The MENA Report – Analysis and Insights from the Arab World (Vol 1 Issue 7)

The MENA Report – Analysis and Insights from the Arab World (Vol 1 Issue 7)

Aimed at European and Western readerships, the MENA Report aims to provide impartial, accurate and authoritative content and analysis, through The Cordoba Foundation’s unique access to rare and highly important primary sources in the Middle East and beyond

The MENA Report seeks to unpick and unravel some of this, and provide objective and strategic insights into events and developments in the region.

In this edition, we provide an insight and analysis into the current situation in Egypt, examinining the concept of justice and democracy

 

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Srebrenica Memorial Speech by the Grand Mufti of Bosnia

Srebrenica Memorial Speech by the Grand Mufti of Bosnia

As thousands converge in Potocari today for the funeral prayers of over 400 bodies and the 18th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, we are once again reminded of the lengths that man could potentially go to when immersed in a state of fear, hatred and division

The Memorial Day puts to rest any naivety that the lessons of the past have not only been learned, but well and truly headed. Not only are human beings chronically capable of committing the most repugnant of acts against fellow human beings, regardless of the advancement of time, the catalysts for these crimes are invariably similar whatever the different and unique circumstances of each.

The Cordoba Foundation has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of the threat man poses against his fellow man, should particular conditions become established on the ground. Whether Srebrenica, Auswitz, Rwanda, Gaza, Kashmir, Myanmar or Somalia, and whether in the last century, this or the one coming, injustice establishes fear which breads suspicion and ultimately hatred. From there, the move on to violence is neither a difficult nor inconceivable step to undertake. Our objective is to work in common collaboration to remove the very initial elements on that tragic path, and to counter the root causes for clashes based on false and misguided understanding and implementation of the concepts of ‘self’ and ‘the other’.

The Srebrenica Memorial Day provides a timely reminder to us all of the challenges that can only be met in a sense of togetherness and community.

The Cordoba Foundation writes to the US Secretary of State and UK Foreign Secretary regarding Egypt

The Cordoba Foundation writes to the US Secretary of State and UK Foreign Secretary regarding Egypt

The Cordoba Foundation (TCF) has written to the US Secretary of State and the UK Foreign Secretary expressing concern about the events in Egypt

Dr Anas Altikriti, the CEO of TCF expressed concern that cirumventing people’s freedom and violating their human rights will only lead to violence, instability and antagonism towards the democratic values, we all share and aspire for all over the world.

THe Cordoba Foundation urges a moral and ethically weighted position from both the UK and the US in dealing with the situation in Egypt

To read the letter to the UK Foreign Secretary, please click here

 

 

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To read th letter to the US Secretary of State, please click here

 

 

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Event Report: Launch of Cordoba Papers – A Call to Action for Muslim Civil Society in Britain

Event Report: Launch of Cordoba Papers – A Call to Action for Muslim Civil Society in Britain

On Wednesday 26th June at the Osmani Centre, London, The Cordoba Foundation launched the latest in a series of the Cordoba Papers, titled “Meet the Challenge, Make the Change – A Call to Action for Muslim Civil Society in Britain”.

MTC_Launch.jpgAuthored by Dr. Muhammad Abdul Bari – a leading figure in the Muslim community – the paper attempts a critical look at the Muslim community, particularly in Britain and the role and performance of Islamic organisations.

Providing a good mapping exercise, the paper charts a way forward through a bold and clear presentation but also raises interesting and pertinent issues for discussion and debate.

The publication was reviewed by writer and researcher, Dr Jamil Sherif and moderated by Dr Anas Altikriti, CEO of The Cordoba Foundation.MTC_Launch_5.jpg  In attendance were leading figures from Muslim organisations, charities, research institutions as well as community activists and youth. Dr Altikriti said “we welcome the open discussion and debate that took place during the launch of this timely publication, which is lacking in the community.”

Other discussants, including Dr Zahid Parvez – Rector of the Markfield Institute of Higher Education based at the Islamic Foundation in Leicestershire, pointed out the need for British Muslims to better engage with civil society on general interest issues. He said, “whilst we acknowledge a leadership-deficit in the Muslim community, new and credible leadership will emerge automatically in different spheres of our society.”

Lotifa Begum, Development Education Coordinator for Islamic Relief, commended Dr Abdul Bari for penning this paper and initiating discussion on this very important topic amongst stakeholders in the community”.  Tarek el Diwany, consultant and analyst in the field of Islamic finance for Zest Advisory LLP, and author of The Problem With Interest, remarked that “we need to do away our fascination with labels and organisational bureaucracy and focus more on making real contribution to society, in the fields of media, medicine, finance and so on.”

