| Express 2006 |
|
|
|
|
Express reporter JEMMA WALTON visits Wakefield's South Street Mosque on 9 September 2004 A religion not to be feared MAKE sure you enter with your right foot so Mosque Community Liaison Officer Abidel Hamid whispered in my ear as I walked – barefoot and fully headscarved – into the prayer room of Wakefield's South Street Central Mosque. I put my right foot forward and entered a room full of women who were listening to a man as he talked about Muslim ways and beliefs. They seemed enthralled, and it was easy to understand why. Kaushar Tai is a Professional Diversity Consultant who tours the country to explain Islam and the Muslim culture to non-Muslim professionals. Previous clients have included police, hospital workers, teachers and journalists. Wakefield's SureStart East and West branches were spending the day with him as he unraveled the mysteries of Muslim prayer, lifestyle and festivals. I arrived as he was discussing the Muslim attitude to jihad – or holy war – and he gave a very full and down – to – earth description of what can often be a controversial and misunderstood topic. SureStart Community Worker Sarah Moore said: SureStart booked places on the course as we are working with a growing number of Muslims, and didn't always understand their religion or the way of life. This course should help us to not cause offence and to understand and respect their customs. The full-day course covered all aspects of Muslim beliefs, and even offered delegates the chance to sample a range of traditional Muslim spicy foods at lunch time. SureStart is a government initiative to support parents of under 4's children, and to help parents get back into workplace. The Wakefield East Branch alone deals with around 1,000 parents and children across the district. Diane Drury, Programme Manager of Wakefield East SureStart, said: SureStart East and West sent a group of 35 of their new staff along as part of their training and development package. Wakefield East deal with a diverse vommunity of families from Eastmoor, Portobello, Agbrigg, Belle Vue and College Grove, and work with hundreds of Muslim people. The day should help staff to respect and understand another culture, which will help them to support those families better We are also advertising three bilingual Urdu or Punjabi speaking support workers, who will be able to add another dimension to our work. The Surestsart Workers who attend the said it was useful, and were particularly pleased it was held in a Mosque. The location gave a real insight into Islam. We want people to realize that Islam is not something to be afraid of, and means peace. Education is one of the Mosque's main aims, and we are pleased that SureStart have made the effort to listen to Mr Tai's very informative lectures. As I left the prayer room – on my left foot – I felt as though I knew a little bit more about the thousands of people who attend the city's six Mosques every week. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
