Broadway House, Broadway, Cardiff, CF24 1PU Tel: 029 2034 4555 Fax: 029 2049 2860

Website: muslimcouncilwales.org.uk E-mail: info@muslimcouncilwales.org.uk

June 2012

Volume 1, Issue 4

Inside this issue:

Alhumdulillah, we have now bought to you the 4th edition of Reflections. We apologise for its late re-lease but hope it‟s worth the wait.

With the grace, mercy and blessings of Allah (SWT), it‟s been an amazing and inspiring few months - the rise of Muslim chaplaincy and councillors in Wales, the launch of Citizens UK brighter futures campaign, new MCW initiatives being born and the successful completion of iLead Wales‟s pilot year, the first ever Islamic Leadership Course in Wales for the youth aiming to empower and develop a future generation of community leaders - all to read about in this is-sue. Let us also not forget the people of Syria in our prayers - to pray for the victory of our fellow broth-

ers and sisters, for justice and for the removal of their oppressors. From the plumes of destruction that we witness in the distance, deep down amaz-ingly resilient and dignified people are emerging, spurred on by their faith to re-write the books of history and put an end to their era of tyranny once and for all. May the eyes of cowards never find rest in sleep!

We pray this edition of Reflections is an insightful read. If you would like to contribute to future edi-tions of the newsletter, please feel free to get in touch with us at info@muslimcouncilwales.org.uk

Saira Chaudhry

I wish to congratulate the newly elected members of the local authorities in Wales, particularly the Muslims.

It has been just over 10 years since MCW invited the leaders of all 4 political parties to address the Muslim community and present their parties ethos. At the time despite being 73% of the ethnic community, Muslims did not have a single counsellor in the local authority, but it is heartening to note that in this year in Council elections in Cardiff alone there were 18 Muslim candidates representing all 4 political parties and in Wales on a whole there were around 25 Muslim candidates of which 9 have become counsellors. This is a historic step for the Muslim community

showing their maturity and their vision to serve all communities making an important contribution to the civic and political life of our country.

My request to the individuals who have lost election, you can and

will make a great contribution so continue to be involved in the

political process as you have the enthusiasm, vision, ability and

commitment so please continue to channel it. May Allah SWT guide

you, guard you, and give you the courage and wisdom to make the

right decisions for our country and its people.

Saleem Kidwai

Opening Message from the Secretary General:

Letter from the Editor:

Editor:

Saira Chaudhry

Graphics:

Suffiya Hasan

Contributors:

Abdul Azim Ahmed

Mohammed Alomgir

Ahmed

Bethan Grant

Omar Arabi

Dr. Sophie Gilliat-

Ray

Sahar Al-Faifi

Acknowledgement:

Saleem Kidwai

Special Edition: A Historic Beginning to

National Interfaith Week in Wales 2

Special Feature: The Forgotten Revival 3

Special Feature: The Rise of Muslim

Chaplains 4

Success for Muslim Councilors 4

Building Relationships: A Brighter Fu-

ture for the Young People of Cardiff 5

MCW Initiative: Get Job Fit in 2012 7

Education: Renewed funding enables

expansion of unique scholarship oppor-

tunities at Cardiff University

8

FOSIS National Student Qur‟an Com-

petition (NSQC) Wales & West Eng-

land

9

Special Feature: Welsh Solidarity for

Syria

10

MCW Interfaith Event Photographs 12

The Muslim Council of Wales was

pleased to launch National Interfaith

Week in Wales with a historic inter-

faith event between the Anglican

Church and Muslim faith in the Na-

tional Museum of Wales on Tuesday

22nd of November 2011.

The Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry

Morgan and Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra

addressed an audience of over three

hundred on the topic of „Believing in

Faith‟. The events attendees in-

cluded the First Minister of Wales

Carwyn Jones who also spoke on the

importance of interfaith to the Welsh

Assembly. Representatives from The

Board of Deputies of British Jews

were also present.

Both speakers shared their own

experiences of the value of faith to

society today, and how partnership

and co-operation between religions

can empower the individual and

society to address global and local

injustices. Following the talks, at-

tendees were invited to a three

course meal to discuss the talk and

begin to form relationships between

those present.

The Archbishop Dr Barry Morgan has

led a distinguished career as leader

of the Church in Wales, contributing

to public debate on the role of faith

in society, social injustice and many

other key issues. He has always

strived towards greater openness

between faith communities in Wales.

Likewise Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra is a

graduate of a Dar al-Uloom Institute

of Higher Education, Holcombe, and

al-Azhar University, Cairo. As such,

he is one of the leading Imams in

Britain today. He balances numer-

ous roles speaking on Islam in the

media alongside dedicated interfaith

work and pastoral duties to many

Muslims across the country.

Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of

the Muslim Council of Wales, com-

mented that "the event illuminated

the way in which faith plays a part

in the fabric of our society, and what

it can offer to the believer and non-

believer alike.”

