|
British Muslims Monthly Survey for October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10
Features Manchester students union vote
Short Reports Scunthorpe’s multicultural library service Police and Muslim community liaison, Leicester Disadvantage and Birmingham’s Pakistanis Muslim business conference in Bosnia Northampton Pakistani elections Lottery funding to Asian centre Discussion article against halal slaughter Halal slaughter letter causes controversy Waltham Forest Muslim Women’s Welfare Association Board of Deputies meets Home Secretary Rushdie in Austrian discussions Jewish Community Security Trust Nation of Islam comedy show complaint Bradford Hindu/Muslim friction
Updates Education Hijaz College’s expansion plans Muslim schools and state funding Rochdale teaching centre plans
Mosques Birmingham, Victoria Road, Aston
Burials
Features Manchester students union vote Both the Jewish Society and the Islamic Society at Manchester University are claiming victory after a debate on a motion brought by the latter was postponed. Muslim News (25.10.96) attributed the postponement to the Students Union. This paper also quoted the chairperson of the Islamic Society, Noweed Ahmed, who denied that the purpose of the motion was to have the Jewish Society banned: "the reason for this claim is to raise hysteria to get enough members in the meeting to defeat us". He added that "the Jewish Society should support the motion as it is mainly to support cultural and religious festivals for greater inter-cultural awareness in the University". The report in the Jewish Chronicle (01.11.96) said that the Islamic society had withdrawn the motion, without giving reasons, but that the Manchester Jewish student spokesperson Dan Green said: "I think they [the Islamic Society] saw they couldn’t win." The Jewish Telegraph (Manchester Edition, 25.10.96) however, placed more emphasis on the unexpectedly large turnout of 3,000 at the venue for Manchester University Students Union annual general meeting, the Palace Hotel. Student chaplain Rabbi Y Rubinstein said: "I reckon there were 2,500 students inside the hall and another 500 who could not get in. The hotel’s insurance could not cope with such numbers...At least 200 Jewish students came with placards from Jewish societies all over the country to support Manchester JSoc who turned out in full force and did an unbelievably good job." Naomi Epstein, chair of the Talmudic Appreciation Society at Manchester Metropolitan University said that the struggle must continue: "All Jewish students must bring along their non-Jewish friends. The Sikhs and the Hindus are supporting us. The university has never seen such a high profile issue. We must make sure we continue with the hard work" (Jewish Telegraph, 25.10.96). Noweed Ahmed, proposer of the Islamic Society’s motion, was reported as saying: " ...I don’t know what the fuss is about. The wording of the anti-Zionist clause was taken almost verbatim from a motion applied against Hizb ut-Tahrir last year. It seems that the Jewish Society wants to exercise a veto over what is acceptable. Until a few years ago, the United Nations also equated Zionism with racism" (Q-News, 11.10.96). The Jewish Chronicle (18.10.96) gives the relevant extract from the original motion as seeking to: "Derecognise societies and/or groups who defend, support or advocate Israel’s continuing violent occupation of Palestine - and to curb the activities of any individual group who aligns itself or themselves with Zionism". According to the same paper, the Islamic Society subsequently amended the motion by adding the words "discriminatory forms of Zionism". The Jewish Chronicle (11.10.96) reported that the chief executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Neville Nagler, had written to the vice-chancellor of Manchester, Professor Martin Harris, expressing concern about the motion. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 1]
Short Reports As part of Muslim Awareness Week (see British Muslims Monthly Survey for September 1996), the Peterborough Branch of the UK Islamic Mission held an exhibition in the Guildhall on Islam, giving the opportunity for people to gain information and have informal discussions about the faith (Peterborough Citizen, 26.09.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 1] Neo-Nazi graffiti, such as the slogan "C18" - the initials of the fascist group Combat 18 - have been condemned by police in Slough as likely to add racist overtones to a tense situation between gangs of young Muslims and Sikhs (see BMMS for July, August, September and December 1995; April, June, July, August and September 1996). The graffiti have appeared on a bridge over the M4 and Detective Inspector Steve Neale, who is in charge of operations against the warring gangs, said it was important to obliterate it quickly: "This is obscene to some parts of the community and it is important that to some groups of people it can be interpreted as racist and obscene and therefore should go pretty quickly" (Slough & Langley Express, 26.09.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 1/2] Sarah Cook, who married a 19 year-old Turkish waiter in Turkey when she was thirteen (see BMMS for January and February 1996), gave birth to a baby boy at the beginning of October. He will be called Mohammed. Musa, the new father, will be unable to travel to England to see his son as he has been refused an entry visa. Sarah and the baby are wards of court and officially in the care of Essex social services (Q-News, 04.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 2] The Muslim all-girl band Trickbaby (see BMMS for September 1996) claim to have had a financial success with their dance mix version of the old Hindi film song Ena Mena Dika and plan to bring another single and an album in the new year (Daily Jang, 18.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 2] East is East, a play from the Tamasha Theatre Company showing at the Birmingham Rep theatre in October, received outstanding reviews from the Birmingham Evening Mail (11.10.96) and the Birmingham Post (14.10.96). It is the first play written by the actor Ayub Khan-Din, of Coronation Street and London Bridge fame. Partly based on Ayub Khan-Din’s own earlier life, it is about a mixed-heritage Muslim family growing up in Salford in the early 1970's. Terry Grimley, theatre critic of the Birmingham Post writes: "This is frankly not an advertisement for traditional Islamic values, which erupt unpleasantly into violence on several occasions. Yet it is a quite wonderful performance by Nadim Sawalha as George [the father of the family, from East Pakistan], too real and vulnerable a character to be entirely unsympathetic." This review concludes: "It would be tempting to suggest that this play marks the real arrival of a mature contemporary British Asian theatre, but it is too good to be consigned to the ghetto. Hamlet is not a play about Danes but about human beings, and so is this." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 2] Around 50 youths were involved in clashes between groups of Sikhs and Muslims in Birmingham city centre on 2 October. Most fled when police arrived on the scene, but two 19 year-olds and one 18 year-old were arrested and charged with causing an affray (Black Country Evening Mail, 03.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 2] Suhail Malik, writing in Q-News (04.10.96) reviews a research report by Peter Ratcliffe of Warwick University, Housing Needs and Racial Equality in Bradford. Speaking particularly about Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, communities where half of the households have no-one in full-time employment, Dr Ratcliffe said: "The levels of unemployment and poverty mean that younger people can’t afford their own property and are looking increasingly for council and housing association accommodation." Suhail Malik comments: "Although Islam places an obligation upon society to make available housing for the less fortunate, Muslim efforts to tackle the problems of overcrowding and poor quality tenures have been few and far between. Muslim housing associations have sprung up in parts of the country but they are far from numerous enough to effect any significant improvement." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 2] The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against the Guardian regarding an advertisement inserted in the paper by the Islamic Centre of England (Jewish Telegraph, 04.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 2] The Sunday Times (13.10.96) carries a full-page interview with Viscount Reidhaven, who discusses his involvement with a mystical Sufi Muslim group, described by the Viscount as a "sect", with which he became involved in 1990. Viscount Reidhaven comes from one of Britain’s wealthiest families, with a fortune estimated at £35m. Family lawyers have taken charge of the estate until Viscount Reidhaven can show that he is no longer under the influence of the Sufi group and is mentally sufficiently stable to manage his own affairs. