West Midlands

Question Time for Young Muslims in Dudley

In April 2009, the Green Light Youth Forum (GLYF) held a Question Time-style event with 160 participants at their centre in Dudley. The idea was to set up a panel of local councillors, MPs, and Muslim association representatives who would take questions from the audience.

The main purpose of the event was for young people to voice any grievance they had; and whether local, national or international, there would be someone on the panel who would be able to address it. The target audience was young people aged 13-25 from all sections of the Muslim community.

News of the event was spread mainly by word of mouth, although partner groups such as the Dudley Muslim Women’s Network were encouraged to put up posters at their meetings. On the night, discussion topics included poor job prospects, lack of youth facilities for local Muslim youth, local parking problems and discrimination issues, although the main focus for debate was that, despite assurances of equal opportunities, local Muslims had been denied the right to build their own mosque. The council was also challenged about why church-goers on Sunday were not subject to the same parking restrictions as Muslims were during Friday prayers. The council representatives were accused of double standards, and the whole event became quite heated and political.

The organisers were extremely pleased with the outcome and local people appreciated having their questions answered and issues addressed by high profile panellists. Due to the success and high turnout, follow-up events have been planned to keep local people informed about the issues that were raised.

For more information contact Mohammed Afzal on Afzal16a@hotmail.com

East Midlands

FCO visit to Leicester

As part of a series of successful events, in May 2009 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) held a foreign policy outreach event in Leicester.

Approximately 35 young people attended, seven of whom were young women. Most were from a Muslim background, although the event was open to all, with attendees ranging in age from 14 to 30. Local stakeholders, including specialist youth workers, community engagement officers and development workers, also took part.

Discussions were led by the Assistant Director of Counter Terrorism Department at the FCO, and centred on Britain’s foreign policy and related issues. The topics that were opened for debate included British involvement in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Muslims in the media and local community action.

As conversation flowed, organisers noticed a positive change in the attitudes, confidence levels and body language of audience members who perhaps were not especially engaged at the beginning of the session.