As a gesture of our sincere efforts exerted to raise awareness about Islam and Islamic etiquettes and since we believe that the service is better delivered when the service provider has good understanding of the people s/he is serving, and based on their initiative Dr Ali Selim gave a talk to Blakestown Children’s Disability Network Team, St Joseph’s Centre. In his talk Dr Selim shed light on fundamental aspects of Islam. He elucidated a number of cultural issues most likely subject to misinterpretation, and hence may lead to tension or in the best scenario to uncomfortable situations. At the end of the presentation Blakestown Children’s Disability Network Team discussed with Dr Selim practical issues they came across creating the right environment for exchange of experiences and brainstorming.
Some feedback from attendees:
“It was a very informative course which I think allowed us to start our journey to become more culturally informed when we are supporting families with different backgrounds. Thank you Ali for taking your time to meet us and be so open about sharing your experiences.”
“I felt that the cultural differences piece in particular was very beneficial as this gave us practical insight for working with families/building relationships.”
“Personally, I had little knowledge about Islam and their beliefs. I found it really helpful to learn about the beliefs (hand shaking, eye contact, display of food and Ramadan etc.) and I think this learning will be really valuable going forward in areas of building rapport with parents and families. The information from this talk will benefit the team going forward. The presentation slides were helpful – perhaps more time focusing on the challenges would have been beneficial but it was nice to hear the background of what is Islam.”
