وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحَــها…..وَالْقَمَرِ إِذَا تَلـــهَا

Come, Listen and Be Mesmerized by the beautiful great creations of Allah: The Sun and the Moon

“By The Sun and its Morning Light…”

Date: Friday 11/5/2012

Time: 8pm

Venue: Greenwich Islamic Centre

131 Plumstead Road

LONDON SE18 7DW

By The Moon as it follows it…”

Date: Saturday 12/5/2012

Time: 1:30pm

(After Salatul Dhuhr)

Venue: Brixton Hill Mosque

226a Brixton Hill

LONDON SW2 1HE

Speaker: Dr Ismail A. Mageed

Scientist and Mathematician

This year ‘2012’: Muslims can tip the balance for the London Mayoral elections.

Dr. Omer El-Hamdoon (President of MAB) said: “We have seen firsthand how through Muslim participation in elections, MPs like George Galloway have been voted in. Muslims have to realise the importance of their say; and they must express it.”

He further added: “Whilst many may have registered to vote, it’s the turnout on the day that actually counts…”

Dr. El-Hamdoon concluded that “Every Muslim has the duty to be active within the society in which he/she lives and at all levels”. He considered also that “the participation in the elections is a way to express our engagement towards our country and our community.”.[ENDS]

Muslim Association of Britain
Further details of conference on MAB website: www.mabonline.net

Media enquiries should be addressed to the MAB Media Office on:

07540385859  | info@mabonline.net | www.mabonline.net

An exciting opportunity to learn, play and grow!

Register promptly to avoid disappointment.

Parents and Guardians: Please read this important information

Registration Form:

Click Here to download Registration Form.

To view the photos of last year’s camp, Click here!

on the Importance and Obligation of Muslim Participation in Society.

After several rounds in British courts since June 2011; on Sat 7th April 2012, Sheikh Raed Salah received the final and decisive decision of the immigration court which confirms the innocence of the Sheikh against all charges brought against him. The Judge concluded that the decision made by the  Home Office to deport Sheikh Raed was not based on legal grounds and was adopted according to misleading information.

The Palestinian forum in Britain considers that the case against Sheikh Raed was fabricated by the Zionist lobby and the extreme right-wing media in Britain.

The President of the MAB Dr. Omer El-Hamdoon said that this is a victory for the Palestinian community against the Zionist lobby in Britain and all over the world”. He seized this occasion to express his solidarity with Palestinians against the occupation of their land.

GLOBAL MARCH

Sat 17 March 2012 – London

Millions of people across the globe will converge on 17 March, to commemorate the first anniversary of the Syrian revolution. We demand an end to the slaughter and carnage of innocent people by a barbaric regime.

Join the London Demonstration to show your

solidarity with the brave people of Syria.

12pm               Assemble at Paddington Green (London W2 1LG).

Nearest tube: Edgware Road.

12:45pm          March towards the Syrian Embassy.

2:45pm            Rally and speeches outside the Syrian Embassy

(Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PH)

British Solidarity for Syria

MAB Speaker on the Day: Mohammad Hassan Yusuf

It is known that during the Mohammad period, a mosque was not merely dedicated to performing the prayers nor restricted to men or a certain age group. On the contrary, a mosque was a point of vibration onto the whole society, a centre of leadership and management of public affairs, an edifice of learning and knowledge dissemination, a house of judicature, a venue for meetings, incubator for character refinement and a base for constructive media activity as well as a centre for social solidarity. Above all, the mosque undertook the responsibility of investigating the populace problems and initiating solutions. This pivotal multi-function role account for the central position assigned to mosques in the Islamic city planning where the city districts and markets were closely linked to the all-inclusive mosque in the same way heart is linked to lively arteries.

The anticipated role of a mosque makes it a resort to mass groups, of all types and diverse needs, to perform the Islamic rituals and to benefit from positive oration which sharpens the intellect, cultivates good will, fosters positive emotion and guides to the path of virtue, true religion and beneficence throughout the course of life. It is proper for the mosque congregation to avail themselves of the Quran and Sunna learning rings, the courses on Islamic legal and cosmic sciences, awareness and guidance programmes and workshops, volunteer work and activities related to youth and children as well as the educational aid tools and technology apparatus that cope with and invest recent developments for the public interests.