Saleem Kidwai concluded by saying

that "Muslims and Christians make

up over half the world's population,

and Islam and Christianity have a

long and glorious history both glob-

ally and locally in Wales. Interfaith

events such as this are not simply a

luxury but a necessity to ensure that

we all take part in creating a cohe-

sive and close society based on

friendship and trust”.

A Historic Beginning to

National Interfaith Week in Wales

Page 2 Volume 1, Issue 4

"The event illuminated the way in which faith plays a part in

the fabric of our society, and what it can offer to the believer

and non-believer alike.”

Saleem Kidwai, General Secretary of MCW

Special

Edition

For those familiar with the history of

Wales, the phrase 'Welsh Revival' of

1904-1905 evokes very powerful

images. It describes an era of in-

tense religious fervour amongst

Welsh Christian communities. The

revival began with smaller move-

ments in towns such as Ammanford

but soon spread until all came to a

climax in 1904 as key preachers,

notably Evan Roberts, went on tours

across Wales. Roberts and others

spoke powerfully about the impor-

tance of repenting all sin, publically

professing their faith in Christ and

opening oneself to the transforma-

tive power of the Holy Spirit. It is

estimated that over 100,000 con-

verts were received during the pe-

riod of a single year into Welsh

churches, including greater religios-

ity and piety among pre-existing

congregations.

The Welsh Revival is an important

part of Welsh history and it takes its

place in a backdrop of other Chris-

tian revivals in Britain and Europe

during the nineteenth and twentieth

century.

There is however a forgotten re-

vival, one that is not included in the

history books but still influenced the

future direction of Wales.

It was however an Islamic Revival,

that swept across South Wales dur-

ing the 1930s-40s. It was led by a

single man, Abdullah Ali al-Hakimi,

and its influence is still important

today.

Cardiff during this era was a bus-

tling port city, one of the largest in

the UK. The first million pound

cheque in the world was written in

Cardiff's Coal Exchange, evidence of

the size and prominence of the port.

Thousands of Muslims working on

ships found themselves in Cardiff,

sometimes for short stays and

sometimes for longer. They would

be in between employment on ships

- usually as firemen. Some decided

to abandon the difficult life at sea

and make a home in Cardiff. Most of

these Muslims lived in the Docks

area which became known as Tiger

Bay. They came from diverse re-

gions of the world, Somalis, Indians

and Malays. By far however the

largest contin-

gent came from

Yemen, specifi-

cally the Aden.

It was esti-

mated there

were about

5,000 Muslims

living in Cardiff

dur ing this

time, a large

community by

the standards

of the day.

The adherence

of these men to

their faith how-

ever was some-

thing that con-

cerned the religious leaders of the

time, and so Sheikh Ahmed ibn

Mustafa al-Alawi (founder of the

Allawi Tariqa), sent his student

Shaykh Abdullah Ali al-Hakimi, a

Yemeni scholar, to Britain to ad-

dress the issue.

Sheikh al-Hakimi was erudite

scholar of Islam, but also a gifted

speaker and a natural diplomat. His

piety and knowledge led to him be-

ing chosen as a muqaddim within

his tariqa. He was by profession a

merchant and a businessman, and

earned his own livelihood while de-

voting time and energy to his faith.

In the space of a few short years,

Abdullah Ali al-Hakimi successfully

transformed the local Muslim com-

munity in Cardiff (and to a certain

extent, South Shields, Liverpool and

Hull). He established a mosque at

Peel Street (most likely, the first in

Wales), regular Quran study classes

for children and adults alike, created

a number of welfare services for the

local community. Al-Hakimi dis-

played an impressive ability to en-

gage with the political system by

negotiating the establishment of the

Wales' first Muslim burial site in Ely

- something the Muslim community

in South Wales still benefits from.

Al-Hakimi's work also extended to

the wider community. He had a

close relationship with politicians,

the media and local leaders from

other faiths, holding annual dinners

where he would bring them all to-

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 4

gether. His diplomatic success is

demonstrated by the attendance of

the Mayor of Cardiff at the re-

opening of Peel Street mosque after

it was destroyed in the Blitz of

World War 2.

Kevin Little, a social scientist, car-

ried out a survey of Loudon Square

in 1944, a key area in Tiger Bay. He

describes the Muslim community

below: -

“Mention should be made again of

the strong body of Islamic faith. The

adherents of this creed not only

carry out their religious and ritualis-

tic obligations with more fervour

than the rest of the community, but

are correspondingly surer both of

their creed and of themselves. The

various prohibitions enjoined by the

prophet are on the whole rigorously

observed, as are Ramadan and

other fasts and festivals. In the

celebration of the latter, ritual dress

is worn by a large number of the

Arabs and other Moslems”

This description is one that stands in

contrast to the Muslim community

prior to the arrival of al-Hakimi.

There is much more detail still

needed about his life and works,

and how his influence still survives

in Cardiff today. Regardless, it is

clear that the Muslim community of

Wales is indebted to his efforts and

leadership. His legacy is survived

today by Noor al-Islam Mosque and

South Wales Islamic Centre, both of

which trace their lineage to the Peel

Street Mosque.

