Plants of the Qur’ān

PA, Kew Gardens to host exhibitions exploring Islamic culture, 30 March 2023 Plants of the Qur’ān - Exhibition details here

Gen Z Muslims

Burhan Wazir, Hyphen Online, Exclusive: Young, optimistic and devout — Gen Z Muslims in the UK "Muslims aged between 16 and 24 are buoyant about their economic and social futures, but Islamophobia is a persistent problem." This report is part of wider research undertaken by Hyphen.

Humza Yousaf Wins SNP Leadership Content

BREAKING: Humza Yousaf has won the SNP leadership contest and is set to be named as Scotland's new first minister, replacing Nicola Sturgeon.

Read more: https://t.co/pZCNMJ5MWb

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/zQE0e4o7oY

— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 27, 2023

Mosque Fire Attacks: Update

BBC News, Man in court charged with mosque fire attacks in Birmingham and London, 23 March 2023 "A suspect has appeared in court charged with two counts of attempted murder after attacks on men set alight outside mosques in Birmingham and London."

Muslim Hikers

Metro, Adidas team up with Muslim hiking group this Ramadan to make the countryside more inclusive, 20 March 2023 "Ethnic minorities account for only 1% of visitors to national parks, and a diversity review commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) found that while people from ethnic minority backgrounds valued the natural environment of the countryside, they felt excluded in what was seen as an ‘exclusively English environment’."

Toys

Shuiab Khan, This is Local London, Harrow entrepreneur launches Islamic toy range in superstores, 17 March 2023 " The Desi Doll Company aims to showcase the Islamic faith and culture and has launched the toys ahead of the month of Ramadan which begins next week."

Trial verdict

Robyn Vinter, Guardian, Somaiya Begum: man jailed for life for murder of niece who refused marriage, 15 March 2023 "She had been living at the house with another of her uncles and her grandmother under the terms of a forced marriage protection order, following attempts by her father to force her to marry a cousin in Pakistan “by threat of violence”, a jury heard."

Wales’s First Muslim Grave

Michael Munnik, Abdul-Azim Ahmed, Islam UK Centre, Wales’s First Muslim Grave, 14 March 2023

"In early March 2023, I visited for the second time Bethlehem Chapel in Pwlltrap, St Clears, a short distance from the town of Carmarthen in West Wales. There, in the picturesque Welsh countryside, is a chapel with a graveyard in which is buried Amelia Kadija Baksh. The grave is, as I mentioned, the first recorded Muslim burial in Wales. Unlike other early burials, such as those in Cardiff, Swansea and Mostyn, it was not a Muslim seaman who was buried there. Nor was it a soldier from the Indian subcontinent, of which there about a dozen in places like the Brecon Beacons. Instead, Amelia’s story is much more unique for her time in history." An interesting slice of local (for me) history.

Kaaba Gold Bar

Here's a piece from the Virtually Islamic blog on the Kaaba Gold Bar, issued by the Royal Mint prior to Ramadan.

Scotland: Soldiers' Memorial

Vidushi Tiwari, The Scotsman, Why is Scotland building a memorial for Indian and Pakistani soldiers?

'Islamophobia' definition issues

Basit Mahmood, Hyphen, The UK government should renew its efforts to define Islamophobia, 3 Mar 2023 "By dropping its work in this area, the government risks being complicit in a surge of abuse of British Muslims"