Regular Activities

General Project and Branch Information

EDUCATION

ISB Birmingham recruits, encourages and trains local Muslim parents in the field of school governorship. This enables Muslims to influence school policy. Many successes have been recorded: many prayer rooms have been provided in schools, halaal lunches have been arranged thus Muslim children are allowed to honour their Islamic commitments on school premises.

BUSINESS

On our television screens and newspapers today, we hear much negativity in relation to Islam and Muslims. There are however many positives which are being overlooked, not least some of the brilliant entrepreneurs which exist in the Muslim community of the Midlands. ISB Birmingham is in constant contact with local businesses in order that the money which has been bestowed upon them can be pumped into noble projects which benefit the wider community.

ISB Birmingham are currently in the process of organising a pre-Radio Ramadhan dinner in order to give local Muslim businessmen and women an opportunity to demonstrate their generosity.

MEDIA

Alongside preparations in earnest for Radio Ramadhan ’03, ISB Birmingham are also involved in other media-related work in order to help challenge the terrible press which Islam often receives in Britain. ISB looks to challenge negative media stereotypes in a robust yet intelligent manner in accordance with the norms of the age we live in.

Br. Nadeem Malik is a member of the national ISB Public Relations Committee whilst Br. Qaiser Talib has written for The Forum and the Socialist magazine Labour Left Brief. He has also written an article for the first edition of EMEL, the new ISB-backed Muslim lifestyle magazine which is due to hit the shops later in the year.

MOSQUES

The mosque is of course supposed to represent the heart and soul of the Muslim community and ISB Birmingham recognises this fact. Br. Nadeem and Dr. Hanif are members on the committee of Birmingham Central Mosque, one of the most well-known mosques in the country.

DAWAH

ISB Birmingham are heavily involved in the propagating the message of Islam to non-Muslims in order that members of the general public acquire knowledge about the religion based upon fact, rather than prejudice and anti-Islamic media outlets. ISB Birmingham is involved in the preparation of the national ISB-backed Islam Awareness Week in November and welcomes and assists new Muslims.

FAMILY EVENTS

Over the past year ISB Birmingham has tried to focus more than ever before on the Muslim family. Regular family events catering for all ages are held and have proved extremely popular. ISB Birmingham has also provided live halaal entertainment for the family such as quizzes, nasheeds and comedy acts. Regular Eid functions are held every year.
Branch Background

Branch Background

HEART OF THE MIDLANDS!

Birmingham is often referred to as “the second city” after the capital London and has also been dubbed “the heart of the Midlands.” It is host to a population of approximately 1 million people. According to the 2001 Census, around 140,000 “Brummies” are Muslim.

Birmingham is home to two Premiership football clubs, Aston Villa and Birmingham City. The rivalry between the clubs is one of the features of the city.

Recently, Birmingham employed all of its creative resources whilst attempting to earn itself the title of “European City of Culture 2003”. Many of its artists and architects were involved in this venture. Even though Birmingham narrowly lost out to Liverpool, the campaign earned the city much recognition and respect.

Staying with creativity, it is a little known fact that Birmingham was also the home of the legendary JRR Tolkien, author of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.” Moseley Bog, a marshland which Tolkien used as his model for “Middle Earth”, is a short walk away from the ISB Birmingham office.

The area is also home to comedians Jasper Carrot and Lenny Henry whilst the Midlands is the birthplace of the world’s most famous playwright. William Shakespeare, author of “Romeo & Juliet” and “Macbeth”, is a name recognised throughout the world. His hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, where the Royal Shakespeare Theatre pays homage to the work of Warwickshire’s most famous son, is visited by thousands of tourists each year.

However, rumours that the author was in fact a Muslim whose real name was Sheikh Spear have been denied by the ISB Birmingham Press Office!

The city is host to a wide variety of religions and cultures: Pakistanies, Indians, Arabs, Africans and many other peoples contribute to it, combining to make Birmingham one of the most interesting and diverse cities in Europe.