THE CITY CIRCLE

Campusalam.org & The City Circle present: 

Strings Attached? Government Funding and the Muslim Community 

In the Format of a Student Jury 

Expert Witnesses: Riaz Patel (Youth Action North West), Daud Abdullah (MCB), Omar Faruk (EcoMuslim), Mohammed Ali (Islam Channel), Arun Kundnani (Institute of Race Relations). 

RSVP: Online at www.campusalam.org; 07810560124 / 07903259913 

**Please register online at www.campusalam.org ASAP as space is limited. 

Its high time for an informed and honest discussion on the money being ploughed into the Muslim community by the Government, particularly under the controversial 'Preventing Violent Extremism' (PVE) agenda. This event will critically examine the impact of funding on the government's relationship with the Muslim community, and its influence on Muslim civil society in the UK. Using the original Campusalam format of a Student Jury, a panel of informed students will grill a group of 'Expert Witnesses' on their expertise in the issues at hand. After hearing testimony, the student jury will then deliberate and reach a verdict together. The audience will also have an opportunity to question the expert witnesses and express their views. Join us in exploring these crucial questions for the community on civil society, political independence, what constitutes 'grass roots', and working with the 'Establishment'. 

Riaz Patel (Youth Action North West) is an ambassador for Youth Action, an independent community organisation in the Northwest working with young people. Youth Action was established in 2003, and now has over 5,000 youth members. Youth Action won The Philip Lawrence Award for Outstanding Achievement and the Queen's Gold Award - Unsung Heroes at Buckingham Palace, in recognition of the diverse range of community cohesion and inter-faith projects, and their commitment towards volunteering. Riaz worked as a journalist before moving into Government specialising in tackling underachievement, urban regeneration and health and social care. In the Home Office he has worked on gun crime, race equality and engaging with faith communities. At the UK Foreign Office, he worked on consular projects and also undertook work on radicalisation. He is currently Head of EU Enlargement, part of the Home Office's International Directorate that tackles serious organised crime. 

Dr Daud Abdallah (Deputy Secretary-General of MCB) is Deputy Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) and Director of the London-based Middle East Monitor - an independent research institution. He has lectured at the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria, and Birkbeck College, University of London. He has published several articles and books on Islam and the Palestine Question. He contributed to a 2007 collection of essays titled Islamic Political Radicalism: A European Perspective (Edinburgh University Press). His latest publication appears in American Foreign Policy & the Muslim World (Al Zaytouna Centre For Studies & Consultations, Beirut, 2009) 

Omar Faruk (Eco-Muslim) is a Barrister and was at the Chambers of Michael Mansfield QC prior to joining the Government Legal Services, he has advised in a variety of legal areas and matters. Currently he advises the Department of Health on Commercial Law, including funding and grants to third sector bodies. Omar read an MBA at Cranfield University and undertook a policy stint at the Home Office where he wrote his MBA thesis on Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. Omar also read Classical Arabic in France for a year. Omar possess more than 25 years of experience in the voluntary and statutory sectors. He is the Founder Director of EcoMuslim. 

Mohamed Ali (CEO, Islam Channel) is an entrepreneaur and director of the Islam Channel. Originally trained in engineering, he also studied theology in Iran and Politics and Geography in the UK. Further projects include The Global Peace and Unity Event 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008 attracting over 60,000 Muslims and non-Muslims to gather over a weekend event, and the Dawah Project. 

Arun Kundnani (Institute of Race Relations) is the author of The End of Tolerance: racism in 21st century Britain (Pluto Press, 2007) and is the editor of the journal Race & Class (published by the Institute of Race Relations). His recent writing includes the article 'Islamism and the roots of liberal rage' and 'How are thinktanks shaping the political agenda on Muslims in Britain?'. He is currently preparing a report on the government's Prevent programme to be published by the Institute of Race Relations in October.