Islam Channel Celebrates Eid Festival
at London Marriott Hotel
Dr. Mozammel Haque
Islam
Channel celebrated Eid Festival by organising Eid Gala Dinner at London
Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London, on 29th June 2018. It has
a compact and comprehensive programme of speeches, Nasheed and talk about
Islamic Relief. The Gala Dinner was attended by CEO of Islam Channel Mr.
Mohamed Ali, Lords and Ladies, Members of Parliament, Members of British
Cabinet, Mayors, distinguished leaders of the Muslim community and heads of
different charities.
Islam
Channel Eid Gala Dinner
Among
the speakers there were Helen Stephenson, CBE, CEO of Charity Commission, Sir
Iqbal Sacranie, OBE, Senior Advisor of Muslim Council of Britain, The Rt. Hon.
Lord Paddick, former Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Baroness Manzila Uddin,
Chair, National Commission of Muslim Women, Lord Sheikh, Member of Parliament;
Councillor Magid Magid, Lord Mayor of Sheffield and others. Among the Nasheed
Artist, there were Awais Iqbal, Najam Sheraz, Yasir Akhter and comedian Bilal
Zafar.
Helen Stephenson, CBE
The opening address was delivered by the
CEO of Islam Channel, Mohamed Ali Harrath followed by Helen Stephenson, CBE,
CEO of Charity Commission. CEO of Charity Commission, Helen mentioned in her
speech about the contribution of the Muslim Community in Britain. She mentioned
a figure of 100 million pounds collected from the month of Ramadan by the
Muslim community for the helpless for the needy in the world.
Dr. Hany El-Banna
Dr. Hany El-Banna, President of the
Humanitarian Forum UK, delivered a speech. In his speech, Dr. El-Banna said, “I
am going to take you through a journey. I am a human. But Allah has created the
whole creation to serve me and made me a custodian for all the creation of God.
Before I landed on earth everybody everything on earth has been created to
serve me. I am a human. Then my mother born me or deliver me on a piece of
land. So I am relating myself to develop such a piece of land and to look at my
nationality as a British, as a French, as a Pakistani, or Bengali or Egyptian
or Palestinian or Lebanese or whatever it is and I am a believer who found his
way through the teachings of the Lord, Allah
Subhanahu wa Taala; and so I
have the three in one; the one who can carry the three values - the value of
humanity, the value of faith and the value of my country, and this is the Islam that I am standing for; I
am a human, I am a national citizen and I am a believer at the same time.”
Talking of Muslim duty, Dr. El-Banna said,
“Our duty as a Muslim is two: to develop any piece of land but Allah Almighty
granted us to live on this surface. To build the community, to build peace, to
build civilisation and to empower people and make them independent and
establish justice on earth. This is the definition of human being who is loyal
to his Lord, loyal to humanity and loyal to his country at the same time.”
Speaking about charity, Dr. El-Banna said,
“Charity is not about fund raising; charity is not about PR or media or who
comes first or who claim I am the first and you are the last; I am the best and
you are the worst. Charity is a gin in the heart of every human being or every
creation of God that Allah Subhanahu wa
Taala created on this planet to those act of charitable activities. The
charity work goes beyond fund raising; goes beyond PR and media and talking and
inflating things. Charity work is inclusivity, one who includes the local
community is members in Somalia, in India, in Pakistan in Bangladesh and in the
UK as well. To include them. This is inclusivity.”
“Charity work is about transference
anything comes to the charity must be declared charity work is to build a
community; how to build a stronger community; how to build future of such
disadvantaged, marginalised poor community not about who is first. Never claim
about the first because the first responder is the local community in Kashmir,
in Myanmar or whatever it is,” said Dr. El-Banna and mentioned, “Charity work
is for the humanity whether they are Muslim or non-Muslim; whether they are
Muslim country or non-Muslim country; whether they are in UK or outside UK;
should be every human being who are in need of UK or abroad.”
Dr. El-Banna also said, “Charity work is
about creating future leadership of the future generation. Charity work is
about being a partner to the government who is granting us the license to work.
Charity work is about the ability, bench marking and good governance work and
about advocacy - this is the charity work which we wanted to every charity.”
