What to expect on a Driver Awareness Course

Last Saturday morning I spent a fairly dull 4 hours with 24 other offenders on a Driver Awareness Course being lectured on the numerous dangers of speed and the wonderful benefits of slow speed.

Course booklet

I was on the course because a few weeks ago I received an unexpected letter from the Metropolitan Police. Upon opening it, I was very alarmed to discover it began with "Notice of Intended Prosecution"! However, as I read further on, it turned out I had been caught speeding (70mph in a 60mph zone along where the M40 becomes the A40) and the letter was merely a formal notice that I was going to be fined and not notice of an impending court appointment.

Interestingly, the letter required me to confirm I was, in fact, the driver at the time of the incident, and (some might say generously) allowed me to blame someone else if I wasn't. I decided against shifting the responsibility to my wife and posted the confirmation and waited for the response which arrived a few days later detailing my punishment.

The penalty proposed was multiple choice. I could either take 3 points on my driving licence along with a fine, or, because it was my first time being caught, take the option of a Driver Awareness Course. Points affect insurance premiums in the upward direction, so it was a no-brainer to go for the Driver Awareness Course!

I logged onto the booking site and having found a course that fit my schedule, I had to pay £91 to book my place on a Saturday morning session. I was expecting to have to pay for the course, but I was still somewhat peeved about the principle of having to pay to attend a course for naughty people.

On the Saturday, I drove 45 miles to the Hilton hotel in Luton, arriving at 7:45am to find that I had to pay to use the hotel car park. I was even more disappointed after registration to discover that the only refreshment provided was water. No courtesy snacks, no tea and no coffee for a 4 hour course with a short break after 2 hours. Of course, the hotel was only too happy to fill in this void and kindly offer their food and drink in exchange for a premium amount of money.

The instructors were pleasant enough but also were very much aware that all of the attendees were only there under duress and that with no pass/fail requirement they'd be lucky to have our full attention. They were used to it though and were comfortable with a minimal amount of audience participation.

I was expecting 4 hours of car crash videos but thankfully this wasn't the case. In fact, there were no crash videos at all. Instead, we went through the effects of speeding on braking distances and impact speeds for collisions. There were some interesting and surprising figures thrown at us. For example, at 32 mph (2mph over the speed limit), a car's impact speed (i.e. its speed at the point when the same car travelling at 30mph would have stopped) would be 11mph. This was effectively demonstrated by a video where a driver drove at different speeds at a life-size poster of a woman called Anna, running her over several times at various speeds all the way to 100mph!

The facilitators also went through various statistics on casualties and collisions and in groups we discussed the consequences of traffic accidents for victims, drivers and related families (loss of mobility, income, health, relationships, grief, guilt etc) . We also talked about the benefits of driving slowly and the reasons people speed (lateness, going downhill, tiredness, thrillseeking) and why these reasons are inconsequential and not valid. Throughout the day, they also dropped in little anecdotes about people who had been involved in an accident and suffered as a result. My guess is that guilt is the preferred method of speed limit enforcement.

I did learn a few things about speed limits: in particular that if there's a set of three or more street lights then unless otherwise specified, the urban speed limit of 30mph will apply.

Also that having two lanes on your side of the road doesn't necessarily mean its a dual carriageway (70mph limit). It turns out it's only a dual carriageway if there's a barrier or other separation between lanes in opposing directions. If you can roll a tennis ball on the ground from one side to the other then it's a single carriageway (60mph).

We finished half an hour early thanks to no one asking any questions and upon being dismissed (and requested that we don't get caught speeding for the next half an hour - when the course was meant to end) we all quietly sidled away to our cars and departed, somewhat chastened and eager to get back to our lives.

All in all, I'd say there were a handful of interesting things that I learned, but for the most part it was a reminder of things I already knew (or should have known from the driving theory test). It was worthwhile being reminded as I have been more conscious of my speed since the course so I am less likely to speed but I am still irritated I got caught in the first place.

Previous Article: Matters of (Islamic) Opinion

Matters of (Islamic) Opinion

Last Saturday, another teacher and I were having a discussion of Islamic sects and schools of thought with our 15/16 year old students. I'd typically only teach A Level Maths but on this occasion I helped out with the Islamic Studies class. Our discussion was prompted by a question around how flexible Islam is and why Muslims are not required to be identical and why Muslims can, in fact, hold different opinions on the same issue and all be correct. One of the students mentioned that he had once been praying and a friend of his tried to physically correct a minor detail in how he was praying during his actual prayer and later refused to accept that there were multiple acceptable styles. It was different to how he did it so therefore it must be wrong - and he refused to back down until eventually his father explained to him.

As the discussion progressed, we talked of the differences between Sunni and Shia, the differences in madhdhabs (schools of thought) and differences in practice. We outlined the madhdhabs and made clear that they were not the work of the one single eponymous person but large bodies of work by numerous scholars spanning all the centuries. We touched upon how the variations in practice came about and held firm that variation is not just tolerated but is a blessing. Most importantly we tried to explain that different does not necessarily mean better or worse.

The best example we could give was the narration covering the time a group of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) companions had gone to visit a specific place. Before their departure they'd been given instructions not to pray their (Asr) afternoon prayer until they arrived at the place. However, the travel took longer than expected and sunset approached well before they arrived. With time for the afternoon prayer fast running out, a discussion broke out over whether they should pray now or continue on. Some said the point of the instruction was to get them to make haste, others said the instruction was definitive in when they should pray. Without settling the disagreement, some prayed there and then and the rest waited to pray until arrival - going beyond sunset and outside the specified timings.

Upon their return, they put the question to the Prophet (pbuh): who was in the right? He said both views were acceptable. Put simply, while there are certain inviolable and immutable beliefs, reasonable differing opinions on matters of law were and are acceptable.

Later that same Saturday I was as at a friend's house for dinner and during the course of the evening I was talking with a married couple that I hadn't met before. The husband had been brought up as a Muslim and the wife was a reverted Muslim. Alongside the excellent and fascinating food, they both had fascinating stories of the journey to Islam, the expectations of their different cultures and how their own expectations of difficulties with cross-cultural marriage didn't really materialise as predicted.
For example, when the British Christian parents were due to meet the Pakistani Muslim parents, there was considerable nervousness but they got on astonishingly over a mutual shared interest in Medicine and Science! One pair were doctors and the other pair a nurse and a scientist. Those of you with friends in medical fields will know about medic-chat - on this occasion it was certainly welcome!

