There will be fundraising on the day or you can donate additional money here as this goes to Read Foundation's Haji Pura School project in Bhimber, Kashmir. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2MRP6OlYSY

Only two months ago, UNESCO reported that by 2013, one in four Pakistani children will still not receive education to completion of primary school!  Without helping them to read, how will kids in Kashmir get opportunities like the ones we have? 

A friend of mine - Saghir Khan - has committed to raising £128k - the cost to build a school that is big enough to House all existing students & give them a quality education they deserve. The school has fantastic model for the community to keep schools running without needing more donations once they are up.

More about me

We decided to sponsor the above event as my and parents emphasised education to us in a massive way (maternal grandfather was a school principal & my mother insisted on a private education for us all). My father sacrificed for me to benefit from a private school & funded me through my law degree at Cambridge University. And I studied with Islamic scholars to develop a love to read the Qur'an.

I also mixed with brilliant legal scholars like Sir Derek Oulton, Dr Neil Jones, Mickey Dias and they gave me confidence to work with other brilliant legal peers like Michael Briggs, Peter Coulson & Rupert Jackson. All have been very honest & inspirational leaders and seekers of justice. Reading developed moral values to support the truth even if the ones saying it are unpopular. 

Reading raised me on values not to follow a vision of prioritising protect your own back, protect your firm, make money, protect your client’s back & make your client money. It led me to set-up justice-on-demand: 

www.HajjResolve.com. 

that’s free to get a claim letter for the one-in-two British muslims who don't get what they paid £6,000 each for (or £1.5k for Umrah). And the service is now a finalist - www.event.law.com/legalweek-british-legal-awards/shortlist - in the Alternative Service category for the British Legal Awards 2019! Legal Services that put higher value serving on saving others time -over maximising how much money can be made from them. In so doing, we hope we can shine a light to encourage the travel industry to do the same.

Last I booked an Umrah, it was for a heavily pregnant wife, a 2-year-old and myself. With a young family, we thought we were minimising our risks by booking with one of the most expensive ATOL-bonded and Ministry of Hajj approved package-organisers. Yet we ended up with one-bed in our room. My pregnant wife slept uncomfortably on the floor and I slept on the floor. I reported it to the organiser, but we managed to perform our Umrah. The ATOL-bonded and Ministry of Hajj approved package-organisers did nothing. And equally I did nothing more too.

Had we been on another travel-package, I would have higher expectations for half the cost. Not simply accept being told to remain patient. Hajj & Umrah organisers sell high-cost packages.

And how else are we to read: “and when they are wronged, they defend themselves” [Ash Shura 42:39] and of: "and put-right that which is between you" [Al Anfal 8:1]?

Hajj & Umrah organisers must work with us to give us back our rights. Give people what they paid for or pay for us to receive legal advice service to help understand if we are being taken advantage of or not. 

And HajjResolve gives peace of mind, unlike legal process that won’t let you rest:

“Remuneration on a time basis rewards inefficiency. Unrestrained costs shifting drives parties to leave no stone unturned: the more costs mount up, the more determined each party becomes to ensure that the other party pays them. The result is inevitable - a civil justice system which is exorbitantly expensive.” [Sir Rupert Jackson]

For the Hajj & Umrah organisers who sign-up, their customers benefit from improved reliability to deliver on what they were promised. And more customers will buy from organisers they can expect more from!

More about Read Foundation's model 

Parents pay affordable fees (less than Rs750 per month compared to Rs20,000 that other private-fee paying schools charge). And 70% of teachers trained and working in their schools are women all from the same community. Many Read school kids come top of the national exams. So they too have the best chance to read and be raised on upstanding values to create the more just society that Imran Khan’s government in Pakistan is striving to build!

Donating through JustGiving is totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving as they don’t share them with Read or me, sell them on or send unwanted emails. JustGiving send your money directly to Read Foundation.

Thank you for helping educate the oppressed children of Kashmir. For serving them, may a higher-power serve you by bringing security to all your trials and travels (and please do support by sharing the link www.HajjResolve.com with friends and family & taking 10-mins yourself to click the links to questions for you to shape this early free help to put things right for you).