Concluding his speech, Dr. El-Banna
mentioned again, “I am a human; I am a believer and I am a partisan to my
country. I love the three because this is the humanity that Allah asks me to
carry in my heart.”
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, OBE
Sir Iqbal Sacranie, OBE, senior Advisor of
the Muslim Council of Britain, gave a speech. Before delivering his speech he
requested a bit of patience from the gathering and he was convinced that that
type of patience the Muslim community during the month of Ramadan. He also told
the gathering that Insha Allah the programme of this evening time up in such a
manner you will have an opportunity to listen to some interesting events and of
course hear some of the speeches from different charity as well.
Sir Iqbal appreciated the “the wonderful
work that we have done in the month of Ramadan and have the wonderful feeling
of brotherhood working together with faith or no faith and more importantly how
obedient to our Creator.”
In this connection Sir Iqbal said there is
something more for celebration. He mentioned, “I think it is important for us
to bring the oneself of appreciation as well, those of us who are involved
organising events over the years in different capacities are well aware of the
difficult task putting together such an event and congratulate in the first
place to CEO and the entire team of Islam Channel, Alhamdolillah, for putting such a wonderful event. So congratulate
them.”
Sir Iqbal also asked the gathering to
congratulate the Muslim community. He said, “We have to appreciate the Muslim
community across the UK, who we heard early from the CEO of Charity Commission
that she mentioned a figure of one hundred million pounds collected during the
month of Ramadan by the Muslim community for the helpless for the needy in the
world.”
“I understand the figure was 200 million
pounds but even that the 100 million pounds Alhamdo
Lillah it’s a figure with the Muslim community across
the UK we need to be very proud and thankful to our Creator to give us this
opportunity to contribute and to help the poor and needy around the world,” said
Sir Iqbal Sacranie and added, “This contribution should not be underestimated;
actually when the figure is combined to people of other faiths, no faith as
well. And when we saw so much about the Muslim community solely in the very
negative tone; this is one thing that perhaps requires a better understanding.”
Sir Iqbal emphasized, “So those who
continued demonise castigate the Muslim community in the charity sector and
through the places. I am well aware, today the day of celebration but the facts
have been known. And when this is known people have become more eager there is
greater incentive to help the needy people around the world.”
That the money we are talking about goes to
the foreign needy around the world today there is a greater emphasis what to be
done in the community in the UK as well. Organisations like zakat foundation in
numerous charities in the UK and now putting an effort in the UK as well which
is very essential. We should not underestimate the concern, the need of some
poor people in the community as well as the wider society as well. President
Dr. Hany El-Banna mentioned it is the duty and obligation of us irrespective of
his faith, ethnicity wherefrom they come from.
Commission
an enquiry into
Islamophobia
and anti-Muslim hate crime
Sir Iqbal Sacranie wanted to conclude
mentioned one particular point which has been in the media lately. He said, “It
is a plea to the politicians and particularly to our government that recently
the Muslim Council had urged the parties, every party, the government to
commission an enquiry into the Islamophobia and anti- Muslim hate crimes now
increasing and prevailing not just in the wider society but in the almost of
the government and the political party as well.”
Sir Iqbal commended “Jeremy Corbyn, the
leader of the Opposition Labour Party who has supported this movement that
something has to be done on the same way anti-Semitism or other forms of phobias
hate crimes that have been committed. We feel that the enquiry should take
place.”
Sir Iqbal Sacranie enquired why he has
raised this question. Because this this is the question there is so much
concern in the Muslim Community. He said, “When there is so much concern in the
Muslim community why does not the government interfere that this is also as
important as the hate crime as it is important for us; for all of us to take it
up and very clearly I say to Lord Sheikh, the former chairman or the president
of the Conservative Muslim Forum who also join in the affair.”
Emphasizing on the enquiry to be taken up
on the issue of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hate crime, Sir Iqbal said,
“Something need to be addressed why there is so much Islamophobia in the
country. Today we have the Muslim Friends of Democracy who also feel that there
is a need of this enquiry; this need of enquiry throughout the community. Therefore
it is important for all of us; we need to provide full support with the form of
petitions form of giving across seeking the parliamentarians and we have lots
of MPs as well and we urge them this is a matter that cannot be ignored for the
betterment of the community at large.”
.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment