On Monday 12 October, 40 people took the Eurostar from London St Pancras to Brussels under the auspices of the CMF. The trip was organised by CMF Secretary Faruk Miah MBE and its purpose was to enable participants to see the institutions of the European Union first hand.

Our Parliamentary host was Syed Kamall MEP, who is a member of the European Parliament for London and is also Chairman of The European Conservatives and Reformists group. This is the EU Parliament group of which the Conservative Party is a member, and it is the third largest group in the European Parliament.

After in informal lunch, we began with the Parliamentarium. This is the EU Parliament’s visitors centre. It contains many displays which are both informative and times intensely moving, showing the horrors of the early and mid twentieth century that the EU was set up to end by breaking down the divisions between the countries and peoples of Europe.

We then moved to the European Parliament meeting itself, and were able to sit and watch an EU Parliament committee meeting in the main Parliament chamber.

Our host Syed Kamall MEP had been called away by urgent business in The Hague, but Amjad Bashir MEPstepped into the breach and gave us a fascinating talk on the role and workings of the European Parliament.

The EU Parliament has an excellent location for taking group photographs, as shown below!

The first day finished with a group dinner in a Turkish restaurant. The following morning our Parliamentary host Syed Kamall MEP was able to join the group for breakfast and gave us a talk about his role in the EU Parliament. Afterwards we visited the European Commission for a talk on the role of the Commission, and a group then visited the main mosque in Brussels.

The afternoon was free time and then everyone had to collect together for the Eurostar to return. It was a great achievement on Faruk Miah’s person that everyone not only got to Brussels but also came back! We are grateful to him for the hard work he put in pulling this trip together.

Our Prime Minister David Cameron MP has sent a video Eid greeting to Muslims in Britain and around the world. There is a transcript below the video.

Full transcript

This Ramadan, we’ve seen the very best of British Muslim values.

We’ve seen unprecedented charity – zakat – with thousands upon thousands of pounds raised for the needy.

We’ve seen community spirit with inventive ways of breaking the fast with people of all faiths and none: from the Scouts’ open-air iftar in Birmingham to the iftar on the Thames in London – from events in synagogues and churches to community centres, homes and even tents.

Many iftars have been held to commemorate the Srebrenica genocide 20 years after 8,000 men and boys were massacred. Britain is home to the largest commemorations outside Bosnia. The Srebrenica Memorial Day initiative was launched by this government and on this anniversary we’ve pledged to continue teaching the lessons of that atrocity, far into the future.

After some of the longest days of the year and some of the hottest days we’ve had for a long time, Ramadan this year hasn’t been easy.

But we think about what life is like right now for people across the world for those in Syria and Iraq – families just like ours – suffering at the hands of ISIL and Assad.

We think of all the victims of terrorism during this time of the families attacked in their homes in Kobane, the worshippers killed as they prayed in Kuwait and the holidaymakers in Tunisia murdered on the beach and I know that mosques across Britain have dedicated Friday sermons to remembering the victims.

This terrorism is not just an assault on those victims. It’s not just an assault on Islam, whose good name it perverts. It’s an assault on us all, on our way of life, and we must defeat it.

So as families and friends come together this Eid to share food and presents, to think of others, to mark the end of Ramadan let’s think about the better Britain and world we must build together.

Once again, let me wish you a happy and peaceful Eid.

Eid Mubarak.

Even in a world where terrorist carnage seems a daily occurrence, yesterday stood out with terrorist attacks on three continents.

In Tunisia innocent holidaymakers, including many fellow Britons, were murdered by gunmen whose aim seems to be to wreck the economy of a country which is doing its best to emerge as a genuine Arab democracy. In Kuwait Shia Muslims at Friday prayers were slaughtered by a suicide bomber with the apparent motive of sparking sectarian hatred between Muslims. In France we saw a gruesome murder; fortunately the attempt to kill more people by setting off an explosion failed.

Our prayers are with the deceased and for their relatives and friends who have been so cruelly bereaved.

A common theme unites all three incidents. It is what our Prime Minister David Cameron in his recent speech in Bratislava called “Islamist extremist ideology”.

This is an ideology as evil and as destructive as Bolshevism and Fascism, albeit an ideology falsely wrapped in the language of the religion of Islam. It is an ideology that can and will be defeated, by people of goodwill coming together to reject it and to stand up for the shared human values that unite righteous people of all religions and none.

