Islamic financial planning is an essential component of wealth mastery. The business performance highly depends on Islamic practice as Islam is a comprehensive, integrative and holistic religion that governs all aspects of life. It is a religion that focuses on major and minor life issues. It cares for personal, social, spiritual and materialistic subjects. Islam relates this worldly life to the Hereafter.

Islam also encourages Muslims to spend their money carefully. There is no reason to spend it too much but they should at least cover the basic necessities of their families. In Islam, if a husband has money but doesn’t want to spend on his wife or children, she has the right to ask for a divorce.

It is especially vital for every Muslim to plan his finances as it will secure him and his family’s well-being. Planning for death should be taken into account while planning finances. A Muslim should prepare himself for the next world as if he is dying tomorrow. This does not mean to forget his world; A Muslim should work to improve all his living as if he is living forever. With all in mind, it is vital to master the techniques of building a strong financial foundation.

Financial Planning is practically a discipline of wealth management that applies to the unique needs and concerns of each individual. As a Muslim, one should care about financial planning, as after death it is possible that he will leave debts or children to the trusted one. Starters, who manage their expenses, save and invest 10% – 20% of their pre-tax income. In an ideal situation, this could be achieved by investing in a pension scheme with the employer. This should become a habit because it is less likely to find oneself in financial difficulties later in life if dealt with financial planning earlier in the career. This will also ensure that no problems in the family will arise due to financial issues.

It is essential to discuss finances with the spouse. They should know about debts and net worth of their partner. Knowing family financial situation will enable them to understand the stress, and both spouses should be co-signers of the long-term plan and decision in order to become wealthy Muslims. It is also important to review and adjust finances with the spouse constantly, as well as discuss new options of investment. Many Muslims lifestyle constitutes of a lot of work and no play which is detrimental to their health and wealth. Only working routine is unhealthy and detains people from making necessary decisions to become wealthy Muslims. Needless to say that if one continues implementing their investment program, it’s important to monitor their portfolio on an ongoing basis and ensure it is appropriate.

Islam does not tolerate selective concentration of wealth. To prevent it, Islam restricts cumulative exploitation of resources, thereby prohibiting the concept of interest in finance. Islam further prohibits any kind of exploitation through tricks to create unnatural inflation in the market. This means that Muslims aren’t allowed to scam people in exchange of money or other materials.

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The lawyer for a Somerset County Islamic organization believes that the township Planning Board is discriminating against his clients for wanting to build a mosque in the Liberty Corner section of Bernards.

Vincent T. Bisogno, attorney for the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge, said the board increased the parking requirement to 110 spaces despite a zoning ordinance suggesting a house of worship of this size be required to have 50 spaces. "Is it (the ordinance) only for Christians?" Bisogno asked during a board meeting Tuesday night.

Residents, some of whom have formed a group and hired an attorney to oppose the application, believe the mosque would be out of character for the rural and bucolic neighborhood. Some fear the mosque would invite too much traffic to the area.

Bisogno said that increasing the parking requirement at this stage of the process would be inconvenient. If the board can increase the parking requirements from the standards set in the ordinance, "why would anybody build in Bernards Township? That doesn't make sense."

"How do you determine storm-water management until you determine the parking requirements?" he added. "I'm at a loss as to what the parking requirement is here and what do I do in preparing a site plan.

"We want to be treated like every other house of worship. My clients are very concerned about this matter and I have told them many times that I have appeared here before ... and that this board is always fair and equitable. My clients are not convinced of that."

MyCentralJersey.com, 9 January 2013

See also "Attorney for Bernards Islamic Society is 'shocked' by planning board standards", NJ.com, 9 January 2013

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The English Defence League (EDL) is planning another march in Cambridge, according to campaigners. A "massive" counter demonstration has already been planned by Cambridge Unite Against Fascism (CUAF).

More than 670 officers policed an EDL march in the city in July, 2011.

Richard Rose, of CUAF, said: "Our head office has information that has been confirmed by the EDL that they will march in Cambridge on February 23. We have organised a counter demo opposing the EDL and what it stands for."

Richard Howitt MEP has released a rallying call to Cambridge residents to join the counter demonstration. He said: "I urge all the decent people of Cambridge to attend this counter demonstration to show their opposition to racism."

Tom Woodcock, secretary of Cambridge Trades Council, said: "The painful austerity measures that working people are facing are not caused by immigrants or by Muslims but by the government and their friends in big business and the banks."

