Zaf who is the Director of Unite & Uplift Together CIC and also the Cabinet Member of Overseas Business Forum UK, is known as the Youth Pioneer in the UK and is also the UK Goodwill Ambassador for Youth & Community. Recently a weapon sweep was arranged with South and City College students and staff at Henry Barber Park/ Bordesley Green in aid of Op Sceptre week of action against under 25 violence / Knife crime.

13 Students/Staff participated and were accompanied by Zaf and the West Midlands Police. Machetes, Hammers, Syringes were found on the day and the it was an eye opener for the students who really enjoyed the day and especially the experience in giving back to the community. The impact on the young students is that they are made aware that these hotspots exist, and that it is important to keep themselves safe. They are also supporting their local community (British values) and working as a team.
During the month of Ramadan, Zaf will be engaging with a lot of youths and the general community in Mosques to discuss local issues and see how we can all get together and make this City the best to live in. “My aim is to spread peace everywhere and all the good acts I perform will be presented to my mother in her grave as ongoing charity as she was my pillar.”

Q.) Plating is an art. How did you learn this art?

Chef Michal: In the restaurants, I learned it with experience, practice & feedback from other chefs. That is the only way you learn it properly.

Q.) What made you decide to become an online cooking mentor?

Chef Michal: I wanted to start my own business and not just listen to my chefs. I wanted to work on my dreams, not on others’ dreams.

Q.) Please share your work experience in Michelin star restaurants and how it helped you to make your career?

Chef Michal: These experiences have been life-changing for me. There is a different world, but mostly in the wrong way. You work 14+ hours a day without brakes. There is so much stress. You don’t eat much and you don’t even sleep in between days. But all this just helped me to become a great chef, now I can use my knowledge to teach others and also have fun with cooking. You have to love cooking to stay in these kinds of restaurants because the work there is too hard for most people.

Q.) If a person wants to be a chef, is it necessary to get trained in a Michelin star restaurant?

Chef Michal: Not for sure. Michelin star is just a reward from one company. But there are plenty of restaurants without any stars and they are amazing. You can learn to cook very well there if you choose the right one.

Q.) Which is the difficult part of plating?

Chef Michal: Most people think that the difficult part is the last-minute positioning of the food, but what I found with my clients is the real difficult part is to create a dish which makes sense for plating, preparing, and cooking the ingredients so they look nice on the plate. Because you cannot just cook whatever and then expect nice plating at the end. No one can do nice plating with bad-looking ingredients or a recipe that has the wrong components.

Q.) There are so many multicolor ingredients in your dish. How do you manage to balance them while plating?

Chef Michal: I always focus on the taste first, so I pick ingredients that taste better when combined. I make sure to use the best techniques to cook, keep the color & shape, etc. in perfect order. Then I just put them nicely on the plate. When you get experienced, everything becomes easy. But you need proper feedback on your food from someone better than you, that is the key to improvement. 

Q.) What are Michelin star recipes and how is it different from normal recipes?

Chef Michal: The recipes in Michelin star restaurants and good fine dining restaurants are the same. Just one restaurant has some awards and the second one has none. But cooking techniques are very similar. In very good restaurants you see many different dishes and recipes because they want to be different from other average restaurants, they try an unusual combination of taste and plating so they can impress the guests.

Q.) Many people think cooking is an easy task to do. As a Michelin-trained chef, what do you think about it?

Chef Michal: Yes, cooking is not rocket science, you can learn it easily if you have passion and you invest the time to learn with good mentors. Problem is that people are learning from the wrong people and in bad restaurants which leads their career down. That is easy math.

Q.) Any advice for the upcoming chefs?

Chef Michal: Best what young chefs can do is to find a good restaurant with the food they like to cook and with good chefs inside and work there, “learn as much as you can.” Then move to another one and maybe another one. Experience can only make you perfect which comes through practice.

By : Rida Khan ( Aviation Author)

Instagram A/c : aviationauthor.ridakhan

If you had a hundred home educators in a room, each of them would likely have a different approach, but there are various steps you can take to get the most out of homeschooling.

With a third national lockdown closing most UK schools, Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, one of the UK’s leading home education providers, has given his 10 tips for how to effectively homeschool.

1. Take breaks

A bit of experimentation should identify what works best for you and the child. You might find 30-minute blasts followed by 10-minute breaks help to keep your concentration up. Alternatively, you might prefer to work for longer periods at a stretch and then enjoy a longer break.

