By Alex 

24th December 2017

The first CICC Sisters’ Conference was attended by approximately 40 sisters from Colchester, Ipswich and from across Essex. It was a very successful event, that generated much positive feedback.

“The event was superbly organised. The speakers were eloquent and informative. THANK YOU to all the sisters who organised this wonderful event.“  

Sister Ummara Nadim, Conference Attendee

The day started bright and early with a lovely welcome at the registration desk, followed by the offer of a nice selection of refreshments to revitalise us from the outside cold. This was also an excellent opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones and to browse the items on offer at the MyShiima Islamic art and card stall and the CICC hijab stall.

“MashaaAllah. Brilliant event. So organised and well thought out. Everything felt calm and nice. I feel inspired with a little spring in my step Alhamdulillah. May this be the beginning of a very beautiful and progressive and inclusive community. Ameen.”

Sister Dulon Sattar, Conference Planning Team

Following the official opening of the conference the delegates were treated to three highly inspirational and motivational Islamic talks;

Sidra Naeem, Muslim Chaplain at Anglia Ruskin University and a qualified Aalimah, covered the topic ‘How does Islam elevate the status of women.’

She was followed by Consultant Psychiatrist for mental health services, Dr Hooria Ahmed, who gave an overview on ‘Mental Health and women.’

Our final speaker was human rights and community activist, Shoomi Chowdhury who spoke on ‘Kindness and community: inward and outward manifestations of self-love.’

“Alhamdulillah, the event was exceptionally successful today & well received by all who attended. Brilliant team work & organisation. MashaaAllah. Jazak Allahu Khair for your considerable efforts. We all look forward to more excellent events like these in the future”

Sister Sidra Naeem, Conference Speaker

A delicious curry lunch was provided half way through and an update on the progress of the CICC was also given by CICC Trustee Maria Tonnessen.

The day was extremely well organised, had a wonderful ambient atmosphere throughout and was both beneficial and enjoyable to all those who attended.

By Maria

13^th May 2017

CICC held its first pre-Ramadhan dinner at Marks Tey Village Hall in Colchester. On 13th May approximately 130 adults and children from the diverse local Muslim Community attended.

Everyone brought a dish each and we got to taste delicious food from all over the world, including Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Uzbekistan and Syria to mention a few.

The highlight of the event were two inspirational talks by Ustadh Bashir Goni and Ustadh Ashraf Ali, local scholars from the Al Qalam Academy, helping us prepare spiritually as well as physically for Ramadan 2017. The key take-away message was how the hunger of fasting makes us constantly think of Allah.

“What can I say, except how amazing it was to see so many of us come together and enjoy the evening like family. It just shows what we can achieve together. This is just the start and InshaaAllah we will keep going and get to aim of having our own premises InshaaAllah.”

Sister Inaya, Event Planning Team

Two of CICC’s Trustees gave an update on progress with the Constitution and the activities that have taken place since our inaugural event in January 2017 in order to start bringing the Community together.

Kids had the opportunity to play together in the play area, and the adults had an opportunity to meet old and new friends from the local community.

It was a lovely event gearing the Community up for Ramadan, which this year was roughly 18 hours of fasting!

By Shamim

6th May 2017

CICC’s first Cricket Tournament was an excellent event. It was so much fun. We got to meet so many people and played some good cricket. 

Like many, I was playing after so long. Some players were obviously professionals, others knew how to bat and bowl and a few needed to be reminded of the rules of game.

We had some matches that were very tight. The first match was won by a single run but other matches were very much a one sided affair. Even some records were set with 96 runs in 8 overs and at one point 16 wides were bowled in one over.

The facilities at the University of Essex Cricket Ground were great. From the pitch, practice pitch, changing facilities to the scoring and umpiring, it was all very professional and well organised. 

A big thank you to all who attended and especially to the organisers. We are feeling more and more like a ‘Community’ in the real sense of the word. Here’s to hoping for more future fun events.