Dr Rabia Malik discusses the impact of mental illness within the British Muslim community.

Dr Rabia Malik is the chair of City Circle, a grassroots network of young Muslim professionals. She holds a doctorate in Social Psychology and is a practicing Systemic Psychotherapist in London.

By L Amatullah

My experience of British Muslim activism in the university and community scene has caused me to observe that the diversity of Muslim demographics is not usually reflected in our various campaigns. In a world where conflict and oppression and the fight to end them are constant features in our lives, campaigns related to the Middle East are always much more prominent and prioritised.

Palestine, for example, has an especially undying place in all our hearts. It is the home of the third holiest site, where our Muslim brothers and sisters suffer relentlessly under Israeli aggression. It is therefore a campaign that I have been and continue to be wholeheartedly a part of. I have determinedly picketed, demonstrated, occupied lecture theatres, signed and promoted petitions and delivered speeches in protest of the suffering in the region.

By Tafazal Mohammad

The past decade has seen a marked change in legislation for all those agencies concerned with the welfare of young people.  The tragic death of Victoria Climbié on the 25^th of February 2000, described as an entirely preventable tragedy at least twelve times by Lord Laming, was a particular turning point. Some of the highlighted factors contributing towards the ‘opportunities missed’ were: low standards of professional practice; accountability at various levels; lack of inter and intra-agency information sharing; and poor managerial support for front line workers. As a policy response, the Labour government published a Green Paper ‘Every Child Matters’ (ECM) in September 2003 for consultation, which subsequently prompted an unprecedented debate about the services for children, young people and families. The Government then published ECM; Next Steps and passed the Children Act 2004 providing the ‘backbone’ for reform focusing on needs and ECM; Change for Children was published in November 2004.

By Amira Abozeid

As a British-Born, Egyptian-raised young female, I have always been interested in knowing more and more about the UK.  I was looking forward to living in the UK one day and engaging with British society to enrich my cultural knowledge and socialise with people from diverse backgrounds and ethnicities.

But when I came to Britain a couple of years ago, many changes occurred to the image I had in my mind. I was shocked from the media’s run-of-the-mill stories about Muslims being violent, extremist, and backward and of Muslim women being oppressed, subjugated and helpless. I was disappointed to find that the negative stereotypes propagated by hard-liners had somehow succeeded in shaping the public opinion of some of the British people against Muslims.

By Dr Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed

The international system will face new and evolving challenges over the coming decades, concerning not only issues such as terrorism and violent conflict, but more pertinently, the intersecting convergence of global ecological, energy and economic crises. It so happens that these phenomena will intensify in direct relation to Muslim-majority regions in the Middle East, Central and South Asia, and North Africa.

Existing trends, and their probable trajectories, look grim without urgent preventive and mitigating action. Climate change is already happening, and has generated droughts this year in some of the most prominent food-producing regions. This trend is set to accelerate over the coming decades.

By Zahra Rammahi

Before I graduated I had not realised how unrealistic the education system was in preparing us for future work. I understood the purpose of school was to mould us into successful career people, however, I had not realised that a first class degree with honours wouldn’t get me anywhere in life –  especially with no experience.

In the three great university years of making amazing friends and learning psycho-social theories of human behaviour, people would often ask me, “so you’re a psychologist?” I would say, “yes”, they would ask, “can you tell what I’m thinking?”, I would reply, “erm…yes” they would inquire, “ what’s that?” and I would answer, “You my friend are thinking if I know what you’re thinking?’’

By Samihah Dharamsi

Addressing Disability in the Muslim Community: Now and in the Coming Decade

The 2001 Census revealed the group with the highest level of disability in the UK is in fact the Muslim Community, with almost a quarter of Muslim females (24 per cent) and one in five Muslim males (21 per cent) as having a self-declared disability. So why are we so reluctant to accept these situations and tackle them?

By Sarah Jawad

How student participation has affected the way we engage with medical issues in developing countries

The developing world is as fascinating as it is horrifying in the context of its medical issues. Prior to the past decade, individual elective terms, and the occasional voluntary placements abroad more or less made up the contact medical students, and indeed other students in Britain, would have with the developing world. However, there has recently been a shift in student attitudes. Medical issues in developing countries have been brought into sharp focus within the student body, and this is all down to students actively seeking to participate and raise awareness of potent medical problems in those countries which desperately need aid.

By Zainab Rahim

Why Being a Student Activist Raises More Than A Little Suspicion

There is a thought that still manages to amaze me: almost a tonne of surplus equipment from King’s College London (KCL) crossed a ground breaking 5000 miles to reach Gaza. With the opening of the new decade – we broke the siege.

But the amazement in this case is a combination of good and bad. This time last month, it felt like a day of lost plans. As the snow fell thickly here in London and stranded everyone at home, my heart turned towards the messy ending of the road to Gaza. Needless to say, I was not relieved.

By Ahmed

Shiver, quiver, eyes open, memories scatter here and there,

Before me does my life appear – glimmer, flicker – reappear.

Tot I was, in Sana’a born, safe beneath the silhouette

Of this city ancient, holy, crown’d with countless minarets.