Without doubt a mosque has a peculiar esteem in the lives of Muslims everywhere and its influence on the existence of Muslims in Europe and their social participation is quite conspicuous. It plays an effective role in embodying such human values as equality, anti-racism, mercy and solidarity. The presence of mosques in the European countries raises their role to the level of societal activity, charitable and humanitarian work at the local level, in addition to its role in spurring social interconnection, enhancing common understanding and reducing conflicts.

Imam and mosque management along with Islamic institutions as a whole should reflect the religious needs and social interests of Muslims including civil status affairs. To ensure good performance at this level, it is helpful to set up competent frames such as mosques leagues or Imams council or Muslim religious commissions, and the like.

To meet the mosque’s anticipated roles, mosque management should mobilize human and financial resources for this purpose and define pertinent tasks and responsibilities such as public relations officer of media committee officer, etc.

The following part outlines the means and activities to be undertaken by mosques at the external level:

• Arrange gatherings, public meetings, dialogue and cultural forums, conferences and exhibitions that conform to the position and financial resources of the mosque and its envisaged function.
• Organize open days to allow the district residents the opportunity to know about the mosque activities with a view to establish mutual harmonious bonds. Coordination between mosques at the level of the city, territory or country for organizing these events is useful.
• Carry out special activities geared to establishing communication with the populace such as Eid ceremonies, cleaning campaigns in the district and blood donation, group Iftar during Ramadan, in addition to other events that introduce Islam, Islamic culture and mosques to mass groups such as students, seniors, emergency teams, firefighting workers, police and services providers, and the like.
• Organize charitable and humanitarian programmes and projects including relief service for victims of disasters as well as solidarity programmes to support the poor and the homeless, etc.
• Implement media activities for positive communication with mass groups while applying traditional or modern techniques and initiating intercourse that conveys messages compatible with the mosque mission and presence. These include the publication of magazines or bulletins, editing a wall bulletin, launching a website on the internet, or designating a media spokesperson or releasing press statements that are in line with the mosque mission and function.  This could be implemented in partnership and collaboration with other Muslim or non-Muslim parties or by way of participating in the edition of local media means (for example district communiqué, local broadcasting station or public website).
• Conduct concerted events at the level of the district, the city and the institutions that share common interests in various fields.
• Participate in and coordinate with societies and institutions that are linked to the mosque’s scope of interests including participation in coordination frameworks, collaboration groups and work groups engaging in the targeted fields in a manner that strengthens mosque role in encouraging Muslims’ social participation.

According to the final revelation by God, the Holy  Book: AL QUR’AN …and according to some sayings of the final Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the Virgin Mary (mother of the blessed Jesus peace be upon him) has got many noble characters and qualities, which are very much needed for  women today!

These are:
Chastity.   Many of our girls and women today are participating in a variety of promiscuous sexual behaviours which have proven harmful to them physically, emotionally and spiritually and to society at large.  Sexually transmitted diseases abound, most devastatingly, HIV.  From unwanted teenage pregnancies, the vulnerability of teenage single motherhood and illegitimate births to abortion, sexual promiscuity has become a norm, unfortunately.
Pro-life.  In an age of abortion on demand (600 innocent babies are killed every day in Britain), abortion as a solution to future financial hardship, abortion of those innocent, yet to be born souls who do not match the ideal of physical or mental perfection, Mary (or Maryam in Aramaic and Arabic), was the bravest example of a pro-life woman, with her unusual traumatic and unexpected pregnancy!

Modesty: Perhaps as never before, a woman and her body has become a mere business commodity, her nudity exposed for all and sundry to see, a tool of marketing industry exploited to generate sales from cars to chocolate bars.

The fashion business, dependent upon the concept of planned obsolescence to maintain continual sales, encourages an almost obsessive preoccupation with what is currently fashionable, irrespective of any moral considerations.

Ever greater displays of female nudity have become the fashion norm with particularly impressionable young girls manipulated into the belief that less is more in the eyes of lustful men. The message is clear; as a sexual object, flaunt your sexuality and sexual availability through fashion.