Cllr Jeremy Benstead, who represents Coleridge on the city council, said: "18 months ago we showed the EDL that they are not welcome here – let's do it again."

Cambridge News, 14 December 2012

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More than 4000 people have signed a petition against a controversial plan to convert a disused bank into a mosque ahead of a meeting next week to decide its future.

Councillors will decide on Monday whether the bank chambers in Green Lane can be developed into a mosque. Worcester Park resident Jacki Chillman appealed to others who do not want the plans to go ahead to make sure they make their presence felt at the meeting.

She said the plan would bring in traffic the area cannot handle, is not necessary, does not have enough parking and will not be widely used by the local community and thinks councillors on the development control committee should knock back the long-running application when they meet to consider it on Monday, December 3.

Miss Chillman said: "It's mainly because of the traffic congestion it will cause. People are opposed to this, there have been hundreds of objections and people have signed petitions – councillors need to act on behalf of the majority of people.

"The parking is terrible, the majority of the people who will use it are not from the Worcester Park area. The applicant says it will enhance the community – but that's only for a specific group of people.

"I'd have the same complaints if it was a nightclub or a nursery because the area cannot handle the traffic. That building would be suitable for a solicitor's office or something like that – not something which will have so many people coming to it."

Plans to convert the building into a mosque have been around since 2009 when it was bought but the planning application was only submitted this year.

The council has received more than 100 representations in support of the mosque on the grounds there is need for it in the community, it will bring customers to nearby shops and businesses, it will reduce traffic to the Kingston mosque and it will make good use of the building.

The meeting will happen at Cheam High School, Chatsworth Road, Cheam from 7.30pm on Monday, December 3 and is open to the public.

Surrey Comet, 2 December 2012

As is usually the case with mosque planning applications, the claim that opposition is based solely on concerns about traffic and parking cannot disguise the fact that many anti-mosque campaigners have very different motives.

Some of them make no attempt to hide this. "We all seem to be expressing our opposition largely based upon parking and traffic congestion", one objector recently complained on the Worcester Park Blog. "Am I the only person concerned that this will lead to the devaluation of property, closing of businesses and the islamification of the area?"

Another comment reads: "There are more than enough Mosque's in England Would a Church be allowed to be built in a Muslim country? I think its a disgrace to even think about building a Mosque in Worcester Park."

The Worcester Park Blog's Facebook event page, Public Meeting: Worcester Park mosque planning application decision, features even more extreme statements. Here are some examples:

"There are already 6 Muslims centres within 5 miles of here and a HUGE mosque 2/3 miles down the road there's no need whatsoever for them to build another one!!! The only reason they are allowed to build them anywhere is cos local authorities live in fear of being branded racist for saying no!!! Last time I checked the history and heritage of this once great nation I don't remember reading anything about Allah!!!!"

"next the high street will be full of there shops and our house prices will drop 30%, and we all have to move our kids out the schools because there forced to learn about allah"

"Got the kingston mosque right near me. They take the piss. Think they own the place."

"can these fuckers not afford to get a fuckin bus to morden???? drop me out you sandal wearing shit cunts!!!"

"If they want a mosque tell them to fuk of to there own country. We wouldn't be allowed to build a church in there country so tell them fukin talibans to fuk of home."

Another Facebook page, Ban the Worcester Park, Green Lane Mosque, includes a photo of a popular far-right poppy badge carrying the slogan "Try burning this" and features a post calling for Abu Qatada to be tortured or killed.

The National Front has demonstrated against the mosque, with veteran Nazi Richard Edmonds condeming the proposed development as "the thin edge of the alien wedge Enoch Powell warned us against". 

And a popular far-right Facebook page has just posted an appeal to its supporters to attend tomorrow evening's planning committee meeting. Predictably, this has provoked the usual stream of violent abuse, with comments calling for the building to be burned down or blown up and for worshippers to be killed.

So I think it would be fair to conclude that objections to the Worcester park mosque are not restricted to worries about traffic congestion and parking space.

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FAMILY PLANNING

Pakistan tried to introduce population control program several times, but failed to effectively implement or develop an understanding among the people. The government faced tremendous backlash from the people. Some of the main reasons are listed below:

1.Conservative society:

We live in a society where people are not open about topics relating to sex. Even education couldn’t help them to come out of their nutshells.  As far as family planning goes, most of the people aren’taware of the the idea of a limited size of  family. Commercials, being advertised, are not watched amongst families and no one provides advice to the people for having a control system on the growth of population. This leads to the ignorance of such plans.