MTC_Launch_10.jpgResponding to questions and points addressed to Dr Abdul Bari, he stressed that “overcoming cultural and religious differences is a priority to building a better future together with different stakeholders, as demonstrated in the life of Prophet Muhammad since the very beginning of the Revelation.”

The Cordoba Foundation hopes that Dr Abdul Bari’s paper will inspire and probe those currently at key positions in the Muslim community to reflect on some of the issue and challenges highlighted but also to look forward to making the change for a better Muslim civil society in Britain.

 

The full publication can be downloaded from here

 

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The MENA Report – Analysis and Insights from the Arab World (Vol1 Issue 6)

The MENA Report – Analysis and Insights from the Arab World (Vol1 Issue 6)

Aimed at European and Western readerships, the MENA Report aims to provide impartial, accurate and authoritative content and analysis, through The Cordoba Foundation’s unique access to rare and highly important primary sources in the Middle East and beyond

The MENA Report seeks to unpick and unravel some of this, and provide objective and strategic insights into events and developments in the region.

In this edition we have continued our investigation of the authenticity of religious, political and social sets of ideas, as well as traits which have been cast in stone and idealised. Lacking the ability or the will to distinguish between the sacred and the profane, the permissible and the absolute, inhibits the natural ability and will to investigate, reform and remedy.

 

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Roundtable: The Roles of Regional State and Non-State Players and the Implications for US Afghan Withdrawal and Beyond

The Cordoba Foundation is supporting the Institute of Islamic Strategic & Socio-Political Affairs in a series of roundtables examining the Us-Afghan Withdrawal Program

The event will discuss the following questions:

  What is  the  Pakistani  army’s  current  and  future  Afghan  policy  and  how  does  it  impact  upon  the  US  withdrawal from Afghanistan and its aftermath?
  The allegations towards the ISI: Facts, fictions, implications?
  The Pakistani army and US army and intelligence relations?
  What may be the new power structure in 2014 Afghan presidential elections and  how will the Pashtun  people be represented?
  How will cross-border movements over the Durand line affect the post-2014 security situation?
  What is the current state of play regarding armed groups (Haqqani network, LeJ, LeT, TTP, Al Qaeda etc.)  in the Afghan-Pakistan borderlands?
  In what way might we expect the dynamics of these armed groups operating in FATA to change following  the Coalition’s withdrawal and the 2014 Afghan elections?

The event will be held on the 3rd of July and is by invitation only.

The event will be held under Chatham House Rules

High-Level Roundtable on Peace Processes, Conflict and Humanitarian Needs in Myanmar.

This is a closed-door High-Level Roundtable on peace processes, conflict and humanitarian needs in Myanmar.

The event will be held on Tuesday, 2 July.

The roundtable aims to facilitate a high-level policy dialogue on three pressing interrelated issues: the ethnic peace process; the crisis in Rakhine State; and the Buddhist-Muslim violence in Myanmar and the wider ASEAN region. It will bring together government representatives, representatives of the donor community, policy-makers and humanitarian agencies currently involved in Myanmar.

This first section of this roundtable will seek to provide a forum to discuss the ongoing peace processes throughout Myanmar. Speakers, including Charles Petrie (Coordinator of the Myanmar Peace Support Initiative) will share progress made, but also the challenges that remain.

Rushanara Ali MP (Labour Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow and Shadow Minister for International Development) will speak on her recent visit to Rakhine State and her views on how the international community should respond to the crisis. Melanie Teff (Senior advocate, European representative, Refugees International) and Chris Lewa (Founder and coordinator, The Arakan Project) will then present their research findings and analysis on the situation in Rakhine State, followed by an in-depth discussion of possible strategies to address both the humanitarian crisis as well as the root causes of the conflict.

Finally, the roundtable will cover the spread of violence between Burmese Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar and spill over into the wider region, particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia. Other speakers at the roundtable will include Oliver Lacey-Hall (Head, Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific at UN OCHA), Kyaw Win (Secretary of the Burmese Muslim Association) and Dr Jemilah Mahmood (ODI Council Member).

The meeting will be hosted by the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) and co-organised with Refugees International, Muslim Charities Forum and The Cordoba Foundation.

The discussion will be held under the Chatham House Rule and participation is by invitation only.

For more information, please click here