One curiosity which did intrigue me was the issue of how a revert to Islam chooses a 'type' of Islam to follow. Those who are brought up as Muslims tend to passively go with the type that they were raised as but it must be difficult when having to actively make a choice. I asked the question and the answer I got was quite pleasing. The choice she'd made was to be Muslim - a strict sub-type choice wasn't necessary. She continued that one of the first questions people would ask when she told them that she had reverted was "Which sect are you?" and in the initial instance everyone would try and persuade her that theirs was the best way!

This brought to mind the discussion at school and the people for whom my way is the only way and any variation from this is inferior and wrong. It's quite a contemporary and historical phenomenon, not just in the Muslim faith but in general human history.

In Islam there are different schools of thought and paths and there is an ever present danger that when someone doesn't take the time to learn about themselves and others and their beliefs they can forget that that the road to salvation is not a tightrope. It is exactly a road - with people in many lanes and travelling at different speeds. You might find yourself veering off if you're not careful but justifiably doing things a little differently to someone else doesn't keep you from continuing in the right direction. Different does not necessarily mean better or worse.

Next Article: What to expect on a Driver Awareness Course
Previous Article: Are you single? I know someone.

P.S.

We're always keen for volunteer teachers - no experience necessary!

If you are interested in teaching, volunteering or working with the school please contact the headteacher Shaimaa at ccwestsatschool@gmail.com.

The school runs every Saturday (subject to the school timetable) from 10am-1.30pm at the MCHC, 244 Acklam Road, W10 5YG. (Year 4 to A Level)

Are you single? I know someone.

Part and parcel of the single life is that friends and acquaintances may try and introduce you to someone they know. It's usually a noble goal and usually it's well-intentioned. And usually it's gratefully received - it gives a nice fuzzy feeling that someone is thinking of you and also thinks well enough of you that they're comfortable with allowing you to meet other people they know.

That said, there are good ways to suggest an introduction and there are ways that are not so good. Coming from a Muslim background where casual dating is not part of the single lifestyle - there's a lot riding on a successful introduction. This might be better in a flowchart but relationships are not often spoken about in Muslim circles so allow me to break down what good looks like:

The first question normally asked is clarification if you are still single. Understandably important because there's no point going any further if you're off the market. A simple yes or no deals with this one and if it's a "Yes" then we're good to progress to the next level.

The next comment/question is where you can usually tell if someone's made introductions before or if they're unpractised.

If they say "I know someone who's also single. Do you want to know more?" it's a strong indication that they're new to this. It's not an issue if they are new, but you on the receiving end of the introduction will have to be prepared to be just a little bit patient and to help them while they're trying to help you.

Of course you want to know more. You're very much aware that there are numerous singles of the opposite gender out there in the world and you very much want to know more about them! And as I've already pointed out - the Muslim way is to accelerate from zero to married which means it's a high-stakes game.

Some people may well be happy to meet someone armed with only the knowledge that they are also single. "She's female. You're male. You should obviously get married." Maybe I've been affected by modern thinking but I like to know that there might be some compatibility and that it's not a random roll of the dice by the introducer. I myself like to pretend I'm a busy person which means I theoretically don't have time to follow up on every whim and fancy.

Information is important. If you are the singleton on the receiving end of this, play nicely and ask the introducer the following four questions. And if you are the introducer - as a minimum be prepared to answer the following four questions:

• How you know the person? 
• What you know about them? 
• Why you think we'd do well together?
• Do you have a photo?

Detail is very welcome but answers don't need to be extensive and thorough - just enough to provide an indication that the introducer has put some thought into the introduction. "I know them from a place I volunteer. They're x years old, funny, creative and a practicing Muslim. They have an above-average interest in memes." is a perfectly good answer.

On to the photo. Human beings are visual creatures and we've learned to identify people by their faces - don't feel embarrassed to ask for one. Blind dates can be interesting but better to know who you're dealing with. As a minimum the photo should be clear enough that it could be used to successfully identify the person (without third party assistance) if and when the first meeting happens. Nothing blurry or low-resolution please. And definitely nothing with Snapchat rabbit-ears.

As an introducer be prepared to answer a few more questions (e.g. job/hobbies etc) but if you've got the above covered then you can pat yourself on the back - you're on your way to a job well done!

Next Article: Matters of (Islamic) Opinion
Previous Article: London standing proud

London standing proud

Yesterday's event outside the Houses of Parliament was bad. Simple and straightforward. Murder is never good and neither is attacking innocent people. It wasn't a large scale 'planned' attack like that in Paris so it's debatable if it was terroristic in intent or whether it was an opportunist but even still, it doesn't make it right or at all OK.

When such events happen, unless you're in the immediate area while it's happening, the only thing you can really do is keep on as normal and not panic. Countless cars drive in and through Westminster and other crowded places on any given day. Multiple knives are readily available in every household. 99.99% of these are being used as they are meant to be and we can't be afraid of doing our everyday activities in case someone decides to use an everyday tool with malicious intent. The city has 8million people and for the most part they're quite normal and nice but in every barrel of apples you'll be able to find a few that are rotten. This doesn't mean you discard the whole barrel or start panicking that every apple is going to kill you.

I happened to be at work a few miles from Westminster when the news broke and for the most part, my colleagues and I carried on with our day, slightly unsettled and keeping on top of the news and various social media, but otherwise continuing on as normal. As the hours went by, a few more facts emerged about the actual incident and numerous of my civil servant friends who work in Westminster reported their offices being on lockdown for a few hours.

The news was piecemeal and facts were few and far between - most likely by police intent to help them conduct rapid investigations. Given the information vacuum, news agencies tried to fill in gaps with conjecture and theories on motives and perpetrators. Channel 4 ended up naming someone who later turned out to be in jail and not at all involved but who fit the theory they were trying to spin. Other opportunist hate-mongers used it as a vindication of their hate.

Generally speaking, I'd say we can be better. It's perfectly human to be scared, anxious, hateful and suspicious but it's equally human to be brave, calm, loving and trusting. Let the dust settle, see what happened for what it was and recognise that while there are those who wish ill on others, most people aren't like that. I'd say London is doing an outstanding job of this and is representing itself very well as a leading global city. And long may it do so in sha allah (God willing).

Previous Article: A Question of Wardrobe
Next Article: Are you single? I know someone.

A Question of Wardrobe

One of my WhatsApp groups took a shot of adrenaline today and came alive after a few days of quiet with a fascinating and long discussion about clothing and not from a fashionista point of view but rather a spiritual view.

It began, as these things do, with a message on a totally different topic. Someone shared a video with a scholar/preacher encouraging his audience to take an active part in their society/community and boost their civic engagement. A fine and noble goal and the video sat there unassumingly until someone else questioned the potential irony in the fact that the preacher was wearing a thawb -  a garment typically associated with the modern Arab Middle East.

