It’s very rare that you hear of new initiatives and issues taken up by mainstream Islamic organisations which are reported by the media. Muslims organising a conference on anti-Semitism? Impossible!

Alas…it did happen! And I was there to witness the recent packed event in Oslo Continue reading Anti-Semitism is anti-Islamic!

When I met this very senior figure in our community two years ago – I thought it was merely a conversation to get to know one another. No so. When I met him again a few months ago – he introduced me to an organisation called ‘The Adab Trust’ a name that I had apparently ‘inspired’. Me? Continue reading ‘Ādāb: building mutual trust

Three years after the 7/7 bombings in London, we are yet again trying to make sense of the threat from terrorism (or extremism). And those anxieties have opened up a Pandora’s box of questions. 

The inevitable questions are: Whether the Islamic faith is an inherent threat to British society; is this another McCarthyite witch-hunt; was multiculturalism a good working formula for coexistence; should the immigration laws be restricted further to limit Muslim migration; are Muslim youth much more exposed to extremism; or even whether we should take the 42 day detention without charge to 90 days.

We are led to believe that disenfranchised, and disillusioned by the failure of integration, some British Muslims have taken up the militant Islamic ideology against Britain. Continue reading The only thing we have to fear is fear itself

This month saw the launch of the European campaign against forced marriages in Rotterdam. One of the people heading this campaign is Professor Tariq Ramadan, President of the European Muslim Network. His statement explained why he had to get involved in this campaign – I think it’s a great message. In case you haven’t read it:

“Something had to be said about practices that are very often presented as Islamic while they are betraying the very essence of the Islamic message. The contemporary Muslim conscience is actually facing two major problems: the literalist reading and reductive interpretation of the scriptural sources (Qur’an and prophetic traditions –Sunna) on the one hand and the great confusion between religious principles and cultural practices on the other.

Forced marriages are at the crossroad of these two very serious challenges: some ‘ulamâ’, Muslim scholars, are keeping silent or even accepting these practices Continue reading Against forced marriages

Time Magazine’s 2008 list of the 100 most influential people was unveiled last week. Eleven Muslim politicians, pioneers, entertainers and thinkers from around the world have made it to the list.
 
We are told this list comes after much debate among leading world academics. So this year the Dalai Lama is number one on the list. This will no doubt raise the profile of the Tibetan movement whose strength, determination and dignity is there for all to see. Yet the international community continues to remain shamefully silent. When asked what he thought of the human race, the Dalai Lama replied: “We are the superior species on Earth but also the biggest troublemakers”.
 
What I am really happy about is the inclusion of Malaysia’s former deputy prime minister and current opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim – who led the Muslim figures, ranking ninth in the world’s most influential leaders. I remember meeting him a few years back and just remember his smiles, his approachable personality and the thoroughness of his analysis: qualities all Muslims leaders could do with today. 

Despite undergoing torture and false imprisonment by the former prime minister Mohathir Mohamed – Anwar Ibrahim seemed retrospective, not at all bitter or vengeful. Here was a man who had his goal clearly set on better things. Continue reading Time 100: who would be in your list?

Many of you no doubt are flooded with emails of the following sort:

‘Great news. Hope you all know about the Danish newspaper who made fun of our loving Prophet and till now they never regret… let us make them regret for all time…they all try to do something just to stop the boycott made by Muslims last month, by which their losses have reached to 2 billion Euros. If we continue to boycott Danish products after 7 months it could reach around 40 billion Euros destruction’.

And then we are charged with a lack of ‘love’ for . . . → Read More: To boycott or not to boycott