Combilled Ti'ustee's Annual I'e ol't 2023 - 2024 Name ofthe Chaii The North West IsInIC Association Chai'i commissioll Ni numbei.: (NIC no: 104801) Fii"st Re isti'atioll Date 3 March 2016. (Please note in this report the North West IsInIC Association will be called as the Association). oi'till Pei'iod The Annual Report of the Association correlates with the fanCIal year starting from 01 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
Pui. oses of the chAI Tbe NWIA is established to adi'ance, for public benefit, the interests of its meinberslu'p in any cliaritable ii;ay, biit lli particular t]ough the folloiiimg means in the North-west of Noithe1 Ireland. a) To promote dialogue, the dissemination of inforniation and a''elleSs of Islam to both NquslIn and Non-hluslims. To arrange seininars alld interfaith gathersS for better understanding of each other's religions and faiths. b) To facilitate Islamic rites such as marriage, arbits'ation of matrimonial th. sputes and to aiTallge fleral & burial seTh'ices and proi:Ision of a cemeteiy. c) To adi.ance education in accordance iiiith the tenets and doctri'nes of Islam for all ages by such means as classes and lectures. d) The establishment, operation and maintenance of institutions that ii'ould enhance the religious and social causes of the Thlusllln comniunity thi'ough such means as a hbrary and school etc: e) To gii"e adi'ice and support to the Nlusllln community and local autboiities .here appropnate on any aspect of the Islamic faith and other related matters. D The establishn]ent, proi:Ision and inamtenance of a place in future, for social and cultural gatherings alld congregational ii'orship. g) Obtaining fidS through fund raising, donations and receii'ing grants. h) To render social seThices to the NIuslim & the local commilty in this region by proi.ldmg help to the sick, elderly, needy alld the students, and supportmg the preseTh'ation of family life.
The Sti'uctui'e of the AssociAtion: The Associatson had 7 appoll]ted Trustees during repOrtg period: l. Di". Heba Ali 2. Di. Imtiaz kar 3. Di. Nlohan]mad Abou Salla 4. Mr Lotfi Jalloul 5. Di. Rashida Rauf 6. Di. Raumeen Gani 7. Di. Zafar Nasir The Associatson currently hai:e the follom'ing office bearers, l. Dr Sameh Hassan (Cha)ersOn) 2. Di. Ahllied hlarzouk (I"ice Chaiiperson) 3. Dr Dileep Abdul Salein (General Secretaiy) 4. Dr Reyad hlehfuz (Treasurer) In addihon to the office bearers NWIA has comn]ittee members for the discussioll and adi'ice on important issues and ei-ents. The Association conducts i'egular comnllttee ineetmgs to eithei. plan annual ei'ents or to thscuss any important issues Mritbin the Coi]]nilIty. The Association keeps relei.ant mlllutes and fin1claI statements of all ei.ents and ts"ansaetions. Tbe Association Nlembers pay a monthly or annual subscription of minllnum £10 per inonth or £120 per annum. The aboi;e-named inembers are responsible for all the actii:Ities ii'ithm the Association 801'erned by its Constitution. The Associatton receii.es financial support through donors, meinbers and the public funds. These fldS are used for i'arious actii'ities of The Association.
IIIAin ActiTr'ities of the chAI'i to the set-out ob'ectii'es: and ublic benefit statement ill i'elAtion Tbis i'eport summanzes the main actii'ities and acbiei'ements of the Noith West Islanllc Association (NWIA) u] the year 2023-2024. The NWIA is a registered charity that alllls to sen.e the Musllln con]munity and promote interfaith thalogue and cooperation the region. The NWIA organizes i'arious ei'ents and programs throughout the yeai. to fiilfill its mission and i'ision, includlllg the folloii;mg: Iedical Ald for Gaza Appeal: In response to the humamtarian cnsis resultmg from the li'ar on Gaza, iiihich has left tens of thousands of people llijured and hollieless, the North West Islalliic Association organized a funth"aisin8 initiatii'e to suppoit Nledical Aid for Palestsnians (NIAP), a reputable UK humamtanan orgamzation M'orkmg in Gaza, for delii:ering methcal aid to the affected people. Tlus effort successfully raised a total of £6,000. Zakah fund raising and distribution: In response to the groiiring number of displaced indii:iduals seeking asylum in the North West of Northern 'eIalld, the Association collected zakah donations durmg the n]onth of Raniadan. This obligatory chaiitable contnbiihon, requll.ed of hluslims durllig tlie mollth of Ramadan, il'as aillied at sUppOrtg charitable cause5. The collected zakab fiinds ii.ere distnbuted to 35 asylum seekers and financially stniggling oi:erseas students. The reinaining funds Th'ere donated to the Gaza medical aid appeal through Methcal Aid for Palestmialls folloilT8 the onset of the conflict. As)'lum Seekers Support: Tbe North West Islamic Association ran a project aiming to support young asylum seekers and refugees through estabShS a ii'eekly youth club m collaboration ii'ith Youth Actton NI. Some of these young people haN'e expenenced trauma and lii.mg in the Northii'est has been i.ery challengmg foi. them. The project IlTas funded by the Public Health Agency's CLEAR emotional iirellbemg and niental health progran]me as ii.ell a5 the Coca-cola Thank You Fund froill the lsh youth Foulldation. The project had many benefits to the participants. Young people 'ere able to find a safe space to comiect ii,"ith otbers, siipport each other, eat tO8etlier, play gaines, participate in sports actii:Ities, dei.elop neiir skdls and attendmg basic English language classes and OCN accredited trallllngs. The association also sourced SIA security badge
traIng ii.knch enabled soine of the participant to find employnent. The associatioll has also been helping them Th'ith different issues they are facing t]Ough social support and signpostsng. Tbe folloiiing day tn'ps 117ere organized to gil'e them the chance to explore different places in Nortliern Ireland l) Trip to Omagh Gortin Glen Forest: Asylum seekers isolated m hotel accommodation got the chance to discoi'er tlie natural beauty of noitheill Ire1Id and trai.el outside Deny/Londonderry for fwst tllne. The ei.ent il'as attended by 15 people. 2) Tnp to Belfast W5 including a Space ii".oi'kshop. The el'ent M'as attended by ?4 yoillig people. 3) Tnp to OIDagli Ulstei" An]erican Folk Park attended by 15 people. Interfaith Dialogue and Outi'each actiJ'itAes: TIOUghoUt the year, the NWIA participated m seN'ei"al interfaith dialogue and outreach ei.ents iirith local communitses and schools. These ei'ents aimed to taekle islamophobia and foster mutual understanding, respect and fiiendship among people of different faiths and backp'oullds. The NWIA repi'esentatii:es shared the basic concepts of Islain aiid ansii'ei'ed questions about tlie h4uslim con]munity and its practices. The feedback fi.om these ei-ents ii.'as positii:e ld encouragllig. Examples of these actii'ities are belomr Churches Trnst Interfaith 1.isit An mterfaith group fron] the Churches Tiust i'isited our Islamic Centre to learn about the deep-rooted connectton of our ieligion to the Abi"ahamic trathtion. Our Sisters Together iiiomen ei:ent" This Th'as part of the council Good Relations Week. A speaker from the Islaniic Ciiltural Centi'e of Ii'eland , delii'ered a talk about Women In Islam. The ei'ent 'as atteiided by the oi ofDe Ci & Strabane Distnct and about 40 Toinen from across the Commilty. The ei-ent li.as funded by the DCSDC, T.buc, Conllnuni Relations Council and the Executiipe Office. International Women's Day Ei:eiit: In collaboration ii'ith the Focus Project Dery and CCRP, ow. Thlusllln M'omen shared their culture, persoiial experiences lii"ll]g in Northern b"eland and their coiitributions and role lll the cominunity. The ei'ent liras atteiided by iiroinen fi'om aci'oss the coinmunity.