Aside from the question of whether the thawb is islamic or simply arabic (two distinct categorisations), the underlying question being posed was Is it better to wear 'islamic' clothing or 'contemporary' clothing? Simple enough question but from here the discussion simply blew up and so began a long multi-partisan talks covering various factors that each person thought were relevant and important. Points were made and evidences supplied along with hadith and scholarly opinions and even quotes from various texts.

It rapidly became clear that the main point of contention was borne out from that if we begin from the axiom that the way of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was the best way, it naturally follows that how he dressed is then the best way to dress. But as a man of his time, he dressed like the society around him. Modestly, yes, but in the style of his local culture. So it becomes a question of should Muslims dress literally like him or figuratively like him?

The discussion went on for several hours but the eventual residual conclusion was that really people should wear what they want. The explicit rules of clothing simply require modesty - anything after that is purely dependent on your purpose and intention. Either dress literally like the Prophet (pbuh) did and wear similar clothing to him because of your love for him or dress figuratively like the Prophet (pbuh) and wear contemporary clothing from your culture because of your love for him.

The essential fact in the decision making process is that as Muslims we love the Prophet (pbuh) and actions are by intention so what others might think of your clothing is a lesser concern so long as it's bringing you closer to Allah (God).

That said, in the world we live in today, it would be foolish to disregard the power of branding and the message it sends to your audience. There's probably a blogpost in this on its own but how you clothe yourself is very much part of your personal brand and if a simple change of clothing (that fits in with your beliefs) allows you to reach multiple audiences with your message then by all means make the most of that flexibility!

Previous Article: #NoMuslimBan
Next Article: London standing proud

#NoMuslimBan

I went along to an emergency protest today outside 10 Downing St. Unless you're living in a cave, you will have heard about the Trump administration's ban on people originating from various countries in the Middle East. It's resulted in widespread condemnation and rightly so as despite claims that other countries also have visa requirements, the context here is that it's an early stage fulfilment of his campaign pledge to ban Muslims from the United States.

Having not been to a proper protest for quite a while I wasn't sure what to expect given the cold weather and the short notice but when I turned up to Westminster Station I was met by a slow moving queue of people all streaming towards the protest, many of whom were carrying banners and placards. I found this to be reassuring - seemed like there'd be a sizeable crowd - and upon following the crowd found that Whitehall was heaving with people. 

In the open space it was easier to read the placards that people has put together and it was alhamdulillah (praise be to God) heart-warming to see so many people standing behind and supporting Muslims against the oppressive nature of this latest political/social development. A number of banners were aimed at UK Prime Minister Theresa May who recently visited Trump and ostensibly made no measure of disagreement with his policy plans, other posters were focused on refugees but the overwhelming majority were aimed at Trump. Some of the chants were quite witty - "Trump can't build a wall, Trump's hands are too small" was one memorable example. 

Finding people you knew was a close to impossible task given that it was night-time and that phone signal was terrible with such a volume of people but the general atmosphere was friendly and welcoming and I did eventually bump into a couple of familiar faces. It was good to see that people were being active and demonstrating concern for this new world state of affairs and having now checked my social media I am even more pleased to see other people posting their photos of the protest. 

All in all, a worthy protest to go to but for me there were two interesting aspects. 

Firstly the sheer number of different reasons people had for protesting against Trump - human rights, women's rights, islamophobia, anti-capitalists, racism. The man has distinctly antagonised a wide range of groups. In a weird way this somewhat diluted the effectiveness of the protest with so many different messages that it was hard to focus on a particular thing (similar to the challenge faced by Hillary Clinton in the campaign). 

And secondly that given that this protest was organised in reaction to the Muslim Ban, that there were so many people who were out in support of Muslims who weren't 'visibly' Muslim. It's reassuring to know that despite the general negative portrayal of Muslims by some parts of the media and now also by national governments, there are people who care and who are willing to provide support to try and make sure humanity does not go down dark and dangerous roads.

Last thing to say is that if you get a chance to go along to a protest - make sure you do so and make your voice heard. Change may not happen immediately, but by applying pressure and showing that we won't stand for injustice or allow our representatives to stand idly by, we might just make change happen.

Previous Article: President Trump
Next Article: A Question of Wardrobe

President Trump

Tomorrow, 20th January 2017, sees the handover of executive power in the USA from Barack Obama to Donald Trump and I'm still in a state of confusion about this whole election. It's been a while since my last post, during which I've been exploring alternative avenues of creative expression (Periscoped Life and Muslim Harry Potter) and dealing with a couple of personal issues but now that we're so close to the official transfer of power, despite being in the UK and not directly affected by it, I can't help but be a little nervous about the new situation.

In conventional elections, people generally vote according to the political party representative that they feel holds the best policies and when the election is over the person makes an effort to fulfil the pledges and promises they made. You vote with a rough idea of what to expect.

The bizarre situation that the Americans are in now is that Trump was voted in on a whole lot of rhetoric and numerous ridiculous policies (anyone for a Mexican-paid wall or bringing back torture?). We'd have been in a pretty dire situation if he had pursued these policies but now that he's backtracked on quite a few of them and established that he's not interested in keeping his word or integrity, we're in a position of not knowing what on earth he plans to do other than his well documented attempts at being friendly with Vladimir Putin of Russia. So far as his promise of 'draining the Washington DC swamp' of lobbyists and special interest groups goes, he seems to be going for the approach of replacing the lobbyists with the people the lobbyists were representing. The best example of this being choosing the CEO of ExxonMobil - the world's largest oil company - as Secretary of State - the country's most senior diplomat.

Those of us in other countries can take some solace in the fact that we're not directly affected, but still be anxious in the fact that we'll be indirectly affected. The USA does hold the title of world's most powerful nation and - like it or not - decisions and actions that take place there have ripple effects across the world and as the country pushes a more divided and unpredictable line, this leads to unpredictable reactions by those affected and fairly soon we'll end up with a whole lot of uncertainty and find ourselves living in an even more reactionary and even more suspicious world.

However, while the average person can't do so much about what goes on in the upper echelons of the corridors of power, we can do a lot with our own actions and choices. When all around you is uncertain and seemingly going to hell in a handcart, keeping a level head and not giving in to the lure of suspicion and fear of your fellow man at an individual level is the only way to counter the forces that seek to divide.

To quote from the Quran 13:11 "Indeed, Allah (God) will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves." This verse has multiple meanings and contexts but the essence of is that change has to come from within and with personal and individual effort, not whimsical hope for an undeserved or unearned saviour/miracle to remove what hardship the people are facing.

So rather than run scared and full of fear, keep praying and show love, affection and good judgement to those around you. Keep fighting ignorance and injustice where you see it while being careful not to indulge in those vices yourself. Maintain your own environment and help those around you maintain theirs without encroaching on the rights of others and with a little luck perhaps we'll all live to see another inauguration in four years time!


Previous Article: Wedding Speech #2
Next Article: #NoMuslimBan

Wedding Speech #2

Below is the transcript for a speech I gave at my friend's wedding yesterday. I'm getting better at them! You can watch it in Facebook Live. I used one of my old instructional videos to make sure I had covered all the important aspects of a good wedding speech. (video link at bottom)

Assalamualaikum everybody

For those of you that don’t know me, I’m Yusuf and I’m a friend of Suhayb’s. My job here is to pretend that Suhayb is just the most amazing person in the world. Obviously he’s already managed to somehow convince Maheen of this but the rest of you are probably undecided on the issue and may take more persuading!

Before I get into that – a quick shout out to the party planning committee and the crawley mosque. It’s been a great afternoon so far and the food has been really good.

OK. Suhayb. I’ve known Suhayb now for a number of years. We met when we were both working at Tesco head office. Life has taken us apart and elsewhere but at that time he was a freshfaced graduate trainee accountant looking to make his mark on the world. Well, I say freshfaced but he has had that beard for quite a while and already had it back then. In terms of making his mark, I don’t want to point fingers but I think it’s interesting that he was at Tesco before and during their recent accounting scandal. We met over lunch with another friend who can’t be here today and we have had many lunches since.

At the time my initial thoughts were something like “Oh dear, look at this guy’s beard!” And then he explained he was on the finance graduate scheme wanting to become an accountant and then I was thinking “Wow this guy is going to be so dull.” But happily I was surprised and wrong and he turned out to be a rather interesting guy with well-reasoned and sensible opinions. And in the years since we met he’s made it through his accountancy qualification, travelled and lived in the Far East, come back home, added on several extra muscles and settled into the adult world mashallah.

As he begins this new journey into serious adulthood with Maheen, I thought it might be handy if I gave a quick pointer to help her navigate the next few weeks. The main point I want to get across is food. Much as he claims to like to go the gym and eat clean, Suhayb is a man who likes his food. If you look at his before and after photos from China, you can see the visible impact that food can have. He’s lost the pounds now but the photos are well worth seeing. For a short while the Great Wall of China wasn’t the only structure visible from space. And if you’re sharing a pizza, just let him have the last slice - otherwise years later you’ll never hear the end of it. And if he’s ever angry, make sure to give him some food before talking to him. A well fed Suhayb is a happy Suhayb.

Before I wind this up I just want to say that we started as strangers, but over the time I’ve known him, he gone through ups and downs, grown in wisdom and experience and even more importantly he’s become family and I’d be proud to call him my brother. If you ever just talk to his parents, it’s plain to see how proud they are of him and it gives me great pleasure that mashallah today he’s taken this giant leap forward in fulfilling the Sunnah of the prophet SAW and I pray that Allah blesses your union and that both of you bring joy to each other’s heart and that you grow stronger in faith today, tomorrow and always.




Previous Article: Alone in a crowd
Next Article: President Trump

MuslimHarryPotter

Available on Instagram www.instagram.com/MuslimHarryPotter

Alone in a crowd

As a Christmas non-celebrator, this time of year has historically been fairly uneventful for me. The extra holidays from work are nice to have but with no need to buy any presents or get together for a family gathering, it's usually quite a mundane few days. Add the general cold and wintry weather to the mix and as holidays go, they're not the greatest.



This year has been somewhat different. Having moved out of the family home and moved job, I found myself spending the last few days in a very solitary environment. This, despite being in London and surrounded by millions of noisy people. The simple fact being that none of those millions were the people I know or care about so might as well have not been there.

By way of explanation: I'd leave early in the morning for work where the rest of my team was away and our current temporary location is such that we're not in the open plan area so we're visually cut off from everyone else in the building. The social highlights of my work day would be a regular morning conference call and also lunch where I'd briefly chat to the Lebanese shop-owner making my chicken wrap. The rest of the day would be spent mostly in silence after which I'd head to the gym (to undo the effects of the chicken wrap) and eventually take a bus back to Hounslow while watching Netflix. Upon arrival, I'd have a meal then eventually reach the house in the late night - thus minimising the time in my loft. The loft is comfortable but I can't help but feel that being stuck in it is a little like being in prison. I also ate more cake and biscuits this week than is usual for me.

All in all a very solitary week in which I felt particularly ghost-like - existing but having minimal significance. You may be able to tell that I'm not totally fond of being alone. In the event, I found myself using social media a lot more than I have done since starting my new job. The most obvious motivation for this is that I was making an effort to replace the real-world social contact with the poor substitute of online interaction.

I say poor substitute because on the one hand it enables me to stay in touch with a much larger group of people around the world and comes with more control as I can switch on and off as and when I please, but on the downside it's a whole lot easier to pretend things are great while wallpapering over the cracks of my general malaise, sadness and discontent. Not a healthy long term solution as despite the progression of online interactions, it's just not the same as a real, living, breathing person to interact with. That's not to say any random person would do. I'd happily avoid talking to numerous people, but with the right person, even silently sitting on a bus-stop bench and watching the traffic go by is a moment to cherish.

That said, even a poor substitute is better than no substitute, so if you are feeling alone and not enjoying the extra holidays or this time of year, don't feel embarrassed or ashamed about being so - you're most definitely not the only one. There are people who will want to hear from you so share your thoughts, share your feelings, make your prayers and keep a positive outlook.

It's at times like this that I'm reminded of the amazing story of my namesake Prophet Yusuf/Joseph (peace be upon him) where after having been betrayed and flung to die at the bottom of a well/pit by his own brothers with no probability of escape, at this darkest of moments he was inspired that this was not the end and great and tumultuous events were yet to happen and, most definitely, his story was far from over.

Previous Article: Sound the (Passenger) Alarm

Something new

Sound the (Passenger) Alarm

On Monday morning I set off for work ten minutes earlier than usual thinking I'd experiment and see what difference it might make to my commute. Trains get full pretty quickly in the morning rush and I'd often find myself not being able to get onto a train and having to wait a few minutes for the next one. The general state of London public transport doesn't help (Piccadilly line troubles) and given the general cold and wintry weather, I'm keen to minimise my time outdoors standing on train platforms! 

On this occasion, the platform announcer announced additional delays and I had to wait for three trains before I could board one, which completely ruined my extra ten minutes. Once on board, it was standing room only and as the train moved on and we passed through one, two, three more stations, the carriage became increasingly full to a point where personal space is no longer acknowledged and everyone is jammed up against each other. Naturally, it gets very hot and uncomfortable as everyone is dressed for the cold outdoor weather and wrapped up in many layers. In addition, the train line that I use starts at Heathrow Airport so is always also carrying numerous travellers with large and voluminous suitcases which take up valuable space and reduce mobility.

