Archive for the ‘Media Coverage’ Category
Administrator on September 3rd, 2009
Boxing legend Muhammad Ali was in the UK at the end of last month, attending various fundraising events across the country to raise money for the Muhammad Ali Center in Kentucky, USA.
The Muhammad Ali Center serves as both a cultural attraction and an international education centre that is inspired by the ideals of its founder, Muhammad Ali. Two and a half levels of interactive exhibits and captivating multimedia presentations introduce Ali’s epic life through the six core values by which he lives: respect, confidence, conviction, dedication, giving, and spirituality. The Center strives to inspire its visitors to pursue their potential and explore the greatness that lies within themselves.
Makkah Mosque shares the Muhammad Ali Center’s mission of encouraging each individual to reach within themselves to fulfill the potential Allah has given them. Like the Center, Makkah Mosque is committed to helping both children and adults achieve the most that they can by encouraging engagement in activities and promoting self belief.
The President of the Muhammad Ali Center, Greg Roberts, was invited to Makkah Masjid during Muhammad Ali’s visit to the UK. Mr Roberts met the Imam of the Mosque, Imam Qari Asim, and discussed the various projects Makkah Mosque is involved in that mirror the aims of the Muhammad Ali Center. These include the promotion of youth engagement, respect for all human kind through interfaith work and communal relations, integration rather than isolation, promoting spirituality and the message that inner peace at an individual level will ultimately lead to peace on a global scale.
Greg Roberts and Imam Asim also had a positive discussion about the possibility of Makkah Masjid and the Muhammad Ali Center working together on various programmes in the future.
Mr Roberts invited Imam Asim to a fund-raising dinner held in Muhammad Ali’s honour at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, on 26 August 2009. Imam Qari Asim attended the dinner with a delegation from Leeds and had the good fortune to meet and speak to Muhammad Ali and Mrs Ali . On behalf of the Muslim community of Leeds, Imam Asim along with the some of the members of the delegation from Leeds presented a cheque to Muhammad Ali for the Muhammad Ali Center and the charities that Muhamamd Ali supports. The community of Leeds showed great generosity to the Muhammad Ali Center as a token of their great love, respect and admiration for the boxing hero , a great Muslim icon and a humanatarian.
There are currently proposals for Muhammad Ali to visit the UK again and it would be a great honour to invite the greatest boxing legend Muhammad Ali to Leeds as part his next tour to the UK, insha-Allah.
Muhammad Ali quotes:
1. ” I believe in the religion of Islam. I believe in Allah and peace. ”
2. “I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”
3. He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
4. “I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world.”
5. I’m not the greatest; I’m the double greatest. Not only do I knock ‘em out, I pick the round”
6 “A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life”
7. “I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark”
8. “Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”
Administrator on September 3rd, 2009
Yorkshire Business Insider today reported on Imam of Makkah Masjid speaking at the first ever conference on Islamic Finance in the North of England.
The Yorkshire Business Insider reported as follows:
“Leeds is to host a two-day conference on Islamic finance. The event, Opportunities and Challenges in the World of Islamic Finance, aims to create a better understanding of Islamic finance, the rationale for growth in Shariah-compliant financial products and the relevance of Islamic finance in today’s world. Professor Ros Haniffa, head of the accounting and finance group at Bradford University, and Qari Asim, an associate at DLA Piper and the youngest Imam in the UK, are among the speakers lined up for the event, which will take place at the Royal Armouries on 13 and 14 October 2009.”
The Conference will include presentations from distinguished speakers across the globe from the commercial, academic, financial and political fields seeking to cover different sectors involved in Islamic Finance.
The Islamic Finance Conference provides opportunities to:
1. Understand the basic principles and backgrounds of Islamic finance;
2. Understand how Islamic finance can help you and your organization;
3. Learn about the opportunities for you in Islamic Finance;
4. Understand how Islamic Finance has survived the current financial crisis;
5. Understand the challenges of Islamic Finance across national, cultural, social, and economic boundaries.
As Makkah Mosque is keen to raise awareness of Islamic Finance and provides training and seminars in this regard, the mosque is supporting this first ever conference on Islamic Finance in Yorkshire.
