The Council of European Jamaats – June Edition
This Newswire is Sponsored by:
Eid Al Adha Mubarak from the President of CoEJ
بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
On behalf of the office bearers and all trustees of CoEJ, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to Muslims across Europe and around the world on this auspicious occasion of Eid al-Adha. This special holiday is a time to honour the sacrifice, resolve, and commitment to God demonstrated by prophet Ibraham (peace be upon him).
It marks the end of the pilgrimage of Hajj performed each year by millions of Muslims who journey from all corners of the world to Mecca as a testament to their faith. It is also a celebration of the ways faith can transcend any differences or boundaries and unite us under the banners of fellowship and love.
Once again this year, as it has been for 1400 years, Muslims from around the world, including many from our community, answered the call of Islam and completed the Hajj. Congratulations to them and congratulations to all of you here.
May Allah, The Almighty, accept their Hajj, accept their supplications and forgive all their sins.
Hajj is the most unifying of Islamic experiences. Hajj not only gathers Muslims from every corner of the globe but Muslims of every colour, every language, every background, every social status, and every school of thought.
And as we celebrate Eid, we relive the ideals of prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) a Prophet revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews alike.
As we give charity, sacrifice and feed the poor, we are further reminded of the common bond that we share with the rest of humanity.
Let’s not forget the millions of refugees around the globe who are spending this sacred holiday separated from their families, unsure of their future, but still hoping for a brighter tomorrow.
CoEJ launched the Imam Reza Hardship fund last month as more Khoja community members than ever across Europe have been facing financial hardships and hurdles in their lives. We are providing financial assistance to Jamaat members across Europe to help families facing such difficulties.
Every member of a Jamaat will be given a ‘top-up amount’ directly by CoEJ per application. If you are facing such difficulties, apply through our website in strict confidence. www.coej.org/imam-reza-hardship-fund/
Eid Ul Adha is a day to reflect upon our deeds and give back to the poor and deprived. May our sacrifices be accepted by Allah!
“Self-Sacrifice is the best of kindness & the highest rank of belief.” Imam ali (a.s)
May the spirits of community, togetherness, principled service, and compassionate generosity bring good tidings to those celebrating Eid al-Adha.
From my family to yours, Eid Mubarak.
Salim Rehmatullah
President of the Council of European Jamaats
CoEJ Imam Reza (P) Hardship Fund
CoEJ European Matchmakers Convention
On 19th June, CoEJ hosted a matchmakers forum in Milton Keynes in order to facilitate the development of a coordinated, cross-jamaat framework for the purpose of matchmaking.
The event was organised by Sister Saima Rehmatullah, Head of Marriage for CoEJ and the opening speech was delivered by President Salim Rehmatullah who thanked the matchmakers for their efforts to date and welcomed the opportunity to engage with the matchmakers over the course of the day.
CoEJ had selected Qpid, Hujjat Jamaats official matchmaking service headed by Ummi Bai Merali to deliver the event and matchmakers had the opportunity to discuss the common challenges they face, explore a variety of matchmaking approaches, agree on the importance of GDPR, and debate the benefit of having a single digital platform for all jamaats to use to manage their profiles and share data more easily.
The highlight of the event had to be the live matchmaking segment where 4 single boys were presented to the participants who were invited to make potential matches based on their current database of single females. Alhamdulillah, there were over 20 potential matches made and so the matchmaking teams will be busy over the coming weeks with these introductions.
At the end of the event, matchmakers were invited to provide their feedback. 95.5% of participants were either very satisfied or satisfied with the event and an overwhelming majority found ‘profile writing’ and ‘common challenges’ the most useful activities of the day.
Sister Sabira Lakha, Secretary General for CoEJ attended the second half of the event and encouraged the participants to continue their great work and extended full support from CoEJ.
The event was a useful insight for CoEJ to help prepare for a longer-term plan to support matchmaking across Europe. Our key learning from this event:
- CoEJ needs to help Jamaats establish a stronger relationship with mainland European Jamaats
- To consider the development of a digital platform so jamaats can communicate more easily
- To engage with singles as well as matchmakers in order to gain deeper insight and broaden our perspective
The marriage board is keen to continue dialogue with matchmakers and hope to organise at least 3 matchmakers convention per year. Details will be sent to jamaats shortly.
Thanks
Saima
Shia Matchmaking Event
Birmingham Matchmakers Forum (BMMF) are holding a matchmaking event on *Sunday 24th July* from *09:30 – 16:30*
Please note registration will take place from 09:30 – 10:30.
The event is aimed at males and females from the age of 30 – 55 years. Kindly register via eventbrite link – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shia-matchmaking-event-birmingham-ages-30-tickets-374584992797
The Baligha National Convention
☪️ The Baligha Club Team is pleased to announce our first ever Baligha Club National Convention, honouring the Ahlul Kisa (as)!🌸 The event is open to girls throughout the UK who are currently in years 3, 4, 5 or 6 at school. Each Baligha girl can attend with one guest which should be their mum or a female guardian (aged 18 years or over).🎟️ Tickets are available at the subsidised cost of just £6 per attendee, which includes a ‘desi’ style afternoon tea, craft materials for all workshops and a free raffle! We also have an art competition and a poetry competition for Baligha girls to take part in, with prizes for winners!⏰ Limited places left! Registration via Eventbrite: https://balighaconvention.eventbrite.co.uk/
🌸 We look forward to seeing you there! For any further information or to make a donation towards the event, please email us at tableegh@hotmail.co.uk.Was Salaam,Ladies Tableegh Husaini Islamic Centre Peterborough, UK
Wessex Jamaat is Hiring
Survey on Accessibility to places of Worship
Survey on Accessibility to Places of Worship.
Many in our community are suffering in silence due to the lack of accessibility to places of worship.
Deafblind UK has developed this survey to examine the level of difficulty experienced by people.
Much of this is also connected to existing and emerging health matters, which is crucial towards understanding the depth of the issue.
Whether you have a disability or not, your feedback will still be instrumental in helping us to understand the extent of this issue. The results will assist in developing new initiatives to encourage change and improve accessibility and support within all community spaces.
The survey has 14 questions and should take on average between 3 and 5 minutes.
Thank you for taking time to complete it:
https://forms.office.com/r/euqW96raCp
Mazhar Khan
On behalf of DeafBlind UK
