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 a booklet giving full details of the consultation is now available on the Education Leeds website, go to: www.educationleeds.co.uk/schoolorganisation
This proposed closure shall affect the whole community but ethnic groups, in particular Muslims are likely to be affected more than others. We shall therefore urge Muslims to take part in the consultation and express their views. There is also a petition that can be signed to express one’s concerns about the proposed closure. Please click on http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/girlseducation
Girls-only education consultation: public meeting
East Monday 18 January 2010, 7pm
Parklands Girls’ High School, South Parkway, Seacroft, Leeds, LS14 6TY
West Wednesday 20 January 2010, 7pm
Pudsey Civic Hall, Dawsons Corner, Pudsey, LS28 5TA
South Tuesday 26 January 2010, 7pm
South Leeds Academy, Old Run Road, Leeds, LS10 2JU
City centre (two meetings) Wednesday 27 January, 12noon and 7pm
Civic Hall, Calverley Street, Leeds, LS1 1UR
North east (outer) Monday 1 February 2010, 7pm
Boston Spa School, Clifford Moor Road, Boston Spa, Wetherby, LS23 6RW
Morley Thursday 4 February 2010, 7pm
Bruntcliffe High School, Bruntcliffe Lane, Morley, Leeds, LS27 0LZ
North West Monday 8 February 2010, 7pm
Lawnswood School, Ring Road, West Park, Leeds, LS16 5AG
Searcroft 23rd February 2010, 7pm
Parklands Girls’ High School, South Parkway, Seacroft, Leeds, LS14 6TY
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.
By the grace of Allah Almighty, in the blessed month of Ramadan a number of people declared their belief in the oneness of Allah and in the last and final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and embraced Islam at Makkah Masjid, Leeds. These were reverts who opened their hearts to Islam.
Makkah Masjid has long been committed to opening the eyes of the wider community to the beauty of the religion of Islam, through holding annual Exhibitions during which the doors of the Mosque are open to the entire community, hosting inter-faith events and inviting non-Muslims to share in the opening of the fast during Ramadan in a community iftari.
Reversion to Islam involves a person declaring: “ I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah.”
Islam was not sent for any one nation or group of people; any one can become a Muslim no matter what his or her race, language or colour. Islam was sent as a complete way of life for the whole of humanity. Allah (swt) says in the Holy Qur’an:
“This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” (Quran 5:3)
All sins committed by the person embracing Islam before becoming a Muslim are forgiven by Allah, no matter how serious they were. The person who converts to Islam is totally reborn and starts with a clean record, in much the same way as a new baby is born free of any sin or wrong doing. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) confirmed that this was the case when he said to a person accepting Islam:
“Do you not know that accepting Islam destroys all sins which come before it?” (Sahih Muslim)
Today it is estimated that there are 2.4 million Muslims in the UK, the Muslim population having grown by more than 500,000 in just four years according to official research collated for the Times newspaper. Research by the Office for National Statistics reveals that the Muslim population in the UK multiplied 10 times faster than the rest of society. Europe is home to 38 million Muslims For further details see http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5621482.ece#
According to a comprehensive report of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the global Muslim population stands at 1.57 billion, meaning that nearly one in every four people in the world practice Islam. The report, which was published in October 2009,also identified about 317 million Muslims – or one-fifth of the world’s Muslim population – living in countries where Islam is not the majority religion.
To see the full report click on http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5621482.ece#
The Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim commented: “By the grace of Allah Almighty, Makkah Mosque holds a long tradition of welcoming people into the fold of Islam and people from Leeds and neighbouring cities come to Makkah Mosque to take their Shahadah (embrace Islam). A number of people have embraced Islam during the holy month of Ramadan and one of the blessed ceremonies during which a girl took the Shahadah was witnessed by people throughout the country who watched the event on TV. We pray to Allah Almighty that He enables us to continue striving in His way and educating people of the peaceful message of Islam.”
In the month of Ramadan Muslims fast, which involves refraining from food, drink, smoking and conjugal relations from dawn until sunset for a whole month. Fasting is one of the pillars of Islam and is an act of worship which is designed to bring believers closer to Allah and to rediscover and re-direct themselves and teach self-discipline.
In the spirit of the month of Ramadan during which Muslims fast, Leeds Muslim Council cordially invites the whole community of Leeds to share a meal with us at Leeds Makkah Mosque. This meal, called Iftar, is eaten after sunset and breaks the Muslims’ day long fast.
