Maslaha

Maslaha is a new web-based project being established by the Young Foundation. It aims to help young Muslims deal with the everyday dilemmas of living in a western secular society. Maslaha translates from Arabic as ‘in the public interest’. By drawing together the insights and expertise from leading intellectuals, academics, scholars, young people and service providers, the project aims to help provide information about Islam focusing on practical issues people face in daily life ranging from questions on what Islam says about: organ donations and transplants; blood transfusions; burial; post mortems; consumption of alcohol and alcohol based products; dress; dating; inter-marriage; adoption; divorce; travel; taking out loans and insurance; political participation and democratic engagement.

Maslaha also aims to increase understanding among non-Muslims about Islam helping day-to-day interactions between service users and service providers, friends, work colleagues and neighbours, reducing the risk of tensions arising from misunderstandings.

Maslaha’s clear and practical information is organised along four strands:

1. A forum where leading scholars and academics provide answers to everyday dilemmas. Questions will be posted on a regular basis and answers provided that support young Muslims living in Britain
2. A section dedicated to informing essential services about Islamic beliefs especially where knowledge of the religion can improve service delivery (for example, in areas such as health and education).
3. A members’ section will enable British Muslims to discuss openly issues of faith in a British context. It will also allow voluntary and statutory organisations working with Muslim communities to identify and highlight the most pressing issues facing the community and that are coming to their attention.
4. The last section will explore Islam’s positive contribution to civilisation and how this has shaped wider society – in fields such as mathematics, science, philosophy, architecture and the arts. This section will profile films, documentaries, exhibitions, and the latest lectures and talks by leading thinkers and scholars in order to ensure young people have access to the rich variety of resources available in Britain and which is often not accessible to them.

For further information contact Raheel Mohammed at the Young Foundation: raheel.mohammed(AT)youngfoundation.org