British Muslims
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Defining Identity
What they Say
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Muslims in Britain
Impact of Media
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Identity
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Interviews
Capturing identity
In primary research, one of the questions asked to young prominent British Muslims was; do you feel you can be British and Muslim? All the interviewees agreed that being Muslim and British was not an issue to them, as being both was not mutually exclusive. To them, people who bring up the question of identity about Muslims are usually those trying to exploit and divide Muslims for their specific agendas.
Religon
Juber Hussain
East London Mosque
Activist
Do you believe multiculturalism has failed in Britain
I believe Multiculturalism has failed because it is being super imposed on people, and it will have it’s negative and positive impacts, but the negative outweighing the positive. Multiculturalism is needed when you have created and established a society that evokes individualism, which is housed in a capitalistic social framework. In a capitalistic society, competition is the source key and you have people competing in jobs, markets, the latest gadgets etc. This evokes an individualistic approach of me, myself and I; therefore the idea of a big society is just another blindfold. This therefore equates and promotes a non-cohesive society.
What role does faith have in building a better society?
Faith plays a major role in the building of a society. Islam for example has a unique social system that evokes cohesion, justice and personal freedom which strikes a balance between the communistic society and a secular society. The Qur’an starts by underlining what a society should be built upon: an individual should have the basic needs fulfilled, i.e. food, shelter, clothing, security. In building a society one must establish justice, the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) once explained what a society should be, he explains in Sunan Abu Dawood that, “society is like a boat sailing far out in the sea, you have a upper deck and a lower deck, the people on the lower deck require water, and the upper deck is required to give them water, but they refused so the people on the lower deck start drilling a hole in the boat for water, what will happen? The whole boat will sink”.
The wisdom behind the saying of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) strikes a significant balance on how a society should operate fulfilling the needs of an individual in to the context of teh society. It identifies there’s needs and responsibilities on those with authority i,e the upper deck. This geo-political myth of too many needs not enough resources is actually true, as distribution isn’t correct, thus social, economic breakdown is only called for.
Human beings need to be pegged onto a social justice system which has a transcendent divinity of what righteousness is. Therefore religion can only claim this role.
What roles do the mosques have in combating radicalisation?
The Mosques have a very big role in it’s deliverance of Islamic knowledge. They must ensure that the religion is understood in a holistic manner and it is taught within its social framework and its content. Islam is a very balanced religion and the mosques act as a central hub for the community it works in, and a huge influence is built upon its foundations. Historically the pulpit serves as a leader addressing it’s people; therefore he must teach it with being true to its justification.
Being an active Muslim and working for a mosque how do you feel you can contribute towards removing the prejudice and stigma attached to Muslim identity?
Teach and remind the people to understand Islam and Muslims without bringing on ones hermeneutics in to play. Once that is established all rational thinking will fall into place. Picking and choosing words/versus/sayings and misrepresenting them, then to make a judgement based on that is an injustice to oneself. The prominent scholars and our Imams remind us of a saying of the prophet Muhammad “I have not been sent to you for anything more than to perfect you in your manners”.
Are the mosques engaging with different faith groups and educating British society about Muslims in Britain?
A Mosque has a social obligation in delivering its understanding and culture as; if the way of the Prophet Muhammad is sought you only find that after migrating to Yathrib present day Medina, he established a Mosque. Straight after he introduced brother/sisterhood among the newly found followers and instilled in them that to harm a human being is like harming the whole of mankind. Then letters with invitations to the highest of authorities including the Persian and Roman empires inviting them to the come to common platforms. The instructions of let there arise out of you a group of people who will enjoin the good, and forbid the evil evokes only positive behaviour and never promotes that an individual is sovereign over society and that every individual has an obligation to society.
“Let you plant to reap, for if you do not plant then you cannot reap, and never repel the orphan and take what is rightfully his, nor be harsh to your parent’s for I and the angels curse the ones who are harsh to their parent’s” Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
A mosque also has an obligation to hold social cohesion events which humanises the whole experience of welcoming people outside the faith to learn and understand its traditions within its social framework.
Do you feel you can be British and Muslim?
I don’t believe multiculturalism has failed in Yes. My very right of being a British citizen allows me the freedom to disagree and agree. It also gives me the right to practice my religion to the fullest, but the old biblical saying that ‘a good tree will bear good fruits and a bad tree will bear bad fruits’ is true as I believe with my examples given earlier explains that the society we live and work in, has its roots rotten. One only has to look at the poverty facts, economic facts, social ills and our very own justice system.