Mary adhered to the highest standards of modesty through her dress and practicing Muslim women follow her example by wearing the dignified and protective Islamic dress of the hijab which permits only the face, hands and feet to be exposed in public.  A woman’s public dignity not her sexuality, is paramount.

Devotion to God: Mary was a devout woman, frequently at prayer in the temple worshipping God. Today, women are more often to be found in bars and clubs, worshipping and aping the behaviour of false idols, celebrities from the fashion and music industries.

Mary was devout in her belief in God, the Provider, the Sustainer of life.  From the United Nations to Family Planning Clinics (population control), fear of financial hardship, food shortages and threats of a population explosion serve to confirm a belief that sex is primarily a mere entertainment and not the fulfilment of marriage through procreation.  The contraceptive pharmaceutical, fashion and other industries have much to gain in profits from the propagation of the above unfounded fears.

Obedience: Mary, and women who obey God’s commands of chastity and modesty, are informed, mercifully protected and saved from the manipulation of the gullible by business and government.  Instead of obedience and devotion to God, there is the slavish devotion to fashion and celebrity lifestyle and their attendant harmful consequences.
Motherhood.  Mary is the symbol of Motherhood, lovingly devoted to her son: Jesus (peace be upon him).  What status has been conferred upon motherhood today?

The description ‘housewife and mother’ is often accorded derision instead of respect and support.  Societal, material expectations and financial pressures upon our women of today, denigrate that most valuable institution of motherhood. Favouring a woman’s contribution to the economic health of society through dead end jobs or demanding careers, entails huge conflict between her maternal desires and the love and care a devoted mother can bestow upon her family and thus prevents her contribution to the health of society at large.

Femininity/Womanhood.  Mary is the symbol of not only motherhood and all that entails but of femininity.  The most noble yet sadly uncherished qualities of woman; gentleness, compassion and nurturing, have been denigrated in order to compete with men in their aggressive, exploitative and selfish behaviours. Femininity and motherhood, defined by God through nature and by Christian and Islamic moral codes, have now been usurped by a confusing array of sexual orientations and equally confused accompanying behaviours.

Mary in Islam, has been found too to have these great qualities:

A caring BREASTFEEDING mother and a symbol of NATURAL BIRTH.

NB: All these great high qualities of the Virgin Mary are based on verses in the holy QUR’AN.

As Muslims, we revere Mary and her qualities of chastity, modesty, femininity and motherhood.  Indeed, the Holy Qur’an, the literal words of God, devotes an entire chapter (or Surah),chapter 19, named in her honour – Mary(Maryam) .  From this chapter and several verses in the Holy Qur’an do we learn as Muslims of her righteous life and Muslim women are exhorted to cherish and promote chastity, modesty, femininity and motherhood.  Depictions of the Virgin Mary, are to be found in chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 23, 33, 57 and 61, twelve in all.

Moreso, the final Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said before about Mary:

“THE LEADER OF ALL THE WOMEN OF THE WORLD IS MARY, THE DAUGHTER OF IMRAN” and

“THE BEST OF THE WOMEN IS MARY: THE DAUGHTER OF IMRAN”

It was mentioned clearly in the Islamic Holy Scriptures that Mary and her son: Jesus (GOD bless them), were protected from Satan! and that Mary was the CHOSEN woman in the world!
Muslims, during our five obligatory daily prayers, recite chapters from the Holy Qur’an which call to mind her noble, pure and pious life and she is most deserved of great admiration and respect.
A Muslim is he or she who submits his or her will to the will of God.  Incumbent upon a Muslim therefore is belief in the miraculous conception of the blessed Jesus, peace be upon him.

More soever, on this special day, 8th March, we would like to appeal to all Muslim mothers to name their new daughters Mary/Maryam, in honour of this most beloved servant of God and trustworthy role model.
Author: Dr. A. Majid Katme (MBBCh, DPM)

Pro-life pro-family Muslim Campaigner. (UK/UN)

Spokesman Islamic Medical Association/UK

Weekly TV Presenter (Health show)
Weekly radio broadcaster

Email:             akatme@hotmail.com

NB:.  Dr. Katme is available for interview or to give a talk on the Virgin

Mary in Islam to our Christian and Muslim friends alike.