Lord Sheikh, Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum, attended a dinner organised by Helping Hands where he spoke and praised the work done by Helping Hands which includes education and literacy, eye operations and giving help to the orphanages.
He particularly commended the work for orphanages as he said our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was himself an orphan.
Lord Sheikh, Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum, attended an Iftari function at the American Ambassador’s
residence in Regents Park.
Lord Sheikh, Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum attended an Iftari dinner organised by Islamic Relief at the Foreign Commonwealth Office. The event was held in order to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the foundation of Islamic Relief.
On Sunday 23 August 2009 Mohammed Amin, CMF Vice Chairman, was interviewed on the BBC Radio 4 “Sunday” religious affairs programme. He explained the importance to Muslims of giving Zakaat, and reminded Muslims of the importance of properly registering charities so that they can qualify for gift aid tax relief. This relief presently makes each £10.00 given worth £12.80 to the charity.
Lord Sheikh (Chairman of CMF) hosted a reception and dinner in the House of Lords to celebrate the wedding of Raza Anjum and Aisha. Raza Anjum is the Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum Youth Wing and is one of the youngest Conservative Councillors in the country.
Raza’s father Sarfraz Anjum was the Mayor of Saffron Walden. Lord Sheikh knows the Anjum family very well and was pleased to host the function. At the wedding reception Lord Sheikh spoke and wished the couple health and happiness and quoted the Hadith relating to marriage and the quotations of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The wedding reception was attended by a number of dignitaries including General Pervez Musharraf (former President of Pakistan), Dominic Grieve QC MP (Shadow Justice Secretary and Shadow Attorney General) and James Brokenshire MP (Shadow Home Affairs Minister). Mohammed Amin (Vice Chairman of CMF) was also in attendance with Mrs Amin.
An event was held at 7 Millbank to launch CMF Health which is chaired by Dr Khalid Khan. The subject of the talk was “The NHS under the next Conservative Government” and the format of the function was speeches followed by a Q & A session followed by dinner. Lord Sheikh (Chairman of CMF) was one of the main speakers at the event. Also in attendance were Andrew Lansley CBE MP (Shadow Secretary of State for Health), Mark Simmonds MP (Shadow Minister for Health) and Mohammed Amin (Vice-Chairman of CMF).
Mark Simmonds MP and Andrew Lansley CBE MP both took it in turns fielding questions from the audience which was mainly comprised of Muslim doctors from various parts of the UK. Mohammed Amin (Vice-Chairman) then said a few words and proposed a vote of thanks.
On 12 July 2009 Mohammed Amin, CMF Vice Chairman, spoke to the children at the Islamic Circles Supplementary School’s annual barbecue in Manor Park, London. Amin recounted his recent visit to the school in Indonesia that Barack Obama had attended as a seven year old, and reminded the spellbound children that with God’s help there is no limit to what they can achieve.
Lord Sheikh visited the offices of Zaman newspaper in Istanbul where he was interviewed on the subject of Islamic finance. A transcript of the article is below:
Turkey should think about Islamic banking, says Lord Sheikh
While the global financial system still has not found a departure point for itself, alternative financial structures seem here to stay, says a renowned expert on Islamic banking.
Lord Mohamed Iltaf Sheikh, the founder of the Conservative Muslim Forum who visited Sunday’s Zaman, said that the Islamic banking system, which is based on religious ethics, continues to generate business in many countries, particularly in the Middle East.
Lord Sheikh has set up an advisory and consultancy company to advise interested parties on Islamic banking and Islamic insurance. Sheikh observes that Muslim communities in Europe already constitute a significant economic realm not only by dint of their population but also because of their cultural assets. For this reason, he gives great importance to establishing Islamic banks in Europe based on principles such as transparency and neutrality. He states that in the United Kingdom the Islamic way of doing business has been bolstered as a government policy. The UK is the eighth largest country in the number of Islamic finance and insurance companies it hosts. The British government has already adopted several concessions meant to encourage Islamic banking not only for Muslims but also for the general public. Lord Sheikh pointed out that anybody who acquires a property using Islamic banking principles is exempted from the stamp tax while signing over the property. Lord Sheikh’s vision of Islamic banking is not only about elimination of “riba,” or usury, but also about cooperating and investing in socially and environmentally responsible projects.
Though Islamic banking is the fastest growing financial market in the world, with 30 percent annual growth in banking and 20 percent in the insurance sector, Sheikh believes that Islamic banking will not become a substitute for the conventional banking system. “It is due to the lack of capacity,” he says. “Islamic banks cannot afford to handle huge transactions, for the time being.” But this could change in the near future, given the massive growth in the sector. Sheikh noted the fact that the Vatican has praised the Islamic banking system as an alternative to the conventional understanding of the financial markets. Sheikh thinks that with its population of 70 million Turkey should encourage and invest in Islamic banking, more so than any other country in the region.
Lord Sheikh is not only lobbying for Islamic banking within the capitalist West, but also among Muslim communities themselves. In the realm of insurance, Muslim communities are fairly reluctant to purchase a life or health insurance policy because of a religious belief in destiny. Sheikh has been trying to educate Muslim communities about the kind of input human will should provide for divine destiny to take care of human beings’ needs. He says that their professional advice and expertise in Muslim countries is important for spreading the idea of insurance in those countries.
Thanks to the development of Islamic economies throughout the world, the term “Islamic banking” has gained significant meaning in today’s financial system. Islamic banking activity connotes a typical financial system that operates in harmony with Islamic principles and modes of life. For example, the payment of fees for the renting of money, or “riba,” is strictly prohibited according to Islamic principles. Despite many commonalities shared with conventional banking system, Islamic finance is based on equal sharing of profits and alternatives to riba.
Islamic banks have grown recently in the Muslim world but remain a very small share of the global banking system. Micro-lending institutions founded by Muslims, notably the Grameen Bank, use conventional lending practices and are popular in some Muslim nations, especially Bangladesh, but some do not consider them true Islamic banking. However, Muhammad Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank and microfinance banking, and other supporters of microfinance, argue that the lack of collateral and lack of excessive interest in micro-lending is consistent with the Islamic prohibition of riba.
Lord Sheikh, chairman of the Conservative Ethnic Diversity Council, started his career by joining Sun Alliance Insurance Company in London. Sheikh has been the president of the Insurance Institute of Croydon and a member of the National Council of the Chartered Insurance Institute. He was regional chairman of the British Insurance Brokers Association.
Lord Sheikh was one of the speakers at a Conference organised by Earth Mates Dialogue Centre in Istanbul, Turkey on the subject of Islam and the Environment – “Muslim 7 Year Action Plan to deal with Climate Change”.
Lord Sheikh spoke about the need for expansion of various renewable energies as well as the need for us as individuals to reduce the amount of energy wasted in our own homes.
At the Conference a plan was drawn known as the Istanbul Declaration to develop and enhance communication and partnerships in the areas of climate change and environmental conservation. The Conference was attended by senior politicians, scholars and religious leaders from different parts of the world.
Lord & Lady Sheikh went out canvassing in High Wycombe on behalf of Councillors Arif Hussain and Bob Bate in preparation for the upcoming Buckinghamshire County Council Elections on June 4th 2009. Both Arif Hussain and Bob Bate are standing in the Bowerdean, Micklefield & Totteridge Division.
Around the country many councils will be holding local elections as well as European elections on June 4th 2009.