MCB Sign Up Information

During the weekend 19-21 June, thousands of Britons took part in virtual mosque tours across the UK as part of the Visit My Mosque campaign, which this year was held in partnership with the Great Get Together campaign.

Mosques taking part included Cambridge Central Mosque, Europe's first eco-mosque, which has also delivered more than 1,000 food packages to staff at the local Royal Papworth Hospital during lockdown, as well as Inverness Masjid in North Scotland, one of the UK''s most northerly mosques.   

Click here to read our full press release

Catch up on recordings of the virtual tours at www.visitmymosque.org/virtual-tours-2020/ 

On Tuesday 2nd June, Public Health England published its report into the disparities in risks and outcomes of COVID-19, having previously announced it would conduct a review into the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BAME people. The Muslim Council of Britain was one of over a thousand community stakeholders which submitted evidence to this review.

This announcement was met by reports that this had been censored and a key section of the relative risk of COVID-19 to specific groups was removed. Read our full statement here.

The Labour Party is also holding a review into this, which the MCB has submitted evidence to (PDF).

On 30 June, following a complaint by the MCB''s Centre for Media Monitoring (CfMM), The Sun acknowledged its error and made substantial changes to its article (here) that falsely claimed 'Half of UK imported coronavirus cases 'originate from Pakistan', based on a The Telegraph exclusive on 26 June 2020 (here). The The Mail Online (here) corrected shortly after. But The Telegraph has still not corrected it''s piece yet at the time of writing.

Click here to read full CfMM press release.

A new Jummah Grants fund has been launched providing support grants of between ?250 and ?1,000 for small mosques based in the UK with an annual turnover of under ?250,000.

Small mosques can register for the Jummah Grants programme online and benefit from free webinars and 1-to-1 fundraising advice and support at SupportOurMosques.com/JummahGrants.

Read full press release here.

This July, MCB''s Centre for Media Monitoring will run our full series of Media Skills Webinars.  

Introduction to Media Monitoring
Wed, 8th July, 6.00 to 7.30 PM, FREE

Introduction to Writing Press Releases
Wed, 15th July, 6.00 to 7.30 PM, ?25 (?15 for affiliates)

Introduction to Media Interviews
Wed, 22nd July, 6.00 to 7.30 PM, ?25 (?15 for affiliates)

Introduction to Crisis Media Management
Wed, 29th July, 6.00 to 7.30 PM, ?25 (?15 for affiliates)

Numbers are limited so book early to avoid disappointment! For further information, please email our Community Liaison Officer on a.morris@cfmm.org.uk

Ramadan Tent Project (RTP) - a community institution developing the understanding and experience of Ramadan and fasting for all, and the thinkers and makers behind the My Open Iftar. RTP''s vision is "to become the leading institution of Ramadan in Britain, empowering individuals from all backgrounds to develop their understanding, knowledge and experience of Ramadan and fasting."

This year''s Proudly Muslim and Black 2-Day Virtual Conference themed ''Islam and Racial Justice'' saw scholars, community workers and campaigners as well as young Black Muslims across age range, even as young as age 10, talk and discuss various topics.

The speakers addressed issues of racial inequalities within Muslim communities as well as the general UK society with the objective of acknowledging the age-long inequality suffered by Black African and Afro-Caribbean communities, while seeking to foster conversations and actions to eradicate this within Muslim communities specifically and within the UK generally. 

To see our full event summary and links to videos, please click here.

A new poll by HOPE not hate of 1,200 Conservative Party members has shown how widespread and institutional Islamophobia in the Conservative Party still is. This polling, published on 30 September, found that:

• 57% had a negative view of Muslims, more than twice the number of those with negative attitudes towards Hindus and Jewish people,
• 47% believe Islam is a "threat to the British way of life", among other statistics. 

Click here to read the full MCB statement and access the full report. .

The MCB congratulates all those pioneering individuals recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honour's List. The honours system recognises people who have committed themselves to serving and helping Britain, and who have made achievements in public life.

To see the full list of Muslims included in this year''s list, please click here.

November is Islamophobia Awareness Month and team MCB will be busy bringing you a range of events, with contributions from a wide variety of experts, as we look at exploring what Islamophobia is, how it manifests, how we can work together to effectively tackle it as a society and what is currently being done by the MCB to address this pervasive racism. Join us for a series of major interventions, including:   

5th November: Tackling Islamophobia in the Media 
10th November: COVID-19 Report Launch  
18th November: Islamophobia Report Launch  
24th November: Meet Muslim Media Professionals

To register for our first event on November 5th, 7.00-8.30pm, please click here.

Don''t miss out on the upcoming Our Mosques Our Future conference, 27-29 November, a conference design specifically for mosque leaders and volunteers across the UK.

This year''s theme will be #BeyondCOVID. More announcements coming shortly! 

Click here to register interest to attend.  

The MCB has called on the Foreign Secretary to follow up his strong stance condemning the ethnic cleansing of Uighur Muslims "with equally strong actions".