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 2/3] Scunthorpe’s multicultural library service A new multicultural collection of books and other materials has been launched by Scunthorpe’s library service. It has a particular emphasis on communities from the Indian sub-continent and Somalia. The centre piece will be the largest collection of Islamic texts in the region (Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, 09.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 3] Police and Muslim community liaison, Leicester Members of the Federation of Muslim Organisations (FMO), an umbrella group of 65 organisations in Leicestershire, met with police to look into their work in the Highfields, Spinney Hills, and Evington areas of Leicester. Among their concerns were prostitution, drug trafficking, chain snatches and robberies. Suleman Nagdi, spokesperson for the FMO, said: "We have raised a number of concerns with Inspector Canham and we will take his answers back to the community" (Leicester Mercury, 10.10.96). Inspector Canham, representing Asfordby Police Station, said: "It is an important part of the work of the police to listen and react to community concerns. We welcome visits like these." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 3] Voluntary Service Overseas planned to hold a debate entitled Attitudes to Islam on 21 October at Sparkhill Social and Cultural Centre, Birmingham (Birmingham Metronews, 10.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 3] A meeting was held in Leicester in mid-October by the Leicestershire branch of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association to mark the centenary of the publication of an important essay by the founder of the movement in India. Saleem Ahmed, secretary of the local branch, said of the essay: "Already it has been translated into 52 languages. We’re delighted the regional missionary of our community, Mr Naseem Bajwa, will be in Leicester to deliver an address on this subject" (Leicester Mercury, 18.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 3] The Weekly Awaaz (11.10.96) carries a feature article on the charity Muslim Aid, which is now celebrating ten years of help to some of the world’s poorest people. The charity has both short-term and long-term programmes: it provides relief to the victims of war and natural disasters, and provides poor communities with resources and skills for the future. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 3] Fourteen South Yorkshire police officers of all ranks visited Rotherham’s College Road Mosque in order to find out more for themselves about the local Muslim community. Afterwards, two Rotherham councillors, Sheila Walker and Choudry Walayat, some members of the mosque and their police guests dined at the Zaiem Restaurant at the invitation of the owner, Mazhar Hussain (Rotherham Advertiser, 11.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 3] Disadvantage and Birmingham’s Pakistanis A study by Professor Mohammed Anwar of the Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations, commissioned by the Kashmiri/Pakistani Forum in Birmingham was launched at the city’s Council House on 15 October (Daily Jang, 16.10.96). Professor Anwar called for action to break the cycle of disadvantage to come from the authorities and from within the community itself: "Effective and more sensitive policies must be designed to meet religio-cultural needs. For its part, the community has to identify its own needs relating to unity, identity, religion and culture" (Q-News, 11.10.96). Q-News, which entitled its article on the study Poverty the lot of Midlands Muslims, does, however, seem to be making a call for more information and research using religious categories, as it says: "The findings are likely to stimulate further the bubbling debate about the relevance of ethnic categories for public purposes." Councillor Theresa Stewart praised the report and responded to Professor Anwar’s 11-point action plan, which includes points on education, by saying: "We are already discussing how to raise educational achievement and respond to demands for certain types of school. I am very confident that schools can improve the attainment of Birmingham’s Pakistani young people" (Birmingham Post, 16.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 3/4] A dispute has arisen between a chess enthusiast, George McDermott, and the manager of the Asian Centre in Wood Green. Mr McDermott claims that under the previous management, he was allowed to play chess in the centre’s dining room after lunch and that Muslim women, largely kitchen staff at the centre who say their prayers there, are now trying to drive him out. Mr McDermott said: "They do not want anybody in the dining room. It is a religious issue. Chess is a secular pastime and they want to impose their rules on us. Effectively we are not being allowed to play." Fazle Khan explained that: "We have said they can play in the library, but they just refuse to go there. How much quieter than a library can you get?...This Asian Centre is open to anyone who can come. We have many things on offer here, but the dining room is just not for people to stay in after lunch" (Hornsey & Crouch End Journal, 17.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 4] Dr Zakir Abdul-Karim Naik, a Muslim preacher from Bombay, is currently undertaking a lecture tour of Britain. One of his themes is Islam and science. Speaking at a press conference in London, Dr Naik said: "Islam is a modern religion and science only compliments this. Out of 6,000 ayats (verses) in the Qur’an, 1,000 speak of science. However, the Qur’an is not a book of science, it is a book of signs (ayats). It gives clear indications of what science is claiming to have succeeded in [proving] these days" (Daily Jang, 19.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 4] More than 2000 schoolchildren are expected to visit the IQRA Trust Islamic Experience exhibition at the Muath Welfare Trust in Camp Hill, Birmingham. The exhibition runs from 4 November until 29 November (Birmingham Post, 21.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 4]
Over 1,500 people attended the anniversary commemoration at Brixton Recreation Centre of the Nation of Islam’s Million Man March, held on 16 October last year in Washington DC. Black people of many faiths and cultures participated in the march last year as a protest about the treatment of Black people in America. The planned satellite link with the United Nations in New York, where Louis Farrakhan, the leader of the Nation of Islam was speaking, was cancelled due to technical problems (Voice, 22.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 4] A drop-in centre for Muslims with disabilities has been given £2,000 by Brent Council. The Association of Muslims with Disabilities (see BMMS for February and March 1996) provides advice on health, housing, adoption and education (Wembley Observer, 17.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 4] A man and his son have been cleared of a charge of affray and assault in an argument over parking near the mosque in St Mark’s Road, Easton, Bristol. Two brothers, Omar and Imran Ahmed, claimed that they were set upon by Stephen Bennet and his father George Bennet, 65, because when visiting the mosque for prayers, they had moved the traffic cones placed in front of the entrance to the Bennetts’ haulage yard and parked there. Imran told the court that his brother was attacked by Stephen Bennett after prayers, and when he tried to push him away, Mr Bennett senior attacked him (Bristol Evening Post, 23.10.96). Neil Ford, defending George Bennett, claimed that Omar Ahmed had struck the first blow and that Imran Ahmed’s injuries were not consistent with his account of the incident. Both the Bennetts denied making racist comments, and the court was told that Stephen Bennett led a multi-racial scout group in St Paul’s, Bristol (Bristol Evening Post, 29.10.96). Mr George Bennett’s defence lawyer also said that Stephen Bennett had tried to take the Ahmed brothers to the nearby Support Against Racist Incidents shop to defuse the argument (Bristol Evening Post, 23.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 4] Wazir Hussain of Southampton Street, Reading, pleaded guilty to the offense of parking on double yellow lines at Reading Magistrates’ Court, but the magistrates did not fine him. Mr Hussain was upset about getting a ticket whilst he was praying at the mosque: "...nearly every time we go to say our prayers at the mosque on a Friday the traffic wardens put a ticket on our cars. People think we can leave our cars at home but sometimes we have limited time to get to the mosque...I do not mind paying for a parking ticket but it is the principle I am standing for. I was not doing any commercial business. It’s not nice when you go to pray and then a warden puts a ticket on your car" (Reading Chronicle, 25.