UEIC 2009

In light of the Islamic Society's open nature, continuous development, contribution to inter-faith dialogue and positive communal relations, we hereby extend our invitation to all interested parties to the conference. The event is structured along the theme "A Journey Into Islamic Values" which promises a succinct yet informative day detailing the intrinsic aspects and values about Islam. The conference is scheduled to take place on Saturday 23^rd February 2008.

Confirmed speakers currently include -:

Jaafar Sheikh Idris is considered one of few Muslim Scholars of this era who comprehended the knowledge of Islam and Western Ideologies. He authored many articles and research papers. He visited many countries around the world where he lectured in Arabic and English. Dr. Jaafar Sheikh Idris was born on 15th June 1931 in Port Sudan, Sudan.  He grew up in the city of Port Sudan where he completed his elementary and secondary school.   In addition to the modern school system, he studied Quran in traditional Quranic schools.  He also studied Fiqh, Hadith and Arabic Language under traditional teachers in the city and studied Aqida with “Ansar al-Sunnah” group.  He finished his high school in Hantoob High School, in Al-Jazeera province, one of three high schools in the country then.  Admission was very hard but he made it due to his high academic records. After that he joined University of Khartoum where he completed his education and traveled to London for post graduate studies.

Khola Hassan, who was born Saudi Arabia, lived in Kenya for nine years before moving to England at the age of 10. She is currently the chairwoman of the executive committee women's wing of the Masjid Tawhid in London, an author of many books and an outspoken figure on the position of women in Islam. Hassan recently participated in an acclaimed debate about women in Islam on BBC Radio 4 with Irshad Manji and Sarah Joseph. The program received a Sony Gold Award, radio's equivalent to the Oscar, for Best Speech Program. Since publishing her first book, "The Crumbling Minarets of Spain", at the age of 17, Hassan has written regularly for Islamic magazines. She is currently working on a semi-autographical book aimed at the non-Muslim audience entitled "Between London and Makkah", discussing American foreign policy, Islamic history in Europe and a general explanation of the Islamic faith.

Ahmad ibn Saifuddin is an Islamic scholar. He is associate professor at Al-Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Saudi Arabia. Ahmad Ibn Saifuddin Turkistani is the former director of the Institute of Islamic & Arab Sciences (IIAS) in Fairfax, Virginia a non-profit educational institution. On March 15, 2001, Turkistani gave the keynote address at the Eid-Ul-Adha Dinner in Parliament Hill, Ottawa, which was sponsored by the Association of Progressive Muslims of Ontario (APMO). Turkistani is credited with stating, “Islam has been the victim of Sept. 11.” “We need to disassociate Islam from the wrong practices of some of its followers,” Turkistani added, “and protect it from those who want to associate it with violence and destruction.” He has attended many conferences of religious, scholarly, inter-religious and inter-cultural nature in many American, European and Asian countries and was a member of the Muslim World League’s delegation which toured many US cities and met many leaders of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths for a period of 25 days in 2002. He has been attending the conferences of the Islamic organizations in the US and in other places for the last 25 years.

 

Rodney Wilson was born in Belfast in 1946. He is a Professor of Economics at the University of Durham, England. He is an expert in Islamic Finance and Economics and his research interests include the Middle Eastern political economy and the political economy of oil and gas. He has authored and co-authored many books and journals. Some of his titles include: Islamic Economics: A Short History (2006), Economic Development in Saudi Arabia. London and New York: Routledge Curzon (2004) and. Economics, Ethics and Religion: Jewish, Christian and Muslim Economic Thought (1997). Currently working on two papers on economics and religion, one comparing contemporary Christian and Islamic economic thought and editing a six volume collection with Professor Tim Niblock of Durham on The Political Economy of the Middle East for Edward Elgar Publishing of Cheltenham. 

Labbayk Nasheeds is a nasheed group who are based in East London, UK. The group started singing live performances in 2004 and have gained popularity around London. Labbayk do not use any musical instruments in their nasheeds. The lyrics and content are verified by recognised scholars. The group are working towards an album to be released in Ramadan 2008"