This initiative comes in the wake of a “pro-UK rally” against “illegal mass immigration” held in George Square on Saturday, September 7, Glasgow Times reported.

During the Mosque Open Day, visitors will have the chance to explore the mosque, learn about Islamic culture, and view the “Islam and the Scots – the Historical Links” exhibition.

The exhibition highlights the deep-rooted historical connections between Scotland and the Muslim world. Refreshments will also be provided, ensuring a welcoming atmosphere for all attendees.

The event is designed for all ages and is part of Al-Furqan Islamic Centre’s ongoing commitment to fostering understanding and cooperation within the local community.

Through this open day, the center aims to break down misconceptions about Islam, encourage dialogue, and strengthen relationships in Glasgow’s diverse society.

Unity

Haq Ghani, the outreach coordinator for Al-Furqan Islamic Centre, emphasized the importance of such events in promoting unity.

“In a world where misunderstandings can create division, our ‘Visit my Mosque’ day is a chance to bring people together,” he said.

“Our mosque is not only a place of worship but a place of community, learning, and friendship. We invite everyone to visit, ask questions, and share in the values of respect and unity that we all hold dear.”

The Al-Furqan Islamic Centre hopes the Mosque Open Day will serve as a positive step towards building bridges and reinforcing bonds within the local community.

Mosques in the UK have been holding open days for their local communities for decades.

The national initiative #VisitMyMosque kicked off in February 2015, with about 20 mosques participating.

Held under the auspices of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the initiative grew to over 250 mosques last year.

Now, MPs and politicians take part in the initiative, including the PM, the Leader of the Opposition, and London Mayor.

Source: About Islam

Days before the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony is held in Paris, France came under fire from sports and civil rights organizations. On 24 September 2023, sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra announced a ban prohibiting the wearing of hijabs by athletes representing the country. In recent weeks she has doubled down on the decision.

Though French sporting authorities have expressed a commitment to the Olympic values of “excellence, respect and friendship”, groups including Human Rights Watch and the Sport & Rights Alliance have called out the “discriminatory hypocrisy” of prohibiting the wearing of headscarves by national sportspeople. The ruling has a direct effect on French Muslim athletes including basketball players Salimata Sylla and Helene Ba, who have both previously worn hijabs while competing.

“How can such values be embraced when the French authorities’ efforts to improve gender equality and inclusivity in sports do not apply to one group of women and girls?” asked Amnesty International in an article about the decision.

While the ban only applies to French athletes, sports campaign groups warn that it violates the rights of Muslim women and girls, and has a “devastating impact on their participation in sport”.

Here are some trailblazing athletes from around the world who will be wearing hijabs at Paris 2024.

Tina Rahimi, Australia

When she steps into the ring in Paris, Tina Rahimi (pictured above) will be the first female Muslim boxer to represent Australia at the Olympic Games. That achievement comes two years after winning bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Despite only taking up boxing as a hobby in 2017, Rahimi now has her sights set on gold in the women’s featherweight contest.

Taking part in combat sports as a hijabi woman has not been easy for Rahimi. In a recent interview, she described repeated experiences of discrimination. She has also expressed her frustration with the French authorities’ decision on Instagram.

“It’s so unfortunate for the athletes in France because [wearing the hijab] has nothing to do with your performance and it should not get in the way of you being an athlete,” she said.

“It’s so hard to be an Olympic athlete and to think that you have to give away your faith to participate in these events. Everyone should be equal — how is my hijab going to affect anything?”

Safiya al-Sayegh, United Arab Emirates

At just 22, Emirati cyclist Safiya al-Sayegh is the first woman cyclist from the United Arab Emirates to compete in the Olympic road race. Her sporting journey began eight years ago, when she and her father took bike rides around their neighborhood together.

Al-Sayegh has come a long way since then. In 2023 she took part in her first UCI Women’s World Tour event with the professional UAE Team ADQ and travelled to Hangzhou, China, to compete in the Asian Games.

Now she hopes to be in the running for a medal in Paris. As she explained in a recent interview: “I am trying to pave a way that no other woman ever did in my country, which is a privilege and a big responsibility, too. I’d like to set the standard high and do my best for whoever wants to follow.”

Nahid Kiani, Iran

When Nahid Kiani steps onto the mat in Paris, she will be representing Iran in taekwondo at the Olympic Games. Kiani, who began practicing taekwondo at the age of eight, has an impressive track record. She won the gold medal in the women’s bantamweight event at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Kiani also secured bronze medals at the 2016 Asian Championships and the 2018 Asian Games.

Competing as a hijabi athlete has presented its challenges for Kiani. She has faced discrimination and has been vocal about the importance of allowing athletes to compete without compromising their religious beliefs. “It’s not just about winning medals; it’s about representing my faith and my country with pride,” she has said. Kiani is determined to make her mark in the women’s 57kg taekwondo competition in Paris.

Dunya Abutaleb, Saudi Arabia

Starting out in taekwondo at eight years old, Saudi champion Dunya Abutaleb trained at a boys’ club because there were no girls to compete with. Now 27, she is the first Saudi Arabian woman to earn an Olympic team place to compete in the sport.

Abutaleb’s competition record is impressive, winning bronze medals at the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, and at the 2022 Asian Championships. She is now determined to shine in the Olympic women’s 49kg competition.

“Being the first woman is a great challenge for me — when I achieve in my sport, I don’t do it only in my name. I do it in the name of Saudi Arabia,” she has said.

Marwa Bouzayani, Tunisia

Tunisian 3,000m steeplechaser Marwa Bouzayani is gearing up for her second Olympics in Paris. At the 2020 Tokyo Games, she came in sixth place. No doubt, she will be hoping to improve on that performance this year.