As the train pulled into Acton Town station I felt a little jostling at my back and I stoically ignored it like any self-respecting London commuter would. It irritatingly continued so I turned around to give my best glare at the person responsible to find that the lady responsible wasn't really in control of herself and looked like she was about to collapse! The train doors opened while someone said "she's not well" which was a needless statement. A seated tourist lady saw what was happening and suggested that someone should pull the alarm at which I, along with everybody else on the carriage, collectively thought "Damn" (or a stronger word to indicate displeasure). 

I'm fairly sure I wasn't the only one to make the mental calculation that pulling the alarm would delay everyone and if the lady could just get off the train while it was already stopped, everyone could be on their way and she could get any help she might need on the platform. Everyone's a winner!

No such luck. The lady continued to sway without intent and the tourist lady continued to clamour. The tension was broken by the beeping of the doors signalling their imminent closure. Again the mental calculations that it was now too late, someone would have to pull the alarm if the lady was going to get any help but was anyone going to be brave enough to do so? Yes was the answer, someone near the cord did pull the train alarm and the doors stopped in their beeping and stayed open and the train stayed still.

At this stage another mental calculation went through my mind. The lady wasn't going to be able to get off the carriage by herself but anyone who did help would be honour bound to make sure she was eventually OK and who knew how long that might take. We were all either on our way to work or tourists unfamiliar with the emergency systems. Maybe there was someone with her who could help her?

Everyone stood and watched and after what felt like an eternity, I had enough and stepped forward to half-carry and help the lady stagger off the train and onto the platform where after seating her down on a bench and checking she had her bag, I tried to find out what had happened. It seemed relatively obvious that she was fainting due to heat but I thought it worth checking. Shortly after that the platform attendant came along to investigate and I assured him the lady was responsive and coping OK and he trotted off to get the train moving again. The lady was fully coherent by this stage and I eventually left her and continued on my way to work armed with an exciting story.*

About fifteen seconds passed from when I first turned around to glare until I reached out to stop her from falling. It felt like a lot longer while all these considerations and calculations ran through my head and it certainly felt like an impossibly long fifteen seconds with the curious series of events.

It was curious that on a train surrounded by people, practically everyone was frozen by the thought of personal and general inconvenience. 

I think that everyone knew the right thing to do - to help the lady who clearly needed assistance. But at the same time, everyone was conflicted that if they did help there might be a penalty for someone else to pay. A delayed train would make people late for work - obviously an important part of people's lives and not everyone has the luxury of flexible start times. In the consideration of the wider good, could they help someone in distress? A little bit of a philosophical dilemma.

The other conflict was after the alarm had been pulled and everyone was going to be delayed a few minutes, would anyone take the hit to further inconvenience and further delay themselves to help a stranger in need. It was definitely a calculation that ran through my head and while I did I decide that her human need was greater than my desire to arrive at work on time, I'm very curious that it was something I actually had to consider. I also like to think that if I hadn't helped, someone else would have but who really knows. Maybe they'd have waited for the platform attendant and potentially valuable time would pass. In this case it was a relatively minor faint and not a heart attack or something very time-sensitive so maybe that's why people were reticent to assist immediately.

Lots of interesting questions to think about, not least of which is what would I like to have happened if it had been me fainting, but to my mind an interesting take away was that the world would be a much darker place without the kindness of strangers and if in doubt, help first and ask questions later. 

*The lady was indeed fine in the end - I coincidentally saw her again on Tuesday morning on the same train!

Previous Article: Contemplation

Next Article: Alone in a crowd

Contemplation

My maternal grandmother passed away in India last night after a long and active life of 90 years. Given her age and that at last news her health was deteriorating, it didn't come as a complete surprise but the event does certainly stir the emotions. When Muslims hear of a death, we say inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi rajioon - To God we belong and to Him we return. It's light on the tongue but a heavy and beautiful reminder that our lives are not ours to fritter away but to make the most of it with goodly action as we are all going to go on that path, or as Game of Thrones would have it - valar morghulis.

Living as we did, several thousand miles apart, most of what I remember about her was from my childhood when we'd make frequent family trips to India but even then, I don't immediately remember a great deal from those trips - as a child my major concern was that we'd always go in the summer holidays which corresponded to monsoon season in India which meant we were mostly indoors.

Upon hearing of her death, I pondered - trying to remember what I could about her. I remember an old photo where she was robustly holding my toddler self while my older cousins posed and I remember the last time I saw her. I last visited India ten years ago and my Urdu is quite awful so when I was around her I couldn't communicate all that effectively but I remember her waving from the window when we were making our goodbyes and I remember thinking how small and fragile she looked, and in my youthful arrogance, wondering if I'd see her again. Not my greatest moment but I do also remember praying for her and myself as a result.

In all honesty, it saddens me to admit that I didn't know much about her beyond a general overview of her life. My memories of her are clearly very limited and 90 years is a long time and those who were geographically closer like my cousins will no doubt tell me numerous stories about her as the days go by. I could be very wrong (and I'm sure my cousins will correct me if so!) but hers was not a life of grand and momentous activity but a relatively simple life much like countless anonymous others. Growing up in a village before ending up in Mumbai with my grandfather, she did her duty and fulfilled her religious and social role: believer, daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother.

That's not to say her life was unimportant - every life is. She was loved by those she knew and to those whose lives she was directly or indirectly involved in she made a huge difference and had huge impact. The values she instilled in her children live on in the generations that came after and our very existence was naturally dependent on her. Her descendants have ended up all over the globe making what further impact they can in their own social circles and much like ripples on the sea, it's impossible to track what far-reaching effect these are having.

It's more than a passing curiosity that, even in our modern and progressive world, when people hear of a death they grow solemn and supportive and still acknowledge that the ending of a life is a significant thing. My various WhatsApp groups have been hugely supportive with prayers for her forgiveness and granting of Paradise to her and it's genuinely moving and appreciated. People make time to visit close relatives of the deceased and even brand new work colleagues are understanding of the need for flexibility.

When we hear of the death of strangers on the news its relatively easy to dissociate oneself from it but when it's someone you know who's been affected it's all that much closer to home and that little phrase becomes a stark reminder of our own mortality and the productiveness of our own existence.

To God we belong and to Him we return.

Previous Article: Hello from the other side

Hello from the other side

I had my first day at my new job today. After the utter shock and insensibility of the latter half of last week with Trump becoming President-Elect of the USA, my previous state of general calm had been somewhat destabilised and I was a little excited and nervous for my own new beginning at Virgin Media. In preparation for the new job I had temporarily moved over to a friend's flat in West London to make my commute a lot more manageable so along with my new job I also had a new location to add to the general feeling of change. Something to discuss in another post maybe.

