Islam

  • Sameea Jonnud asks Lajna members to tell us of their special memories of Ijtema  Rearranging a glass cabinet recently, I positioned some shiny gold trophies with ‘Lajna UK National Ijtema’ written on them and thought back to when my daughters had received them after months of preparation. On the shelf below were some children’s books…

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  • Fezia Haq, Fazl Mosque  Contrary to the criticism levelled at Islam that it prescribes segregation of genders, it is in actual fact a blessing of Khilafat or Caliphate within the same religion, that this separate venue has meant that Ahmadi Muslim women and girls get to be the direct recipient of our spiritual leader’s attention…

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  • Podcast 21: Immigration and Integration Unpicked

    Following the anti-immigration riots that swept across the UK some weeks ago Iffat Mirza Rashid and Nooresahar Ahmad talk about the disconnect they felt between the disorder and the tragic news story which appeared to have sparked it. They discuss their identity as British Muslim women of immigrant background, what integration really means to them…

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  • Lessons of Ijtema

    Munazzah Chou, Farnham Ijtema in the ‘90s as a young nasirat (member of the girls’ auxiliary) was all about the academic competitions; recitation and memorisation of the Holy Quran, memorised speeches – and nazm (poem) for those who could hold a tune – sadly not me! Preparation for ijtema competitions start months in advance, working…

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  • Arfa Yassir, Swindon Let’s rewind a few thousand years, to the time of Prophet Adam and Eve (peace be on them). Their story is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an quite a few times, which shows its significance, for among other things, with references to the times to come. Satan misled them to eat the fruit…

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  • Fatiha Nadeem, Bradford Unity. Love. Service. Such emotions and sentiments arise when attending the Jalsa Salana UK. By the grace of Allah, I had the blessed opportunity to attend this year’s Jalsa a few days ago and will try to summarise my experience. My family and I began our journey on Thursday morning from my…

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  • Podcast 19: Women: Strength and Resilience

    Bareera Ghaffar and Cemal Inam talk about what it is for a woman to have strength and to be resilient. They look through a historic lens at role models from early Islam and try and shed light on the journey to finding strength, keeping it, and thus being advocates for peace through acts of strength…

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  • Justice is a quality which the world seems in dire need of. Sometimes it feels as though justice, in our current age, has been abandoned completely, and injustice is being inflicted at an unprecedented rate. Nooresahar Ahmad and Durdana Ahmed talk about justice — the ethical and philosophical idea that people are to be treated impartially and reasonably, and…

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  • Ayesha Naseem, Blackburn In a time of great unease in the world, fear and a degree of pessimism could easily take over one’s mind, making them worry for the future. At that point, it is very human to want to look for support, security, and comfort. For believers in God, that peace and that solace…

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  • Natalia Jan, Hounslow South  In recent years, the need to safeguard the planet has surged as one of the most talked about issues amongst politicians, academics, activists, the media and the public. People across the world are demanding that we take action against the existential threats of climate change and global warming.  Earth Day serves…

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