Orphans in Need Celebrates Childhood

Orphans in Need Celebrates Childhood

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Orphan in Need celebrated Childhood on 26^th April at V&A Museum, London, in aid of orphans and widows. Lord Sheikh and Lady Sheikh are the patrons of the Orphans in Need. The event was attended by members of the House of Lords  and the House of Commons, including Rt. Hon. Rushenara Ali, MP for the Bethnal Green andBow and Rt. Hon. Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West and also Mak Chisty, former Commander of Metropolitan Police.

Lord Sheikh and Lady Sheikh donated

10,000 Pounds to Orphans in Need

At the end of his opening speech, Lord Sheikh and Lady Sheikh donated 10,000 (ten thousand) pounds to the Orphans  in Need. Lord Sheikh said, “In view of the great work of Orphans in Need, Lady Sheikh and I would like to donate the sum of 10 thousand pounds to this marvellous charity. I would ask you to contribute whatever you can and whatever you can afford happily. I cannot ask anyone to do something unless I am able to do it myself. I am pleased to state that HSCB Muslim Network have donated a sum of £60,000 which would be to pay for the distribution of food in Kashmir during Ramadan.”

Mr. Ikhlaq Husain informed that the event was a big success, and your participation and pledges for donation meant a lot to us. He said, “To date, we’ve received pledges of over £300,000 for Widow Food parcels and still counting. Your donation will enable us to provide critical support to our orphans and widows. We truly appreciate your kind support.”

Welcoming Address by

Lord Sheikh

On behalf of Orphans in Need Lord Sheikh warmly welcome the guests and audience at the event. “Both Lady Sheikh and I are proud to be patrons of Orphans in Need, said Lord Sheikh.

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Moral Duty and Responsibility

He also mentioned, “These events mark our responsibility to care for some of the most helpless and vulnerable members of societies around the world. I believe that we have a moral duty to support charities through giving our time and resources wherever possible.”

Muslim and Charities

“Muslims all over the world believe in giving to those less fortunate than themselves.

We are coming up to Ramadan. In the month of Ramadan, our body and mind are thinking of fasting. We also like to help others. Although Muslims donate to charities at all times but during the month of Ramadan, the contributions tend to be large and generous.

UK Muslims gave 100 million pounds to charity

Lord Sheikh mentioned the contribution of UK Muslims to charity. He said, “UK Muslims gave £100 million to charity during Ramadan last year. That's £38 a second.

I made this point in one of my speeches in the House of Lords and the Minister in his reply said that he had to verify this figure by talking to his advisors. I am pleased that the Minister also emphasised this point in his summing up remarks. I think it must be noticed that Muslim charities help and support and also provide aid to Non-Muslims as well as Muslims. There are countries where the Muslims are in a minority but the charities have provided support to everyone.”

Proper Safeguards of Charities

Speaking about the accountability and transparency of charity, Lord Sheikh said, “In regard to all charities, it is imperative that the governance is right and there is accountability and transparency in every aspect of their work. The charities need also to have proper safeguards which must be implemented at all times to ensure that people who are vulnerable and need help are not abused in any way. Anis Musa has assured me that they had adequate safeguards and systems in place to ensure that children and recipients of benefits are at all times treated with respect. There are charities were things are not quite right, but I have looked into the affairs of Orphans in Need and I am satisfied that their governance and systems are right.”

“It is therefore imperative that there are proper checks and balances on all activities and there needs to be adequate supervision of the staff at the sharp end. It is also imperative that the trustees are totally dedicated to the charity and are volunteers. I believe that this is the case with the trustees of Orphans in Need. Today we are here to support Orphans in Need,” mentioned Lord Sheikh.

Orphans in Need and its activities

Speaking about the charity, Orphans in Need and its activities, Lord Sheikh said, “Orphans in Need is a charity that is dedicated to improving and empowering the lives of vulnerable orphans and widows. It is a UK-based charity, but they operate throughout the world supporting over 24,000 orphans and numerous widows in fourteen countries. These countries include: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Gambia, India, Kenya, Mali, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sri Lanka. The organisation supports children all over the world. They provide housing, healthcare, food, clothing and a stable lifestyle for orphans. The organisation supports children all over the world. They provide housing, healthcare, food, clothing and a stable lifestyle for orphans.”

The Philosophy of Orphans in Need

Speaking about the philosophy of Orphans in Need, Lord Sheikh mentioned, “The philosophy of Orphans in Need can be summarised under the following headings:

*Orphans need to have suitable accommodation

*Each child is clothed, educated to the highest standards and fed healthy nutritious meals.

*Each child’s health needs to be looked after and medical care would be provided.

