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London –For the fourth year, in a row, the Muslim
Welfare House in Britain (MWH), a member of the Federation of
Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), held its fourth conference
"Bushra Project" for a better marital life under the title
of "Child-rearing between pain and hope" on Sunday, 24 May
2009.
The Muslim Welfare House was keen on diversifying
the programs of the conference which, mainly, discussed various
issues related to Muslim child-rearing in the West through inviting
elite specialists in various social and educational fields to
deliver lectures and symposia, which were characterized by
interaction between the professionals and the attendees of the
Muslim families.
Dr. `Umar `Abdul-Kafy was one of the lecturers, who
delivered a symposium titled "sunrise not sunset". Sheikh
Salim Al-Shaykhy, the imam of Manchester Masjid, the member of the
European Council for Fatwa and Research and the vice-chairman of the
FIOE's Family Campaign, also delivered a lecture entitled, our
children and positive integrative rearing.
European Imams and Muslim Families
While the lecture of Dr. Ibrahim Al-Khulify, the
head of the Ideo-globe institution and the international life
schools, was titled, Smart Education. Sheikh Wanis Al-Mabrouk, the
chairman of the European assembly of imams and spiritual guides and
the chairman of Da`wah department in the Federation of Islamic
Organizations in Europe (FIOE), talked about the role of European
imams in helping Muslim families in the application of sound Islamic
child-rearing.
Dr. Hassan Al-Katib, the chairman of the Board of
Trustees in the Islamic Welfare House in Britain and the chairman of
the Shura Council of the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB),
asserted, "This annual activity is one which the House provides
to serve the Muslim families in Britain that has been going on since
its inception for more than thirty years during the conference
inaugural speech."
Dr. Muhammad Sa`d Tajud-Din, a counselor for family
affairs and Child-rearing, talked about his participation in the
conference, "Last year, I participated in the conference and
this year I'm taking part with a lecture titled "Who rears
whom; Parents or children?" Dr. Sa`d believes that choosing
"child-rearing" as the topic of this year conference is
appropriate, since the Muslim family-relationships in the West are
deteriorating. There must be "alternative rearing centers for
our children in the West" such as the MWH and other Islamic
organizations that provide family and educational services and
consultations."
Bushra Project
Mrs. Majida Siyam, a member of the Board of Trustees
in the Muslim Welfare House and one of the supervisors of
"Bushra Project" for marital relationships, suggests that
"choosing parents-children relation as the topic of this year's
conference was based on the notable increase in complaints regarding
child-rearing and safeguarding the new generation of the British
young Muslims, especially, when the government interferes to work
out solutions for those complaints which might lead to consigning
children's custody to governmental care centers or the issuance of a
resolution to accommodate teenagers and separate them from their
parents."
Charity Organizations' Input
There were some other British charity organizations
such as the Islamic Relief, Interpal, and the African Development
Trust, which revealed their most important projects of that year and
asked the British Muslims to donate generously whether with money,
time and efforts.
Moreover, entertainment had its share in this
conference where there was a special program for children where
Al-Nour chanting band presented more than one artistic show over the
day.
The attendees disclosed their family problems to the
elite lecturers whom the conference invites every year. The
conference has become an important event on the annual agenda of
British Muslims according to Muhammad, one of the inhabitants of
London who fathers two children. |
