Prayer Allahuma innaka afuwun tuhibbul afwa fa’fu annee (translation: ‘Oh Allah, you’re the eraser of sins and you love forgiveness. So please efface my sins’). This was the prayer that the Prophet (PBUH) told Aisha (RA) to recite when she asked him. All the sahaba (RA) followed suit and prayed this duaa over the last 10 days of Ramadan which are deemed to be the holiest. Imaan Newsletter Summer 2009 Ramadan Karim from Imaan! Imaan hopes that members are working through the holy month of Ramadan with its abundant opportunities to enrich our lives with the light of Islam. We are delighted to report that some of our sisters and brothers have gone on Umrah during this holy month. We also hope that Allah (SWT) accepts their sacrifice and prayers, and blesses with their safe return when they might be able to tell us about their experience. Ameen. For those of us in less sunnier climes, here in Britain, Imaan is hosting a series of iftaar events in London and Manchester throughout Ramadan. Please keep a lookout for dates and times on theweb site: www.imaan.org.uk It would be great to share our experiences as we break fast together. There will also be some group visits to the Soho Mosque for greater spiritual enrichment. Beyond fasting and praying we must all remain vigilant of opportunities to do good locally as well as further-a-field. May Allah (SWT) give us the foresight and opportunity to give support to others less fortunate all year round. Ameen. Reflecting on the past year, Imaan has made the most of the past year and as our reputation grows, alhamdulilah, from our participation in activities such as UK Black Pride, university visits, as well as community events, so does the involvement of our members and potential members. In particular, our welfare phone line has been buzzing with activity and Yusef, Imaan’s Secretary, has done a sterling job of giving one-to-one guidance and support. Email [email protected] for details. We have also supported a number of Black and Asian, Muslim LGBT people from around the world to successfully apply for asylum in Britain because their home country has become unsafe for them. We are working to establish a compact with the Home Office to recognise Imaan in supporting LGBT Muslims which will give our evidence more weight at hearings. As the chair person of Imaan it has also been extremely rewarding for me. Clearly, when volunteering to take forward an ambitious agenda for a small organisation it is necessary to do so with enthusiasm because there are many good ideas that require a great deal of energy and commitment. Change isn’t always easy to implement but it is needed if we’re not to stagnate. I’m proud to have helped Imaan through a period where funding for our work has been hard to come by, but still, with the grace of Allah (SWT), we have managed to reflect a number of the needs and aspirations of our diverse members. In particular, this year we achieved much to be proud of our welfare helpline, regular newsletters packed full of information about activities and ways for members to engage; dinners and socials; iftaars and spiritual events, as well as a prominent presence at UK Black Pride, trade union events and the Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. Our high profile within newspapers and on TV – notably through the gay Muslim character on Eastenders which Imaan helped develop – and our participation in anti-racist and anti-fascist activities across Britain to stop the growth of the fascist BNP, together with our dialogue with Muslim and inter- faith LGBT groups and statutory organisations like the government, police, local councils and students’ unions have all led to us being nominated for a number of awards. However, none of this is possible without the effort of everyone who volunteers to keep Imaan going. All of us who understand the need to take part and to help, no matter how modest our contribution, is helping to provide a vital service. As a voluntary organisation with no external funding – a situation we are trying to resolve – Imaan is entirely dependent on the support of its members. If you are able to contribute a donation towards our work, or volunteer some time to actively contribute to our collective goals, then please email: [email protected] for details. Every gesture of support is welcome. Looking ahead to the autumn, Imaan is electing our new Trustees after which we will be hosting our Annual General Meeting on Friday 12 October from 6-8pm in central London. Insh’Allah. If you would like to attend please register your interest by emailing: [email protected] Remember, this is your event, where you get to meet the Trustees, hold us accountable, ratify the election of the new Trustees and develop your own ideas and suggestions, particularly around workshops, social activities and more in the year ahead. Please do join us! Imaan will also be arranging an Eid ul Fitr celebration to mark the end of Ramadan too. Imaan is also pleased to have supported Stonewall to produce new guidance on ‘Religion and Sexuality – Working Together’. This practical guidance for employers looks at how to manage real and perceived tensions between sexual orientation and religion in the workplace and provides solutions. The research is timely as we build stronger links with the wider Muslim community and faith-based LGBT groups, and a recent YouGov poll finding people of faith in Britain are no more likely to be prejudiced against lesbian and gay people than anyone else. Imaan’s Treasurer, Lina Mughal, who is also a law student, is looking to run some information workshops on challenging homophobia in the workplace in October. Before I sign off this summer update I would like to remind everyone that this has been a rewarding year for all members of the Imaan Board of Trustees: Lina (treasurer), Tawseef (events officer), Yusef (secretary) and myself (chair), as well as our dedicated team of volunteers, notably Fiez and Royston among others who all deserve our dua’as. I hope that you have gained as much from our contributions as we have from yours. If we have ever given cause to upset you, we apologise, and hope that you will remember us all in your dua’as and give us the taqwa to continue serving you. Wasalam, Pav Akhtar Chair, Imaan Stand for Imaan’s Board of Trustees, 2009–10 As you will also know, Imaan is a small, voluntary organisation without any statutory funding. Alhamdulilah though through the sheer hard work and dedication of Imaan members we have completed yet another successful year of delivering services and representation to our members, not least a meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) tomorrow! In the year ahead Imaan is well placed to build on the LGBT, race and faith agenda in Britain. To ensure that we continue delivering on our members’ priorities we must elect a Board of Trustees. The current Imaan Board of Trustees met over the past week to agree an elections schedule for the four available posts which are: chairperson, secretary, treasurer and events officer. In line with Imaan’s standing orders (attached) and constitution, the Imaan Trustees have confirmed eligibility to stand for these posts is open LGBT Muslim people, who have attended an Imaan conference, three Imaan meetings since 2006, and who have been nominated by a fellow LGBT Muslim member of Imaan. Nominations are now open so, by agreement with the Imaan Board of Trustees, please contact Pav Akhtar, the current chair of Imaan by email: [email protected] to arrange a discussion about what the different roles entail and to receive your copy of the application form which must be returned by 5pm on 26 September 2009 . Completed nomination forms should be emailed to Denis Fernando from the Lesbian and Gay Coalition Against Racism who will, by the agreement of the Imaan Board of Trustees, act as the independent Returning Officer and scrutineer for the elections. [email protected] will. All eligible members of Imaan will be invited to vote through a secret electronic ballot which will take place for contested posts between 9am on 3 October until 5pm on 9 October . The results will be announced at our AGM which will be held from 6-8pm on Monday 12 October 2009 in Victoria, central London. Imaan AGM 2009 If you would like to attend the Annual General Meeting (AGM) then please register your interest by emailing: [email protected] Remember, this is your event, where you get to meet the current Trustees: Lina, Pav, Tawseef and Yusef, to hold us accountable, review the finances of the organisation and develop ideas and suggestions, particularly around workshops, social activities and more in the year ahead. Please do join us! Imaan will also be arranging an Eid ul Fitr celebration to mark the end of Ramadan too. More details of this will follow from Tawseef, Imaan’s Event’s Officer. Imaan Celebrates UK Black Pride August 2009 Imaan was proud to support UK Black Pride – the leading celebration of African, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and Latin American LGBT people in Britain – which returned to Regents Park, in central London, on Saturday 15 August 2009 for its fourth annual event. The headline act this year was the British queen of soul: Beverley Knight! Led by Imaan trustees Lina, Pav, and Yusef, we encouraged all members and partners to attend UK Black Pride because it is the biggest Black LGBT event in Britain.