On 11 June 2015 the CMF Chairman Mohammed Amin and the CMF Executive Secretary Shaheen Thantrey, supported by Mrs Tahara Amin, visited the Chadwell Heath Asian Women’s Network which meets at Chadwell Heath Community Centre.

The Centre was also recently visited by HRH Prince Phillip who in his inimitable style asked the women “Who do you sponge off?” The Daily Mail story at this link shows that they took his question with the humour intended! The story mentions Nusrat Zamir who is the Group Co-ordinator of the Network and a Trustee of the Community centre.

The purpose of the CMF visit was to talk about political engagement. The size of the group, about 10 women, enabled excellent discussion. We were delighted to learn that every one of the women present had voted in the general election on 7 May.

If you would like someone from the CMF to come and talk to your group, please contact Shaheen Thantrey on mail@conservativemuslimforum.com

Below is a photograph of Shaheen Thantrey addressing the group which also shows that Mohammed Amin needs to invest in a comb! Below the photograph is a copy of Mohammed Amin’s prepared remarks. (Most of the session was taken up by questions and answers.)

Mohammed Amin’s prepared remarks

Good morning and assalamu aleikum. I’m going to talk for about 10 minutes, so that we can use the rest of the time we have for questions and answers.

I want to cover six things:

1. I’m going to tell you a bit more about myself.
2. I have a story to share.
3. I want to talk about personal success for yourselves and your children.
4. I want to talk about how to achieve change in our society.
5. I want to explain why I joined the Conservative Party over 30 years ago.
6. I want to tell you a little bit about the Conservative Muslim Forum.

1. A bit more about myself

I was born in Pakistan, and came to the UK at the age of 1 ¾. My parents were very poor and illiterate, and I grew up in the slums of Manchester.

Despite this background, I went to a grammar school, and obtained a degree in mathematics at Clare College Cambridge. I also got a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Leeds University.

After a year teaching, I trained as a chartered accountant, and specialised in taxation. In 1990 I became the first Muslim partner in Price Waterhouse, and in 2003 I was elected to PricewaterhouseCoopers’s Supervisory Board. I retired at the end of 2009.

Since then, I spend my time helping society. I realised when I went on Hajj in 2002 that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I am active in many organisations including being:

• Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum, a group within the Conservative Party.
• Co-Chair of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester.
• Patron and Chair of Donors of the Curriculum for Cohesion project.

I also write published articles regularly, and appear in the media. For example every six weeks I do a religious broadcast on BBC Radio Manchester. You can learn much more about me by visiting my website: www.mohammedamin.com Because of what I do for the community, Clare College chose me as its Alumnus of the Year for 2014.

2. Now let me share the story I promised

I want you to imagine something. Then I want to ask you a question.

Imagine a young Muslim wants to be rich and successful. Every day, he prays to God to make him rich and successful. Then he spends the rest of the day in bed. He does not work and he does not study. All he does is pray to become rich and successful. God can of course shower riches upon him.

My question for you is this. How likely is God to make this man rich and successful?

My own view is that it is pretty unlikely. I believe that if you are sincere, God will help you in your efforts. But you have to be making the efforts.

3. Achieving personal success for yourselves and your children

My story ties in directly to this. The obvious messages are about studying hard and working hard.

However we all know about people who are highly educated but can’t get a job. There is real discrimination in society.

However, although it is real, there is far less than people make out. Often, we create our own mental barriers. About 80% of this country consists of white people. About 95% of this country is non-Muslim.

How much of your own time is spent interacting with people from other backgrounds? Are you a member of mainstream organisations such as the National Trust? How many of you are in the Womens’ Institute? If you believe that this is your country, what are you doing to make it a better place? If you are a professional, how involved are you with your professional body?

4. Achieving change in our society

Put your hand up if you are completely satisfied with everything about this country, and don’t think that anything needs to change.

Nobody!

If you want things to change, you are going to have to do something. What you do depends on your time, your skills and your finances.

• Everyone can register and vote.
• You can join a political party.
• If you have more time you can help in political campaigning.
• You can join non-political organisation trying to achieve change.
• For example, I am a member of the Electoral Reform Society and of Amnesty International, as well as many other organisations which are listed on my website.
• You can write letters to newspapers, and use social media.

There is an endless list of things you can do. How much you do is up to you. Doing nothing is not an option, unless you think everything is perfect already.

5. Now let me explain why I joined the Conservative Party over 30 years ago

Unlike the imaginary young man in my story, I have always believed in getting involved. However I wasn’t always a Conservative. I became one over 30 years ago.