2.Rivalry amongst the government officials within the government:

There were many projects being implemented simultaneously. Due to a breakdown in communication amongst the officials involved in the family planning campaign and also constant rivalry, not much progress was achieved.

3. Perfect family – a boy and a girl:

All the commercials showed an image of a perfect family as having a boy and a girl., which led to the concept of having a perfect family with a gender balance, means one can not have two daughters or two sons ? In view of the traditional preference for a male child, and also to help raise the status of the female child, some of the advertising, at least, could have shown two female children as comprising the “ideal family”. The planners now need to move beyond the “Two children= happy family” syndrome. It is time to confront the fears and misgivings associated with the use of contraceptive products.

4. Celebrity endorsing:

As no famous faces was attached to the campaign, such as a cricketer, it failed to grasp much needed attention from the people. Hence, normal advertisement couldn’t create the hype as required.

5. Funding:

Most of the projects which get a set back are due to the irregular funding from the government. One of the main causes for the failure of this campaign in Pakistan was also due to the lack of funds to conduct its activities; several employees were not given their proper dues.

6.Target audience:

There has been also a fair deal of misuse of media. For example, funds spent in placing ads in the expensive English press could be better utilized on non-traditional media. While English newspaper readers do need to be reached, the kind of messages being placed miss their target audience by a mile.

7. Censor issues:

The only product to be promoted in the mass media was “Saathi” condoms. Distributed by Wood-wards (Pakistan) Limited, as part of an US AID-funded project, the advertising campaign was launched on T.V. Even then, PTV censored the product pack, while NTM which, till then, was independent of PTV’s censor board, showed the commercial with the pack.

 

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Police had to be called in halfway through a planning committee meeting after far-right protesters became "abusive".

Members of the English Defence League were at the meeting of Chelmsford Council's planning committee and are said to have caused a disturbance. The incident happened shortly after councillors agreed to plans for a Waitrose supermarket, along with 39 apartments, to be built on Royal Mail's sorting office site.

Members of the EDL are against the relocation of the Islamic Community Centre, which has been on the site for 20 years. Although not contained within Waitrose's plans, a separate proposal has been made by Muslim Shia Ithna Asheri Jamaat of Essex to reconstruct a four-storey centre at the rear of the site.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: "We were called to assist at the planning committee hearing after a disturbance was reported involving EDL members present in the room. We escorted them out of the meeting but no arrests were made as it was determined no offences had occurred."

Council leader Roy Whitehead said discussions are set to take place about how to avoid a similar incident in the future.

Mr Whitehead said: "Myself and the council's chief executive are going to meet up with the local police superintendent to discuss how matters like this can be dealt with. The plans themselves for Waitrose are great and I have been working with the supermarket for the past seven years to get it back into the city after it left 14 years ago."

A spokesman for the supermarket said the incident involving EDL members was "unsavoury".

However, development surveyor Grant Hobday said the company is pleased the council has given its thumbs-up to the plans. Mr Hobday said: "We will now seek to finalise our plans and once Royal Mail has achieved its ambition to relocate, we hope to start on site in spring 2014 and open in spring 2015."

About 180 jobs will be created by the supermarket.

Chelmsford Weekly News, 23 October 2012

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Anti-fascist protesters have called for a peaceful multi-cultural rally on the day the extreme right English Defence League descends on Rotherham.

The EDL has urged its followers to attend a demonstration in the town next Saturday after revelations about the sexual exploitation of young girls. Rotherham Unite Against Fascism has urged for people to attend a planned counter-rally in All Saints' Square as a show of strength against the EDL.

Pat Keenan, president of Rotherham Trades Council, said: "The overwhelming majority of people reject the EDL's attempt to use racism to divide our society. Their attempts to spread racist myths about sexual exploitation must be exposed and challenged. They seek to blame one community for society's problems. The EDL does nothing to protect the victims of sexual violence. Sexual predators and paedophiles exist in all communities, as do their victims."

He added: "Each time the EDL assemble, minorities and trades unionists are subjected to threats and racial and religious abuse. Recently the EDL were prevented from marching through Walthamstow in London due to a fantastic show of unity from the local community. It is essential that we show the same level of unity here. There's no place for Nazis, racists or their allies in Rotherham's multiracial, multicultural and multi-faith community."