The management committee of Makkah Mosque, Leeds Muslim Council, has historically been committed to helping achieve harmony within the local community by planning initiatives that actively engage with different community organisations, with the aim of providing opportunities for visitors to explore and share the beauty of Islam.
As Leeds is host to over 60,000 students who come to the city at the beginning of each academic year, the community Iftar dinner is also a welcome to students by Makkah Mosque. It provides an opportunity for the student population of Leeds to learn more about the fasting rituals observed by many of their peers, as well as by many people in the communities in which they will live whilst at Universities . Makkah Mosque is at the heart of the community and is conventially located between both the University of Leeds and Leeds Met.
Last year’s event was a tremedous success and was attended by over 700 people, including Muslims, non-Muslims, students, professionals, businesses, law-enforcements agencies, policians and others.
The Community Iftar will be held on Thursday, 17th September 2009. The program starts at 6:30pm with a short welcome and talk, with the opportunity to ask questions about fasting and the month of Ramadan.
There will then be a tour of the Mosque and a brief explanation of the stunning calligraphy and art work inside the Mosque.
Visitors to the Mosque are asked to respect the Muslim code of dressing modestly.
Last week Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim was invited by Her Royal Highness Princess Badiya bint El Hassan, Chairman of Mosaic, to the Mosaic International Summer School Dinner held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The International Summer School is an initiative being driven by Mosaic, a charitable organisation founded by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, within his charity Business in the Community, to address Muslim community-based interests and issues.
The main aim of International Summer School was to inspire leadership within Muslim communities across the globe, over 90 participants join an international group of delegates that were being brought together from Bahrain, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE and UK.
The delegates from across the Muslim world spent the first week in Clare College, Cambridge taking part in daily sessions covering discussion topics such as ‘Leadership in Life’, International Community Building, Cultures & Community, Enterprise and Environmental Sustainability.
At the Mosaic Dinner, Qari Asim met delegates and Embassy officials from all the above countries exchanged views on Community engagement, enterprise and sustainability. In addition, Qari Asim met various prominent Muslim and non-Muslim friends, supporters and sponsors of the Mosaic initiative, including Ikram Butt, Aqil Ahmed, Imam Munawwar Hossein, Peter Sanders, Minister for Transport, Sadiq Khan MP and Her Royal Highness Princess Badiya bint El Hassan and discussed the need to increase an understanding of the role of individuals in society, specifically in relation to social and environmental issues and the need to Create an international network of young Muslim leaders.
At the Foreign & Commonwealth dinner, Imam Qari Asim congratulated the organisers, all the team at Mosaic, in partiuclar John O’Brien, Managing Director of Mosaic, who worked tirelessly to hold this unique event over a period of two weeks. The International Summer School was a resounding sucess.
Over the years, Makkah Masjid has built strong links with Leeds Metropolitan University and Leeds University and their students. Imam Qari Asim has worked with them on projects such as the opening of the new Institute for Spirituality, Religion & Public Life at Leeds Met University.
Many University students undertake projects about the activities of the Mosque as part of their modules regarding theology, comparative studies, Islam in Britain, European Islam, multi-culturalism and community cohesion etc. Over the course of a year, Imam Qari Asim sees a large number of students researching these topics and has useful discussions with those students.
The Imam of Makkah Masque also receives student delegations from various countries, and they exchange views on Islamic and cultural practices in their respective countries. In the past couple of months, Imam Qari Asim has met student delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Indonesia. Makkah Masjid and its sister mosque, Al-Madina Jamia Masjid has a long history of working with the Turkish people. Imam Professor Hafiz Fateh Muhammad who served the Muslim Leeds community used to work with people from various regions and backgrounds and set a good tradition of different groups working with each other for the greater good.
Imam Qari Asim recently also met Piet Hizbullah Khaidir, The Chairperson of Muhammadiyah Youth Movement-Central Board, Indonesia, and The Former Chairman of Leeds-Indonesian Muslim Society, and Arif Rahman Bambang, a senior lecturer at Assalaam, a modern boarding school for boys and girls in Indonesia.
Qari Asim discussed with them the work that Muhammadiyah has done in building the social and educational infrastructure in Indonesia in such a short period of time. Qari Asim said that many other organizations around the world could learn from the model propounded by Muhammadiyah. Piet said that “we will have great opportunities to build colaborative programmes in the future”.
