Important Announcements

Volunteers Wanted

NABA calls for volunteers to help in its wide range of activities ranging from ethnic profiling, research initiation on Arab community through universities, relief work, refugee support and case studies to help with website and email management, etc. Please contact naba wither by email of by telephone/fax.

Councilors from the Arab World

London

Councillor G Karian - Labour
Councillor B Mahfouz - Labour

Cambridge shire

Councillor S Amarah - Conservative

East Midlands

Councillor Dr S I Jalili - Liberal Democrats
Councillor Mrs M Jalili - Liberal Democrats

Please let us know of any other councilors you know about.

Translation to/from Arabic 

NABA encourages translated material from Arabic to English and vice versa to encourage the exchange of information. Should you wish to do so, please contact us on:  media  @  naba.org.uk

Local Elections 4 May 2006

NABA calls all the British Arabic speaking (and other ethnic groups) to address the issue of participating in elections, whether local or general seriously. It draws the attention of the Arabic speaking communities to the coming local elections on 4th May 2006 and endorse the call of MCB but also encourage all the local ethnic associations/societies/clubs to raise this issue with their membership.

British Muslims Urged to Register to Vote Before Monday’s Deadline

 The Muslim Council of Britain is asking Imams and mosques throughout the UK to use this week’s Friday sermon (Khutbah) to emphasise the need for British Muslims to register to vote. With the approaching deadline of Monday 13th March for voter registration in respect of the English local elections due to be held on Thursday May 4th 2006, the need to register is urgent.

“The Elections Minister, Harriet Harman, recently revealed that in London alone over 60,000 Muslims (18% of the total Muslim population in London ) were not registered to vote. This is clearly unacceptable. British Muslims are greatly underrepresented in politics at both the local and national level, and it is vital that we address and rectify this situation. Imams, mosques and Muslim organisations across the country should help make voter registration forms available to British Muslims,” said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

The Muslim Council of Britain has also informed its affiliate organisations to draw urgent attention to the upcoming deadline.

The MCB notes that some far right extremist groups are seeking to exploit the traditional low turnout at local elections to make inroads on May 4 and have provocatively described the elections as a ‘Referendum Day on Islam’. The MCB urges all people of goodwill to vote in the May 4th elections to ensure that fascist groups are comprehensively defeated at the ballot box.

Notes to Editors:

1. Voter registration forms can be downloaded from http://aboutmyvote.co.uk/

2. The website for the Electoral Commission is http://www.electoralcommission.gov.uk/

The Muslim Council of Britain is the UK 's representative Muslim umbrella body with over 400 affiliated national, regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools.