded halls, loud announcements and aadhan, but simple measures can make your mosque more accessible.The MCB is encouraging mosques to hold their own Autism Hour on Sunday 6 October 2019, as part of national ** Autism Hour Week ([link removed])
. Interested to take part? Get in touch now by emailing [email protected]

RSE Guidance

As we enter the new academic year 2019/20, some schools in England will be “early-adopters” of the new statutory curriculum on Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) from September 2019, ahead of compulsory adoption by all schools in England by September 2020.

We all have a commitment to supporting our children, ensuring they get the best education and guidance. As the debate around the most appropriate methods to teach pupils in Britain today about these important topics continues, the Muslim Council of Britain calls for Muslim communities to:
* Engage constructively with the school policy making process
* Develop effective RSE policies and teaching material for Muslim faith schools
* Empower parents to discuss RSE topics at home

** >Read more ([link removed])
** here ([link removed])
** . ([link removed])

Mourning Maulana Yusuf Motala and Hanna Yusuf

Maulana Yusuf Motala (1946-2019), may Allah have mercy on his soul, passed away in Toronto, Canada. A giant of Islam in Britain, his contribution to the spiritual and educational life of Muslims in this country, for over 40 years, cannot be overstated. Born in Gujarat, India, he completed his Islamic education at the hands of the great scholar, Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya al Kandhalwi, and founded the first Islamic seminary in the UK, the Dar al Uloom in Bury in 1973 along with another nine Islamic education institutions.

Hanna Yusuf (1992-2019), may Allah have mercy on her soul, tragically passed away aged only 27. By all accounts Hanna was a widely admired and respected journalist who had written for BBC News, worked as a TV producer as well as writing for The Guardian, The Independent, The Times, The Muslim News and Grazia magazine. She had covered a number of high profile and breaking stories, and the MCB had the good fortune of working with her on occasion. She was a beacon of success and a source of pride for so many, and her passing will be mourned by all.

To Allah we belong and to Him we return. We pray that Allah grants Hanna and Maulana Yusuf the highest stations in paradise and bestows peace and patience upon her family.

>Read more ** here ([link removed])
and ** here ([link removed])
.

A Possible Upcoming General Election

With the tumultuous political climate, it has become every more likely that a general election will be called in 2019.

To prepare we ran a survey all through September to garner responses on what views the Muslim communities across the country hold in relation to various policy issues. We will be analysing these findings to set out the definitive Muslim manifesto for the upcoming election.

Watch this space for further updates!
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Upcoming MCB Events

** ([link removed])

Our Mosques Our Future conference 2019
#OurYouthOurFuture
12 October 2019, Leicester
The national conference for mosque leaders and volunteers is back for 2019! This time we're in the Midlands on 12 October 2019, exploring the theme #OurYouthOurFuture! With 8 interactive workshops and a variety of speakers including Kevin Coleman,
* Are our mosques investing in young people?
* Do they have a say in what activities take place inside the mosque?
* Do they feel a sense of belonging at the mosque?

For more information and to book tickets visit ** www.ourmosquesourfuture.org.uk ([link removed])
.

** Book your tickets now! ([link removed])

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Community Engagement

29 September 2019
Miqdaad Versi, Head of Public Affairs,
talked to this year’s incredible Aziz Foundation cohort about the unique challenges facing British Muslims today, and what we as individuals, scholars and future leaders can do about them.

26 September 2019
Harun Khan, Secretary General, spoke at the Macmillan Coffee Morning in the Cambridge Eco Mosque.

24 September 2019
Harun Khan, Secretary General, caught up with Consortium during a workshop on governance and vision.

23 September 2019
Harun Khan, Secretary General, discussed Muslim minority communities with Nicholas Lucca from Argentina as part of his visit to the UK on the Foreign Secretary's International Leadership Programme (ILP).

23 September 2019
Lamees Hafeez, Operations Manager, attended a dinner reception at the London Muslim Centre on the subject of muslims in a conflict driven world for Cevdet Yilmaz, former Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the AK Party.

22 September 2019
Maswood Ahmed, Assistant General Secretary, attended the 25th Anniversary Dinner of Muslim Deaf UK.

21 September 2019
Miqdaad Versi, Head of Public Affairs,
spoke at the Labour Muslim Network about Islamophobia in the media.

21 September 2019
Hassan Joudi, Deputy Secretary General,
attended the AMSS Islamic Education Expo in Birmingham Central Mosque.

17 September 2019
Lamees Hafeez, Operations Manager, attended the UK AK party round table meeting with Muslim community leaders. A focus group for the muslim . manifesto was also fascinated in this sitting.