Qari Asim also discussed the thesis of Arif Rahman Bambang regarding ‘Mosque and Community Cohesion: Interaction between Muslims and Non-Muslims in Leeds’. In this thesis Qari Asim worked with Arif Rahman Bambang and met him on a number of occasions for the purposes of interviews and to shed light on the activities of Makkah Masjid. Arif Rahman Bambang said that he was “grateful for the support that the community of Makkah Masjid had offered him during his stay in Leeds and wished to continue to work with them in the coming years.”
Qari Asim gave signed copies of his books, including copies of his most recent book Our Children -Our future to the delegation. For further details about Our Children -Our future, please click on: http://www.deenfoundation.org.uk/wp/index.php/2009/04/08/75/
Imam also invited the Leeds-Indonesian Muslim Society to the upcoming event at Makkah Masjid on Sunday 2 August 2009.
Makkah Mosque has historically endeavored to develop a better understanding of the message of peace propagated by the Muslim faith within the wider community. The Mosque has been committed to helping to achieve harmony within the local community by planning initiatives that actively engage with different community organisations. The Mosque believes in enhancing inter-religious and communal relations, promoting spirituality, and encouraging respect and dignity for everyone. The various programmes that are held at Makkah Mosque reflect these aims.
Makkah Masjid is pleased to announce that features regarding the aesthetically magnificent mosque, its exterior and interior beauty, its architecture and its activities that mainly aim at engaging with the youth, women, local agencies and the wider community, has been running in the Headingly Life, a free monthly magazine, for the last 3 months. Each of the monthly magazines for June, July and August featured Makkah Mosque. Headingly Life has, in particular, covered such items as Makkah Masjid winning the UK’s Model Mosque award and the unique annual Connecting Cultures event that is held at the mosque.
The Imam of the mosque, Qari Asim, has been working with local agencies for a number of years, promoting the peaceful teachings of Islam amongst the public. He has been liaising with the Headingly Life for the Masjid to feature in it.
Qari Asim said: “By the grace of God, it is great news for the Muslim community in Hyde Park that due to the wide ranging activities that are organized by the Mosque for people of all backgrounds and the accolades and awards that the Mosque has won, features and articles are written about the Mosque in local papers and magazines.
Over 100,000 people read North Leeds Life magazines each month, according to the Life Magazine website, and it is wonderful to know that over 100,000 people each month for the past 3 months have been learning about the activities of Makkah Mosque and learning about the Islamic faith. It is part of the Dawa’h work that we are involved in at various levels at Makkah Masjid.”
Leeds Makkah Mosque recently opened its doors and invited members of the wider community to learn about the Muslim faith and culture, with a view to spreading and celebrating the city’s diverse and multi-faith spiritual heritage. This was in keeping with the Mosque’s longstanding aim of promoting and encouraging understanding and mutual respect within the wider community..
As well as holding the Yorkshire’s largest Islamic exhibition which was opened to the general public, a special ‘Connecting Cultures’ session was held for senior members of local statutory bodies: the public, private, education, voluntary, community and faith sectors. The guest speakers included Hilary Benn (Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs), Baroness Sayeeda Warsi (Shadow Secretary for Community Cohesion), Greg Mulholland MP, Councillor Richard Brett (joint Leader of Leeds City Council), Terry Hodgkinson (Chair of Yorkshire Forward), Tim Field (Partner of DLA Piper) Graham Taylor (author of best-selling Shadowmancer), Chief Inspector Mark Busley, lectures from Universities and representatives from local council, the education, voluntary, community and faith sectors also attended the event.
Hilary Benn MP
Hilary Benn, Minister for Environment and Rural Affairs said: “I applaud the community for the initiative to open the doors and invite the community of Leeds inside this magnificent place. This gives us hope and encouragement that as a world we will live to learn alongside each other. I thank you for the step that you have taken and I wish you every success in the coming months and years”.
Greg Mullholand MP
MP Greg Mullholand said that “There is nothing more powerful in terms of breaking down barriers than opening doors and saying ‘come in to meet us, talk to us and learn a little bit more about who we are. I am very proud that Makkah Masjid is in my constituency and the nationwide award, 2009 Model Mosque was well-deserved.”
