Islam

  • Ban the Burqa?

    A Response to Julia Hartley-Brewer’s Comments on Talk TV Iffat Mirza Rashid, Bentley It is reasonable for any civilised society to expect the journalists and spokespeople of their country and media to report with integrity and truth. When claims are made, that there is some sort of evidence to back any claims made, and indeed,…

    Read more →

  • Podcast 23: Who Will Save Muslim Women

    Iffat Mirza Rashid and Nooresahar Ahmad talk about how when discourse around Muslim women begins, everyone seems to have an opinion that deserves to get heard, everyone that is, except Muslim women. They explore how strange it is that critics isolate one group of women and point to any struggles they experience as stemming from…

    Read more →

  • Our Children, Our Future

    Nooresahar Ahmad, Hampshire ‘There was a time,’ wrote Wordsworth (1) of early childhood, ‘when meadow, grove, and stream, / To me did seem / Apparelled in celestial light, / The glory and the freshness of a dream.’ Now that the poem’s narrator is an adult, the phase of childlike wonder and delight is gone forever:…

    Read more →

  • Ayesha Naseem Mirza, Walsall In school, we regularly learnt about the British values of respect, tolerance, democracy and freedom. Teachers drew constant attention to these values and how we should all try and emulate them in our daily life. It is only with more education, experience of the world and the way people and societies…

    Read more →

  • Amna Shakoor, New Malden The moral upbringing of children is a cornerstone of societal health, echoing through generations and influencing broader social dynamics. The concept of the “domino effect” encapsulates how individual actions and values can set off a chain reaction, impacting not only their immediate environment but also the wider community at large. When…

    Read more →

  • An Ijtema Connection

    Sameea Jonnud, Hampshire The national ijtema has been a regular fixture in the lives of Lajna and Nasirat who attend every year. Many years ago it took place in a small hall in London but now it has become more like a mini Jalsa with marquees spread over a Hampshire field. Day two begins chilly…

    Read more →

  • Podcast 22: National Ijtema –  Elevate Faith and Sisterhood

    Fatiha Nadeem and Madhea Iqbal talk about the beneficial and uplifting Lajna UK National Ijtema experiences they have had as they look forward to our next Ijtema in two days!

    Read more →

  • The Purpose of Ijtema 

    Maleeha Mansur, Hayes  For a Muslim woman, the purpose of all her gatherings is to ultimately draw closer to Almighty Allah. Indeed, ijtema serves as a great means to this end. Our beloved Imam and worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Khalifatul Masih V (may Allah be his Helper) has beautifully explained…

    Read more →

  • The Ever-Changing Ijtema 

    Nooresahar Ahmad, Hampshire  ‘What is history?’ asked the second Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad (may Allah be pleased with him), in an address at the inauguration of a women-only college in Rabwah in 1951. ‘History,’ he asserted, ‘tells you who your father was, who your paternal grandfather was,…

    Read more →

  • 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…

    Read more →