Boring as it might sound, giving your learning a predictable structure and routine does help to make sure you get everything done!

2. Make a routine

Children get the most out of homeschooling when parents decide when and what they should be studying. At school, the typical day might consist of seven 40 minute periods – four in the morning and three in the afternoon. So should parents try to emulate this?

It’s important to remember that most children (and adults) are not able to concentrate for long periods of time, whatever the learning environment and kids do not concentrate on their studies for five hours a day at school. The average lesson is filled with interruptions and irrelevancies and the real ‘work’ might be condensed into 10 minutes. The same is true at home. Even if you have assigned 40 minutes to a subject, do not be surprised if the useful work is done in just 10 minutes and the rest is spent in (apparently) less productive activity.

Organisation is not simply a matter of time slots. It is a combination of timetabling and study objectives. By setting routines, children will find it easier to stay focused, engaged and make progress.

3. Get rid of distractions

It’s really hard to focus when the TV’s blaring, the radio’s on or there is lots going on in the place you’re working, so try and get rid of the distractions. Also, concentrating is easiest when you’re in a quiet, comfortable place, so play around with how you and your child study – sitting, standing or lying down; inside or outside; with lots of light or without – and find a method that helps them concentrate.

4. Divide up the work

Sometimes it can be difficult to motivate yourself when faced with a really big or difficult task. The best solution is to break it down into smaller pieces, planning out the various stages that need completing before you start. This way, your child will know what needs doing and you’ll both get a good sense of progress as you work.

5. Get lots of sleep

It’s an accepted fact that if you don’t get enough sleep, you’ll find it harder to concentrate, learn and retain information. The trick is pretty simple – get some sleep! Most people between the age of five and 11 need 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night, while 11 to 18-year-olds need 8 to 10 hours.

6. Don’t multitask

Sometimes, particularly when there’s a lot of work to be done, it can be hard to resist the urge to multitask and try and get lots of jobs done at once. This is best avoided though, as, in essence, you’re dividing up the amount of brainpower you have available to a given task, meaning you might miss out on important bits of information.

7. Meditate and reduce stress

Plenty of scientific studies have shown the benefits of sitting silently, with your eyes closed and the mind focused on the present. This can dramatically reduce stress levels – a factor that’s been proven to exacerbate tiredness and reduce memory retention.

8. Utilise TV and online learning

Technology is a massive part of education both in schools and at home. Sites like BBC Bitesize and Geography Games are great for delivering educational content in a fun, engaging way.

It can also be used to keep in touch with the homeschooling community to share tips and advice.

If you’re temporarily homeschooling, then tools like Google Classroom can help you interact with your class and teacher from school.

9. Stick to the curriculum 

It’s important to try and cover all of the subjects your child is used to learning about, but don’t worry too much about spending an equal amount of time on each.

You will naturally have greater knowledge in some areas than others and it’s fine to lean on these more heavily. However, your child may have interests in subjects you are less familiar with, and it would be a shame if they were unable to continue learning about these during this period. Avoiding these topics altogether could result in your child losing their passion.

If you are unsure about any content, it can be quite refreshing to do some research yourself and learn something new, before passing on the information to your child.

10. Make it fun

Learning doesn’t have to be a chore, there are hundreds of games you can play to exercise your brain, including the following memory tests.

There are card games where you have to match pairs or groups of face-down cards, flipping two each turn and reverting them face-down if they’re not a pair.

You could also place a number of small, random items on a tray, memorise the items for a minute, then cover the tray, listing as many of the items as you can remember in a given time period.

Then there are two-player games, such as Memory Master, where one player stares at a picture (magazines, books or photos all work) for a minute, after which the second player quizzes them on all aspects of the picture.

Ten of the best online learning resources:

• BBC Bitesize
• Geography Games
• Google Classroom
• YouTube
• Science Journal For Kids
• National Geographic For Kids
• Fun Brain
• Quizlet
• Carol Vorderman’s Maths Factor
• Seneca

Thankfully, many non-profit organisations have seen huge support from donors, with reports suggesting that more than third of Brits donated to charity during 2020, despite economic worries.

UK Charity, National Zakat Foundation, has announced it saw a huge surge in generosity from the UK Muslim community in particular throughout this time, raising a total of £4.92 million* to support those in need over the past 12 months, a significant increase compared to the year prior.

For Muslims, the act of donating Zakat, which is understood as 2.5% of an individual’s total wealth, is a vital part of the faith. According to the charity, however, Zakat is much more than a religious obligation.

Mahboob Hussain, Head of Marketing Communications at National Zakat Foundation, explains “Zakat is now a lifeline for UK Muslims as many struggle to gain the right monetary support elsewhere. “The generosity of Muslims in the past 12 months has exceeded our expectations and it’s incredible to see how Zakat is transforming lives and making a difference.”

The charity, which collects and distributes Zakat within the UK, has so far helped over 17,000 Muslims across the UK within the past 12 months. The foundation have plans to continue this work, with the hope that the strong sense of community and selflessness that has so far been witnessed will continue throughout the remainder of the year.

The generosity seen during the last year is at least predicted to continue over the coming months.  with a recent survey by blood cancer charity, DKMS, revealing that upwards of 44% of Brits feel more inclined to take part in charitable acts since the pandemic began.

Yet whilst the outlook may appear positive, there’s still much work to be done. Whilst donations appear to have skyrocketed across many charities throughout this time, the need for support has also increased at an equally aggressive rate. “We have received over 19,000 applications within the past 12 months for various funding, mainly surrounding hardship and housing”, adds Hussain.

Muslims are falling into poverty at a rate 10 times higher than any other demographic in the UK, meaning donations count more than ever.

The charity are keen to encourage Muslims across the UK to continue giving what they can in order to help feed the demand for support and minimise the level of poverty within the community.

Alex brings extensive experience into the organisation with an illustrious career spanning tech, digital marketing, and finance. Having worked on multi-million-pound campaigns with leading household brands, Alex will bring his corporate expertise into the charity sector, which has faced incredible challenges in the wake of the pandemic.

Chair of Trustees of the Wakefield-based charity, Mohammed Jahangir said, “We are excited to have recruited Alex as our new CEO. He brings an incredible wealth of skills to the role. Our interim CEO Harris Iqbal has done an incredible job in the past 18 months. This includes launching a new 5-year strategy, breaking records in annual income, driving a full change management plan as well as ensuring improving effectiveness and efficiencies whilst leading our COVID-19 response worldwide. Sadly, the need for humanitarian intervention, both in the UK and around the world has only increased in recent times. We are confident with Alex at the helm, we can continue to grow in our service to those in need, offering an essential lifeline to vulnerable people around the world.”

Alex is also the first non-Muslim to be in such a role within the Muslim-led charity space. It represents the organisation’s commitment to championing diversity and cross-cultural collaboration. Mohammed Jahangir went on to say, “While the values and vision of Penny Appeal are firmly inspired by our Islamic faith, they are also universally accessible. In Alex we see a leader who recognises the power of communities coming together for the greater good.”

Alex will start in his new role on the 21st of June. He said, “Since its founding in 2009, Penny Appeal has created a truly remarkable humanitarian legacy, lifting generations of people out of the poverty cycle. I was inspired by the tenacity and appetite of the leadership to strive to always do more for those in need. I’m keen on rolling up my sleeves, learning on the job and bringing my all to the table.” On joining a Muslim-led charity, he added, “Diversity is more than a tick-box exercise, it’s about recognising and leveraging the strength we have in our differences. I’m proud to have one of the most diverse boards and workforces in the charity sector, together we represent the best of Britain.”
Alex’s appointment comes after Interim CEO, Harris Iqbal has chosen to focus on a wider portfolio of consulting work in the public and private sector and scale his family business in the health and leisure industry, whilst continuing to provide senior support to Penny Appeal. He said, “It has been an honour to lead the lifesaving transformative work of Penny Appeal over the past 18 months during a deeply challenging and complex time for the charity. I’m grateful for the support and trust from the board, staff and donors extended to me over this time. I remain ever-committed to Penny Appeal and will continue to work closely with the organisation, as well as with Alex as he assumes his new role.”

Entrepreneur, founder and trustee of Penny Appeal, Adeem Younis added, “From humble origins, Penny Appeal has now raised over £100 million for life saving causes both at home and across the globe. With the leadership demonstrated by Harris during his tenure in tough times for the sector, our impact and growth has surpassed our greatest expectations. It is with regret that we see him stand down. Nevertheless, we are really excited about Penny Appeal’s next chapter and are certain under Alex’s stewardship, Penny Appeal will reach new heights and levels of success as we return to our new offices in the heart of the beautiful Thornes Park in Wakefield to begin the next chapter”.

Oxygen for India Emergency Appeal is an initiative launched by The British Asian Trust to raise funds to provide oxygen concentrators to hospitals and patients in India. The aim of this cook-along is to help unite the community to raise as much money as possible for the cause.  