The Forgotten Revival

Opening of Peel Street Mosque

Special

Feature

Chaplaincy has traditionally been as-

sociated with the Christian tradition.

The Chaplain would provide spiritual,

emotional and pastoral support to

those in need. Recently however, the

role has seen diversification with

Chaplains catering for almost all faith

traditions and indeed none.

The Muslim Council of Wales is proud

to see the growth of Muslim chaplains

in Wales and recognises the important

role Chaplaincy has to play in shaping

our society.

There are currently a number of Mus-

lim chaplains in prisons. These include

Shaykh Kamal Idreesy and Shaykh

Abdel-Ati, serving prisoners across

South Wales. In addition, Shaykh

Foreed and Shaykh Abdul-Muhit are

based in Park Prison. They provide

care, attention and spiritual support to

Muslim inmates, helping them to re-

form and reconsider their options in

light of religious guidance. Chaplaincy

does not end there however, as Faith

in the Future, a Muslim Council of

Wales project, provides community

chaplaincy to former prisoners upon

their release. Support after completion

of a prison sentence is seen as vital to

integrate the individual back into soci-

ety. Faith in the Future has played a

key role in helping reduce rates of re-

offence and offering support to the

most vulnerable individuals. Shaykh

Yacoub Kutkut, Shaykh Mujahid Ali,

Shaykh Ali Omar and Mufti Javed all

provided community chaplaincy to

former inmates through Faith in the

Future.

Muslim Chaplains at university are

also becoming increasingly common,

equally so in Wales. Cardiff University

and Cardiff Metropolitan University

both introduced Muslim chaplains in

2011. Dr Sameh Otri serves as Muslim

Chaplain to Cardiff University, based

at Dar al-Isra Community Centre on

Wyeverne Road. He enjoys a positive

working relationship with the univer-

sity's Anglican, Methodist and Catholic

Chaplains and serves the needs of

nearly 3000 Muslim students. Cardiff

Metropolitan's Laura Jones is Wales'

first serving female university Muslim

chaplain. Cardiff Metropolitan has lead

the way in faith provision, having re-

cently been rated one of the best uni-

versities according to the International

Student Barometer, especially for their

outstanding faith provision. Both

Sameh and Laura are graduates of the

Markfield Institute of Higher Educa-

tion's Muslim Chaplaincy course.

Shaykh Mohsin Elbetagi, Imam of

Swansea University Mosque also pro-

vides key chaplaincy duties in Swan-

sea University. The Muslim Council of

Wales is hopeful that other universities

in Wales will recognise the importance

of Muslim Chaplains and begin to in-

troduce them.

Muslim Chaplains can also be found in

hospitals, schools and even in com-

mercial locations such as Birmingham

NEC. Amina Shabaan and Fehmida

Ahmed currently provide chaplaincy

services in hospitals in South Wales.

Research on the role of Muslim Chap-

lains in the UK has been conducted by

the Centre for the Study of Islam in

the UK at Cardiff University, with a

publication on the findings of their

research due to published very soon.

The researchers, Dr Sophie Gilliat-Ray

and Dr Mansur Ali, interviewed dozens

of Muslim chaplains in the UK. The

research was conducted in association

with St Michael's College, a seminary

specialising in chaplaincy studies. All

of which means Cardiff is certainly

leading the way in academic study of

chaplaincy in Britain.

The Muslim Council of Wales has sup-

ported the growth of Muslim

chaplains by sponsoring individuals to

c o m p l e t e a C e r t i f i c a t e i n

Muslim Chaplaincy at the Markfield

Institute of Higher Education.

The last decade has seen Muslim

Chaplains come to prominence in pub-

lic life and we can certainly expect to

see more growth and development in

the next few years, especially in

Wales.

Page 4 Volume 1, Issue 4

“The last decade has seen Muslim Chap-lains come to prominence in public life and we can certainly expect to see more growth and development in the next few years, especially in Wales”

The Muslim Council of Wales believes

local politics are a key part of our

nation‟s democracy, and for govern-

ment at large to work well, citizens

must be engaged at the grassroots

level.

It is with this in mind that the Muslim

Council of Wales is pleased at figures

that show a record number of Muslim

candidates standing for council elec-

tions as well as a record number of

elected Muslim councillors across

Wales.

The results show Welsh Muslims are

both engaged and participating in

civil society. Islam instructs its fol-

lowers to take an active role in their

local community, to care for

neighbours and that a Muslim should

not sleep content while his neighbour

is hungry. We believe the increase of

Muslim councillors in Wales is simply

one of many signs of Welsh Muslims

implementing such Islamic teachings.

In total, over two dozen Muslim

councillors ran in Wales and nine

were elected, mainly across South

Wales.