Bouzayani, who competes in a hijab and modest attire, has said she hopes to be a role model for Muslim girls, showing them “that success in elite sports can be realized without forsaking religious values and beliefs”.

Farzaneh Fasihi, Iran

Farzaneh Fasihi, Iran’s record-breaking sprinter, will be competing in the 100-meter sprint at the Paris Olympics. Born in Isfahan, Fasihi has been a trailblazer in Iranian athletics. She holds the national record for the 60 meters indoor with a time of 7.20 seconds. Fasihi’s journey has been marked by perseverance and resilience, overcoming numerous obstacles to reach the pinnacle of her sport.

Fasihi’s achievements include winning gold in the 60 meters at the 2023 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. She has also competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2023 World Athletics Championships. “Every race is a testament to my hard work and dedication,” Fasihi has said. She hopes to inspire other Muslim girls to pursue their dreams without compromising their values.

Source: Hyphen

The Toxteth Cycle Club documentary is about the Toxteth based Cycle of Life (COL), a cycling group founded in 2020 by Ibe Hayter.

Hayter, along with a team of staff and volunteers, works with children from low-income families as well as people in the community, many who have never cycled before.

“I was surprised such a small organization would get national attention, but pleased the work we’re doing is being recognized. I hope other cities would follow suit by getting more people in cycling, especially from backgrounds of people who don’t normally cycle,” Ibe told Liverpool ECHO.

“Everyone can contribute to a greener and cleaner environment by cutting down on car usage, saving the planet for future generations. Climate change is on the global agenda.”

“This program is not just about cycling, it’s also about the young people feeling part of the city, to get to know their peers and make friendships that last past the course”.

Based at The Kuumba Imani Millenium Centre on Princes Road, Cycle of Life also runs a program targeting Muslim women.

Volunteer Shazia Chaudary, who leads Women on Bikes, said the stigma needs breaking.

“I’m trying to break down that stigma, to encourage [Muslim] women to come out for cycling and learn new skills,” she said.

“When I see them getting more confidence, this inspires me to keep going,” she said.

Source: AboutIslam.net

Guest Editors: Dr. Nadia Caidi, University of Toronto and Dr. Perla Innocenti, Northumbria University

Religious and secular pilgrimages have been part of human history since the beginning of time and remain very much alive today, whether it is the Holy Land, the Hajj, Lhasa, Kumbh Mela, Char Dham, or else the Camino de Santiago, Kumano Kodo, Glastonbury Tor, Elvis’s Graceland, national parks, or war memorials. Pilgrimage has been an object of study across disciplines: in art, architecture, and heritage, history, literature, social anthropology, religious studies, and tourism, among others. Yet, as a research context in information science, pilgrimage has been surprisingly overlooked. Similarly, while a body of work investigated religious tolerance and pluralism, few scholars explicitly addressed contemporary questions of diversity and inclusion in pilgrimage studies.

This Special Issue of IJIDI will address this gap by offering a combined information and diversity perspective to the study of pilgrimage; shedding light on the approaches and concepts that can enrich our understanding of the pilgrim’s journey and it complexities through the lens of information and media practices, embodied experiences, memory work, discourses and practices around diversity, curation practices, and community building in a global and digital world. This holistic approach will pave the way for a broader conversation on social phenomenology and the diversity of human information behaviors and religious/spiritual practices in the context of pilgrimage.

This Special Issue will try to answer the following questions:

– What research approaches are most suitable for exploring pilgrimage from the standpoint of diversity and inclusion in a global, networked environment?
– What framework would best account for the diverse informational rituals related to pilgrimage (including material, symbolic, affective dimensions)?
– What is the current and future role of cultural and memory institutions as resources on, and sites for, the documentation and curation of experiences and rituals in our networked world?
– How can we best understand the role played by meaning-making, authenticity, value-making, and performativity in the context of a diverse set of pilgrimages?
– How are pilgrimage traditions evolving in an age of migration and displacement? For example, what is the role of secondary shrines and new pilgrimage sites?

The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion (IJIDI) presents wide­ ranging and multidisciplinary perspectives on the intersection of equity, social justice, and information. The journal seeks to expand the discourse on how access to, interaction with, and the use of information by a range of populations can impact individuals, communities, and society. IJIDI is a quarterly, open access, online journal.

IJIDI is a collaboration between the University of Maryland Libraries and iPAC, the Information Policy & Access Center at the University of Maryland.

More information at: https://publish.lib.umd.edu/IJIDI/

Published by Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity

New Diversities is an international, peer reviewed, scholarly and professional journal, published by the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. It is intended to provide a platform for international, interdisciplinary and policy-related social science research in the fields of diversity, migration, multicultural policies, and human rights.

Guest Editors:

Irene Becci (University of Lausanne) and Marian Burchardt (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen)

List of Contents:

– Religion and Superdiversity: An Introduction

by Marian Burchardt (Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen) and Irene Becci (University of Lausanne)

– Enhancing Spiritual Security in Berlin’s Asian Bazaars

by Gertrud Hüwelmeier (Humboldt Universität zu Berlin)

– Religion, Conviviality and Complex Diversity

by Deirdre Meintel (Université de Montréal)

– Multi-Religiosity: Expanding Research on Ties to Multiple Faiths in the 21st Century

by Liza G. Steele (State University of New York at Purchase)

– Mobility and Religious Diversity in Indigenousness-Seeking Movements: A Comparative Case Study between France and Mexico

by Manéli Farahmand (University of Lausanne / University of Ottawa) and Sybille Rouiller (University of Lausanne)

– When Homogeneity Calls for Super-Diversity: Rome as a Religious Global City

by Valeria Fabretti (University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’) and Piero Vereni (University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’)

Read the whole journal at:  New Diversities