We are thankful to our foodie friends each of whom has their own special and personal connection to India and have come forward to support this activity by giving up their time and sharing their delectable recipes.

BREAKFAST 

Dr Chintal Patel (@drchintalskitchen) and Dr Payal (@theblushingdoc) will be kicking off the fundraising event with their breakfast recipe – Cinnamon Swirls at 10.30am

BRUNCH

Flavour enthusiast Radhika Howarth (@radikalkitchen) will be sharing a fabulous brunch menu including Masala Egg Muffins with Achari Baked Beans @12.30. 

DINNER

At 4.30 pm you can then tune in to start cooking dinner with Kripa Dewani (@15min_mom) who is going to conjure up a Pav Bhaji Pizza

Attendees will be able to donate by clicking on the just giving link on the day during the IG live or by visiting your donation at Just Giving before or after the event. Every penny counts towards this lifesaving equipment. Donations can also be made directly by visiting the appeal page on British Asian Trust’s website.

The Cook for a Cause cook-along will allow participants to be a part of a mission to help save lives in India. Moreover, the cook-along will give the community a chance to come together and show solidarity during these difficult times.

To find out more about the British Asian Trust’s Oxygen for India appeal please visit: https://www.britishasiantrust.org/support-us/covid-19/oxygen-for-india/ Remember, every donation counts and can help save lives.

Muslim Aid will be providing crafts and activities for the children, which can be taken home. Mindful of the need for gifts that are suitable for children who are unwell, the charity will provide items such as chunky pens that are easy to grip, paper mâché kits, which are great for sensory play, and sock kits for children to create their own companions to keep at their bedside. 

Spearheading the campaign is Muslim Aid volunteer and mum of three, Sultana, who has first-hand experience of long hospital stays with her son, Musa. Diagnosed with cancer when he was just 10 months old, Musa bravely faced five months of intensive chemotherapy, and later, a bone marrow transplant. Over the many years that Musa needed treatment, Sultana spent months in the hospital, where she experienced the many challenges that young patients and their families face when confined to the wards. In particular, Sultana noticed how the hospitals would be decorated for holidays such as Christmas and Halloween, with gifts being distributed by volunteers to mark these occasions. However, during Eid, there was nothing. For this reason, Sultana is now leading this campaign to ensure that Eid won’t be cancelled for the hundreds of children in hospital this year. Sultana will be an integral part of the project, delivering many of the gifts herself. 

Sultana says: I am delighted to be working with Muslim Aid as their staff have shown real enthusiasm to support communities right here in the UK. Eid is a joyous occasion, which every child should be able to enjoy, so we are helping to bring some normality to their lives. With the pandemic and continued uncertainty, a small gift can bring a smile to the faces of these beautiful children.

Muslim Aid CEO Kashif Shabir says: Muslim Aid supports thousands of children across the globe through a range of initiatives, including child sponsorship, education, and protection projects. Our campaign to provide gifts to children in hospitals comes as part of our commitment to bring the support we offer to children abroad to young people living here in the UK. By enabling hundreds of children in UK hospitals to share in the celebration of Eid, while spreading joy to patients and families feeling isolated within hospitals, we will ensure that sick children across the UK are supported through the challenges they face. 

Muslim Aid is an international humanitarian charity with relief and development programmes in countries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. It is the second oldest Muslim charity in the UK and celebrated its 35th anniversary in November. The charity works to support and empower people suffering the effects of poverty, war, and natural disaster through both emergency relief and sustainable programmes designed to provide long-term support and create independent futures. 

For more information, please visit https://www.muslimaid.org/children-in-hospital-eid-gifts/ A gift for a sick child costs £15, while supporters can donate up to £500 to provide gifts for an entire ward of approximately 35 children. 

For further information, please call Pedro on 07831 556 951 or e mail fnik@btconnect.com 

Zakah is one of the five pillars of Islam, by which eligible Muslims must donate 2.5% of their wealth to eligible recipients on a yearly basis. Most of this donation is given during Ramadan, which began on 13^th April this year, and is given to charities to be used to alleviate poverty. Muslim Aid takes Zakah donations and uses them to support people living in poverty all over the world. All beneficiaries are found through detailed needs assessments conducted by Muslim Aid in each location to identify the individuals and families most in need of assistance.

