A Management Guide for Mosques & Isamic Centres Compied and written by Shaukat Warraich & Kashaff Feroze
Acknowedgements We woud ike to thank the foowing individuas and organisations whose hep and support has made this handbook possibe: Our famiies for their patience and prayers. OAK staff, management committee and associates for their input and advice. UK Isamic Mission for providing us access to visit their mosques and hod meetings with committee members and Imams. Dave Fox for proof reading and editing. Faith Communities Capacity Buiding Fund Capacity Buiders and Isamic Reief for funding this initiative Community Deveopment Foundation in aowing us to use and adapt some of the tempates in the appendix Cover design: MDUK Media Pubished by OAK Community Deveopment The Mavern Suite, 1st Foor, Borough Mi Neid Street Odham Greater Manchester OL8 1QG t: +44 (0) 161 622 2930 f: +44 (0) 161 622 2931 e: info@oakcd.org.uk w: www.oakcd.org.uk Company imited by guarantee Registered office (as above) Registered in Engand and Waes number 6290503 Copyright OAK Community Deveopment 2007 Uness otherwise indicated no part of this pubication may be stored in a retreivabe system or reproduced in any form whatsoever without the prior written permission from OAK Community Deveopment. Typeset & Printing by RAP Spiderweb Te: 0161 947 3700 www.rapsiderweb.com 2 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
OAK Community Deveopment OAK Community Deveopment is a not-for-profit organisation; its roots are from a oca grass roots community organisation-the Oak Project. Estabished since 1998 we have deveoped into a speciaist agency working on initiatives that impact particuary on the Musim, BME and faith sector. Our mission is to create better and incusive communities through empowering individuas and organisations with the capacity and skis to enabe them to better identify their needs and pay a more fuer part in contributing to the webeing of society. Our main areas of work incude: Capacity buiding and infrastructure support We provide a capacity buiding and infrastructure support service speciaising in supporting mosques and Musim organisations in improving and modernising their structures. This aows them to better deiver services and meet the needs of their users. Community programmes We work aongside the mainstream services to hep design, deveop and deiver targeted initiatives that improve and enhance peope s educationa, economic, socia, heath and cutura needs. Training, research and consutancy We work cosey in partnership with our cients to offer a wide and personaised training, research and consutancy service. Our poo of highy quaified and taented associates speciaise in research, evauation, community regeneration, chid protection, behavioura management (speciaist) training, good governance, quaity assurance and cutura and diversity training. Faith Associates Faith Associates is a poicy research, deveopment and impementation consutancy focusing around supporting the aspirations and desires of strategic decision makers in oca, regiona and nationa governmenta and non governmenta organisations within UK & Europe. Our areas of deivery have incuded work around faith based communities, youth and Women from the ethnic minorities especiay of the Isamic faith. Faith Associates is committed to mutidiscipinary coaborative research, deveopment and impementation on oca, nationa and internationa eves and has the foowing main objectives: To empower members of faith and the ethnic minorities and to promote socia incusion To be receptive to input from faith and ethnic minorities, service providers, business communities and poiticians which highight important areas of enquiry To infuence the integration and the effective deivery of services to match the needs of faith and ethnic minorities. To inform the deveopment of socia poicy Shaukat Warraich is the Director of Faith Associates www.faithassociates.co.uk A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 3
Contents Acknowedgements 2 Foreword 6 Introduction and context 7 History and significance of mosques 8 About the handbook 9 1. The mosque - its structure, management and governance 10 The Starting point Deveoping vision, aims, and objectives 10 Choosing an organisationa structure 11 What is a charity 12 Types of charitabe structures 12 Advantages and disadvantages of being a charity 12 Mosque Governance 13 Management committee 13 Exampe mosque structure 13 Who shoud be on the management committee 14 Roe of the chair 14 Roe of secretary 14 Roe of treasurer 15 Invoving young peope and women 15 Meetings 16 Agenda 16 Minutes 16 Roes and conficts 16 Case study Projects invoving young peope 17 2. Poicies and procedures 18 Who shoud deveop poicies and procedures? 18 Approva process 18 Estabishing a stye 19 Poicy numbering 19 What poicies and procedures do we need? 19 Lega duties 19 Governing document 19 Equa opportunities poicies 20 Heath and safety 20 Heath and safety poicy 20 Genera mosque poicies to consider 22 Congregationa safety poicy 22 Terrorism Acts 23 Madrasah poicy 23 Chid protection 23 Poicy on disruptive behaviour 24 Recruitment and seection 24 The Crimina Records Bureau (CRB) 24 Insurance 25 Compaints and grievence procedures 26 3. Faciities management 28 User friendy faciities 28 Booking faciity in mosque 29 Aowing outside organisations to use Mosque faciities 29 Safety 30 Security 30 Mosque Kitchen 31 Equipment 31 Housekeeping and maintenance 32 Creative use of faciities 32 Parking 33 Buiding or moving 33 Environment 33 Case study Isamic cutura centre Ireand 34 4 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
4. Staffing and empoyment 35 Choosing and appointing a person 35 Putting together a job pack for appicants 36 Advertsing the post 36 Shortisting 36 Interviews 36 Decision time 37 Tips on seecting candiadates for the post of Imam 37 Vounteer and management support 38 5. Finance and fundraising 39 Budgeting and forecasting 40 The mosque budget 40 Financia records and accounting 40 Fundraising 42 Types of fundraising activities 42 Guideines on making an appication to a funder 42 6. Communication 45 Interna communications 45 Externa communications 45 Communications that are both interna and externa 46 Promoting your mosque in the media 46 Deveoping a mosque website 47 7. Accountabiity and transparency 48 Soft accountabiity 49 Hard accountabuiity 49 Transparency 49 Some exampes of accountabiity and transparency within the mosque 49 Monitoring and evauation 50 Quaity assurance 50 8. Madrasah 52 The phiosophy and mission of madrasah 53 Important partnerships 53 Madrasha time 53 Subjects offered 54 Using educationa materia and resources 54 Performance assessment 54 Parent-teacher meetings 54 Recognition and reward 55 Rues and reguation 55 Lesson panning 55 Teacher training 55 Chid protection 56 Action points 56 9. Community deveopment 58 What is community deveopment 58 Are we ready to start community work 59 What types of community projects can we do 59 A ten step guide for deveoping a community project 59 Case studies 61 Working in partnership with mainstream institutions 62 Loca strategic partnerships (LSP s) 62 Key service providers and support organisations 63 Sure start 63 Chidren trusts 63 Learning and Skis Counci (LSC) 63 Change Up and Capacity Buiders 63 Faith Communities capacity Buiding fund 64 10. Appendix 65 Appendix 1: Tempates 65 Agenda 65 Minutes 66 Mosque budget 67 Madrasah ist 68 Lesson pan 70 Appendix 2: Bibiography 72 Usefu contacts 72 Feedback form 76 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 5
Foreword After the Second Word War arge numbers of Musims from British coonia territories entered the UK to hep rebuid post war Britain. Their industria and entrepreneuria zea heped shape the industria fortunes of the UK and were instrumenta in the white heat phenomenon of the 60s and beyond. Having strugged to estabish a base in the UK many of these initia pioneers began to bring there famiies and reatives to the UK. This brought its own chaenges and fortunes. One primary concern was to maintain and foster the cutura and reigious identity of the new incumbents entering into the UK and the young Musim generation being born in Britain. The notion that that mosque was the best pace from where their faith and cuture coud be maintained and be nurtured was whoe heartedy adopted. Many eary pioneers worked in the industria mis during the day and in the evening began to teach the Quran in borrowed rooms above shops and converted back to back terraced houses. The same individuas worked sefessy and sacrificed arge sums of hard earned money from abouring to put down payments on residentia properties which woud be ater converted into paces of worship. Communities worked tireessy to hep coect donations, seek panning permission, and refurbish diapidated properties into cear serene paces for contempation and study. Virtuay a these endeavours were on a vountary basis and neary a the first mosques estabished in the UK were due to financia contributions of the first generation of migrants who came to the UK. The current generation of Musims using these premises owe these pioneers a great debt or gratitude for their nobe services. The structures of these new mosques were simpe and fufied the basic needs of the community at that time i.e. to be abe to offer five daiy prayers and Quranic reading casses to chidren growing up in the vicinity of the mosque. Many mosques have maintained these services but unfortunatey have aso maintained the same governance structures and cutures from the periods they were estabished, which has resuted in visibe stagnation and unfufied potentia. Isam by its very nature has contributed to progression and constructive enightenment where ever it has spread and the mosque as an Isamic institution has maintained its reevancy and status for every period of time and within every cuture Isam has spread within. Having frequented many mosques up and down the UK for the best period of three decades in the capacity as a worshiper, a devotee, a manager, a teacher and a ceaner we have been compeed to write this guide. The current status quo in many mosques cannot be aowed to remain. The necessity to service the mutipe needs of 2nd and 3rd generation Musims in the UK has reached critica eves. The mosque is uniquey positioned in British society to offer soutions to rea probems in many areas where Musims ive. In areas where there is deprivation and underachievement it is the mosque which is the ony credibe and sizabe institution that can reay engage the community, if administrated and projected coherenty. The mosque coud and shoud tacke some of the socia excusion and integration issues currenty paguing the very communities the mosques were estabished for. The purpose of this guide is to hep foster better governance and to start the process of encouraging a greater insight to what the future mosque coud potentiay ook ike. The need for a paradigm shift in thinking from the current and future mosque eadership is essentia if the integrity and reevancy of the mosque is to be maintained. Shaukat Warraich and Kashaff Feroze June 2007 6 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
Introduction and context The significance of mosques In Isam Historicay, the masjid (mosque) has been one of the most important institutions in the Isamic community, and it pays a key roe in the everyday ives of Musims. One of the very first practices of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh* be upon him) when he migrated from Makka to Medina was to estabish a masjid. It was around the masjid that great universities, hospitas, observatories, hostes and other institutions grew up. These faciities and institutions became the hamarks of the great Isamic civiisation known to modern historians. It was in the masjid that great Isamic schoars, theoogians, inguists, jurists, saints, and countess devout worshippers graduated. The womb of the masjid has *peace be upon him produced men and women who have eft indeibe marks on the word as we see it today. The masjid has aways been at the heart of the Musim community serving as a house of worship, an educationa centre, a centre for dispensing vauabe socia services, a meeting pace, and a pace for soace and refuge. Unfortunatey, many mosques today do not carry out a these roes. Instead, they have become focused on just fufiing the main objective of the masjid: to cater for reigious and spiritua needs. This in itsef is very important. But we ive in a time when most services are grouped together and deivered in the community, and it is important that mosques refect this. By doing so, they wi be true to their heritage and modern-day reaities. A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 7