We pray for their success and hope

they fulfil the responsibility of leader-

ship to the best of their ability. As

the Prophet Muhammad (peace be

upon him) taught: “the leader of a

people is their servant”

Success for

Muslim

Councillors

Special

Feature The Rise of Muslim Chaplains

“The Leader of a

people is their

Servant”

Prophet Muhammad

(SAW)

Page 5 Volume 1, Issue 4

single listening campaign hinged on

asking the question „What is putting

pressure on young people in Car-

diff‟? The aim was to have 1000

conversations with young people

across the city to get a true repre-

sentation of what was causing the

strain on our young people. This

question has been asked all over

Cardiff, participants from iLead

Wales, the Somali community, St

Teilo‟s Church in Wales High School,

Bishop of Llandaff high school, Car-

diff University, „Save the Children‟,

Mary Immaculate High School, to

name a few, have been asking this

question in their own institutions and

in their own communities.

Within iLead Wales and MCW, we

have been working closely with Saira

Chaudhry and Abdul-Azim Ahmed on

this project and during February,

with them, some of the younger

delegates of iLead attended training

on how to run a listening campaign.

With the energy buzzing they started

their „listening‟ straight away. Taking

advantage of a sunny Sunday after-

noon in Cardiff Bay they managed to

have over 200 conversations with

people in the bay, each conversation

answering the question – „What do

you think is putting pressure on

young people in Cardiff?‟.

Continued on page 6:

Citizens UK is the national home of

community organising. Their goal is

to build the power of communities,

who then work together for the

common good. Citizens UK only

exists so far in London and Milton

Keynes. In London it is has been

running for over 20 years, splitting

into North, East South and West

London Citizens, made up of bor-

oughs in the city.

In the past few years dele-

gates from Cardiff have at-

tended London Citizens As-

semblies. Here, they watched

ordinary people, living in Lon-

don; tackle the problems that

were causing strain on their

lives. They watched as people

held politicians accountable to

the issues that they had the

power to change; making the

streets a safe place to be,

ending child detention, imple-

menting a living wage to com-

bat the levels of poverty that fami-

lies face when trying to survive on a

minimum wage income in London.

Citizens UK form alliances on rela-

tional power - creating relationships

and links within your own church,

school, university, mosque, trade

unions, strengthens that organisa-

tion. Continuing this, in conjunction

with other civil society institutions,

finding common ground and forming

a relationship based on understand-

ing one another creates a powerful

base to form an alliance. This alli-

ance will always be stronger because

of the time people took to under-

stand one another and their shared

goal of working for the common good

of all. From this, change is possible.

Before a Cardiff Citizens alliance is

set up we must ensure there is both

a need and want for it. Therefore we

decided to run a smaller campaign,

generously funded by the High Sher-

iff of South Glamorgan,

Roger Thomas. We fo-

cused on young people

and in a condensed time

slot, to illustrate the

process of community

organising to those who

were already intrigued.

„Brighter Futures‟ aims to

build relationships be-

tween young people from

different civil society

institutions across the city, train

them in community leadership skills,

and support them to take action to-

gether on local issues of injustice -

across faith, denominational, genera-

tional, racial and neighbourhood di-

vides - to build a brighter future for

all young people in the city.

The process began with listening

campaigns. Each institution ran

theirs differently depending on the

unique set up of their school, com-

munity group, college etc, but every

A Brighter Future for the Young People

of Cardiff

“Brighter Futures aims to build re-

lationships between young people from dif-

ferent civil society institutions across the

city, train them in community leadership

skills, and support them to take action to-

gether on local issues of injustice”

Bethan Grant, Trainee Community Organiser,

Brighter Futures

Building

Relationships

On the 22nd of March we held the

Launch of Brighter Futures. Here 80

representatives from the organisa-

tions taking part gathered to discuss

the results of their listening cam-

paign and share testimonies on the

issues that had struck them. Al-

though the stories themselves dif-

fered from all over the City, they

centered around four main themes -

transport, safety on the street, dis-

crimination and job opportunities for

the young.

The launch was a huge success in

our campaign, bringing together

people who shared the same ideas

but perhaps not the same neighbor-

hood, faith or race. People were

encouraged to talk to those they

didn‟t know, to discuss the issues

but also, to discuss solutions. From

these conversations, our agenda of

winnable and workable asks was

born. This is what was carried with

us as we spoke to council leaders,

including Plaid Cymru‟s Councilor

Neil McEvoy and Labour‟s Councilor

Heather Joyce and the public over

the past few weeks leading up to the

election on May 3rd. We negotiated

with council leaders to take the

young people of Cardiff into consid-

eration, to take the pressures they

face seriously and to use the power

they hold to secure them a brighter

future. We didn‟t stop there, we

spoke to members of the public,

encouraging them to use their vote

on 3rd May and take the „Young Peo-

ple‟s Agenda‟ into consideration.

Although many of the participants

were too young to vote, they are

still taking part in the democracy

they are living in and asking those

who could vote to take that opportu-

nity to have a say in Cardiff‟s future.

The future is certainly bright as the

recently elected Councilor Heather

Joyce agreed to meet our brighter

futures youth again to discuss the

implementation of the solutions

further, helping to build a brighter

future for the young people of Car-

diff.

