As we approach the end of the year, we thought it would be a
good time to reflect on the past few months and share some of the highlights.
We have continued our regular discussion circles and have
had the opportunity to discuss some very interesting topics such as ‘Islam and
science’, ‘culture vs. religion’, ‘free will and determinism’ and ‘playing God’
among many others.
Our last discussion circle of the term was a collaborative
one with the Sikh Society on the ‘relevance of religion’.
For this term’s GIAG we went on a hike in Ilkley. It was a
lovely day with great weather, great views and great company!
We were delighted to host Sheikh Arif Abdul Hussein to Leeds
on the 23rd March where he gave a thought-provoking and stimulating
talk on ‘Spirituality in Islam’ and engage in a discussion with the audience.
Current and future committee members also traveled all the way to Amersham for the MSC presidential retreat from the 17th to the 19th March for a weekend of workshops, networking and reflection.
The last week was a busy but absolutely amazing one! On
Monday the 20th March we began our annual Hungry for Justice campaign. Over
three days we raised loads of food and donations for St. Georges Crypt, a local
charity working with homeless, vulnerable and at-risk people in the city of
Leeds.
Also on Monday the 20th March, in collaboration
with the LUU Islamic Society, the Iqbal Centre for the Study of Contemporary
Islam, the Centre for Ethnicity and Racism Studies and ReOrient; the Journal of
Critical Muslim Studies, we hosted Sheikh Dr. Tajul Islam (Iqbal Centre for the
Study of Contemporary Islam), Professor S. Sayyid (Centre for Ethnicity and
Racism Studies) and Sheikh Ahmed Haneef (Islamic Centre of England) for an
event entitled ‘Black Lives Matter: Bilal and the formation of the early
Islamicate’. It was a fantastic evening that began with an unprecedented Sunni-Shia unity prayer led by Sheikh Ahmed Haneef. This was
followed by three inspiring, insightful and thought-provoking talks and an open
question and answer session with the speakers. A recording of this event is now available can be viewed here.
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| Unity prayer |
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| Sheikh Ahmed Haneef |
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| Sheikh Dr. Tajul Islam |
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| Professor S. Sayyid |
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| ISoc and ABSoc presidents |
There’s only a few weeks left of this academic year and a
new committee will soon be taking charge of ABSoc so keep checking this space
for updates!