Muslim Youth Club
Recently, the BHMF has set up a youth club for Muslim boys, where they can learn Qur’an and Arabic, and play in a safe environment. The club takes place every Saturday from 10:30am to 2:30pm in the Brighton Youth Centre at 64 Edmond Street in Brighton. The teacher is a qualified Imam, and there is additional supervision for the children. The club has proved very succesful, and we hope to follow up as soon as possible with a similar project for Muslim girls.
The Muslim Community in Britain
Kadeer Arif is one of the founding members of BHMF and was the Chair of the University of Sussex Islamic Society. The purpose of the talk which he presented to a predominantly non Muslim audience in Brighton was to explore the current developments which are taking place in today’s western societies and the difficulties that new terrorism laws and the “War on Terror” has had on the Muslim Community. He explored many of the problems within the Muslim community and presented in his conclusion how this “clash of communities” and the lack of community resources play a significant role in hindering non Muslim communities to understand the core issues Muslims face. Kadeer also presented an insightful understanding on how today’s media ignored the true meaning of Islam and did not portray it in its true light due to their own lack of understanding.
Lewes Primary School
Sabri Ben Ameur the Chair of Brighton & Hove Muslim Forum (BHMF), during his regular visits to schools in Sussex visited Lewes Primary School on 17.05.04 to talk to staff and students about Islam and Muslims. The children at the school enjoyed the session so much that they decided to show their appreciation by drawing pictures about Islam. The Pictures were very impressive so it was decided that they all should be put on our website for everyone to see the artistic work! Thank you to all the children and staff of Lewes Primary School!
Talk on Palestine
BHMF invited Shaykh Haytham Haddad from London to come to Brighton to give a talk about the situation in Palestine, especially w ith respect to Israel’s assassination of Shaykh Yasin. The event took place at Madina Mosque in Bedford Place, on the 17th April 2004.
Conference on Islam in Brighton and Hove
BHMF arose out of a conference organised in conjunction with three local mosques and university Islamic societies. The event was very succesful, with enthusiasm from both Muslims and groups looking to work with Muslims. Since the event, the Forum has met twice, and a committee has been formed, meeting weekly. With the launch of the Forum, the future for Muslims in Brighton and Hove looks bright.