There's plenty going on at Maslaha and we're working on a range of projects...
Some project highlights:
HEALTH
Award winning health resources which address health inequalities in Muslim communities by providing information in a way that resonates with everyday life and thinking, bringing together medical and Islamic advice (www.caringforyourheart.org, www.diabetesinwestminster.org, www.yourhealthypregnancy.org, www.diabetesintowerhamlets.org). These resources are used by health practitioners and distributed in the community to raise awareness of the specified issue, e.g. how to live a healthy lifestyle if you have diabetes. Maslaha has won awards from the London Health Commission, based at London City Hall, and Diabetes UK for these resources, which have also been presented as an example of good practice at international events.
EDUCATION
Working closely with teachers and schools to provide curriculum resources showing the contribution of Islam and Muslims to many subjects. We have been working with the Prince's School of Traditional Arts to build an interactive resource (a tapestry – not only will the students help make this, it will also serve as a long term gift to the school that will act as a lesson plan by incorporating Mathematical principles) in Mulberry School of Girls in Tower Hamlets. This pilot project will be turned into an online resource for teachers. This work will continue to be developed in partnership with schools in different geographical locations on a variety of subjects.
EXHIBITIONS
Exciting exhibitions built in partnership with the British Council as part of its Our Shared Europe programme (www.oursharedeurope.org), spanning numerous countries and highlighting the constant influence and sharing of ideas that has occurred between societies and individuals. Our exhibition - ‘Evliya Celebi: Book of Travels’ – which opened last year is touring internationally, and was opened by the President of Turkey in London (www.thebookoftravels.org). We are currently working on our next exhibition with the British Council – ‘The City Speaks’ - which will be launched in several cities across Europe in 2012.
I CAN BE SHE
A pioneering project which seeks to empower Muslim women, and change the ways in which society perceives them. This project is centred around a campaign to capture the diverse stories of Muslim women in Britain today and includes the development of an online resource (www.icanbeshe.org) which explores the role Muslim women have played through history in parallel with the powerful achievements of Muslim female role models today. Other components include: an exhibitions series which brings together talented artists to further explore the stories of some of the women featured in ICBS through mixed media and visual arts; and workshops on art, photography, radio and film with young women in East London.
TOOLKIT
Maslaha has been funded to develop a toolkit that very practically illustrates our approach to tackling social issues affecting Muslim communities on an international scale. Maslaha will build on the success of its experience of working with Muslim communities in the UK and create a toolkit that can be relevant to an international audience. We also propose that in the second year of funding we partner with an organisation(s) in Paris who are working with Muslim communities and put the toolkit to the test. The toolkit will be designed to specifically work in an international context. It will also go further than just presenting case studies, incorporating a tangible process that is designed to develop skills, qualities and attitudes that can affect change.