For more information of Citizens UK,

please visit: http://

www.citizensuk.org/

Article continued from page 5

Volume 1, Issue 4 Page 6

Building Relationships

iLead Wales just completed its pilot year with over 40 delegates

of varied ages and experiences going through the programme.

The style and set up of iLead allows a very easy journey of

learning and the separation of age groups ensures that all mate-

rial is delivered in a way that will engage with the delegates and

be properly understood. The year was strategically broken down

into 3 semesters each with their own unique learning outcomes

– self development, engagement with the wider community and

leadership.

iLead Wales was initiated in order to develop the youth into lead-

ers. The course is aimed at arming them with resources, meth-

odologies and concepts of thinking and strategy that would allow

them to benefit their communities and achieve their goals. The

content of the course is designed to stretch their capabilities and

expose them to areas that they would normally encounter in

later life. Here is what one delegate had to say after completing

the iLead course:

“Before I took part in this programme, I had a lack

of motivation, low self-esteem and no confidence in

myself. After having participated in every session, I

was able to increase my confidence, increase my self

-esteem and the contents within some of the ses-

sions, taught me all about self-motivation, but over-

all the ILEAD programme taught me how to become

a great leader, to myself, the Muslims and the com-

munity. I can personally say that I am proud to be

an ILEAD delegate, for everything this course and its

tutors have taught me. As well as learning, the envi-

ronment was very friendly; there were many team

building activities to participate in within each ses-

sion, which made learning about each of the topics

fun. I was also able to make new friends and enjoy

my experience from day 1. It’s very hard to believe

that the season is already over. I would definitely

recommend this course to anyone who wishes to ei-

ther develop themselves personally, or even to learn

how to become a great leader, this would definitely

be the right course for them”

The programme will run again in September 2012 with the application and

recruitment process beginning at the end of May 2012.

For more information or to register interest, contact:

info.ileadwales@gmail.com

The beginning of this year saw the

launch of a new community initiative

to help the South Wales Muslim Com-

munity into employment, in conjunc-

tion with Muslim Council of Wales

and Dar Ul Isra Community Centre

and Mosque. It was the brain child of

Mohammed Alamgir Ahmed, a Re-

cruitment Professional, who currently

works as regional manager at one of

South Wales largest IT recruitment

Consultancy Company, who recog-

nised that too many people were

missing out on potential job opportu-

nities due to a lack of understanding

of the recruitment process. His many

years of experience in the industry

gave him insight into how best to

approach job hunting and how best

to improve the chances of the poten-

tial candidate.

It was specifically designed at those

individuals made redundant, post

graduates who are looking for their

first step onto the career ladder and

those who are new to the country

and don‟t know how best to search

and apply for work.

The workshop was held at Cardiff

University and attended by a large

number of mixed individuals from all

of the above segments of the com-

munity – Mohammed was able to use

his expertise and knowledge of the

process to break it down into 3 key

areas: CV Writing, Job Hunting and

Interview Tips.

Mohammed gave the participants a

very unique insight into what a CV

should be used for and how best to

structure it – he explained that a CV

is a selling tool so every word used

should be purely to sell the applicant.

He gave a great example to demon-

strate what he meant then asked

„who would you ask in for an inter-

view?‟

After discussing what the best con-

tent for a CV is and how to write the

key achievements he moved onto job

hunting which was a real eye opener

for everyone. He explained how po-

tential employees and Recruitment

Consultants initially shortlisted CV‟s

based on key words so it was vital to

include key words needed for the job

you are applying for. He said to iden-

tify the key word, for example in

sales it is about targets, motivation

and resilience, in administration it is

about attention to detail, accuracy

and organisation so to include these

words and other relevant ones as

much as possible. He also advised

using all the online job boards like

Monster, Jobsite, CWJobs and then

following up applications with a phone

call to the Recruitment Agency or

Employer asking „what did you think

of my CV?‟ rather than „have you

received my CV?‟. The open question

forces them to bring out and look at

the CV and respond (which might just

catch their eye) whilst the latter al-

lows them to just say yes and brush

you off.

The final part of the workshop was

interview techniques and what really

stood out from this part was how

important preparation was, Moham-

med explained a recent survey said

the average time spent by successful

applicants on preparation was 3 hours

per interview. He also made it clear

that an interview was just the em-

ployer qualifying the applicants ex-

perience, attitude, characteristics,

skills and background in line with the

job vacancy so it was vital that the

applicant understood the job inside

out and then gave responses that had

synergy with the job. He gave an

example of someone interviewing for

an office administration job and the

interviewer posing the open question

„tell me about yourself;

Bad answer – I love shopping and

have a passion for Bollywood movies,

I also like relaxing and watching TV.

Appropriate answer – I am a highly

organised person with an eye for de-

tail and accuracy, I like maintaining

control of situations when I can but

am not afraid to delegate when nec-

essary. My ambitions are to become

the best at what I do and lead from

the front.

In Mohammed‟s own comical way he

was able to get the point across to all

those who attended and the feedback

was great with some people com-

plaining it should have been longer.

