There is a consultation running over a proposal to close girls only school in Leeds. The proposal is to replace Parklands Girls High School with a co-educational (girls and boys) Academy, sponsored by the EACT, in September 2011. The dates, time and locations of the consultation meetings are set out below. An electronic version of [...]
The Muslim community of Leeds Makkah Masjid strongly condemns the planned march by Islam4UK through the Wiltshire town of Wootton Bassett.
Islam4UK do not represent British Muslims or the teachings of the Prophet of Islam (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Actions such as these usually have the intention of raising the profile of a particular organisation rather than expressing the sentiments of a community. As suspected, it is encouraging to see that the planned march by Islam4UK is condemned by all the Muslims thought the UK and Muslims are stating clearly to Islam4UK “NOT IN MY NAME”.
Leeds Muslim Council also strongly condemns the alleged attempted bombing aboard an airliner in Detroit, USA on Christmas Day. Islam holds the sanctity of human life in the highest possible regard. Allah tells us in the Quran that to kill one innocent person is akin to killing the whole of humanity [Qur'an, chapter 4, verse 32].
Imam of Leeds Makkah Mosque, Qari Asim, said : “violent extremism and taking the lives of innocent people is against the teachings of Islam and therefore we are pleased to note that no loss of life or otherwise was suffered as a result of the attempted bombing”.
All forms of terrorism must be stopped and the root causes that lead to such extreme actions must be fully explored and eliminated in the most efficient and amicable manner so that all human beings throughout the world can live in peace and harmony.
Woodsley Community Centre is delighted to invite you to ‘Caring for the World’ event held on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.
The event will be held at Woodsley Community Centre, 64 Woodsley Road, Leeds, LS3 1DU, Tel: 0113 2442684) between 5 – 7pm.
The event will feature a talk by Samar Minallah. Samar is an award winning Pakistani human rights activist, documentary film maker and writer. In her talk, she will discuss the contribution of Muslim women in working with disadvantaged groups in Pakistan.
This is a unique opportunity to meet and hear from someone who has first-hand experience of dealing with human rights, women rights and fighting for injustices in Pakistan
The event will also feature Yasrab Shah, who is a project manager for an international charity organisation, providing relief work in those areas which have been affected by natural disasters. He will discuss how the youth can bring positive changes in the world by being part of relief work.
The funeral prayer, Janazah, of Leeds city councillor Kabeer Hussain shall take place on 30 December 2009 at 3pm at Bilal Masjid.
Kabeer Hussain, Lib Dem councillor for Hyde Park and Woodhouse, passed away at St James’s Hospital on the morning of 30 December 2009 after suffering a suspected sudden heart attack. He was a young, hard-working and committed individual who cared for his community. He combined being a councillor, representing and helping his community, whilst having a full-time job.
Leeds Makkah Masjid, Madina Masjid and Woodsley Community Centre communities pay their deepest condolences to Kabeer Hussain’s family on his sudden departure from this world.
Councillor Richard Brett, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said that he was “hugely saddened to hear of Councillor Hussain’s death and extremely sorry to lose such a good councillor.”
Leeds North West MP Greg Mulholland said Coun Kabeer Hussain “cared about the community he came from and the community he represented.”
Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim said: “At this very difficult time, our prayers, thoughts and deepest sympathy are with his family, friends and the whole community that he represented. He will be dearly missed by the whole community. May Allah grant him a place in Paradise and grant his loved ones strength and patience.” Aameen.
Following are some of the important dates of the Islamic calendar for the year 2010:
1 - Muharram 1431
First day of the Islamic year.
18th December 2009
10th of Muharram – Yaum Ashura The day of the martyrdom of Imam Husain, grandson of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). Fasting on 9th & 10th of Muharram (26th & 27th December 2009) is a sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).
27th December 2009
2 - Safar
17th January 2010
3 - Rabi al-Awwal
The month of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).
15th February
Mawlud - Milad -un-Nabi The birthday of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him).
26st February
4 - Rabi al-Thani
17th March
5 - Jumad al-Ula
16th April
6 - Jumad al-Thani
15th May
7 - Rajab
16th July
26th – 27th Rajab – Miraj-un-Nabi: The ascension to Heavens of the Holy Prophet
On the night of 27th Rajab, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) was first taken from the city of Makkah to Jerusalem (Masjid al-Aqsa) and then from Masjid al-Aqsa to the Heavens until he reached the presence of Allah Almighty. This journey is the greatest miracle of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) after the living miracle of the Holy Quran.
09 – 10th July
8 - Sha’ban
13th July
14th – 15th Sha’ban – Lailat-ul-Barat The Night of Bar’at occurs between the 14th and 15th day of Sha’ban. Therefore, the night of Bar’at begins after the end of the 14th day of Sha’ban.
It is a meritorious night in which people are attended by special divine mercy and is a night to gain freedom from fire of Hell. Fasting on 15th of Sha’ban is recommended.
26th – 27th July
9 – Ramadan The first day of the month of fasting
12th August
26th – 27th Ramadan – Lailat-ul-Qadr The Night of Power occurs between the 26th and 27th day of Ramadan. Therefore, the night of Qadr starts after the end of the 26th fasting day.
6th – 7th September
10 – Shawwal: Eid-ul-Fitr The day of celebration of Eid-ul-Fitr.
10th September
11 – Dhul Qa’dah
9th October
12 Dhul Hijjah The month of Hajj – pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah to perform the 5th obligatory pillar of Islam. Fasting on 9th of Dhul Hijjah is recommended.
8th November
10th of Dul Hijjah – Eid-ul-Adha The day of celebration of Eid-ul-Adha.
17th November
1 – Muharram 1432
First day of the Islamic year.
7th December 2010
10th of Muharram – Yaum Ashura 1432
16th December 2010
All Islamic dates are subject to sighting of the moon.
A Gathering/Jalsa is held in memory of the great martyrs of Karbala and the family of the Prophet (may Allah be pleased with them).
The commemoration of Imam Husain’s martyrdom has been observed by the followers of Ahlul Sunnah for last fourteen centuries. Honoring the memories of Imam Husain and 72 great martyrs of Karbala who saved Islam by sacrificing their lives at the battlefield of Karbala(Iraq) on Ashura 10th Muharram 61 Hijrah is in accordance with the prophecy of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Yazid, when he became ruler of Muslims, he posed a great danger to Islam. Through his actions, he was distorting the teachings of Islam, in particular the political system of Islam. During his time:
the ruler was becoming the master of the life, property and honour of his subjects – sovereignty of man was replacing sovereignty of God;
the governing class were being given preferential treatment and were often exempt from many routine religious or legal obligations;
justice, law and order were being replaced by oppression, disorder and injustice.
a life of luxury, pomp and splendour was becoming the norm and the cherished goal;
distinctions between the lawful and prohibited and the desirable and the doubtful were getting blurred; undesirable social activities were spreading like wildfire.
Imam Husain (may Allah be pleased with him) being the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), challenged Yazid and through offering his life and the lives of his family awaken the Muslims. Through his sacrifices he preserved the eternal teachings of Islam.
One of the most prominent preachers of Islam in India on whose hands many thousands of people embraced Islam, Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Ajmiri says: Imam Hussayn gave his head, but did not put his hand into the hands of Yazid. Imam Husain did not accept Yazid as ruler of the Muslims. Indeed, Imam Hussain is the foundation of “la ilaha illa Allah”. Imam Hussain is the leader and the leader of the leader. Imam Hussayn himself is Islam and the shield of Islam. He gave his head (for Islam) but never pledged to Yazid. Truly Imam Hussayn is the founder of “La ilaha illa Allah” (“There is no God but Allah”).
A number of Western writers have written about the tragedy of Karbala. Charles Dickens is believed to have said that, ‘if Hussain fought to quench his worldly desires, then I do not understand why his sisters, wives and children accompanied him. It stands to reason therefore that he sacrificed purely for Islam.’
The tragic events of Karbala represent non-violent resistance. Imam Husain neither opted for suicide nor encouraged violence, rather till the very last moments of his life he was urging others to give up violence and tyranny and follow the true and peaceful message of Islam. It was the greed for this world that had blinded his opponents.
In order to underdtand the the histroy of Karbala and the reasons for whihc Imam Husain opposed Yazid, please order a free copy of The History of Karbala by Abu Amar. http://www.islamicinformationcentre.co.uk/booksonline.htm
The UN Climate Change Summit at Copenhagen, held between 7-18 December, was the biggest environmental meeting/conference held in the known history. It was a historic summit but the agreements made are not so landmark and historic.
A green and low carbon future for the world is what is desired. Climate scientists are convinced the world must stop the growth in greenhouse gas emissions . They purport that the increase in global temperature should be below two degrees. In order to achieve that cuts of 25%-40% relative to 1990 levels are needed, rising to 80%-95% by 2050. So far, there has been disappointment in achieving this target.
The collective commitment by developed countries to provide new and additional resources amounting to $30bn for 2010-12 is welcomed. Their further commitment to aim to mobilise jointly $100bn a year by 2020 to address needs of developing countries is indeed a positive step. However, the scale of catastrophe is huge and therefore an urgent substantial sum needs to be devoted to saving the mother nature. Some of the world leaders urged decisive action on climate change, but not showed much sign that their respective countries will take such steps themselves.
HRH Prince Charles reminded the world leaders during his speech at Copenhagen that “the eyes of the world” were upon them but it has to be said that Copenhagen Climate Summit fell short of expectations. Although the leaders have hailed the agreement as “meaningful”, the progress has not been “enough”, as the US President Barack Obama acknowledged. UK’s Prime Minister echoed this by noting that the agreement was a “vital first step” and accepted there was a lot more work to do to get assurances.
We echo HRH Prince Charles’ conclusion which he mentioned during his speech when he said: ” The conclusion I draw is that the future of mankind can be assured only if we rediscover ways in which to live as a part of nature, not apart from her.” Each one of us needs to play our part to ensure that our children and grandchildren can live in a healthier, safer and more sustainable world.
Administrator on January 8th, 2010
