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About Us

Welcome Mission Structure Committee

Bismi-llahi-irrahman-iraheem

[In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful]

Assalmo Alikum Warahmatullahi Wabrakatu,
[Peace, Mercy of Allah and His Blessings Be Upon You]

I would like to take the opportunity to welcome you to the University of Bristol Islamic Society (BRISOC). The foundations of our society were established in the late seventies of the last century by a group of brothers and sisters studying at the University of Bristol during that time.

By the will and support of Allah SWT, the stream of this society continues and its tree grows to be the ideal representative of Muslim students on the campus and to be best place for Muslim students to find a variety of religious and social activities in accordance with their Islamic faith.

Alhamdulillah, at the beginning of every academic year, new members join BRISOC and keep the society active and developing with their thoughts, ideas, and enthusiasm to create a wonderful environment for all society members.

We strongly believe that the responsibility and mission we carry, as the committee of this society is a great honour and a source of daily pleasure to be at the heart of organizing and managing the activities of Muslim students.

Our society and the house of BRISOC only gets better, stronger and more active when all hands come together. It will be full of energy with all hearts and minds focussed in one direction for the sake of Allah SWT.

The calendar of BRISOC for this year will be rich with a wide spectrum of activities covering spiritual, cultural and social sides of our university life. The cultural activities this year will provide you with an excellent chance to remember the great and noble message of Islam sent to the humanity and worlds along side with the achievements of Islamic civilization to the benefits of human beings.

The house of BRISOC is yours and it will be open and maintained by the contributions and activities of all brothers and sisters in the campus. Therefore, let us work together to improve and develop our society, and to have a very productive and enjoyable year, a year to remember and to be proud of by the help and support of Allah SWT.

Our mission

1. To cater for the needs of Muslims studying and working at the University of Bristol irrespective of country of origin, school of thought, background or level of practice.

Students from all over the world arrive every year to study at the University of Bristol from diverse backgrounds. Islam is a way of life thereby everyday services such as supermarkets can prove difficult to navigate when arriving from country that explicitly labels foods suitable for Muslims and foods which are not. As this kind of labelling does not exist in the UK iSoc can provide advice on shopping for food. This is an example of the type of service BRISOC provides as well as arranging Friday prayer facilities, access to literature etc.

2. To represent Muslim interests at a local and national levels.

BRISOC recognises that Muslims interest have weak representation in the UK and intends to amend this by encouraging and increasing participation both locally and nationally on matters affecting Muslim.

3. To combat ignorance, misinformation and prejudice against Muslims and Islam.

As a case of example, iSoc recognises that on September 11th Islam was hijacked by those who carried out atrocities in its name. As a result there has been a back-lash on Muslims as increasing numbers have been victims of verbal and physical abuse. To combat this iSoc intends to tackle the root problem by increasing awareness amongst Muslims and non- Muslims of Islam's values, by raising concerns when Islam is misrepresented in the media and by campaigning to remove prejudice against Muslims.

4. To inform, promote and increase awareness of Islam to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

University is about meeting new people, discovering different cultures and backgrounds and discovering things about you. They are about having fun. iSoc is no different, we like low cost (or even free!) food, entertainment and fun. These are the avenues we intend to exploit to introduce people to Islam, in a friendly, caring and open environment. Our purpose is to encourage people to ask questions on what they don't understand so we may answer them!

The structure of the society

The Islamic Society organises and maintains a variety of activities for its members through its active working groups.

At the beginning of each year, the Islamic Society holds a recruitment event to encourage new society members to join our committee. Meetings are then held by the committee members to discuss new ideas, events, proposals, or the logistics of upcoming events.

At the end of each year, an Annual General Meeting [AGM] is held which provides an opportunity for all members of the society to come and air their views about the performance of the Islamic Society. This can be done in the form of motions submitted in advance with great enough support for it. For a copy of the Islamic Society’s Constitution, please e-mail the General Secretary who will be happy to assisst on [secretary@brisoc.com]

The University of Bristol Islamic Society is affiliated to the Federation Of Student Islamic Societies (FOSIS). FOSIS is a body that caters for the needs of muslim students in further and higher education across the UK and Ireland. Established in 1962, the federation seeks to uphold the Quranic verse where Allah tells us to:

"Hold fast to the rope of Allah, all of you together, and be not disunited” [Quran 3:103]

At the heart of their vision, they have two central aims; (1) to represent muslim students and (2) to serve students In terms of representation.

FOSIS is the largest representative organisation of muslim youth in the UK and Ireland. It is the voice of over 90,000 muslim students. It seeks to bring these students together, to share experiences and to offer help and advice where appropriate, uniting muslim students to positively contribute to both muslim and non-muslim communities alike. As well as uniting and representing muslim students, FOSIS also strives to serve students, through setting up a number of committees which serve the welfare of all students.