*Orphans in Need also gives food parcels for widows and orphans.

These food parcels are their lifeline and some families rely on the food parcels for their survival.” 

Importance of Orphans in Islam

Speaking about the importance of looking after and taking care of Orphans in the religion of Islam, Lord Sheikh mentioned the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him);. He said, “The provision of support to orphans is very important to me as my own religion of Islam places a great deal on helping orphans. Muslims feel a special affinity with orphans for the simple reason that Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, was an orphan. It was reported that the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, once held up his forefinger and middle finger and pressed them close together like this.”

“He said that anyone who cares for an orphan will be with me in Paradise like this. I have always been struck by this saying of the Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him, as narrated by Abu Hurairah: “Whoever caresses the head of an orphan (in affection) solely for the sake of Allah, a good deed will be written to his account for every hair over which he passed his hand”. The lesson that Muslims have taken from this is that to help an orphan is to choose companionship of the Prophet himself,” mentioned Lord Sheikh

Worldwide orphans estimated to be 153 million

Lord Sheikh also mentioned that the number of orphans’ worldwide is estimated to be 153 million. I would like to emphasise, whilst we cannot help all the orphans in the world, Orphans in Need makes a huge difference in the life of every child they help.”

Lord Sheikh visited Orphans in

Need orphan village in Delhi

In 2018 Lord Sheikh was invited by the Indian Government to attend a conference in India. Lord Sheikh visited the Orphans in Need orphan village near Delhi. About this orphan village, Lord Sheikh mentioned, “In the village, twenty-two houses have been built. Each house accommodates twelve orphans and a widow. When I arrived at the village, there was a number of widows who had gathered to obtain food parcels. I saw that each widow was given a bag containing rice, flour and mixed cereals. I was asked to hand over the food parcels and spoke to the women who were widowed and had children. These women were a mixture of Muslims and non-Muslims. I could see that they were happy to receive the food parcels as it could sustain their family. This is the impact that Orphans in Need has.”

The work of Orphans in Need in Pakistan

Lord Sheikh then mentioned about the work Orphans in Need undertake in Pakistan. He said, “In Pakistan, Orphans In Need has recently built high quality orphanage in Islamabad, which is 5 story building for orphan girls where 26 girls are now being provided with accommodation, food, education, health and holistic care. 24 more girls will be admitted to this orphanage by the end of this year. I have not myself seen the orphanage, but I have seen a picture. Orphans in Need also support two other orphanages which are managed by a partnering organisations in Pakistan. In addition of course, they provide monthly food parcels to widows in underprivileged areas. There are numerous cases where Orphans in Need have made a colossal difference in the lives of Orphans.”

Three Muslim issues Lord

Sheikh talked about

As a British politician who is active in the House of Lords, Lord Sheikh spoke briefly  about three Muslim issues; these are a) Prevent Strategy need to be reviewed; b) Definition of Islamophobia and c) Establish a National War Memorial for Muslim Soldiers and labourers.

a) Prevent Strategy needs to be reviewed

Lord Sheikh said, “I have very strongly argued that the Prevent strategy needs to be reviewed and I am very glad that this will now be undertaken by the Government. I have however tabled a question in the House of Lords to ensure that the review will be independent, credible and will have trust of all key stakeholders.”

b) Definition of Islamophobia

Lord Sheikh said, “The second point I wish to refer to is that I tabled and led a debate in the House of Lords on the subject of Islamophobia and made several points. I emphasised that the definition of Islamophobia must be accepted by the Government if we are to make a meaningful change and the Minister, Lord Bourne, responded that he is “always open to dialogue”. We therefore need to keep this issue alive and pursue the matter.”

c) Establish a National War Memorial

for Muslim Soldiers and Labourers

Lord Sheikh said, “The third point is that I have held events in the House of Lords and spoken about Muslim soldiers and labourers who fought in the First World War. There were over 2.5 million Muslim soldiers and labourers who fought in the First World War which is not well-known or appreciated. Therefore, in the House of Lords I said that we should establish a National War Memorial for Muslim soldiers and labourers for their contributions during the First World War. The Government will support this idea, but we are seeking support from the Muslim community and I will request that the community do back this idea. I hope that you can support this initiative. If anyone would like to know about our plan, then please speak to me or Mak Chishty who is on our table.”

  

Lord Sheikh and Lady Sheikh

Donated 10,000 Pounds to Orphans in Need

Lord Sheikh said, “In view of the great work of Orphans in Need, Lady Sheikh and I would like to donate the sum of 10 thousand pounds to this marvellous charity. I would request Mr Anis Musa and Mr Ikhlaq Hussain to come forward as Lady Sheikh and I would like to present them with a cheque. I am pleased to state that HSCB Muslim Network have donated a sum of £60,000 which would be to pay for the distribution of food in Kashmir during Ramadan.”

After the opening speech of Lord Sheikh, Rt. Hon. Rushenara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and Bow and Rt. Hon. Naz Shah, MP also spoke on this occasion.

World Humanitarian Forum Conference at Excel London

Two-day International Conference –

World Humanitarian Forum – at Excel London

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Two-day International Conference - World Humanitarian Forum - was held at Excel London from 17-18 April 2019. There were seven sessions besides the Opening session and Closing session. The special features of this conference were the speech of Rt. Hon. Jack Straw, former Foreign Secretary, UK at the Opening session; special keynote address by H.E. Emine Erdogan, the First Lady , Republic of Turkey on Wednesday, 17 April, 2019 and the speech of Tony Lanzer, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations at G-Local session; closing keynote session with the Blairs: An inspiring story on the way to shape the future; Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Executive Chairman of Tony Blair Institute; Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; and Cherie Blair CBE, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women on Thursday, 18 April, 2019.

Another feature of the Conference was the presentation of Change maker Awards. These were awarded to H.E. Emine Erdogan, the First Lady, Republic of Turkey on 17 April 2019 and another Change maker Awards were presented to Tony Lanzer, Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations and Cherie Blair CBE, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women on Thursday, 18 April, 2019.

 

Proceedings of the Conference

The conference started with the welcoming address by Forum Moderator Daisy McAndrew and the Opening session was on WHF Kick Off and Global Call for Action.

Opening Session

Opening Address by Ms. Feraye Ozfescioglu,

CEO of the World Humanitarian Forum.

Ms Ozfescioglu welcomes everybody to World Humanitarian Forum, Aid & Trade London. She said, “It is a great pleasure to hold the inaugural World Humanitarian Forum in London. It is a premium event, featuring leading philanthropists, former and current leaders, NGOs, INGOs and private sector including United Nations, Oxfam, Microsoft Philanthropies, GSMA, Google, KPMG, Red Cross and Red Crescent.”

This event is timely, as the world is at a critical juncture today, she said. She mentioned, “The number of people displaced by conflict has risen to 59.5 million, compared with 37.5 million a decade ago. Despite this growing needs, donor financing has not kept pace, but there are many new promising initiatives as well as new countries pledging further support. I am particularly proud of the women taking centre stage at this year’s event, and their incredible, selfless commitment to improving the lives of millions of men, women, and children globally.”

“Aid & Trade London, now in its 3^rd year, is the fastest growing humanitarian event of its kind, bringing together major stakeholders working across the global aid and the international development industry. Showcasing the very latest products and services, Aid&Trade London, is the event, which ultimately improve the delivery of aid. Every year we deliver world-class, innovative themes featuring over 150 speakers, tackling ‘head-on’; key issues and challenges facing the industry today,” she mentioned. 

Besides the opening address by Feraye Ozfescioglu, this session was also addressed by former Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, Rt. Hon. Jack Straw.

The First session was on 2030 Agenda

for SDGs to Transform the world.

This session was addressed by HE. Dr. Abdulaziz Ahmad Sarhan, Secretary General of the International Organisation for Relief, Welfare and Development (he was represented by Mr. Badr M. Al-Sahaki, head of Finance dept. of the (IOFRWD). Other speakers were Basima Abdulrahman, Founder & CEO, Youth Leader WEF, KESK and Dr. Tauni Launier, Sustainanability Director, Worldwide Generation.

The Second Session was on Education

This session was addressed by Yasmine Sherif, Director General, Education Cannot Wait; Noella Coursaris Musunka, Founder, Malaika Foundation and Abisoye Ajayi - Akinfolarin, Founder, Pearls Africa Foundation.

The Changemaker Award

The Changemaker Award was presented to H.E. Emine Erdogan, First Lady of Turkey.

Special Keynote Address

The Special Keynote Address was delivered by H.E. Emine Erdogan, First Lady of Turkey.

The next day 18^th April 2019

The third session was on

Collaboration and Partnerships

This session was addressed by  Charlie Bronks, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Crown Agents Bank; Kilian Kleinschmidt, CEO, IPA – Global Networking and Humanitarian Expertise; Kat Reichel, Head of Network Development & Engagement, Start Network; Dr. Mehmet Gulluoglu, President, AFAD

The fourth session was on Youth: Our Future.

This session was addressed by Serene Dardari, Founder, Shams Network; Vivian Pashollari, Secretary General, World Assembly of Youth and Basima Abdulrahman, founder & CEO, it session was moderated by Dr. Mohammad Hotak, Chairman, British Afghan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The fifth session was on G-Local

This session was addressed by Tony Lanzer, Assistant Secretary General, the United Nations.

The Sixth session was on Empowerment of Women

In this session the speakers were Mandy Sanghera, Philanthropist and Pippa Malmgren, Former Presidential Advisor, Co-founder H Robotics.

The closing keynote session with the Blairs: An Inspiring story on the way to shape the future.

The Changemaker Award

The Changemaker Award was presented to Cherie Blair, CBE for the closing Keynote session.

In this closing session

Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Executive Chairman of Tony Blair Institute; Former Prime Minister, UK and Cherie Blair CBE, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women had conversation with June Sarpong.

Closing: Steps to Inspire Humanity

The closing of the event was rounded up by Feraye Ozfescioglu, CEO, World Humanitarian Forum on Steps to Inspire Humanity.  

Role of IOFRWD - says al-Sahaki at WHF

Mr. Badr M. Al-Sahaki Lectures

About The Role of IOFRWD

At World Humanitarian Forum, London

Dr Mozammel Haque

The International Organisation for Relief, Welfare and Development (IOFRWD) participated in the event hosted by World Humanitarian Forum, held at Excel, London, from 17-18 April 2019. Mr. Badr M. Al-Sahaki, the Head of the Finance Department of IOFRWD read out a paper by H.E. Dr. Abdulaziz Ahmad Sarhan, Secretary General of the International Organization for Relief, Welfare and Development (IOFRWD) on the Role of IOFRWD and its sustainable development in Arabic and it was immediately translated into English by Dr. Ahmad al-Makhdoum, the Director of the Muslim World League, London Office. 

IOFRWD is a Charity organisation

Affiliate of Muslim World League

At the beginning, Dr. Sarhan in his paper introduced the organization, IOFRWD. He said, “The International Organisation for Relief, Welfare and Development (IOFRWD) is a charity organization which is affiliate of the Muslim World League (MWL) functions internationally in cooperation with philanthropist to deliver their donations to the poor and needy all over the global to alleviate their suffering and develop their communities IOFRWD has a legal personality with independent, administrative and financial entity of its own within the framework of its constitution and bylaws.”

  

Challenges faced by the world

Dr. Sarhan in his paper described the situations and challenges faced by the present world. He said, “The world in our time is facing a great number of human challenges imposed by natural disasters, crises, conflicts, civil, regional and international wars leaving behind them huge number of refugees, displaced persons, orphans, widows and destitute and increased numbers of hungry and sick people.”

“Dr. Mohammed Bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, The Secretary General of Muslim World League directed the General Secretariat of IOFRWD to reflect this interest and the need to participate in this global conference which aimed at serving humanitarian work and the challenges of contemporary humanitarian disasters. In the face of serious dilemmas, the functions of charities and charitable organizations stand out to make genuine efforts to address these dilemmas. The International Organisation for Relief, Welfare and Development has been established to play an effective role in alleviating these dilemmas in various forms throughout the global,” he said.

The Finance Manager of IOFRWD who read out the paper mentioned, “The great interest in sustainable development stems from efforts to find solutions to alleviate poverty on 3 billion of people who today are living miserable lives and trying to explore ways to raise the standard of living for all people. And 2 billion people and expected to come the world in the next 30 years. All these efforts require a huge increase in production and development to achieve the goals and keep pace with that change, Strong collective action is required at all local and international levels to establish and expand development base institutions.”

He said, “From this point of view, several countries seek to employ sustainable development in the service of their people to definitions derived from their identity which expresses their aspirations.”

Role of IOFRWD

Dr. Sarhan also mentioned in his paper the role of IOFRWD and how it participated in supporting and implementing many development programmes. He said,

“1. 17 Social centres located in Asia and Africa and 12 Families currently benefit from the centres.

2. IOFRWD is a member of more than 17 councils worldwide.

3. IOFRWD has signed a number of partnership and cooperation agreements with more than 50 international, regional and international organisations to implement its relief, developmental, health projects in countries suffering from poverty and disasters.”

Mr. Al-Sahaki who read out the paper of Dr Sarhan mentioned those who benefitted from IOFRWD’s sustainable development programmes around the world since its inception in 1986-1407H are under the following five broad programmes, such as Social Development Programme, Educational Programme, Healthcare Welfare programme, Emergency Relief Programme and Engineering Projects Programme:

Social Development Programme:

*more than 34 million beneficiaries benefitted

*IOFRWD currently sponsors more than 93,000 family orphans from Asia, Africa and Europe continents

*IOFRWD sponsors more than 2,000 orphans in 16 orphanages in Asia and Africa.

Educational Programme

More than 13 million people benefitted from various educational programmes

Healthcare Welfare

More than 37 million beneficiaries benefitted from various Health projects and programmes

Emergency Relief Programme

More than 51 million beneficiaries benefitted from emergency relief programmes

Engineering Projects Programme:

More than 51 million beneficiaries benefitted from various engineering projects.”

Mr. Al-Sahaki also mentioned, “This is a small part of the work of IOFRWD for Relief Welfare and Development provided to the refugees, the poor, widow and handicapped and the achievements and the success and promises on the ground not missed by a fair eye make us not to accept claim and relax for more efforts and work to delight people, erase the sadness on their faces and wash them from their hearts and start with joy and smile and feelings of boredom and ambition to a better future.”

Vision of IOFRWD

He said, “This is our vision in the International Organisation for Relief, Welfare and Development for humanitarian work and the impact it has achieved in the future and the hopes placed on it in the future, to be placed in the hands of the decision makers as partners in giving.”

Mr. Al-Sahaki prayed to Allah the Almighty to increase this gift and grow it over the coming years that “He hears and answers.”

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at Muslim News Award for Excellence Event

Tonight show is a very best of Islam, very best of

 our city and also the very best of British Ummah.

Says Mayor of London Rt Hon Sadiq Khan

Dr. Mozammel Haque

Tonight shows is a very best of Islam, very best of our city and also the very best of British Ummah, said Rt. Hon. Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, as Guest of Honour, at the 17^th Muslim News Award for Excellence, held at London Marriott Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London, on Monday, 8^th of April, 2019.

It is the best antidote, best uplift

The Mayor of London Rt. Hon. Sadiq Khan, as Guest of Honour, addressed the event by saying, brothers and sisters, respected elders and respected youngsters, “I begin with greetings of peace  used by millions of Muslims around the world for hundred of years Assalamualaikum”

This was the 17^th Muslim News Award for Excellence event. Speaking about this event, Rt. Hon. Sadiq Khan said, “Can I say the reason why this event is so important? This event in particular important because it is the best antidote, it is the best uplift we need after the rest of the year when we see some of the negative stories about Muslims here and around the world.”

Attached photo Mayor of London Rt Hon Sadiq Khan presenting Alhambra Award for Excellence in the Arts to Siddiqa Juma at the Seventeenth The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2019 event in London. [Photographer:Abdul Datoo/The Muslim News]
Copyright of @The Muslim News

“The wonderful thing about tonight is not simply about inspiring Muslims but it also inspiring Brits from all corners of our country and anybody who worries about those who follow the faith of Islam, can be successful, can take with them a programme and read somebody’s citation for the brilliant men and women who are nominated for the award tonight truly is inspirational,” he said.

Fulfilment of our Potentials

Mayor of London mentioned, “One other thing which we should remind ourselves that of course, it is possible to pick up a mainstream newspaper and to be depressed about the plight of British Muslims in this country but I have firm belief that there are many cities and many countries around the world we can be Muslims and go about our business and have the opportunities to fulfil our potentials. And the wonderful thing about this award is whether it is education or the media, whether it is sports or science, whether it is law or politics, there is good example of Muslims fulfilling their potentials.”

The Mayor of London expressed his thanks and gratefulness “to all those people who have been my role models over the last thirty years who allowed me to stand over their shoulders to turn my potentials fulfilled. I am greatly grateful to them,” he said and added, “Tonight every single one person who is nominated inspired new generation of British Muslims to fulfil their potentials.”

Anti-Muslim Hatred and Islamophobia

That’s why; this night is no doubt a night for celebration. But Ahmed Versi in his welcoming speech said to reflect. Referring to Ahmed Versi’s speech, Rt. Hon. Sadiq Khan said, “Of course this is the night to celebrate but as brother Ahmed Versi reminded us this is also the night to reflect on some of the consequences of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia.”

Christchurch Mosque Attacks

The Mayor of London referred to the Christchurch Mosque Attacks in New Zealand and said, “It was just three and a half weeks ago that 50 human beings; 50 men, women and children, were targeted in two places of worship; for no other reason, those two places of worship were Masjid and those 50 men, women and children belong to the faith of Islam; and that actually one of the ultimate consequences when people belonging to a faith are dehumanised and demonised. And that is one of the consequences when mainstream politicians think it is okay to use language which, I call, casual racism demonise and dehumanise those who belong to a certain faith.”

“Now it is time for all of us to call out all those politicians, to those mainstream politicians who use Islamophobic language, who use anti-Muslim hatred, to stir up hatred; play on people’s faiths to win votes. We say tonight enough,” he said.

Stand shoulder to shoulder with Jewish cousins

Rt. Hon. Sadiq Khan mentioned, “There was a former British Prime Minister, a friend of the Muslim News Award, Gordon Brown and Gordon Brown said that the necessity to take action spring from an understanding that discrimination starts against one minority does not end with one minority. That’s why, us, Muslims, need to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Jewish cousins when comes the issue of anti-Semitism.”

Attached photo Mayor of London Rt Hon Sadiq Khan [Centre] at light moment with Editor of The Muslim News, Ahmed J Versi [Right] and Business Owner/Philanthropist/Axian Group/The Imaan Trust [Left] at the Seventeenth The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2019 event in London. [Photographer: Abdul Datoo/The Muslim News]
Copyright of  @The Muslim News

“Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, and those who belong to an organised faiths and those who don’t, stand in together; because Islamophobia, anti-Muslim hatred is a mainstream issue,” mentioned the Mayor of London.

An unsung hero: Miqdad Versi

While speaking about Islamophobia, Rt. Hon. Sadiq Khan referred to one person who is not in the list of award shortlist. He said, “There is one person I will namesake tonight he is not nominated for an award. He is an unsung hero; he has spent so much time so much efforts calling out those who use Islamophobic language and behave in Islamophobic way.” He mentioned Mr Miqdad Versi for the great works he does.

“Miqdad is an example of an unsung hero who goes about their business calling out what is wrong. All of us who understand the teachings of the Qur’an; understand the teachings of the Prophet (peace be upon him); understand that injustice anywhere is an injustice that would affect us all,” mentioned Sadiq Khan and added, “Have a great great evening tonight. Enjoy what is a wonderful antidote to some of the miserable negativity that takes place during the course of this year.”

The final thing which the Mayor of London mentioned is “The people you are seeing tonight; celebrating tonight, are inspiring Muslims; they are inspiring Brits. Each of the person that they have nominated for education, arts that I am going to give an award tonight, sports, science; one of my role models is here from Scotland here tonight. These peoples are role models and leaders on their own right who happen to be Muslims.”

Diversity is strength to be celebrated

Rt. Hon. Sadiq Khan concluded his speech by saying, “One of the great things of the City of London is: it does not simply tolerate difference; we respected, we celebrated and we embraced it. Diversity is strength to be celebrated, not a weakness to be not to be waived. Tonight show is a very best of Islam, very best of our city and also the very best of British Ummah.”

Helen Goodman on Human Rights in Xinjiang

Helen Goodman on Human Rights

in Xinjiang in British Parliament

   Dr. Mozammel Haque

Labour’s Shadow Foreign Office Minister, Rt. Hon. Helen Goodman took part in the debate on Human Rights in Xinjiang at the British Parliament. She said the more productive way forward for raising the issue of our concern of human rights in Xinjiang is through European Union.

Rt. Hon. Alistair Carmichael from Orkney and Shetland (LD) moved the issue on Xinjiang under Human Rights to discuss and debate in the House of Commons, on 29 January 2019.  He appreciated and acknowledged the work in this area of various non-governmental organisations, including Amnesty International, Christian Solidarity Worldwide—CSW—Human Rights Watch and the World Uyghur Congress.  He mentioned “a remarkable 10-minute report by John Sweeney on “Newsnight” in August 2018 that first brought this issue to my attention; I am ashamed to say that I knew nothing about it until that point. In that 10 minutes he described very graphically the scale of what is happening in Xinjiang province and well illustrated the human cost.”

Many Members of Parliament from both the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats and SNP party participated and debated on this important, serious and high-profile debate – such as Helen Goodman (Lab), Fiona Bruce (Con), Yasmin Qureshi (Lab), Hobhouse (LD), Lyn Brown (Lab), Afzal Khan (Lab), Catherine West (Lab)  and many others.

Helen Goodman (Bishop Auckland) (Labour)

Labour’s Shadow Foreign Office Minister, Rt. Hon. Helen Goodman congratulated the Rt. Hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) on securing this important debate. She said, “We are extremely grateful to him, because it gives us an opportunity to send a united message from this House to the Chinese Government about the unacceptability of what is happening in Xinjiang at the moment, and of our shared desire to see the detention camps closed. We should make a reality of that commitment in the work that we do with respect to the Uyghur community in Xinjiang.”

