Only 25 places – deadline 15 May 2019 midnight (CET)!
Tools for Changemakers – Rebuilding Trust in Europe. Part conference, part training, this annual event offers courses on trust-building developed in different parts of Europe.
14-18 July – Tools for Changemakers – Rebuilding Trust in Europe, a four-day conference and training opportunity for people of all ages and backgrounds from across Europe, who are engaged in trust-building.
Young European Muslims were either born or brought up here. Their parents straddle ethnic and European cultures and often have an expectation that their children will be culturally more ethnic. However, many young Muslims are more familiar and at home with European culture, and Europe is ‘home’.
We are currently witnessing the proliferation of terrorism, extremism, death and destruction all over the world. Many cities across Europe have suffered terrible attacks and many lives have been lost. Most of these recent attacks have been attributed to terrorism inspired by Islam. However, terrorism has no religion, race or colour. It is simply evil. The most serious consequence has been the fissure that has developed between communities.
This course will help young Muslims to understand that they can play an important role in bringing communities together. It will help them engage in honest conversation which brings root causes of conflict to light, builds trust and heals. In the same way, those who are not Muslims will gain a better understanding of their friends and neighbours who are Muslim, build better relationships and friendships, and consequently create a more cohesive society.
Learning to be a Peacemaker (LPM) is a training course designed by Imam and broadcaster, Ajmal Masroor.
Peace and justice are the two most sacred principles which underpin every aspect of a Muslim’s life. Therefore becoming a peacemaker is the most important role a Muslim can play. Learning about peace and justice is the first step towards this goal.
This programme believes that learning to be a peacemaker is key to developing a confident European Muslim identity and contributing towards global change.
There will be opportunities for interfaith dialogue and meetings with people with experience of peacemaking. The training style is interactive, with introductions to the subject matter by Muslim and other authorities, whole-group and small-group discussions, and presentations. At the end of the course, participants will plan a practical project to undertake at home to demonstrate learning and commitment to peacemaking.
The session on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) the Peacemaker was the most valuable lesson. Following and understanding his actions, would definitely make one a better peacemaker.
As a non-Muslim, whilst my knowledge of Islam grew, conversations with friends from France, Sweden and the UK widened my understanding of what it means to be a Muslim today in a sometimes hostile society.
Through the two programmes, I have seen the world better through the prism of Islam as a Muslim trained in peacemaking, and through the eyes of non-Muslim Europeans and how they see the challenges we face with immigration, identity and multi-culturalism in the future.
Ajmal Masroor is one of the Imams at four London mosques, leading Friday prayers (Jummah) on a monthly rota. Through the Barefoot Institute, he provides counselling for relationships between husband and wife, parents and children, siblings and relatives. He writes on marriage and relationship issues, and also on political, social and community matters. He is regularly invited by the media to commentate on current affairs, and to be a public speaker at conferences and seminars nationally and internationally.
Peter Riddell has spent many years with IofC organizing trust-building programmes between people of different faiths based on shared moral and spiritual values. He was coordinator of conferences at Caux between 1994 and 2003 on the theme of peace-making. He has helped found several organizations, including British-Arab Exchanges, Somali Initiative for Dialogue and Democracy and the Balfour Project. He is currently Convenor of IofC UK’s Agenda for Reconciliation programme, whose main training course is Refugees as Re-Builders, focusing on dialogue facilitation, ethical leadership and sustainable livelihood, for refugees who wish to contribute to rebuilding their country of origin.
After participating in different Caux conferences (Learning to be a Peacemaker 2011, Living in a Multicultural World 2011 and Impact Initiatives for Change 2014), Javed Latif returned in 2015 to give a presentation, together with co-founder Rudy van der Aar, on their initiative to green up local mosques in the Randstad conurbation and co-create opportunities for collaboration between Muslim/non-Muslim actors on local environmental issues. Javed was a facilitator for the AEUB Young Ambassadors Programme in 2016 and 2017, and he coached three consecutive boards on effective team dynamics at the multicultural student organization MashriQ SV in The Hague. Currently he is finishing his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering in Delft, Netherlands, and plans to pursue his Masters in the field of Aerospace Technology.
Funds are currently being sought to enable scholarships to be offered. If you wish to apply for a scholarship, please indicate in the online application form (see below).
Please send your CV here.