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 4/5] Muslim business conference in Bosnia The Muslim Solidarity Committee UK, together with the Bosnian Embassy in London, are planning a Muslim Businessmen’s Conference in December in Sarajevo to restore business confidence in the country and to encourage investment. Areas which the Bosnian government is seeking to revive are the textile, fibre glass, car manufacturing, and food industries. Mr Tanzeem Wasti, the general secretary of Muslim Solidarity Committee, described Bosnia as "a centre fast becoming a haven for any kind of business investment" and that "tourism is already seeing a revival in the region" (Daily Jang, 24.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 5] An imam from Edinburgh, Abdul Wahid, has brought a case for unfair dismissal against the Polwarth Mosque, who terminated his contract three months early. So far, the industrial tribunal has spent eight days considering the evidence. A judgement is expected shortly (Edinburgh Evening News, 24.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 5] A gun club in Edinburgh, the West of Edinburgh Shooting Club, claims that in recent months, there have been six applications from Muslim men, believed to be students, who wanted to join the club in order to get guns to assassinate Salman Rushdie. The secretary of the club, Paul Christie explained about the first applicant: "He was asked the standard question of why he wanted to take up shooting. He told us he wanted to get a gun to join the Fatwah to kill the author Salman Rushdie! He was given very short shrift..." Over the next two months, five more applicants gave the same answer to the question. Mr Christie added: "We have Muslims in our club. One of our founder members is a Muslim and couldn’t believe his ears, either. We turfed the applicants out - yet they were amazed we wouldn’t help. A couple may have been students, but none were hot-headed youngsters looking to become heroes" (Sunday Post, Glasgow, 27.10.96). The club did not report the matter to the police, because they assumed that the police were already aware of the activities of Islamic militants in Edinburgh (Scotsman, 29.10.96, Sunday Post, 27.10.96). For legal and safety reasons unconnected with plans to assassinate Salman Rushdie, the club is likely to be closed (Scotsman, 29.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 5] Northampton Pakistani elections Fighting broke out during the elections for a new management committee for Northampton’s Islamic Pakistani Community Centre on 27 October. More than 100 Pakistanis claim they were turned away because allegedly they were not members of the Centre and therefore ineligible to vote. The police were called and around 15 officers arrived very quickly. No arrests were made. The elections have now been postponed for four weeks (Northampton Chronicle, 28.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 5] A seminar on the theme of HIV in a Muslim Context is to be held in Leicester on 29 November to mark World Aids Day. The guest speaker will be Imam Shahid Raza of the Muslim College London and the Leicester Central Mosque. The seminar will start at 9.30 on 29 November and will take place at B Block, Leicester City Council, New Walk Centre, Welford Place, Leicester (Leicester Mercury, 29.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 5] Lottery funding to Asian centre The New Era Trust in Accrington, Lancashire, has put a £1.3 million bid to the Lottery Millennium Commission for refurbishment of the Trust’s premises. The scheme proposes to include a cyber-cafe, sports facilities, and halls for weddings to accommodate 1000 guests. The Mayor and Mayoress of Hyndburn, Councillor Mirza Yousaf and his daughter Shaheen Musaret, plan to lead a delegation of young people to London to ask for a share of the lottery money at the start of National Youth Week on 4 November (Daily Jang, 29.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 5]
Discussion article against halal slaughter The Oxford Mail (14.10.96) carries a discussion article arguing against halal slaughter, claiming that it is cruel because there is no pre-stunning of the animal. It says: "This is done in the name of a religion [Islam] which is so suspect in some of its intellectual content that in Afghanistan its leaders are ordering all government employees to grow beards within six weeks or face Islamic punishment. This is pure nonsense and we can laugh at it. But killing cows and sheep in the name of religion, other than in the quickest and most humane way, is not just religious nonsense, it is cruelty. We should no longer allow it in this country." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 6] Halal slaughter letter causes controversy Bradford’s Council for Mosques has responded to claims by the city’s Indian Workers’ Association in a letter from the IWA’s secretary, Jagtar Sahota, that halal slaughter is a "very cruel and barbaric way of killing animals". The general secretary of the Council for Mosques, Faqir Mohammad, wrote to the Bradford Telegraph and Argus (23.10.96) saying that: "The IWA’s secretary can complain if he notices anything wrong and against their religion, but he has no right to offend the Muslims about the killing method". The Telegraph & Argus’ reporter, Jim Greenhalf, gave a short, factual description of halal slaughter, based on information credited to CSIC. In response to the allegation that Hindus and Sikhs in schools, hospitals and other local institutions were being given halal beef to eat, Mr Mohammad responded that it was the duty of Sikh and Hindu leaders to make their communities more aware of the issues: "It is the duty of parents and community leaders to make their children aware of what to eat. The Muslim parents are always doing so. The hospitals and other catering establishments never impose Halal meat or food on Hindus or Sikhs. There is no excuse that those who cannot speak English are provided with Halal. Times have changed, and there are facilities everywhere for languages". The IWA’s claims, however, are being investigated by Councillor Anne Hawksworth, prospective Conservative candidate for Bradford south. She was calling for equal opportunities officers to investigate the claim that halal meat was being served to non-Muslims (Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 23.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 6] At the recent gathering to mark thirty years of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), Dr Majid Katme, National Coordinator of SPUC Muslims, spoke out strongly against abortion (see BMMS for July and September 1996). He urged the Muslim community to "do everything possible to bring these matters to the attention of their local MPs urging them to vote for tightening the grounds for abortion to stop the practice of abortion on demand" (Muslim News, 25.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 6] In Batley, Yorkshire, in September, the Indian Muslim Welfare Society women’s section held their first gathering. Speakers included Nighat Mirza, a Muslim educationalist from Bradford, and Raheema Kagzi, a religious scholar from Bolton. Ms Mirza spoke about the importance of girls further education and Ms Kagzi examined how to live according to the principles of Islam in a plural society (Awaaz, 01.10.96). In Old Malden in Surrey, the Muslim Women’s Association received a grant of £250 from Kingston Grants Unit for their educational and cultural activities (Kingston, Surbiton & New Malden Times, 04.09.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 6] A course of discussions on Islam is being held at the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking, on topics such as whether Islam oppresses women and the relevance of Islam in the modern world (Woking News & Mail, 03.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 6] On 4 October, Shabir Hussain, a man who killed his sister-in-law, Tasleem Begum, by driving his car over her three times, was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder at Leeds Crown Court (Daily Mail, 05.10.96). A victim of a forced marriage to Hussain’s brother, on her return to Bradford from Pakistan, Ms Begum refused to apply for a visa for her husband to join her, left her parental home and subsequently began a secret relationship with another man. As she was walking to meet her lover, Hussain knocked her over with the car and repeatedly ran over her body. The barrister defending him, Shakdi Bassra, claimed the act was not premeditated, but the judge did not accept this (Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 05.10.96). Khadim Hussain of the Bradford Council of Mosques commented: "Everyone was really disturbed by what was done to this girl. Nobody has any sympathy for this man. He is evil. We are all relieved he got life imprisonment" (Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 05.