The history of Musims and masajids in the UK Musims have ong been part of the British Ises, with the eariest reference to Isam or Musims dating back to the 8th century. The Ango-Saxon King Offa (757-796) minted an Arabic god coin with the Isamic decaration of faith (Shahadah). This history spans the hostiities of medieva crusades and the British imperia era, which brought the first Musim communities to Britain. In the 19th century, civi servants and inteectuas from coonia India came to Britain. Yemeni and Indian saiors aso found their way here. These Lascars formed sma communities around the dockands of Cardiff, Liverpoo, London and South Shieds. These were not setted communities, as their members were seafarers whose famiies stayed in their home countries. At the same time, convert Musims began to appear as sma Isamic communities in Liverpoo, Woking and London. Many converts were from the British eite and ruing casses. They incuded Lord Heady Farooq (1855-1935), a distinguished statesman; Muhammad Marmaduke Picktha (1865-1936), transator of the Qur an into Engish and Imam of the Woking Mosque; and Abduah Wiiam Henry Quiiam (1856-1932), the Shaykh u-isam for Great Britain. In 1889 Britain s first mosque was estabished at Woking in Surrey. The funds for this were argey provided by Shah Jehan, the ruer of Bhopa, India. The Liverpoo Musim community set up the Isamic Institute and the Liverpoo Mosque in Broughton Terrace, the Medina Home to care for chidren and orphans, the Musim Coege, and a debating and iterary society with weeky meetings. In 1910, a group of prominent British Musims, incuding Lord Headey and Syed Ameer Ai, met at a centra London hote and formay estabished a fund the London Mosque Fund to buid a mosque in the capita. In 1941 the East London Mosque Trust bought three buidings in Commercia Road, Stepney, and converted them into London s first mosque. In the 1980s the East London Mosque moved to its present site in Whitechape Road. Meanwhie, major purpose-buit mosques had been buit in Birmingham, Gasgow and Manchester. The site for the Regent s Park mosque in London was donated by the British government in 1944, in recognition of a simiar donation by the Egyptian government to the Angican community in Cairo. The buiding itsef was finished in 1977. The first arge mosque in Bradford was estabished in Howard Street in 1959. After the Second Word War arge numbers of immigrant workers came to Britain during the economic boom. The previousy temporary and a-mae communities became famiy-based, setted communities and the needs of the newy forming Musim communities became a priority. The new mosques and Isamic centres, speciaist shops, and socia and cutura centres and activities payed an important part in creating and maintaining a Musim identity for second- and third-generation British Musims The Musim community in Britain is now thought to be around two miion. More than haf of a British Musims have their roots in South East Asia, namey Pakistan, Bangadesh and India. There are aso arge communities from Turkey, and from Midde Eastern and North African countries. In the ast few years, arge Somai, Iranian, Arab and Bosnian communities have been estabished in many 8 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
cities, and there are aso a growing number of converts within Britain. About this handbook We have written this handbook in response to the needs identified by the mosque management committees, Imams and the Musim community through the Faith Action project Buiding the Capacity of Mosques Today for Tomorrows Future. The project was carried out by OAK Community Deveopment during 2006-7 and supported by the Faith Communities Capacity Buiding Fund. The handbook aso takes on the recommendations and views from the voices of the minaret report by MCB, and the MINAB consutation report by Faith Associates in which the message to hep buid capacity in mosques and among Imams was expressed oud and cear. The handbook has been written in a simpe and cear format. It highights some of the key areas that the mosque eadership needs to understand fuy. Each chapter covers an area of organisationa concern in a stye that shoud hep practitioners steer their mosque in a manner and direction which wi hep good governance. The authors of this handbook have taken account of the various Isamic traditions invoved in running a mosque and combined them with the ega requirements of running pubic institutions. and make use of premises. Chapter 4 ooks at making the most of staff and vounteers. Chapter 5 discusses financia issues and fundraising methods. Chapter 6 is about methods of communication to get your message across effectivey. Chapter 7 is about the importance of accountabiity, transparency and monitoring the work. Chapter 8 mentions ways of making the Madrasah a better educationa experience for chidren. Chapter 9 expains the need for community deveopment and how to go about it. Each chapter has usefu tips, a case study and a more information box. Chapter 1 is about defining your aims and objectives and ooking at the type of structure you need for the mosque. Chapter 2 taks about the interna rues and practices of the mosque, which we ca poicies and procedures. Chapter 3 goes into detai about how to better manage A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 9
1 The mosque its structure, management and governance Certainy a mosque founded on piety from the very first day is more deserving that you shoud stand in it: in it are men who ove that they shoud be purified. (Quran chapter 9: verse 108.) In Isam, prayers can be offered anywhere on God s earth. The Hoy Prophet (pbuh) said: The word, the whoe of it, is a mosque. Wherever you turn, there is the face of God. (Quran chapter 2: verse 115.) Therefore as Aah s (God s) reach is everywhere, He can be remembered anywhere on the gobe. The Starting point Vision, aims and objectives A masjid (mosque) means a pace of prostration. In practice it now means a house dedicated for divine service. First and foremost, the mosque is a pace of prayer. As Isam considers every action in the word as Ibadat, or worship, if done with the object of peasing Aah, then everything good and awfu can be done within the mosque. For this reason, there is no need to have a separate house for each area of Isamic work, and it is possibe to have a mosque that is muti functiona in a matters. However, to achieve this you need cear vision, good management and eadership, and supporting organisationa structures. The starting point for any organisation, community or faith group is to know where they are going, why they exist and for what purpose. The Niyyah (intention/ purpose) in Isam does exacty that, it trains a Musim to have a cear vision and purpose in whatever he/she does. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said Actions are but by intentions and every person wi get that for which he 10 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