Mohammed also did a follow up ses-

sion on email which was a great help

as many people emailed their new

revised CV to him for review.

We asked Mohammed on his

thoughts on the day; “it was a great

turn out and the people really

seemed to get value from it, I tried

to keep it as simple and relevant as

possible and I know it was a lot for

people to take in so I pray I didn‟t

rush as I have a tendency to talk

too fast, must be the 3 litres of cof-

fee I drink per day”.

If you would like to attend the next

workshop or would like Moham-

med‟s help on your own job hunt he

has offered his support to anyone

and asked them to get in touch –

mohammeda535@gmail.com

Volume 1, Issue 4 Page 7

MCW Initiative

Get Job Fit in 2012!

Sample CV 1

I would add the cherry on top

of a Cherry Bakewell cake

I worked in a team

I would sometimes train new people

Sample CV 2

I had complete responsibility

for the final decoration and quality check of a market leading brand of Kipling

cakes

I was a key member of a high performance team that con-

tinuously surpassed produc-tion targets

My knowledge, expertise and exceptional communication skills were used to train and mentor new starters

Correction:-

It was bought to our attention that

page 9 of the last edition of the

newsletter made some inferences

to sufis which was incorrect and not

based on facts. We apologise for

this grave error, it was never in-

tended to cause any ill feelings or

incorrect perceptions and we ask

for forgiveness for this mistake.

Apologies.

The Islam-UK Centre, based at

Cardiff University is delighted to

announce the expansion of the

Cardiff University Jameel Scholar-

ships from September 2012. The

generous scholarship scheme,

which started in 2009, enables the

very best students to go to Cardiff

– those who have the intellect and

determination to apply their

knowledge for the benefit of Mus-

lim communities in the UK, and to

promote better understanding of

Islam in wider society.

Through the support of Mr Yousef

Jameel, the expanded Cardiff Uni-

versity Jameel Scholarship

Scheme will now offer three more

years of support to three fully

funded PhD students and 12 MA

students. This builds on the suc-

cess of the scholarship scheme

which has already seen two PhD

students and nine MA students

study at the Islam-UK Centre.

Current PhD Jameel Scholar Rosa-

lind Warden is researching Social

Services provision for Muslims in

Britain using Cardiff as a case

study. She is aiming to highlight

issues and challenges within

mainstream social services provi-

sion as they engage with Muslim

clients and in time to provide a “blue

-print” for social services provision in

the UK to improve social policy. “My

research has allowed me to work

closely with members of the local

Muslim community in Cardiff which

I‟ve really enjoyed and I hope that

the research really focuses on the

issues of relevance to the community

which in time will make a difference”

said Rosalind Warden.

The Islam-UK Centre is the only one

in the world which specialises in Is-

lam in the UK with many of its

alumni going on to work in commu-

nity organisations, the voluntary

sector, legal services and education.

The Centre‟s Director Sophie Gilliat-

Ray said: “Mr Jameel‟s generosity

enables in-depth scholarship and

unique teaching for Muslims and non

-Muslims alike, particularly in the

areas of education, religious leader-

ship, inter-generational and family

relations and British Muslim Arts and

Heritage. We are immensely grateful

to Mr Jameel for his generosity in

supporting students at Cardiff – his

support will make a huge difference

not only to the students, but in the

long-term to Muslims throughout the

UK.”

Volume 1, Issue 4 Page 8

Education Renewed funding enables expansion of

unique scholarship opportunities at

Cardiff University

“Mr Jameel’s generosity

enables in-depth schol-

arship and unique

teaching for Muslims

and non-Muslims alike,

particularly in the areas

of education, religious

leadership, inter-

generational and family

relations and British

Muslim Arts and Heri-

tage.”

Dr. Sophie Gilliat-Ray,

Director of Islam

Centre UK

You can keep up to date with all of

Islam-UK Centre‟s activities by sign-

ing up to their mailing list here:-

https://www.surveys.cardiff.ac.uk/

iukccontacts

The Federation of Student Islamic

Societies (FOSIS) aims to represent

and serve over 90,000 Muslim

students throughout the UK and

Eire. FOSIS organises conferences,

speaker tours and many other high

quality activities throughout the

year, which has given the Muslim

student community many opportuni-

ties to learn about Islam as well as

to ask important questions based on

their theological concerns. This has

led to the strengthening of many

individuals.

In the aim of improving our service

to Muslim students, FOSIS brain-

stormed a way where Muslim stu-

dents would individually be ad-

vanced in their own personal jour-

ney of Islam through the organisa-

tion of a student Qur‟an competition.

We all know how difficult it is for a

student to study hard. For example:

medicine, maths, engineering, eco-

nomics, etc. eventually earn you a

distinction by doing well in exams

and essays, and, at the same time,

you can make considerable effort to

learn how to recite and memorise

the Qur‟an. By launching this com-

petition, FOSIS is inviting Muslim

students to begin this thousand mile

journey through the Qur‟an with the

first step: their participation in this

NSQC.