A public meeting to discuss the issue will be held on Monday at 7pm at the Unity Centre. Speakers are expected to include Rotherham MP Denis MacShane, Unite Against Fascism's Weyman Bennett, faith leaders and other prominent figures.

Rotherham Advertiser, 4 October 2012

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The Architects Journal reports that NRAP Architects have submitted an outline planning application for a 9,500-capacity mosque at the Riverine Centre in Newham and provides "exclusive images" of the plan. Unfortunately, to subscribers only.

However, the Riverine Centre website has been updated with details of the plan. You can consult an overview of the proposals here.

It would obviously be too much to ask that the right-wing press should cease referrring to the development as a "mega-mosque", but perhaps they could bring themselves to stop publishing references to and illustrations of the old Mangera Yvars design for a 12,000-capacity mosque that was scrapped five years ago.

Update:  There's also an article at Building Design, which reports:

"NRAP was appointed in 2011 and drew up plans that included retail units and 300 flats on the 6.5ha site near the Olympic Park. But these have now been dropped after the Muslim community that is funding the 9,350-capacity mosque – including 1,830 segregated places for women – objected to the idea of its donations going towards a commercial venture.

"The scheme submitted to Newham Council by the controversial Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat is for a mosque, 2,000-capacity dining hall and Islamic library, plus a sports pavilion and playing fields for the wider community. There will also be children's facilities, eight flats for imams and overnight visitors and 300 car parking spaces."

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Canberra's Muslim community has described planning approval for the territory's second mosque as a ''victory of goodwill''.

The ACT Planning and Land Authority yesterday approved Canberra Muslim Community Inc's application to build a 500-capacity mosque on The Valley Avenue in Gungahlin.

In their assessment, ACT planners found surrounding roads could cope with traffic generated by the mosque and that the proposed 43 on-site parking spaces were sufficient. Planners also said several objections to the mosque on religious and cultural grounds were found to be "irrelevant" and "unsubstantiated".

Canberra Muslim Community Inc president Borhan Ahmed said the green light for the project was a "victory" following an organised campaign by the Concerned Citizens of Canberra to prevent the development.

"It's a victory over those negative campaigns," he said. "I am so happy we have made it after many years of waiting. We thank all the Canberra community for their support."

Mr Ahmed said work at the site would begin as soon as possible, but was subject to a number of conditions set by the ACT government.

But he was wary the legal action in the ACT Supreme Court by the Concerned Citizens of Canberra also had the potential to stall the development.

Canberra Times, 30 August 2012

See also "Mosque campaign lawyer also fought Islamic school plan", Canberra Times, 28 August 2012

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Sal Akhter addresses the meetingNearly 200 South Santa Clara County residents attended a planning advisory meeting Tuesday night to voice an impassioned mix of concerns, opposition, support and questions regarding the proposed Cordoba Center mosque project which will be considered by the county’s planning commission Thursday.

County staff began the meeting at the Grange Hall in Morgan Hill by announcing they decided since last week to recommend the planning commission postpone the project due to the high volume of concerns submitted by the public. While last week the staff recommended the commission approve the project when it takes up the issue Thursday, on Tuesday they said they will recommend the body continue the decision in order to allow further studies of the soil permeability and groundwater depth on the 15-acre San Martin site where the South Valley Islamic Center plans to build the Cordoba Center.

But when the meeting turned to the public comment period, in which nearly 30 audience members used their allotted three minutes to voice their objections, support or suggestions for the project, the meeting quickly grew boisterous and, at times, nearly out of control. Attendees shouted in argument from the audience against speakers whom they disagreed with, and applauded loudly with those they supported.

While Sal Akhter, SVIC member and Cordoba Center project manager, spoke as the last public commenter, the audience emitted a loud sustain of disapproval as he demonstrated the existing local presence of Muslim residents and activity in San Martin. Akhter was visibly and vocally upset at the reaction and many of the comments that preceded his, and directed his opinion to the audience rather than the committee.

"So much complaints and charges, I don't where to begin," said Akhter, who added he has lived in San Martin for 30 years. "We have followed every letter of the law, without a single request for a variance."

Seated opponents of the project attempted to shout him down, particularly after he exceeded his allotted three-minute speaking limit and the committee allowed him to continue anyway. "Time!" numerous audience members repeatedly and loudly shouted at the expiration of the clock. Dozens intermittently screamed angry responses to some of his comments.

