Community

Survey report

2018

This report contains the results of a community survey that was carried out by members of the

immediate community.
Shah Jalal Masjid & Burnley Islamic Cultural Centre has conducted a community survey as part of a major
review of its activities. The purpose of the review is to develop a strategy for the Masjids role in order to
foster a balanced, skilled and spiritually minded community. The purpose of the survey was to understand
the needs of the Worshippers, in order to improve the activities of the Masjid so it can better serve the
Community.

Alhamdulilah, 159 people participated in the survey, with a good representation across different age
groups; genders and incorporates both members and non-members. To receive such a high level of
engagement is a great success considering such surveys have not been conducted by our Masjid before.
We would like to thank all those who took the time to participate. The survey was conducted online and
paper copies were distributed to households in the local area. Data from both sources have been collated
and the results are presented below.

The survey contained 10 questions, seeking both the views on current activities and suggestions from
participants. From the findings, we will take all suggestions and views into consideration with the firm
intention to identify and implement the 3 most important activities as suggested through this exercise.

Findings:
Question 1

45% 41% How old are you?

40%
35%
29%
30%
25%
20%
15% 11%
8% 8%
10%
5% 2% 1% 0%
0%
12 to 17 18 to 24 25 to 34 35 to 44 45 to 54 55 to 64 65 to 74 75+
years years years years years years years
old old old old old old old

The largest demographic of respondents were from the age range of 25-44. This identifies a group who
are willing to be engaged. The Masjid will be looking to identify in more detail the needs of this
demographic and deliver a set of services targeted for them. We know that many people within these
age ranges are well educated and highly skilled. Many of the responses from this group have included
sensible advice and guidance. The Masjid is committed to taking this on board and going further still, by
trying to develop ways in which this demographic can be engaged further so that the Masjid committee
and the immediate community can benefit further from their skills and experience. In particular, the
Masjid will look further into allowing access for these professionals to planning and decision making.

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Question 2

Are you Male or Female?

36%

64%
Male
Female

We as the Masjid committee acknowledge that there is lack of interaction from the Masjid to the female
section of the community and accept this must be remediated. We want to address this as a priority and
work alongside female members of the community to allow greater access for females in the Masjid. Not
only for spiritual purposes but also for capacity building, positive engagement and community
development. This will work in cohesion to the wider services of the Masjid and under Islamic practices.

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Question 3

Please rate the Masjids current

services out of 10

4.4
5
4
3
2
1
0

A score of 4.4 is below average and must be improved. The Masjid has the capacity to be able to
deliver a wider range of services on its own and as part of a multi-agency strategy. The Masjid
committee will now plan alongside volunteers and community members in the hope to develop a
sustainable programme of activities that addresses these unmet. This survey was conducted to gain the
information that will allow us to plan, deliver and evaluate a strong programme of activities.

Question 4
The Masjid is considering youth projects, suc h as organized activities, homewor k classes
& careers advice. Would your c hild/siblings participate? Do you have any suggestions
for this kind of project?

134 people said that it was a good idea running organized activities for the youth. We
received hundreds of comments and have included some below:

“This would be a good idea, as it will make the Masjid more integral to the community”

“I think this is a good idea and I will be willing to participa te”

“Yes homework & careers ad vice would be helpful considering that Stoneyholme has a
very low employment rate”

“Good idea! It’s time the Masjid became the heartbea t of the community”

“I think homework classes is a very good idea as my son needs extra support with his
school work, there are many kids tha t also do”

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The Masjid committee will further explore suggestions made by participants and investigate how many of
these can be implemented by the Masjid. For those activities that are not within the capacity of the
Masjid, we are committed to identifying and engaging with other institutions in order to sign post relevant
services; host services delivered by third parties or jointly deliver such services.

Question 5

14.0
What activities would you like to see at the Masjid?
12.0
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0

In this question the survey participants chose the following activities as the top 3 they would like to see
implemented in the Masjids activities.

1. Job application, interview help and employability skills workshop

2. Tajweed and Islamic classes for adults

3. Health and safety training

It is clear that success in the secular life and success in a spiritual life are both linked. The Masjid commits
itself to facilitating both these aspects. It plans to provide services to meet the needs as expressed by the
people who participated in the survey. The Masjid committee will publish a plan on how it will work
alongside other agencies, such as the local authority and third sector organisations, so that we can create
a multi-agency strategy to meet the needs of the immediate community.

