Unveiling Islam

During July Preston Muslim Forum held three workshops under the title of “Unveiling Islam”, 145 people attended the three workshops including local councillors, police officers, council staff and members of Preston ’s diverse communities. The three workshops hosted by two churches and the Harris Library explored the themes; “Islam in Britain ”, “Jesus in Islam” and “ Building Bridges : Our Shared Heritage”, including presentations exploring “What it means to be Muslim” and “The Gabriel Narrative”. All workshops concluded with a lively Q&A, discussing topics such as integration, citizenship, cohesion, shariah law and its compatibility with a liberal democracy, equality, interfaith and the roles of Muslims in Britain .  

 

Reverend Peter Hamborg said “Ali hosted a stimulating evening at Christ Church on Thursday 7th July entitled "Islam in Britain ." He painted for us a very enlightening picture of Britain 's mixed history with Islam, one that was far more balanced than the largely negative portrayal we so often receive through the media. This led well into some further presentation regarding the diverse and complex reality of British Islam today, followed by some quite vigorous discussion which Ali handled with expertise, sensitivity, and nuance. It was a pleasure to welcome Ali to Christ Church . I have received much positive feedback from the evening.” 

 

The second workshop explored the subject of Jesus in Islam, Reverend Stephen Johnson commented on the workshop by saying, “Tonight has been a real opportunity to see the human face of a world wide religion. Ali's personal view of his faith opened up many areas of common interest between Christian's and our Muslim friends. It showed how a meaningful discussion can be had - without ignoring our obvious differences. In the end communities can only thrive if people talk to people - and resist the temptation to fall back on misleading stereotypes.”

 

The third and final workshop was titled “Building Bridges: Our shared Heritage” which explored the positive impact of Islam and Muslims upon civilisation and the common ground that exists between followers of the Abrahamic faiths. Abdul Kheratkar, Area Access to Services Manager commented on the workshop by saying, “The session was pitched at a very appropriate level which enabled a lot of audience participation and engagement. The session clearly proved to be a brief introduction to the commonalities' of the major faiths and the importance of Community cohesion for all followers of a faith.”

 

Ali Amla, freelance consultant and facilitator said “Unveiling Islam was a great opportunity to demystify Islam by creating a safe space to speak about faith, practice, diversity and an opportunity to answer questions that naturally comes to ones mind in the modern society. All the workshops have been very well attended and I have been touched by the large numbers of people wanting more workshops. This has shown the appetite for dialogue that exists within Preston & Lancashire, which I plan to cater for in the future.”

 

This is what the participants had to say:

 

“As a Christian I think I need to understand the importance of beliefs as imperative and live peacefully together.”

 

“I hope we can have more similar events, to help promote understanding and friendship in the community.”

 

“It was an excellent meeting. I learnt a lot about the history of Islam in Britain .”

 

“Very interesting & enlightening – I now appreciate the need to get actively involved in interfaith dialogue. Thank you.”

 

“Needs to be more understanding and learning development between Christians & Muslims. May there be more of these discussions and social events particularly at important events in Christianity & Islam eg Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, & both Eids.” 

 

“An enjoyable and interesting evening with a pleasant atmosphere”

 

“Wasn’t sure what to expect, but a very good beginners course (intro) to Islam.  Thanks.”

 

“Excellent presentation, very interesting and informative”

 

“Many thanks would appreciate more opportunities like this.”

 

“It would be of value to continue the good work of similar events in the future”

 

“Interesting to see that there are so many basic similarities between the key religions. Events such as these are a valuable way of increasing understanding. I think there should be more sessions like this more often.”

 

Ali Amla is a freelance consultant delivering community dialogue, education workshops and assemblies to primary schools, secondary schools and sixth form colleges. He regularly provides training to professionals from different sectors on equality, cohesion, extremism and community engagement. Ali is organising Interfaith Week 2011 as a volunteer, in partnership with Preston Faith Forum, Lancashire Forum of Faith, The Harris Library and Preston City Council. Ali has extensive experience in working for the public and 3rd sector delivering projects on Interfaith, community cohesion, research & consultation, prevent, community engagement and community development. .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)