“You’ve not only opened your doors but by doing so you’ve opened your hearts to the community. Today, the main problem is that there’s a lack of knowledge. When we have a lack of knowledge, we have misunderstanding. When we have misunderstanding, we have mistrust. Today, you’ve given all of us more knowledge, knowledge of Islam, about the beliefs of Islam and what it means to be a Muslim and it’s so important for all of us to understand this. Of course, when we get understanding, we get tolerance, when we get tolerance, we get friendship.”
Baroness Sayeeda Warsi
“There’s a famous Islamic teaching which I’m sure you all know that if you’re going to do some good, start from your own home.”
“Where there are qualities within the British Muslim community, huge values and morals and ethics and community spirit, I still feel that we have so much more to learn in terms of where we stand in Britain. And how we say we are the religion, and indeed we are the religion, that empowers women and gives them respect and reveres them 1400 years ago, but somehow maybe we still haven’t learnt that 1400 years on.”
Charles Dobbins, Archbishop of Canterbury’s Adviser on Interfaith Relations
“I’m honoured to be in this beautiful mosque once again. I’m here to congratulate you on holding this exhibition, on winning the Model Mosque award and on your Imam’s interview on BBC which puts unequivocally the Muslim commitment to peace. We’re neighbours to each other and we need to work together so that the secular world gets the message that we’re united in bringing good to the world.”
Rev Philip Moger (Cathedral Dean) said: “The annual Connecting Cultures event is very important event in our city to discover the core values that we all share and how we can promote mutual understanding”.
Tim Field - Partner at DLA Piper
“The Mosque is an absolutely wonderful building and I’m delighted that I was invited to join the platform of speakers in this Islamic Exhibition event. Well done for putting on the event. Excellent Exhibition. The ‘Model Mosque’ was a very well deserved award. Many congratulations.“
Chief Inspector Mark Busley, came as representative of chief constable of West Yorkshire Police. He said that he was delighted to come to the leading Mosque in the UK, Makkah Masjid and the Connecting Cultures event was “about networking and partnerships. It is around different agencies and groups working together helping to deliver and make a difference to the people’s lives.”
Graham Taylor – best selling author ofShadowmancer
“It’s a real honour for me to be here. I’d say that as an Anglican, as an author and as a priest and as one who is amongst the “People of the Book”, our country which we all adore lacks a moral compass. Let’s as Children of the Book be that moral compass and together we can change our society that the Creator of the Universe will be proud of. Let’s celebrate the fact that we adhere to the teachings of Allah and let’s be blessed in the fact. “
Terry Hodgkinson – Chairman of Yorkshire Forward
“Having a regional faiths form is so wonderful…..makes sure that faith issues remain high on our agenda and that faith helps to shape not only our cultural landscape, but the physical future of our region.”
A key aim of the event was to create a platform for organisations from a wide spectrum of sectors to get together to experience and understand the message of peace and harmony that forms the cornerstone of the Islamic faith. The intention was to demonstrate not only the positive contribution Muslims have made to civilisations throughout history through the historic artefacts on display as part of the exhibition, but also to highlight the positive contribution Muslims make in today’s society. The underlying message of the event was that a partnership based approach is a key to maintaining harmonious relations between different sections of society and promoting community cohesion.
During the course of the open days, over one thousand people visited the Mosque. For some of the visitors, this was their first ever visit to a mosque and many found the experience over-whelming, whilst others found it so spiritually-uplifting that they returned for a second visit! Commenting on the success of the event, Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim said: “The event was an eye-opener for many. The general consensus amongst those who attended the Mosque was that the experience was informative, enjoyable and spiritually uplifting.”
He continued: “It is hoped that by providing an opportunity for people of other faiths to explore the beauty of Islam within the setting of the Mosque’s traditional architectural designs and contemporary styles, the whole community has benefited from greater respect and mutual understanding.”
The event was a resounding success and received local and national media coverage.
The Mosques and Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB) general council met in Birmingham on 10 May 2009 and elected the executive board consisting of members from British Muslim Forum, Muslim Council of Britain, the Muslim Association of Britain and the Al Khoei Foundation.
The MINAB is a community conceived and community led initiative. It aims to facilitate good governance in mosques and improve the standards of services provided therein through a system of self- regulation.
We are pleased to announce that Imam of Leeds Makkah Masjid was also elected to the Executive Board of the MINAB. He is the only elected member from Yorkshire.
For further details regarding the aims and objectives of MINAB, click on the attached link: http://www.minab.org.uk/
Administrator on January 19th, 2010