intended.. (Hadith Bukhari/Musim). In organisationa or Mosque terms Niyyah is the vision; aim and mission statement. Therefore the first step for the Mosque management and eadership is to begin by deveoping a vision, define the mission or aims and agree a set of objectives. A vision statement is a dream of the future. It describes the end goa or destination the organisation wants to achieve. The aim or mission statement describes the main purpose of the organisation in achieving its vision. Objectives are the things you are going to do to meet the aims. They need to be specific, measurabe, achievabe, reevant and timebound (SMART). 4 TIP If you have aready estabished a pace of worship/mosque or are panning to estabish a new mosque... Do you have a cear vision of: why you need to estabish it or why this pace was estabished? who you are catering for? mae, femae, young, od, reverts to Isam? what major outcomes you want to achieve by estabishing this mosque, and if they wi be achieved by buiding such a centre? Here is an exampe of a mission statement: Mission statement of the Mosque of Centra Jersey (MCJ) MCJ wi activey promote the message of Isam to eiminate misunderstandings among non-musims and to invite them to Isam, create an atmosphere whereby our youths and others are proud to decare their faith. We wi provide the community with a forum for Isamic education. We wi provide a means for the community to interact with each other sociay and provide a path for them to fufi their obigations as Musims. The fundamenta objective of the Society wi be to seek Gory to Aah (SWT). Choosing an organisationa structure Once you have decided the aim or purpose of your mosque, why it exists and what it intends to provide, you wi need an organisationa structure and framework. This wi hep you achieve your goa and objectives, and aso hep you contro, monitor and review your progress and achievements. There are different types of organisationa structures and these each have a different ega status: incorporated or unincorporated; charitabe or non-charitabe. An unincorporated organisation is one where a group or individuas come together for a common purpose. The structure is simpe and can be varied to specific needs. The main imitation is that a members are individuay iabe. An incorporated organisation creates a virtua person. Members are generay protected provided they have not been negigent. The organisation can take the form of a company imited by guarantee (suitabe for community, charities and faith groups) or a company imited by shares. A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 11
It is possibe to be either a charity or a imited company, or both, or neither of these things. There are a whoe range of issues you need to consider before you decide what is right for your organisation. It often comes down to a trade-off. Being a charity or imited company can bring high initia costs and eave you with an ongoing bureaucracy to manage. But to be neither of these things can mean you have ack of status (with possibe donors and suppiers) and can eave you with an open-ended iabiity if things go wrong. The most common status for mosques is to be a charity. What is a charity? The new Charity Act 2006 passed by Pariament in November 2006 defines a charity as a body or trust that provides benefit to the pubic. Most of the Act wi come into force by eary 2008. Organisations wanting to register as a charity wi have to show how their purposes benefit the pubic. A charity s purposes are its objects or aims, and these are usuay set out in its governing document. The Act has widened the scope of charitabe purpose from the traditiona four meanings to thirteen to keep up to date with modern society. You can find out more about the changes in the new Act by visiting the Charity Commission website given at the end of this section. Types of charitabe structures Charitabe Company a charitabe company may be suitabe if the mosque has arge assets, empoys staff, and is invoved in or thinking about commercia activities. It is formed and registered under the Companies Act 2006 by adopting a Memorandum and Artices of Association. Charitabe Trust a charitabe trust is normay set up if the organisation does not have a membership and does not empoy a significant number of staff or carry out trading activities. It is formed by adopting a trust deed. Charitabe Association a charitabe association is run by charity trustees and is the more popuar choice for mosques and unincorporated associations. The governing document is the constitution of the association. A charitabe association is appropriate for organisations which have a membership that eects the trustees and whose work is normay carried out vountariy by members. Charity Incorporated Organisations (CIO) The Charity Act 2006 has introduced a new charity structure specificay created to meet the needs of charities. The CIO gives the benefit of a ega personaity and imited iabiity for trustees. There wi be no need to register separatey with Companies House, nor wi a CIO be reguated by company aw, but the CIO wi be registered and reguated by the Charity Commission. Advantages of being a charity There are a number of advantages in being registered as a charity. The main ones are: being abe to caim back tax paid by donors, using schemes such as Gift Aid or payro giving (GAYE). The vaue of such schemes wi depend on income tax rates a ot of charitabe foundations wi ony give to registered charities it gives you more credibiity when asking for donations from the pubic you are automaticay entited to business rates reief 12 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
