ISLAMIC OUTREACH - Student Conference Workshop

INTRODUCTION

Salaamu aleikum

This afternoon's program approaches Outreach communication from four different viewpoints.

In a few minutes we will begin with 'The Glasgow Experience', in which we look at the realities of starting a Da'wah group in the UK, based on the ABIM Malaysian example. We consider the ideals we aspired to and our changes of plan when adapting to actual circumstances and practical requirements.

In 'Resources and Presentation' we examine a range of possible resources, and the best way to use them when clarifying ideas, outlining themes, and speaking to groups.

Then we will reform into smaller groups and start the third quarter. 'Communication in the UK' deals with Da'wah on a more intimate personal scale, and use of the language of the surrounding culture when considering the Islamic message, and we shall carry this theme into practice with half an hour for conversation over tea and snacks.

Finally the tables should be cleared for action, so we can move into the last quarter - and the climax! 'Taking a Viewpoint' considers different ways of looking at Islam, and different approaches to suit different people, and we come to a conclusion with a practical group project based on the ideas raised during the afternoon.

THE GLASGOW EXPERIENCE

English language Qur'an reading: S.53.33-49 & S.6.59-60

A long time ago in a country far away called Malaysia, some people from an organisation called ABIM set up a programme called Islamic Outreach. This was and is primarily devoted to introducing Islam to non-muslims, and helping with the informational and social needs of those newly coming to Islam. But most of you already know this.

Some years ago, at the prompting of some Malaysians, a group of us came together to discuss setting up a similar venture in Scotland, using a system based on the original Malaysian experience, but adapted to local needs.

At this meeting, it was pointed out that it is every muslim's duty to spread the message of Islam, it is not just for ulema to make da'wah. If we are to communicate the message with any success, however, we must have the right motivation.

We must see our Islam as a gift we can share with others, a state of mind that can only be good for our own Islam. if we see our Islam as a trial and an imposition that we feel should be imposed on everybody, you may be able to explain to someone else the way you think, but it is unlikely that they will want to share it with you.

Our motivation must be not just love of God and the Prophet, but a love of mankind. And though we are not expected to abandon all our critical faculties when assessing questions of trust and sincerity, we must be able to see the intrinsic goodness in the people that we meet, even if they have very different understandings of the world. In this way, God willing, we can find some common ground, a place where we can share.

Islamic Outreach is a program designed to help interested non-muslims understand the teachings of Islam. It is also designed to help new muslims in approaching Islam as a way of life. These aims need to be approached in several different ways, though the boundaries between the various aspects are quite blurred.

1.     Communication - finding a way of explaining Islam in a language intelligible and relevant to western non-muslims.

2.     Interaction - giving non-muslims the chance to experience first hand the sunnah of the Prophet through our example.

3.     Education - this can be achieved through a variety of forms and to suit different levels of knowledge. We tried to provide weekly talks following a beginner's syllabus, have a library of useful books and periodicals as well as audio-visual material, hold a children's study circle, a counselor's study circle, and a crèche to make the other group meetings possible for all who wished to attend.

4.     Social Welfare - moving into areas as required and practicable according to the qualifications of the members, such as family counseling and youth counseling.

Islamic Outreach should act as a meeting point where interested non-muslims will know they can come to meet muslims and discuss their questions about Islam. By having a fixed time and place for this every week, it can be publicised as an ongoing facility, and God willing, those who are attracted to Islam will be able to explore it further in a benign, caring, and interested atmosphere.

For Outreach to be able to function, apart from interested inquirers, you will need a core group of people to act as 'counsellors', who will be the ones committed to the group and who will need to sustain it for long periods of time. Then you will also need resource people to be available for advice and to input specialist knowledge as required.

If you do start Outreach meeting somewhere, I expect your experience of the way things develop will follow the Glasgow experience very closely. That is, it will be almost completely unpredictable, so I will not tell you of all the various problems we encountered and the solutions we came up with, but I would expect the following issues to arise. 

Objections from and conflict with the muslim community - especially with regard to the holding of mixed sex meetings (we ended up using public libraries, the university chaplaincy, and other public places - even holding meetings outside in parks in the summer - rather than relying on being given access to premises belonging to the muslim community, and that way visitors didn't even have to take their shoes off). 

