MUSLIMS and non-Muslims enjoyed positive dialogue during a myth busting event in Oldham.
The Through the Muslim Keyhole event, which was held at the Oldham Muslim Centre on Neville Street as part of the Festival of Diversity, gave the wider community a chance to learn about Islam, its history and discover about the lives of the Muslim community.
The event was designed to demonstrate and share positive aspects of Islam and people were also given a tour of the centre as well.
One OMC volunteer, Nanu Miah said it was important for Muslim organisations to open their doors to people outside of their own faith.
He said: "Events like this are important if we want to educate the wider community.
"It was informal and informative and that's what people want.
"Even Muslims came to find out more about their own religion."
As well as arts and crafts, the event included information on the contribution of Muslims to the wider world in maths,medicine, science, geology and geography.
Religious textbooks on show included the Quran and hadiths.
Added Nanu: "People left with a bit more knowledge about Islam and hopefully this will help them create better community cohesion with their neighbours, colleagues and friends."
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Iftikhar, Forest gate London (18/08/2008 at 17:58)
Muslim youths are angry, frustrated and extremist because they have been mis-educated and de-educated by the British schooling. Muslim children are confused because they are being educated in a wrong place at a wrong time in state schools with non-Muslim monolingual teachers. They face lots of problems of growing up in two distinctive cultural traditions and value systems, which may come into conflict over issues such as the role of women in the society, and adherence to religious and cultural traditions. The conflicting demands made by home and schools on behaviour, loyalties and obligations can be a source of psychological conflict and tension in Muslim youngsters. There are also the issues of racial prejudice and discrimination to deal with, in education and employment. They have been victim of racism and bullying in all walks of life. According to DCSF, 56% of Pakistanis and 54% of Bangladeshi children has been victims of bullies. The first wave of Muslim migrants were happy to send their children to state schools, thinking their children would get a much better education. Than little by little, the overt and covert discrimination in the system turned them off. There are fifteen areas where Muslim parents find themselves offended by state schools.
The right to education in one’s own comfort zone is a fundamental and inalienable human right that should be available to all people irrespective of their ethnicity or religious background. Schools do not belong to state, they belong to parents. It is the parents’ choice to have faith schools for their children. Bilingual Muslim children need state funded Muslim schools with bilingual Muslim teachers as role models during their developmental periods. There is no place for a non-Muslim teacher or a child in a Muslim school. There are hundreds of state schools where Muslim children are in majority. In my opinion, all such schools may be designated as Muslim community schools. An ICM Poll of British Muslims showed that nearly half wanted their children to attend Muslim schools. There are only 143 Muslim schools. A state funded Muslim school in Birmingham has 220 pupils and more than 1000 applicants chasing just 60.
Majority of anti-Muslim stories are not about terrorism but about Muslim
culture--the hijab, Muslim schools, family life and religiosity. Muslims in the west ought to be recognised as a western community, not as an alien culture.
Iftikhar Ahmad
www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk
Shamas (20/08/2008 at 10:13)
Iftikhar's views okay within a very narrow band of community and are hiding within the religion. I have yet to see a perfect society in this world.