you can get specia VAT treatment in some circumstances you can formay represent the community and hep to meet its needs. Disadvantages The downside of registration as a charity is the bureaucracy invoved. You need to send reguar information (usuay once a year) to the Charity Commission, hod annua genera meetings and you need to keep to certain rues. Many of these rues are good practice anyway, and your auditor wi want you to foow them. The Charity Commission does have very heavy powers if they think you are abusing charitabe status. 4 TIP If you are not sure about the status of the mosque or your organisationa structure, get speciaist advice from someone who has experience in charitabe aw, such as a soicitor. In the ong run this wi hep you shape the organisation in a way that coud avoid conficts in the future. i For more information pease go to www.charity-commission.gov.uk Mosque governance Governance is the systems and processes that ensure the overa direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountabiity of an organisation. In the case of mosques, it is about how authority and responsibiity is shared between senior staff and the management committee, board or trustees. Strategy Skis Structure Vision Staff Management committee Systems Stye The management committee is the group of peope who are responsibe for eading and managing the activities of the organisation. They can aso be known as a board of trustees or executive committee. In the rest of this handbook we have used the term management committee for the sake of consistency. The management committee make decisions about the overa purpose and direction of the organisation, and make sure that the property and money are propery used and managed. They have the ega responsibiity for the organisation. A ot of work may be deegated, but there must be cear ines of authority. The key is to define responsibiities and reporting methods, to make sure that information of the right type and detai gets to committee members in a reasonabe time. Committees shoud meet often enough to hande the work they have to do, athough subcommittees and officers can pay their part. A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 13
4 TIP Exampe mosque structure An idea mosque structure woud be one which not ony serves the reigious needs of the community but aso provides its socia services. This wi hep create exceent Musim communities. An exampe of the areas of work or departments a mosque shoud consider (and appoint subcommittees for) is given beow: 1 Reigious worship 2 Education madrasah 3 Dawah and Tarbiyyah 4 Famiy and youth deveopment 5 Community and socia activities 6 Mosque maintenance 7 Finance and fundraising 8 Administration Who shoud be on the management committee? It is up to the mosque, that is, the management committee itsef, to decide how many members it needs to do its work smoothy. The aw says that charities must have at east three members. There is no upper imit but it woud make the group inefficient to have too many members. When choosing or appointing persons to the management committee there are certain characteristics one shoud ook for: Taqwa (Piety) Trustworthy Commitment Knowedge Experience Skis Remember the management committee is there to serve its members and not the other way round. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said the eader of a group is its servant. A management committee must have at east a chair, a secretary and a treasurer. The roe of the chair The chair s roe incudes running and guiding the committee as we as managing its business. This work can incude: deciding how the committee is made up and organised carifying the responsibiities of the committee and management panning and managing committees and committee meetings deveoping the effectiveness of the committee. The roe of the secretary Charity Secretaries (the company secretary of a charity) are responsibe for making sure that charities are run within the aw and keep to the terms of the governing document. The status and exact roe of the Charity Secretary wi vary from one organisation to another. But most wi hep the committee to find its way through the maze of aw, governance and good practice, and wi hep meetings run effectivey. 14 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
Some key responsibiities of the secretary are: and to note a correspondence (in and out) on the agenda ready for meetings to keep the membership ists up to date to arrange meetings and prepare agendas to carry out the actions from each meeting to consut with committee members for items to be incuded on the agenda to record the names of members at meetings and the apoogies from those who coud not be there to make sure there is a quorum (enough committee members to make a decision) to write up minutes as soon as possibe after meetings (whie the discussions are sti fresh in your mind!) to keep minute books safe they must never be destroyed to oversee the production of the annua report to arrange the annua genera meeting to get nominations for peope wanting to hod office or become committee members in the foowing year to send reports of meetings to the press when this is appropriate. The roe of the treasurer The treasurer has a ot of responsibiity for finances, yet has no absoute power over the way in which financia resources are used. These decisions are taken by the management committee as a whoe. It is the treasurer s job to make sure the organisation spends its money correcty, and this wi invove reguary teing committee members about the group s financia affairs. Invoving young peope and women Young peope are the future! They bring new energy, enthusiasm and freshness to an organisation. However, they need to be guided and nurtured by those who are oder and more experienced. Committees need to make a specia effort to invove young peope and women in decision making and to give them responsibiity. This is the sunnah (practice) of the Prophet (pbuh). He did not excude young peope or women from giving their opinions and ideas and from heping with carrying out tasks. The ife of the Prophet (pbuh) is fu of exampes of where young peope such as Hazrat Ai, Ibn Abbas, Zaid, Usamah, Ayiesha (RA) were a invoved in the decisionmaking process and reguary consuted. It is aso we estabished that women attended for prayers and other gatherings in the Mosque during the time of the Prophet (pbuh) and his successors. ACTION You coud set up a youth and education committee. This woud discuss and carry out activities and programmes for young peope from the patform of the mosque. This is an idea forum where young peope can contribute within the mosque. This committee coud be responsibe to the overa management committee of the mosque. A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 15