Related to this is the fact that the traditional muslim circle of chairs (or even worse the floor) does not work so well in mixed groups, leaving all participants full-frontally exposed to the group and hence in a very vulnerable situation. For larger groups we used a U-shaped arrangement of tables as per 'management training', which imparts an appropriate atmosphere of study, allows the speaker maximum access to the group, and facilitates the use of whiteboards or audio visuals. 

When possible we would prefer to break up into smaller groups with a more informal discipline than a 'lecture', which has the advantage that they are less intimidating, and everyone gets a say, and this also meant that more members of the core group were forced into practicing their communication skills, as well as being required to study their subject more diligently than they might otherwise. From these groups friendships could arise.

RESOURCES AND PRESENTATION

The first thing is essential - Know your stuff!

Study your subject. Particularly reconsidering basic understandings. Reconsider the things you learned and accepted as a child, and re-examine them in the cold light of adulthood. If they are not clear and sensible in your mind, you do not need to study the answers to help non-muslims, you need to know the answers for yourself.

While you live surrounded by non-muslims, you may at any moment be asked to explain any aspect of Islamic understanding or behaviour to someone. This can happen at any time, not just in once a week meetings.

Some muslims would feel that it was not their place to explain Islam - "I don't know enough - that is the job of an alim". But as soon as someone asks you a question it is your job, and when you are talking to a non-muslim you are dealing in first principles, you are talking to someone who knows virtually nothing about Islam, so you should be able to explain things as easily as explaining something to a child - you know so much more.

You are University students. You should be ashamed of yourselves if you can't explain the basic principles of the system on which you base your way of life.

You are probably not talking to a child, however, and though they may have very little knowledge, an adult will probably challenge and question your response with adult understanding. That's why it is essential that you have thought about if first. And the reason you have to go back to first principles is because when you learned them you just accepted it as the way things are. Adults don't do that. You have to find an understanding that makes sense and satisfies you now.

Books and People

Where do you go to get information and understanding that will satisfy you?

The problem with books as a resource is that most of those in English are awful. Perhaps it is the same in Bahasa Malaysia, but I don't think so, and here you have a great advantage in that you can draw on a range of materials not yet translated into English. The other problem with books is that muslims themselves aren't interested in reading them.

I am always appalled by how few books on Islam muslims have on their bookshelves, rarely more than one or two. A car mechanic has more books than that on his shelves so he can find out how to fix all the different kinds of car. As students you will have many more books relating to your subject, which you presumably consider necessary for an understanding of it. So why do you not have as much concern for your understanding of the Islam which you will readily claim to be the basis of your way of life? I have maybe four or five hundred books on Islam on my shelves, as well as hundreds of pamphlets and dozens of magazines. It's the most interesting and vital subject I can imagine. Is it not that way with you?

You can also use people as resources, as muslims students you must be aware of people with extensive knowledge of the Islamic sciences of understanding, those with specialised knowledge of Islam's relationship with one subject, such as education or medicine, as well as those with knowledge of the local community (muslim or non-muslim), and those with special talents to offer in matters such as presentation skills or organisation. These contacts must be cultivated and the system organised to accommodate their needs, so that they are happy to be involved.

Outlining and Presentation

The first problem is 'Who is to give the beginners classes?'. Any one of you should be able to! 

Who are you talking to? - Well, that depends on who turns up. It could be random curious non-muslims, or non-muslims married to muslims (often with children and wondering what to teach them), or interested muslims (some of whom may be prospective counsellors).

The talks following the syllabus should not be too complex or too long and boring, and should be approached through knowledge and information, insights and questions, and understanding of the subjects' integration into everyday life.

COMMUNICATION IN THE UK

Part One - Communicating Truth

We are not talking about 'conversion' here, nor the one way process of 'giving information'. We are talking about communication, listening and learning as well as doing the talking, questions and answers both ways. That way you will discover the power of Truth, by communicating using what you have within yourself.

Consider the question "Why would I personally want to be a muslim?"

(At this point suggestions were taken from the audience and listed on a white-board. After the suggestions seemed to be exhausted - never too long a process - I then acted as Devil's Advocate and challenged each suggestion, asking the audience to find a counter-argument to mine. Eventually, after argument and counter-argument, I put my own responses to my 'Devil's Advocate' challenges. I then suggested a number of topics more regularly raised by non-muslims as a challenge to the desirability of being muslim - such as the status of women - and initiated responses from the audience to these topics. Finally, the audience formed small groups to discuss the issues, and after some time a spokesperson from each group reported back to the full group with any insights or inspirations they had come up with.)