15 September 2019
Harun Khan, Secretary General, went too Leicestershire and met with FMO.

14 September 2019
Harun Khan, Secretary General, attended the Muslim Student Council's UK Presidents Summit in Birmingham discussing the MCB's latest reports and listening to how we can better support muslim youth on campus.

15 September 2019
Harun Khan, Secretary General, went to Leicester and attended a HMC UK event on halal issues around meat and poultry products and how technology is helping the certification process.

11 September 2019
Raheel Khaliq joined Manchester Citizens today at their Law Commission hearing on Hate Crime and provide some context on the anxieties faced by Muslim Communities.

10 September 2019
Samayya Afzal, Community Engagement Manager, attended Citizens UK London Muslim Centre this morning with colleagues across civil society and Muslim groups to discuss hate crime laws.

6 September 2019
Hassan Joudi, Deputy Secretary General,
spoke on excellence at the Emerald Network Eid at the Wharf. He was further recognised on the Emerald 100 too for his relentless efforts for the community in UK with projects like ** #OurMosquesOurFuture ([link removed])
amongst others.

4 September 2019
Miqdaad Versi, Samayya Afzal and Zainab Gulamali attended a meeting with the independent reviewer of Terrorism Legislation.
** ()
Funding and Programmes
Funding Opportunities
Near Neighbours
** www.near-neighbours.org.uk/small-grants ([link removed])

(Deadline: 11 October 2019)

Energy redress scheme
** www.energyredress.org.uk/apply-funding ([link removed])

(Deadline: 18 October 2019)

BCBN Grants for Community Initiative
** www.bcbn.org.uk/grant-initiative/ ([link removed])

(Deadline: 22 November 2019)

Co-operative Local Community Fund
** www.coop.co.uk/membership/lcf-who-can-apply ([link removed])

(Deadline: June 2020)

Interfaith Week 2019
Is your organisation doing something for ** Interfaith Week 2019 (10-17 November) ([link removed])
. If so we'd like to hear from you! Lets help build bridges with our faith communities - get in touch today at ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

Visit My Mosque 2020

What would you like to see in #VisitMyMosque 2020? Share you feedback online at:
** www.visitmymosque.org/2020-survey ([link removed])

Look out for updates on #VisitMyMosque 2020 to be announced soon!
** ()
MCB Media
Opinion pieces

Read this article by our Secretary General, Harun Khan, on the urgent need of a specific inquiry into Islamophobia in the Conservative party - ** [link removed] ([link removed])

Read this op-ed by the MCB's Public Affairs Manager, Zainab Gulamali on the same topic - ** [link removed] ([link removed])

This month we wrote to:
* The DEFRA Secretary of State following her announcement to protect ** religious slaughter ([link removed])
.
* The MHCLG Secretary of State following their announcement to increase ** funding for anti-Semitism ([link removed])
to ask for a meeting to discuss funding for Islamophobia.
* The RNLI offering support after they CEO received signifiant negative media ** funding aid work abroad ([link removed])
.
* Ifath Nawaz, Chair of the MCB Legal Affairs Committee wrote to the Bar Council and Law Society, asking them to take action with regards the human right violations in Indian occupied Kashmir.

Topical discussions

DailyMail - 'Johnson: Probe `very soon´ into Tory Islamophobia and other prejudice' - ** [link removed] ([link removed])

The Independent - 'Backlash against Modi as Indian PM 'endorses Trump for 2020 in breach of diplomatic convention' - ** [link removed] ([link removed])

The Metro - 'Muslim group says it has ‘lost faith’ in Tory party to tackle Islamophobia after new cases' - ** [link removed] ([link removed])

BBC - 'Islamophobia: Conservative Party members suspended over posts' - ** [link removed] ([link removed])

The Guardian - 'Prevent review branded 'superficial' as past decisions overlooked' - ** [link removed] ([link removed])


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We're Hiring!
The MCB is currently recruiting for the following roles. Join our growing team today!
* Project Co-ordinator;
* Community Engagement Officer;
* Mosque Support Officer;
* Office Admin Volunteer; and
* Archive Assistant

For more details or to apply, visit: ** www.mcb.org.uk/careers ([link removed])

For the Social Media Intern role - please contact [email protected] with your CV.

MCB Leadership Team 2018-20

** ([link removed])

All MCB Office Bearers perform their duties in a voluntary capacity. For further information, please visit: ** www.mcb.org.uk/about/team/office-bearers ([link removed])

Have a question for one of our Office Bearers? Don't hesitate to get in touch at ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])
Keep in touch!

We always welcome feedback on this monthly briefing. Please share your feedback to ** [email protected] (mailto:[email protected])

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