Stand up for justice this Ramadan

This post can also be found here

The Prophet  Muhammad (pbuh) said: “When any one of you sees anything that is disapproved (of by Allah), let him change it with his hand.  If he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his tongue.  And if he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his heart, though that is the least of faith” (reported by Muslim)

Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection about the blessings that each of us have been given by Allah so that we are thankful to Him and think about how we can benefit other people.  The long days of fasting this summer will mean that we all feel especially grateful for the blessings of food and water that we normally take for granted and reflect on the hardship faced by the millions of people around the world who cannot quench their thirst or hunger at the end of the day.  The majority of us will also look at our financial resources and give generously throughout the month of Ramadan to share our wealth with those who are less fortunate.  But is that enough?   Have we fully used our hands, our tongues and our hearts to bring about change?

As young Muslims living in the UK we have a wealth of opportunities and resources at our disposal and with this comes the responsibility to do as much as we can to create the society based on justice and equality that the Prophet (pbuh) and the Qur’an envision.  In this struggle to eliminate poverty, discrimination and the exploitation of our natural environment, each of us must make use of the unique set of skills we have been given, the rights we have in this country to speak freely and lobby policy-makers and the networks and contacts we have to influence those around us.

This Ramadan please continue to give generously to the worthy causes that are appealing for your support.  However we are asking you to go beyond this and to think about what you can contribute to the fight against global poverty.  Here are 5 things that you can do to make a difference to the lives of people around the globe…

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Pleasure – By Talha Ghannam

My fellow YMAG member Talha Ghanam writes this blog on his reflections of Ramadan.

The highest pleasure in food is the vomit of bees – Honey

The highest pleasure in cloth excrement of worms – Silk

The highest pleasure in Smell is the mucus of a gazelles – Musk

The highest pleasure in drink is the most abundant thing in the world – Water

The highest pleasure in Pleasure is the meeting of the two urinary tracks – Sexual Intercourse

– Imam Ghazali

Having just finished my summer internship, its easy to believe that we get happier as we earn more and buy more.

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Join the Faiths Act Fellowship – Best year of my life

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Borough responds to Pakistan floods – Article from Waltham Forest Guardian

In the Wake of the recent Pakistan floods I was interviewed the local Waltham Forest Guardian on my work with MADE in Europe.

The Article was written by Safira Ali and can be found here

Please Note – I do not have any association with any of the mentioned organisations in this article except for MADE in Europe.

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RESIDENTS in Waltham Forest are joining forces to send relief funds to flood-hit Pakistan.

Charities and mosques in the borough launched fundraising campaigns after 1,600 people were killed and an estimated 12 million people affected by the worst monsoon rains in 80 years.

Local mosques held bucket collections after Friday prayers today and local charities have run TV appeals.

Nadeem Javaid, from Walthamstow, is volunteering for MADE in Europe, a non-governmental organisation which is sending a team of disaster response specialists to the flood-hit region.

The team will be working to provide clean water to flood-affected communities and hope to reach more than 70,000 people a day.

Mr Javaid said: “The UN has estimated that over three million people have been directly affected by the floods.

“The real impact and extent of the floods is only now starting to emerge and immediate action is needed in the form of safe drinking water, medicines to prevent the spread of disease and temporary shelter. Read the rest of this entry »