I woke up early today but was a bit complacent as a result and took my time to get ready and ended up leaving a couple minutes after my planned departure time. In turn, this meant that I spent the half an hour to the office more concerned about arriving on time than about any apprehensions I might have otherwise had. This has actually happened previously and is quite an effective way of calming oneself - being more worried about punctuality so that when you do actually arrive, you're so relieved you forget to be nervous! Very useful for interviews where you can comfortably deflect any blame for lateness on to traffic/transport.

People say that first impressions are lasting impressions and I'd say I mostly agree. The first impression someone makes on you goes a long way to building trust and confidence in them and while a bad first impression can be turned around, it's definitely much easier to start off on the right foot. I'd spent the run-up to today keeping a low social profile and talking almost exclusively only to those I love and I could be totally relaxed with in an effort to save and build up my social energy for today.

The rest of the day went past quite quickly. I got to know my new team who are a very pleasant and helpful bunch of people, sorted out my various accesses and technologies, explored my new premises and was pleased to find that the contemplation/prayer room was immediately behind where my desk is. I was also very excited to discover that the cafe across the road from the office served halal food! In short, a very successful first day alhamdulillah (praise be to God) and not much to complain about beyond the poor weather. The various anxieties that came and went in the lead up to today pretty much all turned out to be non-existent and unjustified!


Previous Article: Oh dear
Next Article: Contemplation

Oh dear

What just happened?! I woke up this morning thinking the worst thing that could happen today was that my car might be snowed in (I'm currently in Scotland). Instead, as I checked the news expecting to read of Americans coming to their senses and of an electoral rout by Hillary, I found that Donald Trump is pretty much going to be the next President of the United States of America.

I'm about as shocked as I was for Brexit, possibly more so as I'm not in the US so not so personally aware of the issues that drive people to make such a ridiculous voting choice. 

It's all a bit too raw and too soon for me so while the result is made certain and the dust settles and the ramifications of this event become clear, I'm just going to praying super-hard.

Previous Article: Clinton or Trump?
Next Article: Hello from the other side

Clinton or Trump?

Obviously Hillary. How is this still even a question?! It is absolutely ridiculous and mind-boggling that in the latest polls Clinton and Trump are still running close.

Over the years as I've grown a little bit more aware of politics and government I've developed a healthy scepticism of politicians and world leaders. At the very basic minimum, I've realised that leaders have to make difficult choices and decisions and no one is ever going to agree with everything any of them do and they'll receive criticism from someone regardless of what they do. And that getting things done in a large organisation (or the wider world) takes diplomacy, compromise and and ability to generate consensus.

In the upcoming presidential election, the US voter has a choice. Option one is Hillary Clinton, who's been involved with government for the past 30 years and has huge amounts of experience in getting things done and keep the wheels of government rolling. There's been controversy over her use of a private email server while secretary of state which the FBI have just cleared her again of criminality.

In that 30 years, she's had to make difficult decisions with regards to government decisions, be involved with wars and is responsible for the consequences of those actions, lots of which are pretty negative (loss of life is never a good thing). But in that same time frame she's also been involved with and responsible for a number of good things. Having been part of government for that long means it's guaranteed that she'll have changed her views since the beginning of her career and also have made numerous backroom and unsavoury deals in order to get things done. There's skeletons in everyone's closet.

And the other choice is Donald Trump. A candidate with just the most outrageous public views on a whole range of minority racial and religious groups, no practical experience of government, a number of ridiculous policies, who has alienated the party he's managed to get nominated by, denied holding views thats he's documented and filmed to have held, proven himself to have a notoriously thin skin for personal attacks whilst attacking everyone else, is a businessman who lost a billion dollars in a single year and as a result hasn't paid taxes for the last 18 years whilst attacking others for allegedly not paying taxes, also hasn't published his tax returns which convention says should be done by presidential candidates and has been filmed casually discussing his preferred method of sexually assaulting women.

I repeat, how is this still a question? The choice is between these two for, in essence, the most powerful person in the world, a leader who will be taking responsibility for how the world runs for the next four years and who will have to make supremely difficult decisions. We simply cannot have a person as volatile as Trump in that hot seat. People will disagree with policies and personal positions on both sides and that will colour their opinions but even if they were both horrible people, at the very least Hillary can pretend to be a decent human being and knows what the decent and non-offensive things to say in public are. Trump's public views are incredibly divisive, offensive and dangerous.

America, please stop this ridiculousness and show the world that offence and division are not the way forward.

Previous Article: Goodbye with/without regret?
Next Article: Oh dear

Goodbye with/without regret?

I've spent the last month at work steadily working down my notice period up until today when I finally walked out of my office for the last time. It's been an interesting month, not least because I handed in my notice the day after a new person joined my team to work alongside me, but also because of the emotional rollercoaster of saying goodbye and moving on to a new circumstance.

I began the transition and handover of some of my projects to my new colleague and in doing so began to realise the actual, surprisingly impressive scale of the things I was responsible for. I had been thinking I wasn't doing all that much so my initial thought was that the handover would be done in a week and then I would be twiddling my thumbs for the rest of the month - I was quite looking forward to the relaxation! In reality, the handover went on all the way until the half an hour before I left because it turned out I was actually doing quite a lot. I was very pleased and amused by this - I'd overlooked that I had slowly built up the know-how and depth for my projects over a year and a half and become somewhat desensitised to how much I was actually doing.

On the other side of the emotional coin was the feeling of having a deadline to my relationships with the various friends I had collected through seeing and interacting with them on a daily basis. Jokes were made and banter was had, but this being the third job I would leave, I was very aware that while I might add everybody on LinkedIn, people are busy and move on quickly and only a few would end up keeping in touch and I myself would only keep in touch with a few.

I also had a leaving lunch today with colleagues who'd been on my team. At the end of the meal, following standard office tradition, I was given a gift and a card signed by numerous others from the office. Upon returning to my desk, I finished off my handover activity and then scratched around for things to delay my departure so I could stay around my friends for a little longer. But I didn't have anything left to do and they did have things to do so I called it a day, said my goodbyes and left the building.

I read the card on the way home and some of the comments were touchingly personal and some were expectedly general ("Good luck Yusuf!") but still nice to see and made it even more of an emotional wrench to have said goodbye.

I had made my choice to leave a month previously when I had accepted my next job and I handed my notice in but as with any kind of change I wondered whether I handled things correctly, whether I had done the best I could and whether there were things I might have done differently? There is an emotional cycle to change and even if you end up where you were hoping to be, the human mind loves to play "What If...?" games.