I was convinced that free markets are the best way to run an economy. I was convinced that the state should provide a safety net, but getting on in life is down to your own efforts. That is the philosophy of the Conservative Party.

You don’t join a political party because you agree with all of its policies. There has never been a single day when I agreed with every Conservative Party policy. Politics is about choices. The Conservative Party is far closer to what I believe than is any other political party.

6. Finally, what does the Conservative Muslim Forum do?

Firstly, we are not a lobby group.

There are a few genuine Muslim issues such as halal food or wearing niqab and burka in public. When they come up, we take a stand. For almost everything else, Muslims have divergent in the same way that non-Muslims have divergent views, and the CMF takes no position.

What we do is spread the message of the Conservative Party to Muslims. We make it easier for Muslims to get involved with the Conservative Party. We also teach other Conservative politicians about Islam and British Muslims. For example, we have a guide on visiting mosques, and a short introduction to Islam for non-Muslims.

There is only one other group like us in the Conservative Party. That is the Conservative Christian Fellowship. I am a member of that group, since you don’t have to be a Christian to join the Conservative Christian Fellowship. In the same way, you don’t have to be a Muslim to join the Conservative Muslim Forum. In fact two members of our Executive are non-Muslims.

Basically the role of the Conservative Muslim Forum is to help to connect you with the rest of the Conservative Party.

With that, let me throw it open for questions.

Over 75 people attended this event at the Mumbai Square Restaurant, 7 Middlesex Street, London, E1 7AA. From Syed Kamall they learned about his inspiring personal story to become a Member of the European Parliament, and what the role entails.

CMF Chairman Mohammed Amin spoke beforehand to explain the work of the CMF. He has provided the text of his speech for us to reproduce here.

Mohammed Amin’s speech.

Please put your hand up if you came here tonight to hear me speak. Nobody! That’s why I’m going to be very brief.

My role tonight is to tell you a bit more about the Conservative Muslim Forum. Before I get to the CMF, let me ask you to imagine something. Then I want to ask you a question.

Imagine a young Muslim wants to be rich and successful. Every day, he prays to God for great wealth. Then he spends the rest of the day in bed. He does not work and he does not study. All he does is pray for great wealth. God can of course shower riches upon him.

My question for you is this. How likely is it that God will give this man great wealth?

My own view is that it is pretty unlikely. I believe that if you are sincere, God will help you in your efforts. But you have to be making the efforts.

How does this relate to politics?

Let me ask you another question. Put your hand up if you are completely satisfied with everything about this country, and don’t think that anything needs to change. Nobody! If you want things to change, you are going to have to do something.

What you do depends on your time and other personal resources.

Everyone can register and vote. You can join a political party. You can help in campaigning. You can write letters to newspapers, and use social media. There is an endless list of things you can do. How much you do is up to you. Doing nothing is not an option, unless you think everything is perfect already.

Why the Conservative Party?

Unlike the imaginary young man in my story, I have always believed in getting involved. However I wasn’t always a Conservative. I became one over 30 years ago. I was convinced that free markets are the best way to run an economy. I was convinced that the state should provide a safety net, but getting on in life is down to your own efforts. That is the philosophy of the Conservative Party.

You don’t join a political party because you agree with all of its policies. There has never been a single day when I agreed with every Conservative Party policy. Politics is about choices. The Conservative Party is far closer to what I believe than is any other political party.

So what does the Conservative Muslim Forum do?

Firstly, we are not a lobby group. There are a few genuine Muslim issues such as halal food or wearing niqab and burka in public. When they come up, we take a stand. For almost everything else, Muslims have divergent views in the same way that non-Muslims have divergent views, and the CMF takes no position. What we do is spread the message of the Conservative Party to Muslims. We make it easier for Muslims to get involved with the Conservative Party.

We also teach other Conservative politicians about Islam and British Muslims. For example, we have a guide on visiting mosques, and a short introduction to Islam for non-Muslims.

There is only one other group like us in the Conservative Party. That is the Conservative Christian Fellowship. I am a member of that, since you don’t have to be a Christian. In the same way, you don’t have to be a Muslim to join the CMF. In fact two members of our Executive are non-Muslims. There are plenty of Executive members around. Please put your hand up. Ask them if you want to know more about the CMF.

Now let me hand over to Syed Kamall MEP.

In the last few weeks before the general election members of the CMF Executive continued to campaign in a number of key constituencies, but there was no time to post their activities on this website. We were too busy campaigning!

Accordingly this page represents a catch up. If you have some campaigning activity you wish to share, please send details including date and constituency to mail@conservativemuslimforum.com with a photograph.