Muslim Aid’s Zakah guidelines have several key aims. First, they promote the ownership of Zakah to the beneficiary, as it is seen as a ‘right’ of the poor, who are best able to determine how it should be spent. Secondly, the guidelines call for increased efficiency in the implementation of Zakah, that is, reducing overspend and wastage, and increasing value for money by allocating charity costs in line with the effort to deliver Zakah projects. The guidelines will also act as a guide for best practice, for example, when promoting human welfare in accordance with the spirit of Islamic law. They will also increase accountability by making sure Zakah implementation is led

by key Islamic rulings and scholarly guidance.

The new guidelines are part of a 12 point framework that Muslim Aid is setting out to formalise the process of Zakah giving. Their aim is to put forward a standard to guide charities through every step of the process, from collection of funds all the way to distribution to beneficiaries. At present, existing Zakah policies and guidelines are in need of greater transparency, with clarity around admin questions and a need for greater efficiency. Muslim Aid’s Zakah guidelines have therefore been designed to strengthen the discourse on how Zakah is implemented, and serve as a reminder of charities’ responsibility to fulfil this sacred act of worship in the best possible way, through increased accountability. It will also act as a middle ground for differing Islamic opinions on Zakah giving. 

Muslim Aid’s Zakah guidelines have been ratified by the board of trustees and the Islamic Council of Europe and will be reviewed annually. To ensure that this guidance will be accepted across different denominations and schools of thought, it is also being reviewed by all of the main scholarly institutions in the UK. A proposed independent Shari’ah panel will ensure that the policies and procedures of Muslim Aid’s Zakah programme have been checked and vetted in accordance with Islamic guidelines and will audit the charity’s Zakah framework annually through document reviews, field visits, and overall guidance.

A 2016 report by the Charity Commission estimated that UK muslims donated £100 million during Ramadan, working out at £8 per second. The amount donated in years since is likely to have risen, as charities like Human Appeal have helped more and more people both in the UK and abroad.

In 2020 Human Appeal handed out over 4,500 food parcels to people in need and have their sights set on more this year. Their ambition caught the eye of 10 year old Zaavier Khan from East London, who decided he wanted to properly observe his first Ramadan, by fasting and raising money for Human Appeal’s UK Food Parcel project.

Zaavier and mum Tahreem will be producing a video diary of his first Ramadan, which will involve Zaavier going to make iftar meals with top chefs and family members, as well as talking about the ups and downs of Ramadan as he experiences it for the first time.

Zaavier said:

“I really wanted to show that Ramadan was all about giving back to your community, so for my first time fasting I’ll be raising money for Human Appeal’s UK food parcels.

“I am choosing to fast, but so many people just don’t have anything to eat. I think it’s important to make sure they have food to eat and I want to raise awareness of what Ramadan is about and what Human Appeal is doing.”

The pandemic has meant that Ramadan cannot be observed in the way it normally would be. Although it’s a time for people to self-reflect, pray and connect with their spirituality its also a time where traditionally people would prayer in congregation, get together for breaking their fast and come together socially. The lockdown has not entirely lifted, and people are still in fear of catching Covid19 so the charity Supporting Humanity decided that collaborating with An Islamic platform would be a great way to engage and support people in Ramadan.

A ‘Virtual Ramadan’ is a series of workshops that will take place three times a week online. The sessions will be a mixture of Islamic Talks, Children’s stories, health and fitness whilst fasting, baking for iftar (breaking fast) as well as a crafty workshop which will be showing families how to make Eid cards and decorations.

CEO of Supporting Humanity Idris Patel says of the collaboration

‘Ramadan is a time for Muslims to spiritually connect as well as remember the less fortunate and give to charity, but its also a time where families get together, the pandemic will make this very difficult this year for many Muslims and we as a Mental Health charity want people to feel that there is something for the community to log into and be part of and not feel isolated. We are trying to make our Virtual Ramadan as inclusive as we can and there will be something for everyone to enjoy and to take part in.

Nabeela Raza, CEO of Teach Me Islam says of the collaboration

‘Ramadan is a beautifully blessed month for all Muslims around the world. A month that is cherished, enjoyed and celebrated by millions as they invest their time, wealth and efforts into benefiting others and spiritually for themselves. A month that strongly highlights the value of charity, love and education. We at TMI wanted to make this Ramadan a great one to give the opportunity to all ages to study and connect with their faith that is arranged at timings that all members of the family can join. We wish all a blessed Ramadan this year”.

A Virtual Ramadan will kick off on Friday 16^th April and will run three times a week. The collaboration will rely on friends and family to share the link for people to log in and across their social media platforms.