The FOSIS National Student Qur‟an

Competition (NSQC) aims to get

students closer to the Qu‟ran, its

meanings and its stories, motivating

students to develop a habit of recit-

ing and memorising the Qur'an on a

daily basis.

“The Quran Competition is a

great motivation for Muslim

Students to be productive &

active in their student life. It

inspires them towards achieving

a noble goal, which demands

action from them, and great self

-discipline!”

The competition allows students to

compete, learn and most impor-

tantly discover the sweetness of the

Qur'an and their great potential in

memorising it. The categories varied

from the art of recitation, Tajweed

where no memorisation is required,

to the memorisation of a quarter of

the Quran – every level is repre-

sented.

In Wales this year, NSQC was held

in Cardiff and Bangor in collabora-

tion with the universities Islamic

Societies (ISocs) on Saturday 17th of

March and Saturday 24th of March.

Alhamduillah, with 30 participants,

the competition was very successful.

The prizes for all categories grate-

fully were sponsored by Muslim

Council of Wales (MCW) and given

to the winners as follow:

Brothers

1- 1/4 Qur'an: Ali Abu Hashim, Ban-

gor University

2- Al-Baqarah: Isa Ashworth, Ban-

gor University

3- Juz Amma: Zulqarnain Majid,

University of Bristol

4- Tajweed: Mukhtar, University of

Bristol

Sisters:

1- Al-Baqarh: Marwa El-Gaby, Car-

diff University

2- Juz Amma: Azyan Kamarudin,

Cardiff University

3- Tajweed: Nur Ili Nadiah Zulkiple,

Cardiff University

MCW was proud to sponsor NSQC

and looks forward to further collabo-

ration as the year progresses.

Volume 1, Issue 4 Page 9

“The competition allows students to com-

pete, learn and most importantly dis-

cover the sweetness of the Qur'an and

their great potential in memorising it”

Sahar Al-Faifi. FOSIS Wales & West Chair

Supported by MCW

FOSIS National Student Qur’an

Competition (NSQC) Wales & West England

Volume 1, Issue 4 Page 10

Special

Feature

The freedom and dignity of Syria

has been compromised for 41 years;

it was compromised so the country

can be dominated by one family, by

one party, so the people live in fear.

Due to recent events the family

name has become infamous across

the world. It was Hafiz Assad, the

father of Bashar Assad, who through

a coup took power in 1970. He led

with an iron fist and increased re-

pression, through a vast web of

police informers and agents. In the

80‟s, the people showed signs of a

popular uprising against the regime.

The response was brutal and un-

precedented, the whole country was

stifled and an entire city was demol-

ished and its people massacred.

Reports vary as to how many were

massacred in Hama, 45,000 is often

quoted. The Syrian Human Rights

Committee estimates “over 25,000”

or between 30,000 to 40,000 people

were killed. The attack has been

described as one of "the single

deadliest acts by any Arab govern-

ment against its own people in the

modern Middle East”.

Abdulhadi Arwani, who was invited

by Welsh Solidarity for Syria (WSS)

to Cardiff on 24th April 2012, was

only 16 years old when he wit-

nessed this massacre. He was lucky

as he was able to escape Syria and

has now lived in the UK for 17

years.

In 2000, the constitution was swiftly

amended after the death of Hafiz

Assad to reduce the mandatory

minimum age of the president from

40 to 34. This paved the way for

his son, Bashar, to take the helm,

who was 34 at the time. In May

2007, Bashar was approved as

president for another seven-year

term, with the official result of

97.6% of the votes in a referendum

without another candidate. Like his

father, Bashar showed a disregard

to human rights and continued an

era of corruption and economic

lapses. Any political opponents were

routinely tortured and imprisoned.

There was reason to believe he

would implement political reforms,

as he was young, liberal and re-

ceived a western education in the

UK. Although at the beginning of his

presidency he released many politi-

cal prisoners, but within a year se-

curity crackdowns commenced on

any political opposition or reform.

The revolution which began on 15th

March 2011 was peaceful; it re-

mained peaceful for many months.

Pockets within the Syrian army be-

gan to defect and join what is now

called the „Free Syrian Army‟ (FSA).

These soldiers and civilian volun-

teers made it their duty to protect

the civilians and protestors from

attacks by the Syrian regime. The

FSA defectors refused to turn their

guns on their own people and to

follow such orders from their gener-

als and leaders. Many soldiers have

been executed simply because they

could no longer stay within the

ranks of an army who instead of

protecting their own people are kill-

ing them and forcing them to flee

their homes and cities.

The popular uprising was not due to

hunger or poverty, but for dignity

and freedom. Although economic

reform will come about if the Assad

monopoly on businesses and the

Syrian economy is broken. Rami

Makhouf, is the maternal cousin of

Bashar Assad, and according to

the Financial Times he controls as

much as 60% of the Syrian econ-

omy through his web of business

interests that include telecommuni-

cations, oil and gas, construction,

banking, airlines and retail. No for-

eign company can do business

in Syria without his consent and

partnership. He is a part of Bashar

Assad's inner circle, the regime has

a strong monopoly on what people

can do and any form of entrepre-

neurship is seriously inhibited.