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 6/7] The first phase of research at Reading University for a study commissioned by Reading Borough Council has now been completed. The impetus for the research came from concerns raised by members of the Pakistani community Centre about the low level of employment among young Muslim women. The researchers, Dr Sophie Bowlby, Dr Sally Lloyd Evans and Robina Mohammad interviewed 25 women between the ages of 15 and 27. Dr Bowlby said: "The nature of the working environment is important for young Muslim women and their families, and they had clear ideas as to what were ‘good or ‘bad’ jobs, with doctor or solicitor being the top good jobs and secretarial, cleaning or menial jobs cited as bad" (Reading Evening Post, 10.10.96). Dress in the workplace was cited by all the young women and their parents as a potential problem, as conflicts could arise if employers wanted Muslim women employees to wear short skirts or fashionable western clothes. The second stage of the research will investigate further ways to overcome the barriers to young Muslim women’s participation in the workforce. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 7] Restaurant owner Abdul Hoque, his wife, Ayesha Khanum, their son, Kowsar Hoque, and a fourth family member, Nizam Khan, have been found guilty at the Old Bailey of kidnapping and falsely imprisoning Zinat Fatima (Daily Mail, 18.10.96). Abdul Hoque kidnapped his daughter, aged 20, because she was living with a non-Muslim man, Peter Allard. The prosecutor, Paul Dodgson, said: "The family were raised as Muslims. As a consequence it was likely, if not inevitable, that Zinat would have a marriage arranged for her." The relationship with Mr Allard began last January and subsequently Ms Fatima moved into his flat and left her parents’ home in the June. When Mr Hoque eventually traced his daughter, he offered Mr Allard money to leave her, and when this was rejected, kidnapped her and kept her prisoner for nine days, until she was freed by the police. Sentencing will take place next month. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 7] Waltham Forest Muslim Women’s Welfare Association The Muslim Women’s Welfare Association recently held a cultural event at Waltham Forest Theatre to honour four women: the deputy mayor, Councillor Pat Atherton; Shama Ahmed, Mayor of Newham; Fokia Hayee, Mayor of Lewisham; and Naveed Bokhari, a Muslim woman JP (Chingford Guardian, 17.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 7] A new service for Muslim women experiencing domestic violence was launched in October in Chingford. More details may be obtained from Amtal Rana on 0181-539-7487 (Chingford Guardian, 17.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 7] The Paddington Times (24.10.96) carries an interview by Kamala Hayman with Humera Khan, one of the leading figures in Brent’s Al-Nisa Society, an organisation of Muslim women. Speaking of the Qur’anic perspective of the Society, she said: "Chauvinism has seeped into our Islamic process but this is not right and we want to challenge it from an Islamic perspective. We want to improve it, not destroy it." For women to know what are merely the customs of a certain community and what are religious injunctions, then: "...they must know where the choice lies. If they cannot read the Koran and interpret it for themselves, this choice is denied. Translations of the Koran are inevitably subject to the bias of the translators...Increasingly, the ones able to read the original script are men, leaving women subject to their interpretation." Ms Hayman comments on Humera Khan’s view of complementarity between the sexes: "Her passion for independence is a subtly different type of independence to that chased by Western women. She is critical of their desire to prove they are the same as men, believing it has left them with twice the workload - wanting to be both provider and nurturer. In Islam women don’t need to prove anything, she says, they are equal to men but with different duties. Women are the nurturers and men the protectors." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 7/8] Syeda Shah, of Canning Town, east London, has been granted an application for her case for asylum to be heard by the Immigration Appeal Tribunal. The tribunal itself had refused a request for appeal last autumn, after a ruling that, although Mrs Shah had been subjected to violence and persecution by her husband and was likely to be persecuted if she returned to him in Pakistan, she was not part of a social group as defined in the 1951 UN convention on refugees. At the present hearing, Mr Justice Sedley described how Mrs Shah, who had been brought up partly in Britain, returned to Pakistan at the age of 17 to marry. She and her husband had six children but she left her home after years of violence. On arrival in Britain, she discovered that she was pregnant. The judge said that she "credibly feared" that if she returned to Pakistan her husband would accuse her of conceiving the child adulterously and she could be exposed to trial under the Sharia laws, which prescribe stoning to death for adultery. He said that the Secretary of State’s decision letter gave as a reason for refusing asylum, "without a trace of irony" the fact that "since 1988 no individual has been punished by the authorities by the use of the death penalty for adultery". The judge warned Mrs Shah that her appeal was not bound to succeed, but the test applied would have "a broad, humanitarian purpose" (Daily Jang, The Times, 26.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 8] Jasmeen Ul Haq, a worker at the Heaton, Newcastle branch of the estate agents, Kenneth Pattinson’s, has received several thousand pounds in an out of court settlement from her former employers. Ms Ul Haq, in documents submitted to the industrial tribunal, claimed that she was subjected to racial taunts from colleagues and was finally sacked after turning up for work wearing a headscarf during Ramadan. She also alleged that company policy forced her to discriminate against Asian house buyers. Khurshid Drabu, team leader of the CRE’s project on religious discrimination (see BMMS for September 1996) and head of their litigation and complaints department, commented: "We have always claimed at the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) that discrimination against Muslims is substantial on the grounds of religion...this is an example of such cases taking place" (Muslim News, 25.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 8] Board of Deputies meets Home Secretary At a lunch hosted by the Jewish Chronicle, Eldred Tabachnik, QC, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews told Michael Howard, the Home Secretary, that action should be taken against anti-Zionist Islamic groups in the UK. He claimed that such groups’ literature constituted "a blatant incitement to kill" and "incitement to racial hatred" (Evening Standard, 04.10.96. He also told the Home Secretary that: "The Board of Deputies has drawn many such examples to the attention of the authorities, but not a single prosecution has ensued". Mr Howard replied that all such literature was referred to the prosecuting authorities but that it could be taken as referring to the conflict in the Middle East rather than to the British situation. Other matters raised with Mr Howard were the Board of Deputies’ demand for legislation against holocaust denial, to which the Home Secretary was opposed on pragmatic grounds, and concern about the Asylum and Immigration Act. Neville Nagler, chief executive of the Board, described the Act as a "harsh and retrograde measure which is already bringing misery to thousands of vulnerable and disadvantaged people" (Evening Standard, 04.10.96). The same edition (04.10.96) carried an editorial on the meeting, which said that: "The Board of Deputies has monitored statements on Muslim Community Radio, such as: ‘Tensions between Muslims and non-Muslims are motivated by Jews and the Media’..." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 8] The leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Rochdale Council has accused Labour councillors of secretly forming a Muslim Action Committee to gain Asian support. Councillor Paul Rowen said: "Many Muslims in my ward are concerned about what is happening. By aligning with one group the council is destroying the myth of keeping out of religion" (Manchester Evening News, 15.10.96). The Labour leader of Rochdale Council, Councillor John Dobbin, denied that there was any illicit pressure group. He said: "As yet nothing has happened as far as the council is concerned. No such group exists." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 8]