Committee members made little effort to calm the crowd and allow commenters to speak without interruption.

The audience was standing-room only in the 186-capacity meeting hall, with people spilling out two doors on either side.

Most were against the project, citing the groundwater issue as well as possible impacts on traffic, noise, storm water runoff and flooding, and the Cordoba Center's capacity to serve local needs in accordance with the county's general plan. Some speakers even expressed unabashed fear of the Islamic community who plans to make the Cordoba Center their worship headquarters.

The first speaker following the county staff presentation was Michele Rasner of Gilroy, who prompted obscenities and boos from the crowd as she declared that she thinks the controversy is about religion and discrimination rather than groundwater or traffic related worries. "Let us find similarities, not differences," Rasner said.

When a female member of the SVIC addressed the committee next, grumbling moans emanated from the audience as she said, "This is about my civil rights and my children's civil rights."

Georgine Scott-Codiga, president of the Gilroy/Morgan Hill Patriots, said she and other residents are "afraid" of the project and they "don't trust" county staff and county ordinances that will not prohibit construction of the mosque as long as the developer is in compliance.

Joy Schoming, a Gilroy resident, said she objected to the project's name of Cordoba Center, which refers to an ancient Spanish city. To Schoming, the name also conjures up a Muslim community center formerly known as the Cordoba House that is under development in New York City, and which generated significant controversy when it was in the planning stages.

Schoming and others also worried about the possible noise impact from the facility, suggesting that calls for prayers at other mosques can be noisy. County staff said no amplified music or speech would be permitted to emanate from the site, and it would be subject to existing noise ordinances.

Other residents at the meeting, who are not affiliated with the SVIC, spoke in support of the project, and argued that it will serve the local community through education efforts, developing a clean and aesthetically pleasing facility, and preserving a large portion of open space on the site.

One man prompted applause from some audience members with comments that speculated the Cordoba Center might be tied to violent offshoots of Islam that promote terrorism.

Gilroy Dispatch, 1 August 2012

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A mosque will be built on the site of a transport depot after controversial plans were approved last night. Police were on hand to ensure the planning meeting at the 
civic centre went ahead peacefully, amid fears of protests as tensions ran high over the Millfield proposals.

Since they were announced last year, the plans to convert the transport depot in St Mark's Road into an Islamic place of worship have attracted 671 letters of objection and a 1,462-signature-strong petition about potential parking and noise problems.

However, applicant Coneil Bashir moved to ease concerns about feared 4am minaret prayer calls and a sudden influx of worshippers to the Sunderland site.

Speaking publicly for the first time about the development, he told councillors and objectors at the meeting: "There will be no public call to prayer. It will be one person and it will be done internally, not outside. The site will serve only those in the Sunderland and Millfield areas and it will not host weddings."

Members of the Development Control (South Sunderland) sub-committee met to discuss the plans, which involve the demolition of single-storey offices, the erection of parapet walls and two brick-faced columns.

After an almost-two-hour debate, councillors gave the proposals the go-ahead to cries of outrage from more than 20 objectors in the public gallery.

However, council leader Paul Watson said: "We need to 
decide on the facts that are presented to us, not about what may or may not happen or the fears people have."

Some neighbours, who also spoke at the meeting, objected because they believed the development would result in an increase in noise and traffic.

The application, which was submitted by the Pakistan Islamic Centre, attracted hundreds of complaints on the council's website. But while many were from people who live in Millfield, there were also objections from residents in Seaburn, Southwick and South Hylton.

Speaking after the meeting, resident Phil Pike, 39, branded the decision as "scandalous". "I feel like I've just wasted the last two hours of my life at that meeting," said the dad-of-three.

Sunderland Echo, 1 August 2012

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DWB leader Ole NydahlThe biggest Tibetan Buddhist meditation centre in London will be created following planning approval – despite protests from Muslim and Christian groups.

On Tuesday evening, Lambeth council's planning committee approved the plans for the former Beaufoy Institute, in Black Prince Road, Kennington, to become the Diamond Way Buddhism (DWB) organisation.

However, more than 40 protesters from the Lambeth Muslim Forum and the Lambeth Interfaith Network protested outside Lambeth Town Hall, in Brixton Hill amid claims the organisation is anti-Muslim and anti-Christian.

The meeting room was so packed that the protesters were denied entry and left to protest outside.