4 TIP Types of peope on the management committee Idea candidates shoud incude professiona men and women from the foowing spheres of ife. Generay they shoud be professionas who are reguar worshippers and are practica peope who can work in a team and get resuts. For exampe, representatives from the foowing professions coud hep: managers (with project management experience) teachers Isamic schoars media socia services aw enforcement agencies youth workers Meetings Having reguar management committee meetings is an important function of the management committee. Meetings wi hep you to discuss, decide and pan for the needs of your mosque and its users. A meeting shoud have the foowing: Agenda This is simpy a ist of things that you want to discuss in the meeting. It is usefu because: it heps you pan the meeting, and decide how ong it wi take it heps you get through the business of the meeting more efficienty it gives peope a chance to think about the issues before the meeting. The agenda is normay made up by the chair and secretary of the organisation. You can see an exampe of an agenda in the appendix. Minutes These are notes that are taken during the meeting to remind you what was discussed and agreed. They can be short points but need to ceary record: who was at the meeting who sent apoogies for not being there what was said at the meeting (main points) decisions made at the meeting and who is going to carry them out and by when. It is usuay the secretary s job to write up the minutes. You can see an exampe of some minutes in the appendix. Roes, and conficts between roes The management committee shoud concentrate on strategy, poicy matters and monitoring efficiency and effectiveness. The detais of how things are done shoud be eft to staff and vounteers. However, particuary in smaer organisations, it is not easy to be so cear cut. Committee members may be cosey invoved in the day-to-day work and wi often comment on their experience at the front ine. When they are doing this they shoud try to recognise that they are reay doing a different job, as a vounteer or ordinary member, and not confuse it with their committee roe. 16 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
For exampe, a committee member may aso be an Imam of the mosque and woud therefore have to be aware of the conficts that may deveop. Pease see the Charity Commission s website for hep on how best to manage the confict. Case study projects invoving young peope The York Isamic Centre has young peope on the management committee. These are students who hep out with the administration and finance of the mosque, and pan youth programmes and activities. andscaping an overgrown piece of waste ground near a mosque in Odham, to create a reaxing, natura environment with a fruit orchard and widfower meadow young peope asked to sit on a new-buid committee for a new mosque deveopment in London after-schoo cub set up in Sough to hep underachieving chidren young peope asked to hep in the teaching at the mosque young peope asked to distribute the food in a Ramadan iftaries in a mosque in Bradford. A youth committee was set up to coordinate the activities. A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 17
2 Poicies and procedures God wants to make [a this] cear unto you, and to guide you onto the [righteous] ways of ife of those who preceded you, and to turn unto you in His mercy: for God is a-knowing, wise. (Qur an chapter 4: verse 26) Poicies and procedures are written rues and statements that define what you do and how you do it. Deveoping poicies wi improve the way the organisation functions and deivers its services. It wi aso hep prevent probems and conficts from arising. Who shoud deveop the poicies and procedures? The management committee is responsibe for deveoping poicies and procedures within the organisation and making sure they are foowed. However, they shoud first consut members, staff, vounteers and anyone ese who may be affected by them. You can get hep and advice from the organisations isted in the appendix or from your ega advisers. When deveoping poicies and procedures, it is important to have a process in pace for their deveopment, approva, review and revision, and for education and training. We suggest the foowing guideines for deveoping written poicies and procedures (poicy manuas). 1 Approva process Before going too far in writing the poicies, it is important to deveop an approva process for them. The management committee shoud be invoved in the approva process. The process you decide on shoud be written down and avaiabe to everyone who writes poicies. You need to decide how often a poicy wi be reviewed (this is caed a review cyce ), and this shoud be part of the approva 18 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
process. The review cyce may be the same for a poicies, or you can divide poicies into groups according to how often you wi review them: twice a year, once a year or every two years. We recommend that a poicies are reviewed at east every two years. 2 Estabishing a stye The first step in setting up poicy and procedure manuas is to decide on a format for the system. The size of the organisation may dictate the format you adopt a singe manua or severa manuas. A singe manua works we in a very sma organisation with just a few poicies. Mutipe manuas work better where there are a ot of poicies, generay in arger organisations. Whatever format you use, it shoud be easy for peope to find the information they need and you shoud bear this in mind from the start. 3 Poicy numbering For carity s sake, and to make it easy to find and discuss particuar poicies, a poicies and procedures must have a unique identifier or poicy number. What poicies and procedures do we need? The type of poicies and procedures your organisation needs wi depend on a number of things such as: the type of work you do the services you provide the size of your organisation how formay you operate. This handbook is aimed at mosques, so the emphasis is on poicy areas that are reevant to mosques. Here are some of the important poicies and procedures you may need. Lega duties When deveoping your poicies you need to remember the aws that affect your organisation. The main ones are: Heath and safety Heath & Safety at Work etc Act Reguations 1974 and 1992 Fire Safety Reguations 2006 Equa opportunities Race Reations Act 1976 and amended 2000 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and amended 1999 Disabiity Discrimination Act 1995 and 2005 Empoyment Rights Act 1996 Chidren and Chidren s Act 1989 and 2004 young peope (Engand and Waes) Working together to safeguard chidren guidance 1999 and 2006 Every Chid Matters Change for Chidren Terrorism Act Governing document The Terrorism Act 2000 & the Anti Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 This is the forma written document describing the organisation s structure, management, and its aims and objectives. Depending on your ega status it can be a: Constitution or set of rues (unincorporated organisation) A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 19
