By Zahid

 

29^th January 2018

CICC squash club has been very active since the inception of CICC in 2017.

We aim to encourage brother from the community to play a few games of squash a week. This is a chance for new comers and some seasoned players to enjoy the game, stay active and get to know one another.

Squash activity is open any day up to 10pm and is open to brothers only. Actual timings of the game depend upon the convenience of members. We have an active Whatsapp group to discuss and agree times, so it’s worth joining if you’d like to stay up to date.

Our weekly games usually take place at the Essex University Sports Centre.

There is no charge for joining our group but Essex University Sports Centre fees need to be paid. All we require you to bring are your own racket, balls and water. Any of us can book a court where needed. The telephone number for Essex University Sports Centre is 01206 873 250 or members can book online.

Days and timings are subject to change, depending upon the convenience of the participants.

Sisters Sports activities are organised by our sister volunteers. You can check out the Sports Activities to find out what they have planned for the sisters.

CICC Brothers’ Squash Club has recently visited the AJ BELL PSA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2017 Finals (Men & Women) and had a chance to meet some top international athletes.

At the moment there is a WhatsApp group that we use to communicate and organise the games. Those interested to join that particular group, should either contact Asif (07868 756808) or Zahid (077387 66687).

By Shazad

16th December 2017

I really wanted to do something to raise money for CICC in a fun and creative way. I wanted to do something that was going to be easy to setup, not cost too much and InshaaAllah generate high donations. A sponsored run was the answer, I did not want to just walk or run so thought why not run with a rucksack full of food cans and run to several foodbank drop off points.

It was a very cold December evening, the temperature was falling below zero. Alhamdulilah,  I was joined by brothers, Dr Ramali & Brother Saleh for the CICC Power Can Run. We ran 10 miles around Colchester. Each of us carried rucksacks filled with food cans, just to make it a little bit more difficult & fun. Our two drop off points en route were at Tesco Highwoods and Asda for the Colchester food bank. This made the run even more worthwhile as we were helping the local community on the way.

The cold temperatures were a battle and ice was forming on the pavement. One thing you certainly don’t realise is how hilly Colchester is when you are driving. By the will of Allah SWT we encouraged each other to carry on. We were motivated by our intentions and Alhamdulillah we managed to finish within 2 hours.  We were delighted to raise just over £2500 for the CICC Property Appeal Alhamdulilah.

By Inaaya

30th Decmber 2017

Ramadan and Eid were fast approaching, the children were really excited about preparing for Eid and feeling like they had a part in preparing for the celebrations too.

The CICC children’s Ramadan and Eid workshops took place 3 times in 2017, It was an energetic and exciting time to bring the children together to make arts and crafts and celebrate their shared faith. The Ramadhan workshop started off with an inspiring talk about Ramadan, the children surprised themselves with their knowledge MashaaaAllah. Very quickly they were having fun and making lots of new friends. It was a pleasure to watch them getting into the celebrations of Ramadhan.

The mums also had a chance to sit down and relax with a cup of tea and mingle with new sisters.
Some of the older children made a banner for the pre-Ramadan dinner. They all made lots of decorations and cards and took home a bag full of goodies to show their families.
This truly kick-started Ramadan.

We also had workshops for both the Eids, Eid Ul Fitr, which we celebrate after the month of Ramadhan and Eid Ul Adha, which we celebrate after the Hajj pilgrimage. It gave the children an opportunity to learn about what we celebrate and why. They also made some amazing arts and crafts.The children were able to move around to different tables and choose which crafts they wanted to do.The workshops were popular with both; mums and children. We are all looking forward to the next one InshaaaAllah.

 

By Guest Blogger

11th November 2017

Brother Tarek El-Diwany is a long standing prominent expert in the area of Islamic Finance, and a specialist who combines strong analytical views gained from two paradigms in the world of finance; an industrial one as well as an academic counterpart. We were fortunate enough for him to deliver a session to CICC on Saturday 11th November 2017. The session started by identifying some prohibited financial acts in Islam such as:

• Dealing with harmful resource (e.g. cigarettes, alcohol),
• Interest-based transactions (riba),
• Contracts of uncertainty (gharar),
• Limited liability structures for commercial application, and
• Legal tricks (hiyal).

Then acceptable types of financial contracts were discussed from Islamic perspective such as the contracts of Exchange, Investment, and Charity. Finding an alternative to interest based lending was the main topic in this workshop. The true nature of home finance within the Islamic Finance market was discussed by Brother Tarek in the context of money creation and debt based fiat money. The concept of advancing money now in return for more money later and the usury based money creation system found in the west and adopted by Islamic world goes against the Islamic principles of justice and the so called ‘Islamic Banks’ have created the same type of financial products that are traded in the conventional markets and claimed them to be Sharia compliant!

A diminishing partnership model was discussed as one of the proposed ways forward when it comes to Islamic alternatives to a conventional mortgage. The workshop ended with a reminder that the Shariah does not discourage its followers from accumulating wealth but in pursuing wealth the Islamic principle of “Do No Harm” must be adhered to at all times. We should always remember that: Worldly wealth is a temporary thing, Charity does not make the giver poorer, and finally our sustenance is independent of ourselves and it is all in the hand of our Creator.

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!