The City Circle
Encyclopedia
The City Circle is a network body of mainly young Muslim
professionals located in England
and is a registered charity
(Reg. No.1088931). On 7 November 2006, The City Circle announced that it had appointed Yahya Birt as its first Director with effect from December 2006. 0n 3 January 2008, it announced the appointment of Dr Usama Hasan
, whose father is Shaykh Suhaib Hasan, as its new Director.
The City Circle hosts weekly events and seeks to promote practical and progressive solutions to community problems. It runs targeted community based projects and holds fundraising
dinners to support and highlight social and welfare causes as well as servicing third-party initiatives.
or the Sufi Muslim Council
, as evidenced in 2005 when it organised a prominent meeting to discuss the state of Muslim leadership in the UK, where the MCB and its critics debated. Despite claims of being non-aligned, it does however, through the family relationships of its chairman, still maintains a close relationship with a previous claimant of the British Muslim leadership, Muslim Parliament
. In August 2008, with the Parliament, the City Circle hosted and jointly initiated the controversial Muslim Marriage Contract.
Following the veil controversy
the City Circle organised a public meeting with Jack Straw, where Jack Straw defended his comments.
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
professionals located in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and is a registered charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
(Reg. No.1088931). On 7 November 2006, The City Circle announced that it had appointed Yahya Birt as its first Director with effect from December 2006. 0n 3 January 2008, it announced the appointment of Dr Usama Hasan
Usama Hasan
Usama Hasan is a Senior Lecturer in business information systems at Middlesex University Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and graduate of Cambridge University. He fought in Afghanistan against the Russian occupation. He was an Imam at the Masjid al-Tawhid mosque in Leyton...
, whose father is Shaykh Suhaib Hasan, as its new Director.
The City Circle hosts weekly events and seeks to promote practical and progressive solutions to community problems. It runs targeted community based projects and holds fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
dinners to support and highlight social and welfare causes as well as servicing third-party initiatives.
Projects
Current projects include a Saturday school, careers and mentoring, helping London's homeless and a children's club. The City Circle Saturday school project model has been successfully used by other supplementary schools around London.British Muslim Identity
The City Circle contributes to British Muslim Identity through its weekly discussion groups. It has also attracted controversy through its stated but thus-far unproven policy of not aligning itself to any particular group or ideology. The City Circle claims it has not aligned itself to either the Muslim Council of BritainMuslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain is a self-appointed umbrella body for national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within British Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to help Muslims, to increase education about the...
or the Sufi Muslim Council
Sufi Muslim Council
The Sufi Muslim Council was launched on 19 July 2006. The SMC is a non-profit, non-governmental religious organization dedicated to working for the cause of Islam....
, as evidenced in 2005 when it organised a prominent meeting to discuss the state of Muslim leadership in the UK, where the MCB and its critics debated. Despite claims of being non-aligned, it does however, through the family relationships of its chairman, still maintains a close relationship with a previous claimant of the British Muslim leadership, Muslim Parliament
Muslim Parliament
The Muslim Parliament of Great Britain is a Muslim organization founded in 1992 in London by Dr Kalim Siddiqui, Director of the Muslim Institute, based on a proposal published in July 1990 under the title The Muslim Manifesto. The Muslim Parliament consists mainly of appointees, including women and...
. In August 2008, with the Parliament, the City Circle hosted and jointly initiated the controversial Muslim Marriage Contract.
Following the veil controversy
United Kingdom debate over veils
The British debate over veils began in October 2006 when the MP and government minister Jack Straw wrote in his local newspaper, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, that, while he did not want to be "prescriptive", he preferred talking to women who did not wear a niqab as he could see their face,...
the City Circle organised a public meeting with Jack Straw, where Jack Straw defended his comments.