The Conservative Muslim Forum Youth Wing, chaired by Cllr Raza Anjum, invited Nick Boles MP to come and speak to members of the CMF on the subject of “what the coalition is doing to build one nation”, and the event was well attended.
Raza Anjum initially welcomed everyone and said a few words. He was followed by Lord Sheikh who spoke briefly before handing over to Nick Boles MP who spoke and then held a question & answer session following his talk.
Cllr Raza Anjum, head of CMF Youth, and Sarfraz Anjum organised a meeting in Saffron Walden to discuss the current situation in Pakistan. Raza has recently travelled to Pakistan to speak against the conviction of Asia Bibi who was sentenced to death for blasphemy.
Raza Anjum in his speech referred to his efforts in Pakistan to obtain the release of Asia Bibi. He had worked in conjunction with Salman Taseer who unfortunately was murdered for standing up against the blasphemy law.
Lord Sheikh also spoke at the event and mentioned that it is important that democracy should be maintained in Pakistan but it is necessary for the judiciary and the media to remain independent and furthermore the insitutions needs to be strengthened. He also commented that he believes in the empowerment of women and that women need to be educated and given every opportunity to succeed.
After the meeting Lord Sheikh presented Raza Anjum with the Pride of Cambridge Award in recognition of the excellent work undertaken by him in the UK and also in Pakistan.
An event was held in Saffron Walden by Building Bridges which is an organisation that is engaging with both Christian and Muslim communities in order to bring them together and highlight their many similarities and promoting interfaith dialogue.
Cllr Raza Anjum (member of the Conservative Muslim Forum Executive Committee) was presented with a Building Bridges Award at the event to recognise his considerable work in promoting peace, harmony and interfaith dialogue both in the United Kingdom and Pakistan.
Lord Sheikh also attended and spoke at the meeting. In his speech Lord Sheikh highlighted how the Quran regards Muslims, Christians and Jews as people of the Book and he also mentioned the fact that Jesus is mentioned more times in the Quran than Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He added that many non-Muslims do not realise that the Sura Maryam (Mary) in the Quran contains the story of the birth of Jesus
CMF Youth is hosting Nick Boles MP for Grantham & Stamford, to speak on the subject of “What the coalition is doing to build one nation”.
The event will take place on Tuesday 25th January at 6:30pm in the House of Lords, Committee Room 3A.
Please email Shaheen Mahmood (shaheen.mahmood@conservatives.com) if you would like to attend.
Lord Sheikh (Chairman) and Mohammed Amin (Vice-Chairman) attended the Eid Gathering organised by the Armed Forces Muslim Association. The event was held at the Officer’s Mess at RAF Northolt.
The principal guest at the event was General Sir David Richards KCB CBE DSO ADC Gen, Chief of the Defence Staff, Head of the British Armed Forces, Patron of the Armed Forces Muslim Association.
Lord Sheikh in his speech congratulated General Sir David Richards on his recent appointment as Chief of the Defence Staff and also explained the significance of Eid in other major religions. Lord Sheikh encouraged the ethnic minorities to join the Armed Forces and the police force and said that they need to get involved in every walk of life.
Lord Sheikh also acknowledged the sacrifices that Muslims and the ethnic minorities have made in the World Wars and expressed his gratitude to the Armed Forces personnel for the risks they bear. He added that we need to ensure that the Forces are properly resourced when deployed and adequately looked after once they have ceased to serve.
The picture shows Lord Sheikh and Mohammed Amin with General Sir David Richards.
Lord Sheikh (Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum) has arranged for Friday Jummah prayers to be said in the House of Lords. The prayers are said on a weekly basis during the time Parliament is sitting and are held in Committee Room G. The prayers are led by several different Imams and the congregation is mostly made up of Muslims who work in the Palace of Westminster and in the surrounding Government departments.
The prayers last week were led by Imam Asim Hafiz (Imam of the Armed Forces) who delivered a sermon which has practical relevance to people’s daily lives.
The Conservative Muslim Forum, chaired by Lord Sheikh, held a function at Westminster House, 7 Millbank to celebrate the Muslim Festival of Eid-ul Adha which is held to commemorate the willingness of Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son for Allah.
The Chief Guest was the Rt. Hon. Andrew Mitchell MP (Secretary of State for International Development). The other VIP guests who attended and spoke were Baroness Sayeeda Warsi (Minister without Portfolio & Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party), Lord Tariq Ahmad, Dr Rami Ranger MBE, Syed Kamall MEP and Imam Asim Hafiz (Imam of the Armed Forces).
The Quranic recital was made by Imam Asim Hafiz who recited Surah Maryam (Chapter on Mary, mother of Jesus). The event was very well attended despite the inclement weather and student protests! The attendees included community leaders and members of various racial and religious groups.
Mohammed Rana (Member of the Executive of CMF) organised the Inaugural Interfaith Conference for the Merton Muslim Interfaith Forum of which he is the Chairman. Lord Sheikh attended and spoke at the Conference. The event was also attended by religious leaders of the Jewish and Christian faiths, the Mayor of Merton and leaders of the Merton Council.
In his speech Lord Sheikh mentioned that according to Islam, the Jews, Muslim and Christians are people of the Book and furthermore there are similarities between Islam and Sikhism. In the Holy Quran, the names of Jesus and Moses are mentioned more times than Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and there is also one chapter on Mary Mother of Jesus who is called Bibi Maryam in Islam.
Lord Sheikh (Chairman) hosted a reception and dinner on the terrace and Cholmondeley Room in the House of Lords. The occasion was to present awards to organisations for their outstanding contributions to young Muslims in the United Kingdom.
Lord Sheikh in his speech commented that it is appropriate that these awards were termed “beacon” awards as the winners would act as role models and be a light for others to emanate. He further said to the young people present “It is so brilliant to see the great work taking place. You are great role models for our country and I am honoured to join you in celebrating beacons of hope and inspiration for our country”.
The Conservative Muslim Forum had a stand at the Conservative Party Conference 2010 in Birmingham. Several Parliamentarians visited the stand as well as many people who were interested in our work.