You can always imagine that there might have been a better outcome, or if you'd tried harder, you could have avoided having to leave or change your situation. Or look at the upcoming uncertainty and imagine it's going to be totally terrible and being to regret having made the decision. There's a quote which is (mistakenly) attributed to Mark Twain: "Some of the worst things in my life never even happened". The human mind is a powerful thing and imagined, unlikely and hypothetical scenarios can put you off making good decisions.

From my perspective, I had made my decision based on the knowledge available to me at the time and with the realisation that maintaining the status quo has repercussions just as changing the situation does. The future is always uncertain and regardless of whether you do a particular thing or do not, circumstances will change around you and you'll end up with regrets either way for what might have been if you made the opposite decision.

I had also done Istikhara (Islamic Guidance Prayer), the meaning of which is particularly beautiful and reassuring. I've pasted the second half of it below, but in essence you're requesting assistance from God to help you be certain that you've made the right decision, to be pleased with the outcome and free you from the consuming burden of regret. And that is freedom is a great mental state to have when making decisions.

O Allah! If in Your Knowledge [this matter] be good for my faith (Deen), for my livelihood, and for the consequences of my affairs, then ordain it for me, and make it easy for me, and bless me therein. But if in Your Knowledge, [this matter] be bad for my faith (Deen) for my livelihood, and for the consequences of my affairs, then turn it away from me, and turn me away therefrom, and ordain for me the good wherever it be, and cause me to be pleased therewith.


Previous Article: Qibla and reliance on technology
Next Article: Clinton or Trump?

Qibla and reliance on technology

Qibla app not quite working as it should

I was sat at my computer at work this afternoon when up popped a new email notification. It turned out to be a message from another of the Muslims in the office stating the direction of the Qibla (Mecca) along with a couple of maps as supporting evidence. I was mildly surprised - it was a little out of the blue as there had been no previous discussion of the issue and so far as I knew the direction I and others prayed in was well known and consistent. I bemusedly shrugged it off as the sender being a little bored and quickly forgot about it.

Later in the afternoon I remembered I hadn't prayed Zuhr (early afternoon prayer) and upon checking the time realised I only had a few minutes in which to do so. I hurriedly left my desk and went down to the first aid/prayer room and found myself a little disgruntled to see a man already using the sink for wudhu (ablutions). Didn't he know I was running late? I waited for him to finish and quietly chatted to the other man in the room and immediately as the sink became available, I performed wudhu. So far nothing out of the ordinary. 

But once I'd finished I turned to ask the first chap if we could pray in jamaat (as a group in congregation) and spotted that he'd placed his prayer mat in slightly the wrong direction. He wasn't out by much but I informed him he wasn't quite oriented properly - to which he responded that he was. The other guy in the room agreed with me and we both suggested that he should orient himself in the direction I indicated and I placed my prayer mat on the ground to show him what we meant.

He said no and whipped out his phone to show us a Qibla compass app which pointed in the direction he was facing and said another person had also done the same thing with their phone and they'd both gotten the same direction. At this point I understood why the email had been sent out earlier - someone else must've had this same discussion and not been impressed with obstinacy. It was not a new discussion to me - Qibla direction is a fairly common discussion point and in fact, shortly after I joined the company I myself had spent a chunk of time with architect's floorplans and Google maps and Qibla direction websites to identify to my own satisfaction which direction Mecca was in.

But with only a few minutes left in which to pray, I didn't have time to argue and explain the problems that phone compass sensors have inside buildings where they're surrounded by metal objects and electromagnetic-field-generating electrical devices or the previous discussions that had been had or the various lengths people (including myself) had gone to to work out the direction to our best understanding. His app had said this was the direction and his faith in technology was strong and stubborn and without freedom of time, I yielded the discussion and got on with the prayer united in congregation and his chosen direction.

Reliance on technology has become a way of the world with ever more devices, machines and apps that take care of all the details, big and small. They take away a lot of stress and make life a lot easier and we end up so reliant on them that we only notice when they break down. This isn't usually a problem - I'm perfectly happy to take a train to work, drive a car, use my phone as my alarm clock or type up a blog post on a computer. Technology as a tool is great but technology as a source of information is a whole other can of worms. 

The first claim to state is that information is only ever as good as the source. A known liar is no good as a source and a stranger shouldn't be taken at face-value. In day to day life, we laugh at people who use the Daily Mail as their evidence for stories and universities won't even accept Wikipedia as a citable source because, despite its sometimes overwhelming range and detail, the source of information on the website is unknown. Knowing what has gone into producing a piece of information is vital to being able to trust it. 

A couple of days ago I came across an interesting article on the BBC about how mathematical models are being used to score defendants on their likelihood to commit crime. The article mentions how the algorithm/model behind the scoring is a black-box secret. Yet it's apparently being used to decide whether a person is guilty or a crime or not. As someone who works in 'big data' this sets off all my alarm bells. If in my consultative work I built a model without explaining how it worked I'd be laughed out of the meeting room! Yet here is a live example of people making sentencing decisions based on "Computer says 'Yes'". 

In the case of the Qibla app above, the man had downloaded the app but didn't have an understanding of how it worked. It gave him an answer to a question he had and so far as he was concerned it had to be the right answer as it was a machine. Never mind that people were telling him otherwise. Just didn't occur to him that a machines can go wrong if the inputs are wrong. The image at the start of this post show just how wrong apps can be.

At the Saturday School I volunteer at, I get supremely infuriated and irritated when the A level students are using their calculators for the simplest calculations. I often confiscate them when I see them using a calculator to work out 1^2 or when they're confused after typing in a calculation and getting a different solution to the answer-sheet - "they're using a calculator so it must be correct and the answer-sheet wrong" - without realising they've actually typed the input numbers correctly.

It's a worrying trend that as technology gets more and more complicated, fewer and fewer people understand how it works and are happy to take it on blind faith that it works properly. The only real way to fight the trend is to get educated and learn more about the technology that controls you and the world around you and to be constantly aware that even the best machine is only as good as its input - what do you know of the input?

To quote Arthur Weasley in Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets "What have I always told you? Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain.”

Previous article: Noor Tagouri and a needless dose of outrage
Next article: Goodbye with/without regret?

Noor Tagouri and a needless dose of outrage

I came across a little storm on the internet over this recent weekend, Noor Tagouri - an American Muslim broadcaster in her early twenties was apparently interviewed by Playboy magazine as a Renegade/rising star in broadcast media (I'm not linking to it but I'm sure if you really wanted to find it, you could). She has an online following on Instagram and Twitter like any nascent celebrity should and proudly and vocally wears the hijab/scarf. This last bit is important to note to understand the storm.

Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about Noor Tagouri and hadn't heard of her until this week and this is all from Google as she's not a serious enough celebrity yet to have her own Wikipedia page. I haven't read the Playboy interview either as I want to approach this from the theoretical point of view of the standard angry Twitter user/keyboard warrior.

This is Noor Tagouri. Image taken from Aquila Style

The little storm I mentioned is the storm that's blown up over whether, as a hijab-wearing Muslim woman who has pursued a life direction which puts her in the public eye, Noor should have agreed to be interviewed by Playboy magazine - a magazine which is world renowned for its appeal to the baser needs of men. It's also caused people who were comfortable and complacent in their own practice and life to ask questions of what hijab means.

My own personal view on the matter is that I don't really care. This is a stance I take on most celebrity news stories so there's nothing new here.

It is interesting though to observe the storm that's developed amongst the online Muslim community. Based on the number of different articles and sources I've seen posted, it's definitely generated a lot of commentary and a large number of strong opinions being formed by what seems to be all sides. For example, there's people saying she's being a brave Muslim and others calling her a disgraceful Muslim, some saying that it's raising and normalising hijab awareness and other saying it makes a mockery of the hijab.

Controversy by its very definition is divisive and polarises opinion. But controversy is also very fascinating and as a PR move this episode has certainly raised awareness of Noor in the Muslim community. With the wider public who pay attention to such matters, this will help Noor break further into being seen as mainstream personality. But my feeling is that most of the casual 'readers' of Playboy magazine likely won't be paying attention to the magazine text so possibly awareness with these fellows will be limited.

From what I can observe people on both sides of the 'debate' are stirred by the same thing: Noor has taken her Islamic hijab to places it wouldn't be expected. Some call it brave and support her, others call it unnecessary and don't support her. Others still call it dangerous and a betrayal and vilify her.

Playboy is known for its exploitation of immodesty so it's a fair question to ask if a person pushing a modest agenda should feature in it (for an interview not a risqué photoshoot). Seemingly it's a direct contradiction with the modest purpose of the hijab. You can have your opinion and form your own judgement on this question. The simplicity of the question also makes it a very easy one with which to take one of multiple moral high grounds and there's nothing people like more than seizing the moral high ground.

The pro-moral high ground is that she's done it to challenge stereotypes and make the hijab more mainstream in the USA and to show that Muslim women are empowered and boost awareness and improve mainstream attitudes towards Islam.

The anti-moral high ground is that her actions are not modest and she has a young, impressionable following and by associating with a famously immodest magazine she's undermining what it means to be an empowered Muslim woman and also going against Islamic teaching and practice of modesty.

In this instance, both sides have a reasonable case and which particular moral high ground you take you really depends on your own whim and circumstance and your attitude to being outraged. The anti- high ground offers more opportunity for outrage and personal feeling so it's unsurprising that lots of people have taken this stance. The pro- high ground requires a more circumspect view and offers less immediate outrage gratification but allows you to get outraged at the stance that the anti- moral high grounders have taken.

I personally find it hard to get outraged anymore in the modern world we live in where hyperbole and extreme reaction are becoming more and more normal.

I don't feel strongly about this issue at all but I'd say Noor should live her life based on what she feels is right and not be worried about what her more outspoken followers would like her to do based on the lives that they lead. Whatever she does, people will talk and judge and she'll have to live with whatever the worldly outcome may be and the departure or arrival of followers and supporters.

Her intention is her own though and, according to Islamic tradition, that will be judged by Allah (God). The rest of us can comment and criticise or support or not care either way and, so long as comment is respectful, let the non-outraged discussions and explorations continue!

Previous article: YMLP Reunion 2016
Next article: Qibla and reliance on technology

YMLP Reunion 2016

Like my Facebook Page

Some of you may remember that last year I was lucky enough to go on the Young Muslim Leadership programme. If you don't you can read a little about it on my post at the time. I met amazing people while on the course and made firm friends with a lot of them and our cohort WhatsApp group is still as active as it was last year. In fact, last week's Wedding Speech post was from the wedding of a friend I made on the programme.

Each year, the organisers (Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies) hold an Alumni day where all previous participants are invited back to Oxford for a day of hobnobbing with the Centre staff/facilitators and also meet the current programme participants. Having had a great experience of it last year, I was very pleased when my invitation came through and over the following weeks co-ordinated with other members of my cohort to plan our transport and attendance. The car journey to Oxford with Jamilla and Ashraf was packed full of drama with lateness and some very memorable conversation that really made the miles fly by.

On arrival in Oxford we wandered into the Centre where we were pleasingly met by various facilitators whom we recognised from our time last year who briefly explained the format of the day - that we should take a name badge, sign up to attend the talks in the afternoon and have a good day. Scanning the name badges to find your own was a fun little exercise - each name I recognised gave me a small stab of happiness.

We'd arrived almost at the scheduled starting time and so were ushered toward the main hall for the day's activities where we were greeted by Dr Farhan Nizami (Centre Director) and Dr Asma Mustafa (primary facilitator) and welcomed with tea and biscuits. A quick game of I-spy ensued as I tried to spot familiar faces in the gathering crowd. My own purposes for attending was to reconnect with friends and people I already knew rather than make new acquaintances but I recognised enough people to keep me happy.

Eventually the formal proceedings began with an introduction and welcome by Dr Nizami followed by a series of short talks by various Alumni who wanted to share experiences and projects that they were working on. Some were more interesting than others depending on your personal interests. After this there was a session where we were informed of the existence of an Alumni Advisory Group and people who had ideas on how to go about setting up an alumni network were asked to share. A fair chunk of this session seemed to be a re-run of the previous year's discussions though I think this time round the output will hopefully be more tangible. The chairperson for the session was adamant that he would eat into our lunch break - an intention which I heartily disapproved of.

Eventually though, we did finish and had lunch followed by Dhuhr prayer in the Centre's prayer hall which really is a very beautiful room. Lunch is always a good time to chat and catch up with people and this one was no exception. I was able to talk to various people in the queue and at the table, including the Registrar Richard Makepeace and got into an in-depth and stimulating discussion about business and careers with one of the alumni from the very first YMLP cohort. I left lunch with my hunger sated but with lots of food for thought.

The talks began after lunch but YMLP encourages free-thinking so I and a few others instead decided we'd prefer to chat and explore the building and gardens. We did this for an hour or so and had a great time of it catching up with the various people we bumped into after which we were joined by everybody else on their break between talks. During the break we took a great big group photo and as the break came to an end, rather than join the second set of talks, the same handful of free-thinkers said our goodbyes, meandered our way to the exit and quietly departed.

All in all it was a fantastic day and a thoroughly enjoyable reminder of our fortnight and the friendships we made and the endless possibilities of life.

Like my Facebook Page

Previous post: Wedding Speech