“I am delighted to be a part of the first ever conference on Islamic Finance in the North of England. The conference will provide a fantastic opportunity for those with an interest in this niche area to learn more about the core principles of Sharia compliant financial products, and to make the necessary connections to further their business or personal interests. Islamic finance in the UK is in greater demand than it ever has been, so the conference couldn’t have come at a better time.” said Qari Asim, Imam of Makkah Mosque.
For further detsails, please visit www.isfinco.com
The launch of the event has been covered byAsian Image, Asian News, Leeds Financial Services, Leeds Law Society,Global Islamic Finance and Yorkshire Post
Administrator on August 30th, 2009
Most people living in Britain will know a Muslim who is fasting during Ramadan, whether a work colleague, a fellow pupil at school or a next door neighbour. Makkah Mosque therfore felt it was important to highlight some of the basic aspects of fasting during Ramadan through the written media in order to give people a better understanding of why Muslims fast during this blessed month.
The Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim, was interviewed by Aisha Iqbal of the Yorkshire Evening Post on Thursday 27th August 2009.
Following article was published in Yorkshire Evening Post regarding the celebration of the holy month of Ramadan in Leeds.
Administrator on August 2nd, 2009
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.
For further details, please visit:
http://www.mosaicnetwork.co.uk/international/international_summer_school/
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.
Administrator on July 27th, 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.”
Administrator on May 1st, 2009
Makkah Mosque recently featured in a BBC Look North programme. Click on the below link to watch the video:
Administrator on November 28th, 2008
On 26 November 2008 HRH The Prince of Wales celebrated the achievements of talented British Muslims at an awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum. The Prince was joined by Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan at the first Mosaic Talent Awards, to mark the contribution made to society by British Muslims. Mosaic, a charity established by The Prince, offers mentoring schemes to raise the aspirations of disaffected young Muslims. The Prince appreciated the contribution of Muslim communities, and the talent therein, and said that it had “enriched Britain in every sense”.
The Prince also acknowledged the efforts of the Imam of Makkah Masjid, Qari Asim, in serving the communities and the initiatives that Makkah Mosque has undertaken under his leadership.
The Prince said: “I was fascinated to hear the views of Mr Qari Asim, the Imam of the Leeds Makkah Mosque, which incidentally has just won a national award for its community outreach work, on how, through a wide range of initiatives including Mosaic, Britain seeks to integrate rather than isolate its minority communities and offers real freedom of choice and of expression.
Mr Asim mentioned the practical example of the workplace, where multi-purpose faith rooms are increasingly in place to allow people to worship as part of their normal working day.
I have to say that it is this acceptance – indeed, this welcome – of diversity which makes me rather proud to be British!”
The Prince also met Under Secretary of State for Communities, Sadiq Khan, a Mosaic supporter. Mr Khan said: “I told The Prince that he is a friend of Islam and has been for years. “Muslims in Britain see him as our Prince. He is such a humble man – he asked me if I thought what he was doing would make much of a difference to young Muslims. I told him of course it would.”
To read The Prince’s full speech, click here:
http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speechesandarticles/
Administrator on November 28th, 2008
Makakah Masjid was featured in the Guardian Newspaper’s Leeds Supplement. The photographic supplement was distributed with the paper in and around Leeds on November 22 2008.
Administrator on November 28th, 2008
Earlier in the month, Imam Hafiz Asim, as part of UK-Indonesian Advisory Group visited various educational and religious institutions in Indonesia. He gave lectures in Universities and Islamic Schools and met government officials as well as other influential groups of people in Indonesia. Please click on the links below to view some of the photos from the Imam’s visit:
http://www.assalaam.or.id/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=283&Itemid=1
http://www.assalaam.or.id/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=281
Part of the programme, which was hosted by the Indonesian Government, involved spending an afternoon with HRH Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, who is widely known to be very interested in promoting mutual respect and understanding between different faiths. The Prince shares fond memories of his meeting with Imam Asim in a speech at an awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum. Please click on the link below to see The Prince’s comments:
http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/newsandgallery/news/
Administrator on July 24th, 2008
This year, BBC Look North covered the Open Days & Islamic Exhibition 2008 event. You can click on the following link to view the coverage.