The UK Action Committee on Islamic Affairs (UKACIA) called on all mosques and Islamic centres throughout the UK to hold special prayers on Friday 18 October in support of Palestinians seeking to defend their cultural and religious rights in Jerusalem. The joint convenor of UKACIA, Iqbal Sacranie, explained: "British Muslims call for the immediate closure of the tunnel, an end to all excavation work near or under Al-Aqsa Mosque and an end to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians from their city. The Zionists who now occupy Palestine have long been engaged in desecrating Al-Aqsa Mosque and its precincts which Allah has blessed. They have engaged in a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Muslim and Christian Arabs in order to populate Jerusalem with settlers from Russia, Eastern Europe and other places" (Daily Jang, 16.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 9] Dr Ghayasuddin, leader of the Muslim Parliament, issued a press release stating that, at the opening session of the Muslim Parliament on 20 October, he intended to call on Muslims to boycott the next general election (Birmingham Evening Mail, 19.10.96). He said that voting was an "exercise in futility" and continued: "Once Muslims are able to exercise their community’s economic and political muscle they can expect to exert influence on the political system. Any relationship Muslims have with the political system on a one-to-one basis, as is currently the case, will only weaken and divide the community further" (Q-News, 11.10.96). However, the first Muslim to be elected as a councillor with Hounslow Council, Mohammed Chaudhary, has urged Muslims to vote in the next general election. He was critical of the call by the Muslim Parliament for a boycott of the electoral process by Muslims. Councillor Chaudhary said of the Muslim Parliament: "They do not represent the majority of the Muslims, but they have their own views" (Hounslow Borough Chronicle, 24.10.96). However, an article in the Asian Times (24.10.96), entitled ‘Muslim block vote holds balance of power’, appears to indicate that Dr Ghayasuddin has had a change of heart on the boycott issue. He is quoted as saying: "Once we have the economic clout, then they will listen. After all, political systems only listen [to the] language of power." So far, Q-News has been the only national publication to report on this election boycott: the others have all been local newspapers. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 9] Gay rights activist Peter Tatchell has won his appeal against a conviction for obstructing the highway when protesting about a Hizb ut-Tahrir conference in Wembley Arena in August 1995 (see BMMS for October and December 1995; January, February, March, May, August and September 1996). Mr Tatchell was wearing a t-shirt and holding a placard, both with offensive slogans. An obstruction was caused when about 30 journalists and photographers gathered around him. Judge Roger Sanders said he was uncertain that the arrest and conviction had been legal: "We fear Mr Tatchell may have been the victim of expediency in an uncertain situation. The appeal is allowed." Mr Tatchell was granted costs of £461 (Kilburn Times, 17.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 9] The American [published for US citizens living in Britain] (18.10.96) carries an editorial criticising the British government’s decision not to ban the Rally for Revival (see BMMS for August and September 1996) and compares it with the recent decision to allow the British National Party (BNP) to televise an election broadcast. The editor claims that the Rally was to include: "...video screenings by some of the world’s nastiest terrorists (some of which are responsible for blowing up US servicemen and civil servants). That was cancelled because, I was told, the Arena could not get the money needed for added security by the fundamentalists. (I point out here that the majority of Muslims do not share their fanaticism)." On the subject of the BNP, the editor concludes: "In the States, the Neo Nazis have gotten smart - and put on shirts and ties and calmed down their thug-talk, in their quest for credibility. It’s happening here. Here they broadcast. In the States, they haven’t. For how long?" [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 9] Rushdie in Austrian discussions Whilst in Vienna for a reading from his latest novel, The Moor’s Last Sigh (see BMMS for March, April, May and July 1996), Salman Rushdie met the Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky to discuss ways to increase the pressure on Iran to drop the fatwa. Mr Rushdie said: "I think there have to be economic measures certainly and it has to be shown to the Iranians that they will suffer if the continue to threaten the lives of European citizens" (Daily Jang, 30.10.96). When asked if he regretted publishing The Satanic Verses, he replied: "To regret it would be to regret five years of my life, and I am extremely pleased with The Satanic Verses. I think it would be absurd and a defeat to wait for permission from some kind of despot in the Middle East to tell you if you can do things." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 9/10] The MP for Bury North, Alistair Burt, was invited to be the guest of honour at a dinner given by the Friends of Bury Muslim and Pakistani Community on 19 October (Bury Journal, 17.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 10] Jewish Community Security Trust The recently formed Community Service Trust (CST), which has charitable status, has replaced the Board of Deputies’ Communal Security Organisation. The CST told the Jewish Chronicle (25.10.96) that they had about 2,000 trained volunteers who helped protect Jewish institutions and provided security at Jewish functions. It also collects information on groups who are regarded as threatening the safety of the community and trains Jewish youngsters in self-defence and security techniques. The CST has decided to publicize its activities because it believes that the Jewish community is "at risk". A recently-published CST pamphlet details this risk: "There is a clear and present danger...The main threat comes from Islamist and Arab terrorists who are extremely well funded, and right-wing groups such as Combat 18 and the British National Party." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 10] At the recent Labour Party conference the UMO (Union of Muslim Organisations) hosted a lunch and held a fringe meeting. No Labour MPs accepted the invitation, but many Muslim Labour councillors did. The Muslim News (25.10.96) is also critical of the Labour Party because it has accepted Jewish sponsored recommendations, concerning legislation to the denial of the holocaust and against incitement to religious hatred, but not Muslim motions. The Muslim demands concerned outlawing religious discrimination, funding for Muslim schools, and protection against religiously motivated attacks and insults. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 10] Nation of Islam comedy show complaint A member of the audience of the ‘Hollywood Raw’ comedy show, in Birmingham, claimed that Nation of Islam comedian Leo Mohammed used the show to promote racial supremacy. Mike Norrie of Selly Oak, Birmingham, told the Birmingham Evening Mail (11.10.96): "I’m white and my girlfriend is black and we were both shocked. A lot of white members of the audience were very upset by some of the comments being made and some even left in tears. We went along expecting black comedians but instead this was politically linked." Mans Uddin, the show’s promoter, said: "Nation of Islam is a way of life and when comedians do my show they stick to comedy." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 10] The Daily Jang (09.10.96, 17.10.96, 18.10.96) has several articles on the operation of the new Asylum Law (see BMMS for December 1995; March and September 1996). The first details the High Court ruling of 8 October that the authorities, especially local authorities, have a duty to help asylum seekers denied benefits because they did not claim asylum immediately on entry "if satisfied that any of them have no other means of support and are therefore in need of care and attention". David Pannick QC who brought the case on behalf of four asylum seekers from Algeria, China, Iraq and Rumania had argued that three local authorities -Westminster, Lambeth and Hammersmith and Fulham - were in breach of their obligations under the 1948 National Assistance Act and the Judge, Mr Justice Collins, agreed with him. The Refugee Council has estimated that there are currently 8,000 people seeking asylum in the UK who are not permitted to work nor to receive any benefit. The other two articles attack the concept of the "White List". This is a list of countries which are deemed safe and unlikely to contain a general threat of persecution. The Parliamentary Order includes: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Poland and Romania. Of the inclusion of India, the Jang says it: "...would have serious repercussions for activists in occupied Kashmir fighting for freedom from the Indian yoke." On Pakistan, the Jang reports that the Independent claimed there was a difference of opinion between the Foreign Secretary Malcolm Rifkind and the Home Secretary, Michael Howard. The former replied to a letter from Brian Mawhinney, chair of the Conservative Party, concerning the persecution of religious minorities in Pakistan: "Radical sectarian groups and individuals have carried out attacks against Ahmadis. In some cases there have been credible reports that the local authorities have given tacit support to these actions...We understand that the government of Pakistan would like to amend the blasphemy laws but they have encountered strong opposition to any changes and none has yet been enacted" (Daily Jang, 17.10.96). An article by Sarah Sheriff in Muslim News (25.10.96) discusses the judgment delivered by Mr Justice Collins. The ruling could affect 30,000 people who are in a similar situation to the four asylum seekers in this test case. An article in the Daily Jang (31.10.96) explains that the CRE (Commission for Racial Equality) has brought out a leaflet about the checks on illegal working, emphasising that these must not be carried out in a way that is racially discriminatory. The CRE states that the purpose of its new booklet is to "ensure that any changes employers make to their recruitment and selection procedures in anticipation of the 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act do not put them in breach of the Race Relations Act." An advertisement, signed by the CRE, the CBI, the Confederation of Small Businesses, the TUC, and the Institute of Personnel Development is due to appear in the press shortly to emphasize this point. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 10/11] Following discussions with the Muslim Cultural and Welfare Association, the local police, via the Sutton Police Consultative Group, have promised action against those who have covered Carshalton’s Wentworth Hall (see BMMS for February, March and July 1996) with British National Party stickers (Sutton Guardian, 17.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 11] The trial at the Old Bailey is continuing of Yusuf Sofu, 21, formerly a student at Newham College, for alleged participation in the murder of a fellow student, Ayotunde Obanubi (see BMMS for March and May 1996). Saeed Nur, 29, was jailed for life earlier this year for the murder, which took place on 27 February 1995, during Ramadan. Yusuf Sofu is charged with murder on the basis of joint enterprise and violent disorder. David Waters, for the prosecution outlined a situation of tension between Asian, predominately Muslim students and African and Afro-caribbean, largely non-Muslim students: "For some time prior to February, tensions had been rising of a religious nature between the two groups. This tension was increased by the fact that during February Muslims were observing Ramadan. Tundi’s [Ayotunde Obanubi’s] death was very much the culmination of events" (The Times, 30.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 11] A multi-faith chapel costing £90,000 is to be built at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch (Redditch Standard, 11.10.96). Dr Mohammad Saleem, who is both a physician at the hospital and an imam commented: "I’ve seen many Muslim patients become distressed and uncomfortable because there is nowhere for them to worship. There are also lots of Muslim hospital staff who will be grateful for this new facility". The Christian chaplain, Reverend Barry Jones, expressed similar sentiments: "We just haven’t got enough room for all the patients who want to worship in the chapel at the moment. People need a place to pray if they are nervous before a major operation or if they want to give thanks after recovering." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 11] Bradford Hindu/Muslim friction A letter to the Yorkshire Post (23.10.96) claims that tension between Hindus and Muslims in Bradford is increasing and that Hindus are complaining of "racial harassment" by Muslims. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 11] The Muslim call to prayer was heard in the Priory Church in Leominster as part of a concert, the African Sanctus, by David Fanshawe. Mr Fanshawe based his work on the theme of "one music, one God". Rev Judith Jones, who sang in the performance, commented: "The sanctus is certainly a theatrical/musical piece that can be accepted and enjoyed in the post modern society that exists in Britain today. Even so, one or two clergy eyebrows have been raised" (Leominster Advertiser, 24.10.96). Mr Fanshawe was sponsored by the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust and the Winston Churchill Trust who gave him the opportunity to tour the African continent and record the indigenous folk music of more than 50 tribes in North and East Africa. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 11/12]
Updates Education Park View school in Washwood Heath, Birmingham, is to become a girls-only school in two years’ time. It will operate as an annexe to Saltley School (Birmingham Post, 21.10.96, Daily Jang, 16.10.96). The school is in an area where there is considerable demand for single-sex schools, particularly from Muslim families (see BMMS for September 1996). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 12] South Wales Islamic Education Trust organised a seminar in Cardiff on 13 October (South Wales Echo, 04.10.96). Yusuf Islam, director of the Islamia Schools in London, was the main speaker and talked about the need for a religiously guided education for Muslim children. He said: "Because of the background in this country of Northern Ireland, people think religious education breaks up communities. All we want is that our children should be taught within a moral framework, so that they understand what is right and what is wrong" (South Wales Echo, 14.10.96). He also said: "People say to us,’Why do you want religious schools?’ They don’t ask the Christians and the Jews why they want separate schools" (South Wales Evening Post, Western Mail, 14.10.96). Yusuf Islam told the seminar that he realised the need for Muslim schools when his first child was born in 1980: "I didn’t want my child to have to fight for her identity. I didn’t want her religion to be belittled or disgraced. I wanted her to be able to learn her faith as she went to school" (Western Mail, 14.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 12] Awaaz (01.10.96) carries an editorial on the subject of school uniform, arguing that uniforms should be adapted to meet the cultural patterns of Muslim pupils. The writer argues that schools where there are Muslims on the teaching staff may well be more sensitive to this issue, but in any case, school governors should consult with local Muslim organisations in deciding on suitable options. [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 12]
Hijaz College’s expansion plans Hijaz College at Higham-on-the-Hill near Nuneaton plans to expand (see BMMS for August 1996) from having 75 students to 350. The college principal, Faiz Siddiqui, explained that a previous plan had been scaled down: "We have to live within our means and the present application is our limitation over the next 10 to 15 years...We have to be sensible about the situation and the plans then were too ambitious and depending on the results of the [planning] application we have architects who will prepare detailed drawings for the building alterations." Jeremy Eagles, principal planning officer, added: "All the alterations are planned to be contained within the existing confines of the buildings and access onto the A5 will be widened to meet conditions required by the highways agency. The present lodge, which stands at the entrance to the drive, will be retained" (Heartland Evening News, 10.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 12] Muslim schools and state funding The Society of Education Officers, in response to the government’s White Paper Self-Government for Schools, has criticised the paper’s proposals to give more scope to the grant-maintained sector. The society claims that, were the proposals to be implemented, the unfairness of denying state funding to Muslim schools would be further accentuated. The society’s response states that: "Decisions rejecting proposals for Muslim schools have in the past been rejected on the grounds that there was no basic need for additional places in the area. This would be of particularly sensitivity in areas where there are existing church grant-maintained schools with mainly white pupils in areas with substantial black or Asian populations" (Times Educational Supplement, 11.10.96). The Funding Agency for Schools has backed an application for allowing the John Loughborough Seventh Day Adventist church school in London to opt in to the state system. The church is hopeful that government ministers will follow the recommendations of the Funding Agency’s inspectors and grant state funding for the school (Times Educational Supplement, 18.10.96). There will be a further check by Ofsted inspectors in November. Sir Robert Balchin, chair of the Grant Maintained Schools Foundation, said of the school: "All the evidence suggests that these are sensible, hard-working people with the kind of family values that all parents require in a school" (Guardian, 19.10.96). Other religious schools applying for state funding under similar rules include: four Muslim schools in the London borough of Brent, the Al-Furqan Muslim primary school in Birmingham, and the Guru Nanak Sikh school in Haslingden (Guardian, 19.