After over 13 months, the statistics

are staggering and it beggars belief

that nothing practical has been done

by the international community to

put a stop to the killing, torture and

persecution. As of 29th April 2012:

14,028 have been killed. Of them

967 children, 904 women and

12,102 men

More than 44,500 refugees in Tur-

key, Lebanon and Jordan

More than 65,000 missing

More than 212,000 protestors in-

carcerated

The regime has transgressed all

boundaries and has committed war

Welsh Solidarity for Syria

Volume 1, Issue 4 Page 11

crimes. A humanitarian crisis is tak-

ing place in Syria, with hundreds of

thousands living under difficult cir-

cumstances, in fear they could be

the casualty. There are many pain-

ful accounts of torture. Hearing

about them will cut your hearts into

pieces.

On 29th May 2011, Hajar Al-Khateeb

and 12 other children ‒ including

her brothers, sisters, and cousins ‒

were riding the school bus on their

way to Al-Wafd school in Homs

when their bus was attacked out of

nowhere by Syrian security forces.

Hajar died and 5 other children were

injured. Their only crime was they

wanted to live in a free Syria. Many

a hero has fallen at the hands of the

Assad Regime. Ibrahim Qashoush

led singing and chanting at the

demonstrations in Hama. He was

killed by agents of the Syrian re-

gime in Hama and his broken body

was found in a river on 4th July

2011. He raised people‟s spirits

through his song and inspired oth-

ers, famously singing

“Your legitimacy has ended,

Freedom is at the door,

Time to leave Bashar,

Syrians won‟t be humiliated”

Heavy artillery and shelling has

been constant, especially in Homs,

Hama and Idlib. The scale of the

destruction is severe, and people‟s

homes have been converted into

rubble. The shelling has been indis-

criminate, many mosques have

been targeted, and churches have

been bombed as well as ancient

landmarks of Syria. The Madiq cas-

tle in Hama was bombed in March

2012, the castle is a UNESCO world

heritage site.

My parents came to Cardiff in the

late 1970‟s, my father was supposed

to complete his doctorate in electri-

cal engineering and then return to

Syria. They were forced to seek

asylum as they were advised not to

return due to the severe crackdown

on political opponents. I went to

Syria for the first and last time when

I was only 10 months old. My heart

yearns to go back and meet my

cousins/uncles/aunts whom I have

never seen and discover the land of

my ancestors. My mum tells me

about the beauty of her home town,

how her house overlooked the Medi-

What you can do:

Like our facebook page, www.facebook.com/

WelshSolidarityforSyria, to get the latest on our

events and campaigns

Arrange an appointment with your MP and explain the

current situation, ask him or her to sign Early Day Mo-

tion 2729, which calls for the expulsion of the Syrian

ambassador, and to hand over the keys to the Syrian

embassy in London to the rightful owners.

Tell your friends and family about the current situation

and atrocities taking place. Global awareness is the re-

gime‟s biggest enemy. Only the worlds silence is allow-

ing it to get away with its crimes.

terranean sea,

and the eve-

nings her family

would spend in

cafe‟s along the

coast. As the

poem goes:

If the love of

Syria was a

disease....I do

not want a cure

And if her love

was rain...then

let the skies

bring forth its

rain

And if her love

was the

cold...long live

the days of winter

And if her love was tears then I will

not stop crying

At Welsh Solidarity for Syria we rely

on volunteers and supporters to

coordinate activities to spread

awareness about what is happening

in Syria and raise much needed

funds. The supporters and volun-

teers come from different back-

grounds, nationalities and faiths.

The situation in Syria is a concern

for humanity and not only for Arabs,

Muslims or Syrians. The people and

governments must unite against any

massacres and war crimes.

There is much more that can de

done, and we want the people who

represent us, the politicians and the

Welsh assembly, to do whatever

they can to end the killing and give

the power back to the people so

they can choose their future. The

children of Syria need to live in a

free society, free from fear and tyr-

anny. Below are some of our recent

events:

It is important to remember the

significance of Syria and Al-Sham in

the Islamic tradition, Al-Sham is the

area covering the lands of present-

day Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and

Jordan from the Euphrates to Sinai.

The Prophet said: "Blessings to

al-Sham, blessings to al-Sham,

blessings to al-Sham. They asked

why and he replied: "Because the

wings of the angels of the Merciful

are lowered over it." The

Prophet also said: "O Allah,

bless us in our Sham and our

Yemen!"

Omar Arabi, Welsh Solidarity for

Syria

Broadway House, Broadway, Cardiff, CF24 1PU Tel: 029 2034 4555 Fax: 029 2049 2860

Website: muslimcouncilwales.org.uk E-mail: info@muslimcouncilwales.org.uk

Volume 1, Issue 4 Page 12

MCW Interfaith

Event