TAKING A VIEWPOINT

Muslims often talk of communicating the 'true understanding' of Islam, when what they mean is what they personally believe to be true. It is impossible to communicate objective truth, for God alone is al-Haqq, what we speak is always a personal view.

In Outreach we are attempting to communicate a primary understanding of Islam, yet one that is satisfying for adults, and we must always remember that communication is dependent on the other party's needs and preconceptions. You need to know who you are talking to, and also perhaps who you want to talk to - your niche market - as everyone doesn't want or need the same things.

Lectures are not enough, waiting for people to come to you - reach out - in Glasgow we have worked in various areas. We have had considerable input at various inter-faith gatherings, with Glasgow's Sharing of Faiths group, with the Church of Scotland group at Dunblane, and with the Iona Community (even exploring the extremely delicate subject of modes of communal worship), and helped organise mosque open days. 

We have been involved in education, making school visits and providing teacher information, and involved in staff training at hospitals. We have worked with BBCTV (offering help, not making demands), and a programme centred around Islamic Outreach was a great success. At the same time, when Bosnian refugees arrived in Glasgow, it was time for hands on Islam providing support and comfort, rather than the usual talk.

And we have set up exhibitions on a number of occasions and in a variety of different situations. As the final part of this workshop, I will lead you through our latest exhibition, and see what you could have come up with yourselves.

As you can see, we have approached our Outreach in a wide variety of ways, and I must stress the importance of flexibility to living organisations. Islamic Outreach should allow you to do what is best for you in your situation, to do what suits your resources and your local society's needs.

So now let me show you what we came up with on the theme of 'The World of Islam' from pictures and things that I had lying around. After you have viewed the exhibition, you can return to your small groups and discuss what you might have come up with as an alternative. Then, after 15 minutes or so, you can submit your ideas for theme and content (try to come up with 5 ideas for images and 3 ideas for quotes), and we shall judge them and present the winners with a prize. And after that we can all go for our dinner.

THE WORLD OF ISLAM

Each Moment Screen

I. Community
     A. Shahada
          1. Calligraphy
          2. Translation (& Commentary)
     B. Global Variety and Unity
          1. International Clothing Varieties
          2. Muslim World Hats
II. Tribe
     A. Death & Afterlife
          1. Tamerlane Mausoleum
          2. Taj Mahal
          3. Dead Body on Battlefield
     B. Lifestyle
          1. Muslims from Distant Places
III. Neighbours
     A. Charity & Generosity
          1. Types of Shelter
               a. Mudbricks
               b. Houseboats
          2. Wealth & Poverty
               a. Tipu Sultan's Palace
               b. Famine Aid Poster
     B. Truth & Honesty
          1. Commerce
               a. Arab Markets
               b. Coins from Muslim Countries
     C. Hygiene
          1.Public Baths
          2. Miswak
          3. Perfume
IV. Family
     A. Food Hygiene
     B. Birth & Babies
          1. Family Snaps
V. Individuals
     A. 99 Names
          1. Calligraphies
     B. Remembrance
          1. Tasbih

Each Day Screen

I. Community
     A. Qur'ans
II. Tribe
     A. Crafts
          1. Carpets
          2. Weaving & Embroidery
          3. Inlaid Marble & Stonecarving
          4. Metalwork
          5. Woodwork
          6. Ceramics
          7. Glass
          8. Engraved Mirrors
     B. Calligraphy
          1. Mosque Calligraphies
          2. Zoomorphics
          3. Prophet's Mosque & Tomb
III. Neighbours
     A. School
          1. Madrassahs
          2. Al-Azhar
     B. Prayer Timetable
IV. Family
     A. Wudu
          1. Instructions for Wudu
          2. Pictures of People Washing
V. Individuals
     A. Salaat
          1. Cairo Market Stallholder at Prayer
          2. Prayer Mat

Each Week Screen

     A. Qur'ans
     B. Science
          1. Delhi Observatory
     C. Arts
          1. Patternwork
     D. Minarets
     E. Mosques
     F. Jummah Prayer
     G. Mimbar
     H. Removing Shoes

Each Year Screen

     A. Hijra Calendar
     B. Moon Phases
     C. Fasting
     D. Zakat
     E. Extended Family Group Picture

Each Lifetime Screen

     A. Hajj
     B. World Maps
     C. Mihrab
     D. Compass & Instructions