Objections to the new use of the Grade II listed building also came from the Lambeth Against Racism and Islamophobia group and Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey.

DWB is a the world's largest lay Buddhist organisation, following the western Karma Kagyu lineage, under the Lama Ole Nydahl.

The controversy has arisen from comments made by Lama Nydahl during interviews and online, on "radical Islam" and scandals in Christian churches.

Toaha Qureshi, a member of the Lambeth Muslim Forum and trustee of the Stockwell Mosque, in Stockwell Green, believed Lama Nydahl's comments amounted to "hate speech".

He said: "We are not against Buddhists because it is a peaceful religion. We are protesting against this particular faction of Diamond Way because we believe their leader preaches hate.

"We were not allowed into the meeting. We don't feel that the council has consulted with community leaders. If they had done that, we would not be here today."

South London Press, 10 July 2012

Via ENGAGE

DWB trustee Steve James is quoted as saying: "While Diamond Way Buddhism is not political, one of our teachers, Lama Ole Nydahl, has made personal statements on world affairs in press interviews. The occasional comments he has made about radical Islam have been grouped together and circulated in order to cause offence."

But Ole Nydahl is the founder and leader of Diamond Way Buddhism – an organisation that functions as a classic cult around Nydahl's personality, if allegations by disillusioned former members are to be believed. So the DWB spokesperson's description of Nydahl as merely "one of our teachers" who has happened to make some "personal statements" on political issues is disingenuous to say the least.

Nor have Nydahl's statements been directed solely against "radical Islam", as the DWB spokesperson claims. In a 2008 interview, asked about his attitude to the Abrahamic faiths, Nydahl replied:

"The Abrahamic religions, the ones that follow our constitution, treat women well, don't blow up people ... Judaism and Christianity are fine. Islam, I warn against. I know the Koran, I know the life story of Mohammad and I think we cannot use that in our society today. People like the Sufis and Bahá'ís are different, right. They are usually being killed as soon as the mainline Muslims come in, they start killing the other guys."

In a 2007 interview with Danish Islamophobe Lars Hedegaard, Nydahl described Islam as "a totalitarian and fascist system" and compared the Prophet Muhammad to Hitler and Stalin. In 2009 Nydahl was quoted by Ned May's Gates of Vienna website as stating: "I see a big attack from Islam, a great, great danger from Islam.... Nobody has ruined as much for us as the Muslims."

A Polish correspondent who attended a lecture by Nydahl in Warsaw a couple of years ago sent us the following account:

"I had heard some comments previously that suggested that Nydahl held Islamophobic views, but I was frankly shocked as to the depth of his anger and hatred against Islam and Muslims, and the way he uses his position to preach much misinformation and factual inaccuracies regarding Islam and Muslims and to incite hatred against Islam amongst his followers."

That report was sent in response to an Islamophobic campaign in which followers of Diamond Way Buddhism co-operated with elements of the far right in opposing the construction of a new mosque in Warsaw.

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Alif Academy, an independent Islamic school in Forest Gate, has been granted planning permission after attempts by Newham Council to close them down.

A public inquiry was set up by The Planning Inspectorate in February to inspect the council's enforcement notice on the grounds that the primary school and nursery was not safe or fit to operate as a school.

The enforcement notice was quashed and planning permission granted at Newham Town Hall in East Ham on May 23.

Headteacher Hasib Hikmat estimates it has cost the school £52,000 in legal fees to overturn the decision.

He said: "In a time of austerity, the council think it's fine to be spending public money, probably tens of thousands of pounds, on legally fighting something that made little sense from the beginning trying to shut down a school that provides extra capacity and jobs for local people which runs with no financial assistance from the council."

Mr Hikmat said the parents and staff were "chuffed" at the Planning Inpectorate's decision and plan to have "a very, very big party" to celebrate.

He added: "Newham is in dire need of better schools and it's opened the door to more investment in the development of industrial sites in Newham and, hopefully, more schools. We do want to build bridges with the council. We are not here to cause trouble, we are here to operate a school and invest in the community."

Now Alif Academy has planning permission, they hope to win a Nursery Education Grant to help with their development.

Newham Recorder, 30 May 2012

Newham Council does seem to have a tendency to waste public money trying to shut down local Muslim institutions. Last year the council's enforcement notice on the Tablighi Jamaat mosque in West Ham was also overturned by the Planning Inspectorate.

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