Labour’s Shadow Foreign Office Minister Goodman mentioned at the beginning what the other Members of Parliament said, in brief,  on the issue of detention camps set up; imprisoning about a million people; denial of people’s religious rights; human rights issues and impact on families and children. “The Rt. Hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland set out the fundamental problems with the detention camps that have been set up, which we now believe are imprisoning about a million people, perhaps more. The Hon. Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) made a fearless speech; she is becoming well known for being fearless on human rights issues. My hon. Friend the Member for Bolton South East (Yasmin Qureshi) described the denial of people’s religious rights. She gave a clear insight into how that might feel for this minority. The hon. Member for Bath (Wera Hobhouse) said that we should look for more reciprocity with the Chinese Government. My hon. Friend the Member for West Ham (Lyn Brown) gave powerful testimony and pointed to the important work undertaken by the voluntary sector.”

“The Member for Gloucester (Richard Graham), who has been to Xinjiang several times, said that it was difficult because Xinjiang is in a very closed part of China, but that none the less we need to shine a light on the situation. The hon. Member for Strangford spoke about Christians being persecuted. My hon. Friend the Member for Lincoln (Karen Lee) raised important concerns about the use of modern technologies to oppress people. My hon. Friend the Member for Manchester, Gorton (Afzal Khan) asked how the Government would keep reporting back to us. My hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Catherine West) spoke about the impact on children; I am particularly grateful to her for organising a meeting last summer at which we heard from academics who had looked at satellite images, from refugees and from relatives of people who are suffering,” she mentioned.

Rt Hon. Goodman, MP also said, “It is absolutely clear that the situation in Xinjiang has deteriorated over the past four years. It is beginning to emerge and become clear to the rest of the world that what was suggested to be an attempt to prevent extremism and terrorism has morphed horrendously into the systematic oppression of a whole ethnic minority, who are being physically abused and psychologically indoctrinated. I am glad that the Minister has answered a number of parliamentary questions that I have tabled about Xinjiang; we know that Ministers have raised the matter and British diplomats have been in Xinjiang and gathered mounting evidence about the problem, but we can do more than tell the Chinese that we do not like the situation.”

Goodman, MP for Bishop Auckland raised the question- what can be done? and said, “Clearly it is important that we maintain public condemnation of the treatment of the Uyghur Muslims, and that we echo the call of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination for the Chinese authorities to shut down the re-education camps and facilitate the immediate release of all detainees. It is clear that there has been a lot of focus on work at the UN level; I do not know whether the Minister has also discussed the matter with European colleagues, but I urge him to do so. The Government have the opportunity to continue to challenge the Chinese Government through intergovernmental forums. We would also like them to initiate calls for UN access to Xinjiang, including access by the UN Human Rights Council.”

Shadow Foreign Office Minister Goodman also raised the issue of Asylum seekers. She said, “Many of my colleagues have spoken about the problems that asylum seekers face in this country. I know that that is a Home Office responsibility; none the less, it is all very well to talk about human rights abuses—we need to treat refugees well. I hope that the Minister will talk to the Home Office about that.”

Goodman, MP, also raised the issue of Xinjiang state Secretary and the use of Magnitsky powers for personal sanctions. She mentioned, “An obvious candidate for such sanctions is the Xinjiang state Secretary, because it is since his arrival in that part of China that the oppression has screwed down in a particularly nasty way. Well, we have a lever now—let us use it. As well as looking at the activities of particular companies, I would like the Government to consider using export controls on surveillance technology that is used by the Chinese Government to monitor and oppress Uyghur Muslims. They should also review the operation of companies in Xinjiang. The simple message is that we are horrified by this state of affairs and we must always prioritise human rights over trading relations with the Chinese.”

The Minister for Asia and 

the Pacific (Mark Field)

The Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Rt. Hon. Mark Field commended Rt. Hon. Member for Orkney and Shetland (Mr Carmichael) for securing this important debate. He mentioned about his “visit to the region, not as a Minister, but on my very visit to China some 16 years ​ago. I was struck even then by the atmosphere of tension. There was clearly a very large Muslim population in many of the towns and cities of the autonomous region close to the Mongolian border, but there was also a sense—this was only a couple of years after 9/11—that human rights issues were beginning to crowd in. We have seen that happen with much more serious effect in recent years.”

The Minister Mark Field also mentioned about the situation of religious minorities in the region. He said, “The ethnic and religious minorities in Xinjiang have faced a variety of restrictions on their freedom of religion and belief, freedom of speech and freedom of association over several years—indeed, for decades past. Xinjiang’s energy reserves and geopolitical significance are likely to be key factors in the Chinese Government’s close involvement in the region: Xinjiang is home to China’s largest gas fields, half of its coal deposits and an estimated 20% of its oil reserves.”

“The situation has deteriorated rapidly over the past two or three years, particularly—as the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland (Helen Goodman) rightly pointed out—since the appointment of a new regional party secretary, Chen Quanguo. He had previously held the same position in Tibet, where he obviously earned his spurs as far as the Chinese authorities were concerned,” the Minister mentioned.

Restrictive and oppressive measures

Speaking about the Xinjiang State Secretary Chen Quanguo and his activities, The Minister for Asia and Pacific mentioned, “Mr. Chen has introduced many of the techniques that he used in Tibet to monitor residents in Xinjiang. In fact, he has developed them further and fused them with a system of “political re-education camps”. However, we should also be clear that although Mr. Chen has been a leading architect of the crackdown on the Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities, culpability for the worsening situation does not lie with him alone. His actions have been supported at the highest levels by the Chinese leadership.”

“There are credible and important reports by non-governmental organisations describing the restrictive and oppressive measures being employed by the Chinese authorities, and quoted those reports. Our own diplomats visited Xinjiang as recently as December last year and their report painted a similarly bleak picture of the oppression being suffered by over a million Uyghurs and other minorities,” said the Minister Field.

Redefine Islam and Sinicise Uyghurs Culture

The Minister for Asia and the Pacific spoke about the specific measures that the authorities are using in Xinjiang. He mentioned, “Among other things, traditional and unexceptional expressions of religious observance are now banned, from giving children religious names to having an “abnormal” beard or wearing a veil; I think the hon. Member for Bolton South East (Yasmin Qureshi) went into some detail about some of the oppressive practices that are being imposed on the local community.”

“As part of an apparent attempt to redefine Islam and to sinicise the Uyghur culture, extensive cultural restrictions have also been introduced, including the restriction on the use of the traditional Uyghur language. Contravention of the rules is likely to lead to detention and other punishments,” said the Rt. Hon Mark Field.

Over 1 million Uyghur Muslims

held in extra-judicial camps

The Minister for Asia and the Pacific also spoke about the Uyghurs and members of other minorities with overseas connections. He mentioned, “Families are monitored closely, including by Han Chinese officials, who they are obliged to host in their homes for several days at a time. Outside the home, Uyghurs and other minorities are reportedly watched closely through extensive use of sophisticated technologies, as has been pointed out already, which is supported by a heavy police presence.”

“However, as has also been mentioned during the debate, what most concerns many of us is that over 1 million Uyghur Muslims—more than 10% of the Uyghur population—and other ethnic minorities have at one time or another been held in extra-judicial camps, as my hon. Friend the Member for Congleton (Fiona Bruce) pointed out,” Rt. Hon. Field said.

“It is not known just how long each individual is detained, what chance they have of being released or what the mechanism for release might be, or whether they can appeal their detention. However, what is clear is that these detentions have split up families, left many children effectively orphaned, as the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Catherine West) pointed out, and created an overbearing culture of fear,” the Minister said and added,

“Much of this activity was considered by the UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination in its report last August. It issued very detailed recommendations, including that China should “Halt the practice of detaining individuals who have not been lawfully charged, tried and convicted for a criminal offence in any extra-legal detention facilities”.”

China’s action is disproportionate 

and indiscriminate

 The Minister said, “As a number of Members have pointed out, China’s response to the increasing expressions of international concern was initially simply to deny the existence of these camps. Later, it sought to brand them as education and training facilities, and it justified them on the basis of counter-terrorism. As I think all of us know, there have been incidents in the past, but this is a wholly unprecedented and unwarranted over-reaction to that matter. China claims that the camps are a necessary part of the policy to prevent extremism and those other countries have no right to interfere in its internal affairs. The Chinese authorities naturally have the right to address genuine security concerns in Xinjiang.”

“However, all the evidence to hand suggests that their action is disproportionate and indiscriminate, and it is a response that, as a number of Members have pointed out, will be counterproductive in the long term, because it will exacerbate a whole range of ethnic tensions,” Rt. Hon. Field said.

Untold suffering to millions of its citizens

The Minister for Asia and the Pacific believed that China is causing untold suffering to millions of its own citizens. He said, “It is also contravening its own constitutional provisions on freedom of religion and indeed its obligations under the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The UK is, of course, deeply concerned about the situation in Xinjiang. We believe strongly that everyone everywhere should enjoy equal rights and protections under the law. That is why we are promoting and defending human rights, including the right to freedom of religion or belief, as a fundamental part of our own foreign policy.”

“Despite that co-operation, and notwithstanding our deep and strong relationship with China, we must and will have no hesitation about raising these issues of concern. Realistically, doing that at the UN Security Council will not have a great impact. Therefore, doing it in Geneva and through the European Union, as the hon. Member for Bishop Auckland rightly pointed out, is the more productive way forward,” said Rt. Hon. Field.

The Minister for Asia and the Pacific concluded saying, “The situation in Xinjiang is one of the most serious areas of human rights concerns in relation to our relationship with China.”