Harun Khan, Secretary General of the MCB, launches the national mosques conference on October 6 (Photo courtesy of MCB)
Zahraa Ahmed
A resource portal to support mosque trustees, committee members and staff was launched at a national mosques conference on October 6 organised by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).
Over 400 mosque leaders met in Manchester for the ‘Our Mosques Our Future’ conference to discuss how mosques can better serve their congregations in British society.
Over 15 TED-style talks, workshops and exhibitions on the theme #PeopleNotBuildings took place on topics including sharing best practices, discuss stronger mosque governance, the role of women, caring for the elderly, youth engagement, and media engagement training.
“As a senior trustee in my mosque, I think we need to focus more on providing better quality services and listening to other people who face the same issues.
Whether it’s children, youth, management, admin, services for the elderly, everything can be improved,” said Sajjad from Oldham.
Speaking at the conference, Harun Khan, Secretary General of the MCB, said, “It is our duty to support the energy and enthusiasm for grassroots community work of both current and future mosque leaders – the unsung heroes of our mosques. When we think of mosques, we must think of investing in people, before we think of domes and minarets.”
Drawing from classical understandings of mosques, Dr Timothy Winters, speaking about the new Cambridge Eco-Mosque, emphasised the need for mosques to be inclusive. He said, “A mosque needs to be inclusive. Do not allow it to be sectarian, but make them neutral.”
A Muslimah, delegate from Reading, said, “It was inspiring to meet such a diverse and wide-ranging audience, all of whom are intent on taking their mosques to the next level.
There is hope for the Muslim community – we have the same purpose that is focused on the future.”
This conference and portal comes as the MCB launched its Women in Mosques leadership programme, a pilot scheme that will see 20 upcoming female leaders paired with a mentor, visit ‘best practice’ mosques and be given bespoke training.
The new mosque ‘Best Practice’ portal launched on October 6 is accessible online. Containing over 65 downloadable checklists, templates and case studies, the resources cover several areas of a typical mosque’s work including youth, education, governance, outreach activities, convert care, facilities management and more.
The portal has been launched as a ‘beta’, with a full launch expected in 2019.