Islamic Culture Workshop iirith the Western Trust" Gii'ing the large number of staff from Muslim background ii'oi'knng in the Altnageli'm Hospital, the l'ice chamnan of the association delii.ered a talk about the Islamic cUlt.e durmg the Equality, Dii-ersity and Inclusion ei-ent organized by the Cardiology department. The ei'ent liras attended by the CEO and many staff of the trust. Stakelioldei's Islamic Aii;areness Training session". In collaboration Th'ith People I st Northwest, an Islamic Am'areness session ilias dehi'ei'ed to 20 of the stakelioldei's from different organatIonS iirorknns ii'ith the asylum seekers and refugees . Ballymena and Cushendall Women Group irysit: In collaboration M'ith the PSNI, an Islamic culture talk Mpas delii.ered to a i.isiting group of 40 M'omen fi'om Ballymena and Cushendall, N,ho learned about the Islamic cUlt.e and got the chance to mteract ii'ith other mushm ladies and experience their culture. Lincoln Courts Clooney ii'omen's group: About 20 ladies froin tbe ii", aterside, s Lincoln Courts Clooney Th'omen, s group i;Isited ow. center to learn about our culture and beliei'es. The ei'ent Th'as oi'ganized in collaboration ii'ith Crossing The Lmes Project, Lon8 Toiiier Primary School I'isit.. About 50 pupils and teachers from the Long Toiver Pnmary School i'isited our centre to learn about the culture of their muslim classinates Thornknll College Outreach I'isit. A talk M'as delii'ered to ?00 pupils about the Daily Life of hluslims in De1Ondollde1ry and their CultLU'e. - Youtb Summer Actii'ities Report The Youth Swllmer Actsi'ities pi'ogran]me Th'as a series of ei.ents organised by NMA to pi'oi'ide opportumties for young people to dei.elop their sknlls, hai'e full and connect ii'ith other cOmmuties. The progranllne included a three-day Swnmer Camp in collaboi'ation iipitb Youth Action NI, held in around Altrnism. The cainp 'as open to young people aged I I to 16 years and ini'oli"ed i;arious actti:ities such as art, ci'aft and ganies. The aim of the camp il'as to foster leadership and teamii.oik sknlls among the participallts.
- The month of Ramadan Actii'ities Report A N'isiting Imam Mras ini.lted to spend the ii'hole month of Ramadan in the Islamic Cenh'e to lead the night prayers. A comniullity Iftar (breaknng fast) Th'as organized to bring the M'hole conjmiullty together and il'as attended by -150 people. In addition, '0 breaknng fast gatherlligs (Iftars) ii;ei'e oi"ganized for the Asylum seekei"s and refugees and iirere attended by a total of 100 people. A knds competitson ivas also orgamzed and gifts distributed to 15 participants.
- Eid Celebrations Report Tiiro religious and culttwal ei.ents ii.ere organised by NWIA to mark the occasions of Eid-ul-Adha and Eid-ul-Fitr, ii;kn'ch are ttlro n]aJoi' festiirals m the Islamic calendar. The Eid Celebrations aimed to proi'ide a space for Nluslllns to perforni the prayers, celebrate thell. faith and share the Joy Th'ith others. A pre Eid Party forthe conllllunity Th'as held at the Centre. The party featured i"anoiis actiirities such as cliildren arts & ci'aft, preparation of Childreii, s Eid gift bags, and putting up Eid decorations at the Centre. About 2 50 people attended each of tbe Eid prayers, ii,hich Th'as folloii'ed by a seiinoii and a social gathering. As part of the celebration. The Eid celebrations iipere ii'ell- receii'ed by the coininunity, ii,"ho expressed their gratittide to NWIA for organising them. The Eid celebrattons also helped to streiigthen the sense of belonging and identity among the Nluslllns m the area, as Th'ell as to shom'case thew culttwe and values to othei's. bani Meat Th'as collected fi.om donors and dists'ibuted to the most in need indii;idiials and families in the city. A total of 75 asylum seekers, i'efugees and students benefited from this gesture of generosity and solidarity. Sundai, School: Tbe Islanllc School proN'ides education in Arabic language and Islamic studies to 60 students aged from 5 to 17 years. The students come from i?arious locations such as DerrylLondonderry, Coleraine, Letterkenny, Buncrana and Carndonagh. Tlie Association also organizes sports actii'ities such as table tennis, football etc. for the students. These actsi'ities help them mteract ii'ith each other and foster frielldship alld understanding among them.
The NWtA is proud of its actii"ities and aclu'ei;ements in 202 3-?024, 11,kn'ch reflect its coll]mitment to seii'ing the Muslun conllllunity and fostering interfaith dialogue and honY in the North West region. The NWIA thanks all its members, volunteers, donors, partners, funders and supporters for their contnbutions and cooperation. The NWIA looks foni'ard to COntlI8 its Mrork in 2024-2025 11'1th more enthusiasm and dedication.
AnlluAI FinAnciAI StAtement foi. eAI' 2023-2024 Please see the attached detailed account statement by the accountant. oi"t beill sublllltted on the behalf all tl'UStees. l. Di. Imtiaz kar 2. Di". Heba Ali 3. Di. Raumeen Ga 4. Mr Lotfi Jalloul 5. Di. Rashida Rauf 6. Di. Zafar Nasir 7. Di. hlohammad Abou Sainra