The MCB has also written to the Ambassadors and High Commissioners of Muslim-majority countries which have supported China despite these atrocities, calling on them to raise this with their respective governments.

Read the MCB's letter in full here.

The UK Government has announced Dr Tony Sewell will chair its new Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. The MCB previously raised concerns about the impact of this commission. 

Commenting on the appointment of Dr Tony Sewell, a spokesperson for the MCB said:

"The composition of the Government's commission on race disparities sends a strong signal about its intentions. Many are partisans of a culture war keen on downplaying race disparities.

Read our full statement here.

Through the Campaign for National Solidarity organised by the Muslim Charities Forum, the MCB is supporting this crowdfunding campaign to provide vulnerable individuals and families in Muslim communities with hardship grants, in order to help those most in need during these difficult times.  #TogetherWeCan:

The campaign is being supported by a wide range of UK Muslim organisations and you can support online here.

On Friday 24th April, Public Health England announced the appointment of Trevor Phillips to provide expert support to the review into the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on BAME people.

This review is urgently needed to understand the reasons behind the huge impact on BAME communities, but the appointment of Trevor Phillips is controversial. Phillips was recently suspended from the Labour Party over allegations of Islamophobia, and has a history of making controversial remarks about Muslims.

Read the full statement here. 

Following on from the terrorist attacks at two mosques in New Zealand last year, the Home Office has launched an online consultation in March 2020 on protecting places of worship in Britain.

This deadline for the consultation, following requests from the MCB and other faith institutions, has now been extended from 10 May to 28 June 2020. Read MCB''s full letter to the Home Office here (PDF). 

Any individual, place of worship or other faith institution in England and Wales can submit a response to this consultation on how places of worship can better be protected in future. Find out more about the consultation here or email mosques@mcb.org.uk

As part of bringing a much needed eco-conscious element to this years Ramadan, we are hosting weekly virtual Iftars on Thursdays at 7.30pm covering topics ranging from animal agriculture, sustainable living, zero waste, and our impacts on the environment as Muslims. Click the link below to sign up for our next sessions:

• 30th April Islamic Environmental Ethics and Our Relationship with Nature  - Dr. Lutfi Radwan (Willowbrook Farms) - Click to Register
• 7th May Waste Not, Want Not: Making Small Changes this Ramadan - Julian Kirby (Friends of the Earth) - Click to Register
• 14th May Stewards of the Earth: the Prophetic Tradition - Rabia Mali (Green Deen Tribe) - Click to Register

Listen back to 23rd April Imagining the change: Reflections on a sustainable future - Mark Bryant (Director of IFEES\EcoIslam)

Read more about the MCB Sustainability Team''s work here.

The MCB''s Centre for Media Monitoring launched a special report entitled "How The British Media Reports Terrorism" in the week that the terrorist Brenton Tarrant was sentenced for murdering 51 Muslims at two mosques in Christchurch New Zealand in 2019.

Click here to read the full report

The report received extensive media attention including in the The Times, BBC, The Press Gazette, Byline Times, and LBC. See MCB in the Media below.

The MCB also issued a statement commenting on the life sentencing verdict in New Zealand. Click here to read full statement.

1. This month, face coverings became mandatory in places of worship in England, including mosques. MCB has published guidance on the wearing of face coverings in places of worship, including exemptions. Click here to download the graphic.

2. Additionally, in response to requests from affiliates, MCB issued a toolkit on dealing with a positive COVID-19 case within a mosque, madrasa or community centre. Click here to download the toolkit (PDF).

For the latest COVID-19 guidance for Muslim communities, visit www.mcb.org.uk/coronavirus.

The annual Our Mosques Our Future will be taking place online this year in November 2020 on the theme #BeyondCOVID!

The Call for Contributions is now open on the sub-themes of

1. The Digital Mosque: Reaching Audiences Remotely
2. Online Fundraising: Balancing Your Mosque''s Finances
3. Mosque Cleanliness & Social Distancing
4. Mental Health and Welfare of Mosque Users
5. Mosque Leadership & Governance During Uncertain Times

Deadline to submit: 28th September 2020

Find out more and pre-book to attend at:

www.ourmosquesourfuture.org.uk

CfMM''s Meet the Media Webinar
1 October 2020 at 6 PM

Centre for Media Monitoring is excited to present our 2nd "Meet the Media" event.

This is a great opportunity for Muslim community leaders and organisations to hear directly from those who produce the stories and headlines we read every day.  Learn what makes great news, how the media cycle works, and how Muslim communities can best engage to get our stories reported on in a positive way.
The event will include a panel discussion with our guests, Q&A, and small group breakout sessions with the journalists where you can pitch your stories and get feedback.  A fantastic way to learn from the experts themselves!

This webinar will be live-streamed on Facebook, but only those registered on Eventbrite will be able to actively participate in the event Q&A and breakout sessions.  Places are limited.

Register online - click here.