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 12/13] Muslim News (25.10.96) carries a review of a recent Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education) research report (see BMMS for September 1996), Recent Research on the Achievements of Ethnic Minority Pupils (HMSO, 1996). Nasim Butt, the author of the article, points out that care must be taken when using the report’s conclusions to make deductions about Muslim pupils. He writes: "Please note however, that Bangladeshi and Pakistani members of the community appear as separate ethnic divisions; Muslims are not categorised as a distinct religious group, following the practise traditionally adopted by the population census sampling methods." One of many factors contributing to underachievement are negative stereotypes held by teachers, for instance: "It is believed by some teachers that their [Asian girls’] future lives will be restricted by early marriage and the demands of the home. In fact, interviews by the researchers with 55 young Muslim women, predominately of Pakistani background, indicated that around a third of their parents were unequivocally opposed to their daughters pursuing higher education. It seems that the enlightened Islamic principles so firmly driven home by the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) are ignorantly cast aside or misunderstood. Generating ignorance in young Muslim women can damage no one but ourselves." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 13] The Guardian (31.10.96) together with journalists from the Observer, the Times and Muslim News [their reports not received as yet] accepted the invitation of the SCAA (School Curriculum and Assessment Authority) to attend their National Forum for Values in Education and the Community. Abdul Aziz, a teacher representing the Islamic Schools Trust on the forum, felt that the exercise was beneficial, but he said: "I came away feeling very strongly that schools cannot solve the problems. There has to be a much broader effort" (Guardian, 31.10.96). The Rt Rev Vincent Nichols, Catholic Bishop of North London, expressed similar sentiments: "The values promoted in our society in practice ase success, self-interest, successful deception, acquisition of wealth and winning at all costs. That is part of the dilemma." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 13] The Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations (CRER) at the University of Warwick has recently carried out research for the Department for Education and Employment on the aspirations of young Bangladeshi men. Over half of the 50 men interviewed worked in the restaurant trade. Kalpana Chauhan, reviewing the resultant report, Higher Horizons: A qualitative study of young men of Bangladeshi origin, for the Daily Jang (01.11.96), writes: "Work found easily in the restaurant trade was seen as a mixed blessing as the longer they remained there the more difficult it was to move on into mainstream employment. However, the majority of those sampled were determined to counter their earlier setbacks by going into further education to make up for their lack of qualifications." Dr John Wrench of CRER who headed the research team, said of the research subjects: "When given the chance to make their voices heard, you find they are surprisingly highly motivated to get education, training or employment. Considering that in this research we only targeted the ‘under achievers’, only a tiny minority of them had in any sense given up, despite their bad experiences so far." [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 13] Rochdale teaching centre plans Plans to create an Islamic teaching centre in Deeplish, Rochdale, have been opposed by the town planners despite support from over 370 local people. The objections are on the grounds of noise and general nuisance (Rochdale Express, 18.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 13]
Mosques Plans for the Islamic centre in Addiscombe (see BMMS for April, May, June and September 1996) were given initial approval by Croydon Council’s plans sub-committee on 19 September. Supporting the application, which has already undergone several changes, Councillor Adrian Dennis (Labour, Thornton Heath) said: "So much has gone into getting this application right and yet we still go on about 200 cars causing traffic chaos" (Croydon Post, 25.09.96). The following week, on 25 September, the scheme was debated in a public planning committee session and angry opponents of the development had to be escorted from the meeting by security guards. Some members of the public began shouting when the committee decided by nine votes to five to approve the scheme (Croydon Advertiser, 27.09.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 13/14] The Muslim Community Welfare Association of Aldershot has been given permission to set up a language school and religious centre in the Beaumont Guard Room Community Centre. Councillors were satisfied that other users of the community centre would not be adversely affected (Aldershot News, 11.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 14] Birmingham, Victoria Road, Aston Building has now resumed on the Masjid-E-Noor mosque in Victoria Road - nine years after a dispute amongst the management committee stopped its progress. The total cost will be £500,000 and so far worshippers have raised £180,000. Abdul Mosobbir, secretary of the rebuilding committee, said: "There was a long dispute over how the mosque should be run. Then last November Birmingham city council held an independent election to choose which members should run it and now we have finally got the plans sorted out" (Birmingham Evening Mail, Black Country Evening Mail, 11.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 14] The mosque, Islamic cultural and educational centre in Peace Street has now been granted planning permission, despite the local government ombudsman finding the planning committee guilty of maladministration when it made its initial decision (see BMMS for August and September 1996). The chair of the residents’ association which opposes the plans, Pat Tipping, said: "This new building could be a cathedral or a synagogue and we would still complain - it’s just the sheer size of it" (Manchester Evening News, 11.10.96). Objectors claim that the council has overruled its own guidelines with respect to car parking provision and the minimum distance between a building such as a mosque and adjacent dwellings (Manchester Evening News, 11.10.96). Subsequently it has been discovered that a water main runs under the site and that North West Water will insist upon its being diverted. A spokesperson from the council commented that: "Even if they have planning permission, the developers must still get the consent of the statutory services like gas, water or electricity if their services run under the site" (Manchester Evening News, 14.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 14] Sutton Council’s education committee have dismissed a petition opposing the leasing of Wentworth Hall for a further 20 years to the Muslim group who currently use it (see BMMS for February, March and July 1996). The petition emphasised parking and other traffic problems, but the education committee believed that the hall being brought back into use outweighed these disadvantages (Sutton Herald Wallington Carshalton & Cheam, Sutton Guardian, 02.10.96). The secretary of the Muslim Cultural and Welfare Association, Lal Hussain, said the association had improved the building by repairing plasterwork and the roof, installing central heating and a new kitchen and toilet (Sutton Guardian, 10.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 14] The Reverend Leslie Judd, chair of Chichester’s Churches Together, is trying to enter into dialogue with the city’s Muslims, following the controversy that plans for a mosque have caused amongst some Christian groups (Portsmouth News, 07.10.96), (see BMMS for April, June, July and August 1996). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 14] Plans for an improved Muslim cultural centre in Fife have won the backing of the local Scottish National Party. Their prospective parliamentary candidate for Kirkaldy and spokesperson, Stewart Hosie, said: "The centre’s facilities would also be open to people from other communities. This would make it ideal - for the Muslim community to unite under one roof and as a point of contact for Scots and minority ethnic communities in Fife to meet and build a better understanding of each other" (Fife Free Press, 18.10.96). At present they hire buildings for functions (Glenrothes Gazette, 17.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 14] North Lanarkshire Council have agreed to sell a site in Clydesdale Road to the Lanarkshire Muslim Welfare Society, but the Muslim group say the price the council are asking is too high at £130,000. Ghulam Siddique, secretary of the society, said they had been prepared to pay £90,000 for the site, as the centre will cost a further £500,000 to build. He said: "This will be a facility for Muslims from all over Lanarkshire. The mosque will hold at least 1,000 people whereas the present hall in Carfin can take only 400. At the moment people are being turned away and there are problems with car parking. In addition, the new centre will be able to accommodate all of our children’s language classes. At present these are split between the mosque and Taylor High School. There will also be a day centre for the unemployed, sick and pensioners" (Bellshill Speaker, 10.