Ajanthan Tennakoon interviewed in Evening Standard 29 April 2015

Executive Member Ajantha Tennakoon. alongside another Finchley resident Mr Shaun Dias, was interviewed by Susannah Butter of the London Evening Standard. They were described as “Thatcher’s Children.”

The full interview can be read at this link.

Raza Anjum mentioned in The Times 30 April 2015

An article by Lucy Fisher “Tories woo migrants with a multilingual battle bus” mentioned that this battle bus initiative known as “Conservative Connect” had been organised by a member of our Executive, Raza Anjum and Tian Yu Zhao, a British-Chinese entrepreneur. The full story which requires a Times electronic subscription to access is at this link.

Finchley & Golders Green 2 May 2015

Executive Member Ajantha Tennakoon, Deputy Chairman Ash Zaman and Chairman Mohammed Amin supporting Mike Freer in Finchley on 2 May 2015 alongside local activists.

Watford 3 May 2015

Mohammed Amin spent Sunday 3 May in Watford campaigning on behalf of Richard Harrington who has been outspoken on behalf of the right to practice kosher and halal slaughter.

Finchley & Golders Green 6 May 2015

A central website was used to send activists where they were most needed on the eve of the poll. Accordingly Mohammed Amin joined Ajantha Tennakoon in Finchley for the evening of Wednesday 6 May.

Enfield North 7 May 2015

The central website allocated Mohammed Amin to Enfield North on election day, so he spent the entire day on the “Get Out The Vote” effort in Enfield North on behalf of Nick de Bois.

It is often said in politics that “Every vote matters.” That is always true, but even more so when you are defending a majority of only 106. That is the margin by which Dr Matthew Offord won Hendon for the Conservative Party in 2010.

Accordingly on Sunday 19 April a team of London based CMF Executive members went to Hendon. We were there to help deliver a letter to Conservative leaning voters and to canvass them.

The photo below was taken inside the Conservative Party offices. From left to right:

1. Ahmedur Rahman – CMF Executive member
2. Faruk Miah – CMF Secretary
3. Dr Matthew Offord
4. Ash Zaman – CMF Deputy Chairman
5. Shaheen Mahmood – CMF Executive Secretary
6. Lady Shaida Sheikh – – CMF Executive member

In the outdoors group photo below, they were joined by other volunteers, including:

• CMF Executive member Ajantha Tennakoon who is standing on Matthew Offord’s immediate right.
• Shailesh Vara who until the dissolution of Parliament was the MP for North West Cambridgeshire who is standing next but one on Matthew Offord’s left.

CMF Chairman Mohammed Amin arrived late due to failing to check train times properly and missed the group photo! To make up for this, he stayed for extra canvassing time in the afternoon.

Until the dissolution of Parliament on 30 March 2015, Nick de Bois was the MP for Enfield North and we strongly want to see him re-elected. While much of the campaign consists of the “Air war” fought through the media, the “Ground war” of leafletting and canvassing often makes the difference between winning and losing.

Accordingly on Friday 10 April a group of people including the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers (until disssolution the MP for Chipping Barnet and still Secretary of State for Northern Ireland) and our Executive Secretary Shaheen Mahmood were out canvassing for Nick de Bois.

In the picture below, Shaheen is the second person from the left of the picture, followed by Nick de Bois and Theresa Villiers who are both standing in front.

While most people form their voting intentions based upon national party policies and media coverage, campaigning on the ground also has a major impact, and can mean the difference between winning and losing.

CMF Executive member Mike Mogul has been out day after day campaigning for Gavin Barwell in Croydon Central. On Saturday 4 April Michael Gove also came to help in Croydon Central, and Mike took the opportunity to get his picture taken with him.

Raza Anjum, Chairman of CMF Youth was a guest speaker and the Conservative Party’s sole representative at an all-party event held in Waltham Forest Town Hall to discuss “The importance of voting in the general elections”.

In his speech Raza noted that according to research conducted last year 7.5 million people who are eligible to vote were not registered to vote and that more needed to be done to encourage all segments of British society to engage in the democratic process. He described the right to vote as privilege and encouraged youngsters to be part of the process of change of in their communities by getting involved in local political associations and making sure that their voices are heard.

Also in attendance at the event were Labour and Liberal Democrat Parliamentarians.

Pictured below left to right are:

1. Cllr Nadeem Ali (Labour)
2. Chairman of CMF Youth Raza Anjum
3. Cllr Johar Khan (Labour)