Brighton & Hove Muslim Forum

Kadeer Arif is one of the founding members of BHMF and was the Chair of the University of Sussex Islamic Society. The purpose of the talk which he presented to a predominantly non Muslim audience in Brighton was to explore the current developments which are taking place in today’s western societies and the difficulties that new terrorism laws and the “War on Terror” has had on the Muslim Community. He explored many of the problems within the Muslim community and presented in his conclusion how this “clash of communities” and the lack of community resources play a significant role in hindering non Muslim communities to understand the core issues Muslims face. Kadeer also presented an insightful understanding on how today’s media ignored the true meaning of Islam and did not portray it in its true light due to their own lack of understanding.

BHMF invited Shaykh Haytham Haddad from London to come to Brighton to give a talk about the situation in Palestine, especially with respect to Israel’s assassination of Shaykh Yasin. The event took place at Medinah Mosque in Bedford Place.

Recently, the BHMF has set up a youth club for Muslim boys, where they can learn Qur’an and Arabic, and play in a safe environment. The club takes place every Saturday from 10:30am to 2:30pm in the Brighton Youth Centre at 64 Edmond Street in Brighton. The teacher is a qualified Imam, and there is additional supervision for the children. The club has proved very successful, and we hope to follow up as soon as possible with a similar project for Muslim girls.

BHMF arose out of a conference organised in conjunction with three local mosques and university Islamic societies. The event was very successful, with enthusiasm from both Muslims and groups looking to work with Muslims. Since the event, the Forum has met twice, and a committee has been formed, meeting weekly. With the launch of the Forum, the future for Muslims in Brighton and Hove looks bright.