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 14/15] Thieves who broke into the oldest mosque in Leeds, the Al Amien mosque in Chapeltown, caused £20,000 worth of damage. They stole carpets and velvet curtains and ripped out copper piping, leaving the building in 12 inches of water. A spokesperson for the trustees said: "This is the first time we have come across anything like this, and we have been here since 1958. This was the first mosque in the north of England. We have no idea who would want to do this ..." (Yorkshire Evening Post, Yorkshire Post, 14.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 15] The Abrar Islamic Foundation who were using a former officers club in Dorset Square as a mosque until it was damaged by fire in 1992, hope to refurbish the building and resume using it. Council officers recommended the granting of planning permission, but their recommendation was overturned by the council on 19 September because of opposition from some neighbours and the Marylebone Society. Architect Basil Fahmi, speaking for the Abrar Foundation, said they would appeal: "The foundation has now reviewed its policy and it’s going to be a cultural centre. Cultural leaders will be invited to give lectures or speeches perhaps once a year. But there will not be more than perhaps 100 people using the building at peak times" (City of London Post, 26.09.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 15] Following racist objections to the plans for an Ahmadiyya mosque on the site of the former Express Dairies in London Road, Morden (see BMMS for December 1995; January, February, March, April and June 1996), Merton council have adopted anti-racist guidelines on planning issues. The guidelines are based on those drawn up by the Royal Town Planning Institute. Councillor Philip Jones, chair of Merton’s Environmental Services Committee, said: "I hope this shows to people in Merton that we take racist representations seriously. The fact is, the only valid grounds for complaint in the planning process must be planning considerations. By adopting these procedures, we are making it crystal clear that we will not tolerate objection on racist grounds" (Putney & Wimbledon Times, 11.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 15] The Muslims who have been locked out of the Norwich Mosque and have been saying Friday prayers in the open air in the park opposite the mosque, have now been offered a church hall for their use (see BMMS for August, September, October and November 1995; February, March, April and May 1996). The Lord Mayor, Rory Quinn, has been trying to reconcile the two sides in the dispute, and spoke to the clergy at St John’s Catholic Cathedral in Norwich about the problem. Father Mark Hackeson, assistant priest at St John’s, said: "We are very happy that the building [the Catholic church hall] is used for prayer and to help in whatever way we can. Some of the clergy were very moved that some of the people here were praying in the park in sub-zero temperatures" (Norwich Evening News, Eastern Daily Press, 25.10.96). Dr Raveend Khawaja, speaking on behalf of those who are locked out, said: "Is it not a miracle that people who do not share our faith like us are willing to help us? This is a touch of humanity. If this humanity was in all of us there would be no problems in Palestine, in Northern Ireland, in African countries, places where people are at each other’s throats" (Norwich Evening News, Eastern Daily Press, 25.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 15] A new set of plans for redeveloping the Oakthorpe sports ground in Palmers Green are to be presented to Enfield Council’s planning committee (see BMMS for July, August and September 1996). The Hindu religious group, Darji Mitra Mandal, who own the sports pavilion on the site, want to turn it into a sports hall and community centre for themselves and local people. The Oakthorpe Action to Keep the Sportsground (OAKS) group is opposed to this plan and to that of the Muslim Community and Education Centre’s plan to build a mosque there. Steve Jasper, chair of OAKS, said: "If they go ahead the Oakthorpe Road sports ground would house two large community centres, together with some 95 car parking spaces. We are fighting for the preservation of green open space which will be needed by future generations" (Enfield Gazette, 17.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 15/16] Preston Muslims are hoping to turn the former Fulwood Park Hotel into a mosque. some local residents may make formal objections on the grounds of traffic problems and noise. Ilyas Patel, speaking on behalf of the Preston Muslim Society’s Fulwood Branch, said he would be happy to meet objectors and discuss their concerns and even to take them to a mosque at prayer time to reassure them about noise levels. He said: "there will be no structural changes - it is not as if there is a big green dome going on top. When it was a hotel it had a licence until 11 or 12 at night and there were functions and discos with about 150 people. About 30 families are going to be using the mosque and they live within walking distance. Our members are local residents as well and we have not ignored the residents’ interests. We are bringing a property in a conservation area into good use and I think the residents should support us" (Preston Evening Post, 03.10.96). A public meeting about the proposal called by local councillors has been scheduled for 30 October (Preston Evening Post, 22.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 16] Plans for a mosque in a former grocery shop in Prestwick (see BMMS for August and September 1996) have been abandoned because, with the publicity given to the proposal, many more Muslims have said they would like to use such a facility. The proposer of the scheme, Mohammed Safiq, explained: "After the mosque issue began appearing in the papers we realised that our numbers were greater than had been previously thought. The place at Berelands Road would have been too small, so we are looking for somewhere bigger with more parking spaces...We would like to use the building as a centre for education for our children and as a community centre" (Troon & Prestwick Times, 02.10.96). With the help of South Ayrshire Council’s planning department, the Muslim community, has now found more suitable premises. Spokesperson Mohammed Shafique said: " We have looked at a number of sites. And there is one in particular that we are keen to pursue. But we have to go through the whole planning process again so I don’t think it would serve any purpose to announce anything publicly at this time" (Ayr Advertiser, 16.10.96). Mr Shaffique subsequently confirmed that the most likely site was in the town of Ayr (Ayrshire Post, 25.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 16] The owners of a former Methodist chapel and listed building in Queens Park, have blocked up its stained glass windows with breeze blocks. A borough council spokesperson said: "They do not have planning permission to do this. Our planning department will be investigating the matter further" (Bedfordshire on Sunday, 20.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 16] A group of Muslims may have to leave the former Christian Science church which they converted into a mosque, because the council has granted permission to builders to adapt the premises to make 32 flats for university students. The present occupants wanted to make the former church into an Islamic community centre, open to all the public, with a tearoom, meeting areas and a bookshop. Their spokesperson, Ofman Collins, said: "There is great interest among our people to preserve the church as a spiritual place. I would have thought that there were many, many other buildings more suitable for students." The council is now advising the Muslims to talk to the owners of the building about a financial package which would allow them to remain (Sheffield Star, Barnsley Star, 22.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 16] Muslims who were using a house in Higham Hill Road, Walthamstow as a mosque in contravention of planning laws, have now left the premises (see BMMS for June 1996). The group continued to use the building for two months after being given a final warning and so risked a £20,000 fine (Walthamstow Guardian, 26.09.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 16]
Burials Chester city council’s environmental services committee has approved in principle an application from the Muslim community for space for 100 burials. Environmental services chief Mike Lee said: "I am sure the city council does have a duty to supply proper burial facilities for Chester’s Muslim community. There is an increasing expectation among these people, many of whom were born here and have lived in Chester all their lives, that they should be buried here" (Chester Chronicle, 11.10.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 17] Closed-circuit television cameras may be installed in order to prevent further vandalism to Muslim graves in the Priory Road cemetery in High Wycombe. Graves, including those of children, have twice been vandalised in the past year, in November 1995 and on 14 September 1996 (see BMMS for September 1996). Police are investigating the latest attack (Bucks Free Press, 27.09.96). [BMMS October 1996 Vol. IV, No. 10, p. 17]
|