Memorandum and Artices of Association (incorporated for exampe, a company imited by guarantee) Trust deed (incorporated for exampe, a charity) You can get mode forms from the Charity Commission http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/ Equa opportunities poicy Mosques are faith-based organisations, which run reigious activities according to the Isamic faith. Therefore you have the right to appoint peope with good Isamic faith to serve the mosque and Musim community in a better way. Athough the aw doesn t say you have to have an equa opportunities poicy, a cear poicy and set of procedures for impementing it is the best way of making sure that you keep to equa opportunities aw. This incudes: The Sex Discrimination Act (1986) The Equa Pay Act (1970) The Race Reations Act (1976) The Disabiity Discrimination Act (1995) The Empoyment Equaity (Sexua Orientation) Reguations (2003) The Empoyment Equaity (Reigion or Beief) Reguations (2003) The Age Discrimination Act (2006). Equa opportunities statement from London Centra Mosque The London Centra Mosque Trust & the Isamic Cutura Centre is an Equa Opportunities empoyer. We wecome appications regardess of gender, disabiity, reigion, and ethnic origin. We aso operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for peope with disabiities who meet the minimum pubished criteria. The London Centra Mosque Trust & the Isamic Cutura Centre is an Investor in Peope. The ICC aims to be pre-eminent in the study and practice of creative, cognitive, cutura and socia processes. As an Organisation committed to equaity of opportunity appications are wecomed from a sections of the community. Heath and safety The aw says you have to have heath and safety rues and foow the Heath & Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and the reguations that go with it. A organisations have a duty of care to their vounteers, members (worshippers), empoyees and the genera pubic. It is good practice for a mosques to have a written heath and safety poicy, but the aw says you must have one if you empoy five or more staff (incuding part-time workers). Heath and safety poicy A heath and safety poicy shoud incude the foowing: 1 Risk assessment You need to be cear about potentia or existing risks and hazards to vounteers, worshippers, members, staff and the pubic. You then need to put in pace ways to put right or avoid the situation or probem. A risk assessment might incude: ooking for potentia hazards deciding who might be harmed and how 20 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
evauating these risks, and deciding whether your existing precautions are adequate recording your findings reviewing your assessment and revising it if necessary carrying out any necessary work if you have found your existing precautions not to be adequate. 2 Registering your premises You must register your premises and activities if any of the foowing appies: you have paid staff you prepare, suppy, store or se food you are carrying out a dangerous process or putting on an event (for exampe a fireworks dispay). Most vountary, community and faith organisations woud need to register with the environmenta heath department at the city counci. Some organisations might need to register with the oca Heath and Safety Executive office, but your starting point is the oca environmenta heath department. 3 First aid Different organisations wi need different first aid arrangements, depending on their size and activities. You must at east have someone who has basic first aid knowedge and is avaiabe to take charge in an emergency. This is known as an appointed person. Each organisation wi need to carry out a risk assessment to decide the eve of risk. Depending on the eve of risk and size of the organisation, you must decide how many first aiders you need, and of what type. 4 First aid box You must have a first aid box, athough there are no rues to say what you must have in it. Some of the basics woud incude: bandages, trianguar bandages, sterie wound dressings, sterie wipes and a eafet on basic first aid. You must have a notice showing where the first aid box is, and who the first aider or appointed person is and where to find them. 5 Fire certificate Every organisation has to register with the fire service. They wi issue a fire certificate or exemption certificate, which you shoud keep in a safe pace. The fire certificate gives: detais of the use of the premises fire-fighting equipment that is needed fire escape routes fire dris and other fire precautions. If you ease ony part of your premises, then the andord is responsibe for contacting the fire service. However, if you are concerned that you do not have a fire certificate, you can contact the fire service yoursef. Make sure you have cear guideines for your staff, vounteers and visitors about what to do if there is a fire. Everyone shoud know: where the nearest fire exit is how the aarm wi be raised (not a premises have a fire aarm) where to assembe how the ro ca wi be done and who wi do it. If you hod an event, you shoud make these procedures cear before you start. A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 21
6 Insurance You must have insurance, as it ensures your organisation is covered if there is an accident. But it is compicated, and is covered in more detai in the Insurance section of this guide. 7 Hazardous substances There are reguations which say you have to do an assessment of any substances, such as chemicas, that are used on your premises and which are hazardous to heath. Most vountary organisations wi not use many of these, apart from ceaning agents. But you sti need to make sure the peope who use them know about: how to store the substances how to dea with any spiages any possibe hazards to skin, hair, eyes and so on. The Heath and Safety Executive has more information on how to do assessments. 8 Food hygiene If your mosque prepares and serves food on your premises whether it is for sae or not then food safety reguations appy. These say that peope handing food must be propery trained and propery supervised. There are aso specific rues about cean work areas and equipment, suitabe premises, suitabe arrangements for food waste and so on. 9 Recording accidents and incidents It is good practice to record any accidents that happen on your premises. By aw, any workpace that has more than 10 empoyees must have an Accident Book. This can be used to record not ony accidents, but aso iness possiby caused by work and any near-misses that coud have been accidents. You must report serious injuries to the Heath and Safety Executive or the Environmenta Heath Division, depending on who you are registered with. Serious injuries are defined as death or major injury (incuding assaut); an injury that means the person is off work for three days or more; workreated diseases or dangerous occurrences (near misses). 