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Question 6

What
76%
role, if any should the Masjid play in
80% our community?
70%

60%

50%

40%

30% 22%

20%

10% 1%

0%
Large moderate Minimal

76% of participants stated that they feel the Masjid should play a ‘large’ role in the community, which
includes all aspects of community development. We again received a lot of comments about the role of
the Masjid in the community, some have been included below:

“Cater for men and women deliver all speeches in Bangla and English is a must”

“Masjid should be the hub of the community”

“I think the Masjid should play a pivotal role where the community is concerned and that too without any
bias”

We are aware that the Masjid is one of the most prominent focal points in the community. The Masjid
should be seen as an impartial base for people to come forward with concerns on religious and
community grounds. With these findings the Masjid committee will endeavor to work alongside community
members to discuss, further the role of the Masjid in the area and how it can continue to meet the needs
of the community.

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Question 7

Would you like to see more services for women

88%
and would you get involved?
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
12%
20%
10%
0%
Yes I would like to see more Yes I would like to get involved
services for women

88% of par ticipants would like to see more ser vices for women and many females
would like to get involved in activities for women. We received some strong comments
regarding ser vices for women, suc h as:

“Nothing for women comes from Masjid. Women are the strongest pillars in society need
to get them involved in Masjid”

“Women’s active involvement in the Majid is absolutely essential, now more than ever. It’s
women who guide their children more than the men, so they n eed the necessary Islamic as
well as moral cultural guidance. This can and should be provided from the Masjid”

“Apart from the transmission service (which isn’t tha t grea t) we completely neglect women.
Full stop .

The Masjid accepts that there must be a detailed strategy and a schedule of activities specifically
targeted at Women. Furthermore, this must be developed by Women for Women. Therefore the Masjid
will engage with Women and consult with them in smaller focus groups. This will be done through positive
engagement whereby women will have the platform to raise their concerns, opinions and suggestions in
the way they feel most comfortable and under Islamic practice.

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Question 8

Are you currently or have you in the past been a

member of the Masjid?

5% 7%

52% yes
36%
no
was in past
maybe consider in future

We know that the Masjid historically has suffered from a lack of membership from all sections of the
community. As part of its continuous development on structure and governance, the Masjid will look into
such policies to update, edit and restructure, so that all sections of the community see membership with the
Masjid as a vital part to their own interaction, thus creating a steady flow of new and willing members
that bring their skills, knowledge and experience to help further the aims and objectives of the Masjid.
Membership to the Masjid should be a well-informed understanding between its members and the rules
and guidelines stated within its constitution and set out by the Masjid committee. The Masjid commits to
publish the findings of this review and through a process of consultation implement a revised membership
scheme.

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Question 9

The Masjid is constantly fundraising, would you

get involved?

50% 50% Yes I would like to get involved

No I don’t have the time or

skills

Alhamdulilah the Masjid wor k has progressed well in the past year. We have completed
the Mortuary, Lavatory and Whudu khana. Before the work started the Masjid
committee held a consultation meeting with members of the congregation and took their
opinions on board. We understand fundraising takes a lot of time and effort but we
encourage members of the comm unity to donate generously and give their fundraising
ideas to the committee. All financial data of the Masjid is av ailable from the Treasurer
and the Charity Commission website. The Masjid commits to a strategy of transparency
and will develop policies to facilitate this.

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Question 10

Do you understand how the Masjid is run?

70% 64%

60%

50%

40%

30%
18% 18%
20%

10%

0%
Yes No Not interested

The survey figures show that a significant number of people understand how the Masjid is run and
understand its constitution. We encourage members of the community to engage with the Masjid
committee and promote its aims and objectives. The Masjid commits to conducting more activities, such as
this survey, in order to seek engagement from the community, provide them access to decision making and
improving communications to them.

The Masjid would once again like to extend its sincerest gratitude to all participants who have provided
this valuable feedback. However, this process of engagement is not closed and we welcome all
constructive feedback. Please speak up or we as a community cannot move forward.

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