We are back with another exciting and informative episode of Conversations! Today we are joined by Ashfaque (or 'Ash' as he is fondly known by his friends). Ash is a former senior police officer with 30 years service, and has worked tirelessly for many years supporting his local masjid (al-Medina Moque, Barking) to stay relevant, become more self sufficient, and now in the midst of crisis, to be accessible.

We talk about what Ash has learnt about the Muslim community from his 30 years in policing, how masjids have been coping over the last 6 weeks of lock down, and importantly his opinion on what the future holds for mosques nationally.

Enjoy!

This evening I am joined by Ustadha Dr Anika Arshad and Shaykh Shammas and we are broaching the difficult topic of death and funeral rites. The Covid-19 death toll is rising, and it is expected to increase significantly in the UK over the coming weeks as we get closer to the peak. Today we ask the question, is the Muslim community ready? what should we expect? what are the Masjids and leaders doing in readiness? and much more!

Join us for a lively discussion, and do share your feedback.

 

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Its a difficult time for us all. The world has changed dramatically within 2 weeks, and many of us are wondering how and when we will get through this.

In this episode, shaykh Shammas and Ustadh Izhar are speaking remotely about using this time to gain perspective on what is truly important, learning to be "present", and considering all of the positives that we are seeing all around us; from the generosity of the people working around the clock to support the sick and vulnerable, to the hotels, cafes etc who are doing all they can to support.

Its hard being a parent. Its even harder when your child(ren) has a long term medical condition. What will life be like? Will he or she ever be accepted? Am i doing a good enough job? These are just some of the questions that are amplified for people facing this reality.

...and then there are the practical demands of maintaining treatment and care regimes, social and financial constraints, friends and family relationships, and the future of your child's care.

During today's podcast, we are tackling this subject head on. Does the Quran speak about this? What are the obligations on the Muslim community to enable the above? How can we make sure we create a space for our friends that are fighting this battle every day?

Tune in to a fascinating discussion that will hopefully move you and inspire you to think differently

In his most recent album, Riz Ahmed asks himself the question "where am I from?" and goes on to explore the identity crisis facing the British Muslim community living in the UK. In similar vein, we ask Shaykh Sjaad about this identity crisis and the issues facing the Muslim diaspora and we explore how community building sits at the core of developing a successful framework where such issues can be actively changed for the better

During this episode we discuss the often neglected topic of when parents go too far in their expectations. We talk toxic relationships, parental pressure, the Islamic perspective, and some practical steps to remedy these situations. Shaykh Shammas talks very candidly about his experiences with people affected by this, and argues that Islam promotes long healthy relationships and promotes a responsibility on each of us to ensure that this can happen. He argues that avoiding resentment and long term discord by getting things out in the open is better than kicking the can down the road to avoid the difficult conversation.

Join us as for another fascinating conversation. Today we are speaking about education - how would you feel about your son or daughter going to university to study drama? We discuss the role of parents in supporting their children rather than pressuring them in to vocational subjects, as well as the importance of pragmatism and healthy debate.

During this episode Shaykh Sjaad Hussain speaks about the phenomenon of 'incredible Imams' expected to hit the ground running to solve complex issues in the Muslim community with little or no training, and often little or no life experience!

We're talking modesty today - Focusing on modest clothing, we ask - what does it actually mean? why are we expected to be "modest"? and what exactly are we trying to preserve?

In this episode we are joined by Shaykh Sjaad and Shaykh Shammas and we're talking about the courting process! We cover a range of topics including the common obstacles faced by people looking to get married, the role of culture and culture clashes, expectations, and the use and misuse of religion.