10 Genera heath and safety advice In an office environment the foowing basic tips are usefu (and shoud be picked up by your risk assessment!): don t eave wires from eectrica equipment and computers traiing don t keep ots of paper for recycing pied up where it coud be a fire risk make sure that you have appropriate desks and chairs for your computer workstations make sure fire exits are ceary marked, kept unocked and not bocked in any way bend at the knees when ifting and use a troey for moving heavy objects make sure your office is at a comfortabe temperature. i For more information and guidance pease go to Heath and Safety Executive 08701 545500, www.hse.gov.uk Genera mosque poicies to consider Congregationa safety poicy One aim of this poicy is to provide an environment that aows a wide diversity of individua expression and spiritua growth. 22 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres
A safe atmosphere must be preserved in which everyone fees free to take part and to express themseves without fear. Threatening, disruptive or otherwise harmfu behaviour is unacceptabe within such a caring community. The Imam, staff members and the eaders of any mosque activity may take whatever action they beieve necessary to stop behaviour which endangers anybody, obstructs any mosque activity or may otherwise cause damage or harm. This incudes asking the offenders to eave, stopping the activity or caing the poice. The Anti Terrorsim Act A huge range of offences cover what peope consider to be terrorist offences murder, arson, sabotage and harassment. But the UK aso has the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Anti- Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 which are designed to give the poice exceptiona powers to dea with extraordinary circumstances. So what do the acts say? The Terrorism Act 2000 outaws (or in ega jargon proscribes ) groups considered to be terrorist in nature. The act gives poice wider stop and search powers. Detectives can aso detain a suspect for at east 48 hours in contrast to the standard 24. Custody can continue for up to 28 days on the authority of a magistrate. The Act incudes three offences: Inciting terrorism Seeking or providing terrorism training here or abroad Providing training/instruction in weapons from firearms to nucear weapons Madrasah poicy Mosque madrasah shoud be committed to providing a safe and heathy environment that encourages community buiding and student earning. You need to consider the foowing issues for your mosque madrasah poicy: safety of students cassroom supervision cassroom discipine poicy on teacher requirements poicy for wecoming new students and meeting individua needs consutation and panning with parents buiding safety requirements Crimina Records Bureau (CRB) checks. Chid protection Chidren are an especiay vunerabe group. The aw says a organisations working with or providing a service to chidren, young peope or vunerabe aduts must have proper safeguards and measures to protect them. These safeguards shoud incude a chid protection poicy, and procedures for deaing with issues of concern. Your poicy shoud cover the foowing points: the wefare of the chid comes first (Chidren s Act 1989 and Chidren s Act 2004 Every Chid Matters and the Working together to safeguard chidren 2006. a chidren have the right to protection from abuse a suspicions and aegations of abuse wi be taken seriousy and responded to swifty and appropriatey a the organisation s trustees, management, staff and vounteers have a responsibiity to report concerns. A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres 23
The poicy shoud be inked to procedures that make cear: what is good practice for a workers and management what behaviour must never be toerated how chid-care workers wi be recruited and seected to ensure their suitabiity for working with chidren how anyone invoved with the organisation shoud respond to suspicions and aegations how chid protection skis and knowedge wi be deveoped within the organisation? how wi parenta invovement with the organisation be encouraged? how to maintain confidentiaity what systems wi be in pace to make sure a chidcare workers are routiney and reguary monitored, supervised and supported. i For more information and hep on chid protection issues and deveoping a poicy pease go to www.everychidmatters.gov.uk Poicy on disruptive behaviour Creating a community open to a wide variety of peope is one of the most important vaues hed by a mosque s congregation, and this wi be expressed in the mosque s purposes and principes. It is aso important that congregations maintain a secure atmosphere where such openness can exist. If a person s physica or emotiona we-being or freedom to safey express his or her beiefs or opinions is threatened, the source of this threat must be deat with firmy and quicky. This may even mean that the offending person or peope are expeed from the mosque. Any action to dea with disruptive behaviour shoud be carried out with compassion and the hope of reconciiation. There wi be times when the disruptive behaviour of someone in the mosque buiding wi ead members to voice their concerns about one or more of the foowing: perceived threats to the safety of an adut or chid the disruption of mosque activities a essening of the appea of the mosque to its potentia and existing membership. The mosque shoud try hard to be an incusive community, accepting its members wi have differences in beiefs, opinions and ife experiences. However, in some cases, concern for the safety and we-being of the congregation as a whoe must come before the privieges and incusion of an individua. If disruptive behaviour threatens the heath of its congregation, members actions, as peope of faith, must refect the mosque s commitment to maintaining both security and community. Recruitment and seection Having a recruitment and seection poicy wi make sure that you seect the most suitabe person for the post. Peope wi be seected because of their reevant merits and abiities, and no one wi be unfairy treated because of their race, gender, reigion and so on. A poicy may have exception causes that aows the organisation to make conditions that are appropriate for empoying someone in a mosque. The Crimina Records Bureau (CRB) The Crimina Records Bureau (CRB) is an executive agency of the Home Office. Its discosure service gives wider access to crimina records information. This aows organisations 24 A management guide for mosques and Isamic centres