Online Consultation Forms for the Creation of a Shia Council in Britain.
This form is for consultation with
individuals.
Please fill the form in carefully with attention to the details therein.
Part A - Your Details
The purpose of part A is to find out about yourself. Please kindly
fill in the details below as best you can.
Title *
Dr Mr Mrs Miss Ms
Surname *
Other names *
Occupation / Education *
Address *
Postcode *
Telephone
Fax
Please provide us with any additional information about yourself which you feel may be useful
Part B - The case for a unified umbrella
organisation to represent Shia Muslims in the United Kingdom
In this part of the form, we want your views on the case for a unified
umbrella organisation that shall represent all Shia Muslim organisations
within the United Kingdom.
Please indicate your view in relation to the need
for a unified umbrella organisation to represent Shia Muslims in the United
Kingdom *
I agree I disagree I am undecided
In the space below you may add your comments if you wish
Part C - Proposed Aims and Objectives for
a unified umbrella organisation
In this part f the documentation we want
your feedback on the proposed aims and objectives for a unified umbrella
organisation. We believe these carefully drafted aims and objectives are
vitally important and necessary, what do you think? Please tick the
appropriate box and submit your comments underneath.
Proposed aims and objectives for a unified umbrella organisation *
To promote the teachings and practices of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and his Purified Progeny, the AhlulBayt [as]
To unite all the Shia Muslims within the United Kingdom
To represent the interests of the Shia Muslims in relation to the media, Central and Local Government, NGOs and other charitable organisations
To formulate policies and strategies for advancing the best interests of the Shia Muslims
To promote and support best practices in relation to the corporate governance of each member organisation
To encourage the sharing of expertise and the cross fertilisation of ideas between member organisations and within the Shia Muslim community in general
To promote all forms of excellence within the Shia Muslim community
To promote and encourage greater cooperation and understanding within the wider Muslim community
To take all steps to promote peace, justice and harmony within society
To promote and support interfaith activities
To work for the common good of all people within the United Kingdom
Comments
on the proposed aims and objectives
Part D - Proposed name for a unified
umbrella organisation to represent Shia Muslims in the United Kingdom
In this part of the form, we want your views on proposed names for the
united umbrella organisation. The selection of names below has been chosen
on the basis that they include the combination of the following words: "Shia",
"Muslim/Islamic", "Britain/British/UK" and "Council". Also there is the
question on the inclusion of the phrase Ithna Asheri. Please indicate which
you prefer.
Proposed name for a unified umbrealla organisation to represent Shia Muslims in the United Kingdom *
Council of British Shia Muslims Shia Muslim Council of the United Kingdom British Shia Muslim Council Shia Islamic Council of Britain Shia Muslim Council of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Comments
on the proposed name
Should the name specifically state Ithna Asheri? *
The name need NOT state Ithna Asheri The name SHOULD state Ithna Asheri
Part E - Eligibility of membership
In this part of the form, we want your views in relation to the
eligibility for membership of the unified umbrella organisations. The
various factors to be taken into consideration are mentioned below. Please
feel free to contribute any additional comments in the space provided.
Issue 1
a) Should the proposed umbrella organisation consider for
membership every entity that considers itself to be Shia? i.e
organisations which represent Agha Khani Ismailis, Dawoodi Bohras and so
forth?
OR
b) Should the proposed umbrella organisation restrict eligibility to
only those organisations that follow the Jafari Madhab, i.e Ithna Asheri
[Twelver] Shia?
Eligibility of membership *
Eligibility for membership should be open for organisations of all denominations that consider themselves to be Shia, i.e organisations which represent Agha Khani Ismailis, Dawoodi Bohra and so on.
Eligibility for membership should be restricted to only those who follow the Jafari Imami Ithna Asheri [twelver] Madhab.
Comments on eligibility of membership
Issue 2
Should federated and regional bodies be eligible for membership?
Argument For: Federated and regional bodies often represent a
number of organisations, and therefore they ought to be eligible for
membership. Argument Against: Individual organisations may directly become
members of the unified umbrella organisation. Therefore, to allow
federated bodies to also join the umbrella body may well amount to
double representation and additional voting power.
Do you think federated and regional bodies should be eligible for
membership? *
Eligibility for membership should be open to federated and regional bodies, which may also be represented directly by their members.
Eligibility for membership should NOT be open to federated and regional bodies, which may be represented by direct participation of their members.
Comments on federated / regional bodies issue
Part F - Forms of representation
In this part of the document, we want your views in relation to
the form of democratic representation which could be adopted in order
to ensure that the unified umbrella organisation strikes the right
balance between fair representation and effective implementation of
any voting mechanism. Two distinct mediums of representation have been
tabulated below. Please give careful consideration to each one and
make your choice accordingly. There is additional space for your
comments.
Form A
Argument For
Argument Against
The number of votes each organisation is granted is dependant
upon membership or their average congregation. The system
would be as follows:
Average
congregation
Votes
0 - 500
1 vote
501 - 1000
2 votes
1001 - 2000
3 votes
2001 - 3000
4 votes
3000 +
5 votes
A more
proportional system of representation
Organisations
shall be granted votes dependent upon their average
congregation
This ensures
larger organisations get their share of votes, compared to
smaller less prevalent organisations.
Verifying and
quantifying a congregation is often subjective, hence an
organisation may get an unfairly high or low number of
votes.
An organisation
which has a large congregation may not necessarily be
representative of their attendees.
The views of
smaller organisations may be drowned out by the larger ones.
Not all
organisations have a regular congregation, but nonetheless
contribute to the community,
Form B
Argument For
Argument Against
Each member organisation is given one vote no matter what its
size. Hence, the system is one member, one vote, regardless of
size.
The problem with
verifying and quantifying an average congregation is
eliminated.
Small and big
organisations are treated equally.
Organisations
without a regular congregation are given an equal voice.
May be perceived
as unfair by larger organisations.
Forms of representation *
I agree with Form A I agree with Form B
There are interested individuals within the Shia community such as scholars, lecturers and academics who work independently and are not under any particular Shia Muslim organisation. In your opinion, how should such individuals, who contribute significantly to the progress of the Shia community in the UK be represented in this proposed coucil? *
Part G - Additional comments
and feedback
In this section we welcome your comments and feedback in
relation to this document and any other issues which you feel may be
of relevance.