BMMS June 1997

The Guardian (12.06.97) reports that human rights legislation to be introduced by the government this autumn will extend the protection of the 1976 Race Relations Act to cover religious discrimination (see British Muslims Monthly Survey for April 1997). Sir Herman Ouseley, chair of the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), welcomed the possibility of extending current anti-discrimination legislation. At the recent presentation of the CRE’s annual report, he said: "It is right after 20 years of the Race Relations Act that there should be a full and open public debate about what is the state of race relations in Britain, what is the best way of tackling the problems facing the ethnic minorities, and whether current legislation is adequate or not". The same issue has an article using information from the recently published Institute of Public Policy Research report concerning racial prejudice on racism and Britain’s ethnic minority Muslims.

An article in Q-News, (01.06.97) by the lawyer Ahmed Thomson argues that the government’s proposals to adopt the European Convention on Human Rights will also provide protection from discrimination. He analyses several different models of incorporation. Ahmed Thomson points out that one argument that has been used against the idea of legislation against religious discrimination in the UK has been the difficulty of defining what is a religion. He suggests that: "a ‘religion’ is ‘that system of beliefs and actions centred round the worship of God which is derived in whole or in part from a book revealed by God to one of his messengers’. This definition is wide enough to include all denominations of the Jews, the Christians, the Hindus, the Buddhists and the Sikhs - but not man-made religions such as, for example, Scientology and Communism, neither of which involve the worship of God".

In another article in Q-News (15.06.97), Sarah Spencer, the director of the Human Rights Programme at the Institute for Public Policy Research, discusses the possibility of, and opportunities facing a Human Rights Commission, which would replace the existing CRE and Equal Opportunities Commission. Luton town council has called upon the government to enact laws against religious discrimination, in its response to the Runnymede Trust’s consultation document on Islamophobia (see BMMS for July, August and December 1996; February, March, April and May 1997). The council would also like to see more national discussion regarding the need for legislation to outlaw incitement to religious hatred (Luton Leader, 12.06.97).

A report in Muslim News (28.06.97) expresses concern that the CRE (Commission for Racial Equality) appears to be giving low priority to the issue of religious discrimination. When Muslim News asked the CRE for details of cases involving religious discrimination, which the CRE has committed itself to monitor, the newspaper was informed that there had only been one such case in the past six months and they were not sent any details of any cases during 1996. Iqbal Sacranie of the UK Action Committee said: "We are simply baffled that such an important consultation on religious discrimination carried out across the country merited only a token mention when the CRE has taken a positive stance towards extending the legal remedy to cover religion in addition to race". The paper also points out that Khurshid Drabu, Head of Litigation at the CRE, who was put in charge of the working party on religious discrimination, has left the CRE to become a special judge on asylum and immigration. Awaaz (01.07.97) is more optimistic than Muslim News, believing that human rights legislation to be introduced in the autumn could result in the outlawing of religious discrimination. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 1]

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Film protest

Tens of local papers from all over Britain, ranging from the Southern Daily Echo (19.06.97) to the Belfast Telegraph (19.06.97), in addition to most major national papers, have reported on disturbances in Leeds, involving clashes between the police and about 300 youths, regarding a video film. The video, of a film called Border, about the 1971 war between India and Pakistan, reportedly shows scenes which some Muslims have regarded as disrespectful to the Qur’an. Five people, including three juveniles, were arrested and four police officers injured as a result of clashes following the attack upon a video shop said to be stocking the film. Superintendent Frank Farmer of West Yorkshire Police said: "Police were requested at the video shop when there was a report of a group of youths causing a disturbance. Bricks were thrown at officers and there were five arrests" (Sheffield Star, 19.07.97). Gewal Krishna, the owner of the video shop, Krishna Video on Harehills Road in Leeds, explained that he had not stocked the film, only a music cassette of the soundtrack. He has now abandoned any plans to stock it: "It is not worth losing my business for and if I knew all this trouble would be caused I would never have considered it. I have never even seen the film and I can’t see why these young Muslims should be picking on my shop. The younger generation seem to be using the video as an excuse to start trouble, though I don’t know who planted the idea into their heads" (Independent, 20.06.97). Javed Akhtar, a Leeds city councillor who was present at the scene, criticised the policing: "The police adopted heavy handed tactics using dogs and tear gas, it could have been handled much better...The police used the same tactics they used in Bradford. It wasn’t necessary. Leeds has always been a peaceful city" (Asian Age, 20.06.97). The film was due to be shown at the Leeds council-owned cinema, the Hyde Park Picture House. Councillor Bernard Atha, chair of the council’s cultural services committee, explained that the decision had been made reluctantly: "...if serious disorder was likely, then you have to be pragmatic and do the sensible thing and cancel it. I think it is giving in, not to a pressure group, but to the interests of people in the area who could be affected by the disorder" (Yorkshire Evening Post, 20.06.97).

In Bradford, the marketing manager for Odeon Cinemas, Robert Wood, withdrew the film a day before it was due to be screened. The film had been shown without incident in Bradford before, but Mr Wood said: "The manager of the cinema took the decision to withdraw the film after the incidents in Leeds. We didn’t want to expose our customers, staff or building to any possible danger" (Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 20.06.97).

On Sunday 22 June, there was an arson attack on the Belle Vue cinema in Edgware, north London, which was showing the film at the time (The Times, Guardian, Daily Jang, 24.06.97). Following this incident, in which the fire was quickly extinguished by the fire brigade, a spokesperson for Eros Films, the distributors, denied there was anything offensive in the film. She said: "It is very sad for us that the film is being taken totally out of context. There is no scene in it which shows the Qur’an on fire. The film is about the horrors of war, the effect war has on ordinary people, and it is essentially sending out a message of peace. It does not glorify war or any country, and we can’t understand why all these people are making so much trouble over the film. It ends showing the Pakistani and Indian flags side by side" (Guardian, 24.06.97). Another spokesperson for the distributors said: "In fact, the scene in question shows a Hindu soldier rescuing a copy of the Islamic holy book from a blazing house, and being blessed by Muslims for his bravery" (Daily Jang, 24.06.97).

Dr Ghayassuddin Siddiqui, leader of the Muslim Parliament, who had not yet seen the film, condemned it saying: "I can understand the frustration of Muslims at the constant attack on them and their religion which they feel powerless to do anything. For writers and film makers, Islam is a quick way of making money" (East, 25.06.97). On 2 July, East reported that Dr Siddiqui and other Muslim leaders had accepted the offer made to them by the distributors, Eros International, to see the film and decide for themselves whether the film is offensive to the Muslim community. Eros spokeswoman Pretty Mehta said: "This film was not made to hurt anybody’s feelings. It is giving the message of peace and love and not any disturbance of trouble. Have broad minds and take the film as an ordinary film and please enjoy it and look at the bright side of it" (East, 02.07.97). Dr Zaki Badawi, principal of the Muslim college, thought that bearing in mind historical prejudices, it might have been wiser to cut potentially controversial scenes from the film, but added: "Having said that, I don’t like censorship and the idea of so-called Muslim leaders having the right to say which films should and should not be shown" (Daily Telegraph, 25.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 1/2]

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Oxford Centre buildings

Controversy continues to surround the plans for the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies to build its own premises (see BMMS for February, March, April and May 1997). Ahmad Bullock, who claims to have been a leader of the Oxford Muslim community from 1975 to 1982, told the South Oxfordshire Courier (05.06.97): "This centre was planned to improve relationships in the city, when all it is doing is leaving local Muslims out in the cold. It will have no real bearing on the people of Oxford. At the end of the day, tycoons from the Gulf states and Saudi Arabia will pump their money into the centre and it will be a means for their sons and nephews to gain Oxford doctorates, which are invaluable in the Middle East". Rumours that the support of Merton College for the Centre could be totally withdrawn were denied by the Centre’s registrar, Dr David Browning, who said: "We are consulting with Merton and planning officers about a number of matters" (Oxford Times, 06.06.97). Part of Merton’s misgivings are thought to be the Centre’s proposed 108ft high minaret and other matters regarding the architectural style of the proposed buildings (Oxford Journal, 06.06.97, Oxford Mail, 17.06.97). East (19.06.97) believes that Christian fundamentalists are involved in a campaign against the concept of the buildings, their style and location.

The Royal Fine Art Commission, in a letter to Oxford City Council, has called for a re-design of the centre. In a letter to the council, the commission’s director, Lord St John of Fawsley, says: "The building would fit very well into the centre of the city. But at this point the character of Oxford has become much more green and open...The commission suggests a re-design that respects the semi-rural setting" (Oxford Mail, 26.06.97, Oxford Times, 27.06.97). Other critics of the plans object to the lack of clarity regarding the Centre’s relationship to Oxford University. Richard Gombrich, chair of the faculty board of Oxford University, said: "There is a widespread misapprehension that this is part of Oxford. Awkward is putting it mildly. Universities aren’t the kind of places that build mosques" (Times Higher Education Supplement, 04.07.97). Now that permission has finally been given to build a university business school (Q-News, 01.07.97) on land beside Oxford railway station, following the acceptance by Oxford University of the £20 million gift for this purpose from the Saudi Arabian businessman, Wafic Said, some of the critics of the Centre’s choice of site are suggesting that it should move to be opposite the projected business school. Robert Gasser, bursar of Brasenose College, said: "...it is too big for the site...There is a substantial site coming onto the market opposite the proposed new business school and it would make a wonderful entrance to the city to have these two as a focal point" (Times Higher Educational Supplement, 04.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 2]

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Sarwar update

Further bribery allegations are being made against the Glasgow Govan MP Mohammed Sarwar (see BMMS for March, April and May 1997). Two friends of Mr Sarwar, Glaswegian businessman Maqbool Rasul and Hanif Rajah, a member of the Govan Labour Party’s executive, were photographed on 13 June apparently attempting to bribe a newspaper reporter with £500 to lose evidence relating to previous bribery allegations. Maqbool Rasul said that he believed that the journalist, who was working undercover for the News of the World, was actually a sympathetic lawyer. According to Mr Rasul, the man initially asked for £1000 to cover expenses: "I took out my wallet and showed him I only had about £40-£60 in it. Then I remembered I still had £700 in my pocket which was for my wife to buy the week’s messages [shopping]. I had to split it up but he said ‘don’t do it here’ and I went to the toilet. When I came back out and handed it over he held up his hand saying he had been bribed £500. I went into a rage and yelled: ‘Call the police’" (Daily Record, 16.06.97).

On 16 June, the Labour Party’s Development and Organisation Committee approved a report recommending that pending the outcome of police investigations, Mr Sarwar has his rights and privileges as an MP suspended and be unable to attend most parliamentary Labour meetings. These recommendations were sent to Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) for approval the following week. Other recommendations include a restructuring of Labour Party organisation in Govan (Daily Jang, 17.06.97). The Scottish National Party, who came second in the Govan election, called upon Mr Sarwar to resign. Their chief executive, Mike Russell, said: "New Labour’s own inquiry has concluded that Mr Sarwar has brought the Labour Party into disrepute, and his position as MP has become untenable. If New Labour are prepared to withdraw the whip from Mr Sarwar even temporarily, then they are clearly showing that they have no confidence in him as an MP or party representative" (Daily Jang, 19.06.97).

An article in the New Statesman (20.06.97) by Gerry Hassan, organiser of the Remaking Scotland conference to be held at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow on 26 July, gives considerable detail regarding the difficulties faced by Sarwar as an individual and the Govan Labour Party as an institution. Margaret Curran, who at an early stage withdrew from the candidacy selection procedure in Govan, alleging sexism believes the local party should look forward: "What now for the Govan Labour Party? It has to be about an end to factionalism, still trying to tackle racism, and black and ethnic minority representation, but realising it must be within an integrated campaign based on dialogue between communities" (New Statesman, 20 June 1997).

On 25 June the Labour Party took the decision to strip Mohammed Sarwar of all his rights and privileges as a Labour MP, to temporarily suspend him temporarily from the party whip, and to ask the parliamentary commissioner for standards to investigate the bribery allegations against Mr Sarwar (Daily Jang, Scotsman, 26.06.97, Glasgow Herald, 27.06.97, Muslim News, 28.06.97, Q-News, 01.07.97). Mohammed Sarwar said: "I am obviously saddened by the National Executive decision that I should be suspended from holding office within the Labour Party. I am confident that the various police enquiries will clear my name. I sincerely hope that once this has happened the national executive will lift the suspension. It is my intention to pursue my defamation action against the News of the World but I hope I will now be allowed to represent my Govan constituency unhindered by further media harassment" (Scotsman, 26.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 3]

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Reports

Community

Shaykh al-Azhar visit

Q-News (01.06.97) has published an article critical of the organisation of the visit of the Shaykh al-Azhar, head of al-Azhar University, Dr Mohammed Sayed Tantawi (see BMMS for May 1997). The article maintains that Dr Tantawi was deliberately kept away from seeing the poverty in which some Muslims in Britain live, or from any discussion of human rights issues in Egypt. The article quotes a former graduate of Al-Azhar, Abdul Hakim Murad, who says of Dr Tantawi’s position: "His scholarly credentials and his integrity are not in doubt. He’s in a tricky position and has to negotiate a careful path between religious imperatives and the government. If he steps out of line they will only replace him with somebody worse"

Muslim News (28.06.97) carries a late report of the visit. Muslim News has put the wrong photograph with this article (see below, "Tunisian protest" in the Politics section), and refers to the Archbishop praising "invited guests from the missionary college, Selly Oak, and the Islamic centres financed by the Muslim governments, which he said had ‘strong relationships with Al-Azhar’" [Archbishop Dr Carey singled out CSIC for commendation and CSIC is not a missionary college]. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 3]

Glasgow exhibition

Q-News (01.06.97) published a brief review of the Salaam exhibition of Islamic art and culture in Glasgow’s museums and art galleries, which is being held to mark the 50th anniversary of Indian independence (see BMMS for November and December 1996; May 1997). The Radio Ramadhan team in Glasgow has started broadcasting under a special temporary license for four weeks as "Radio Salaam" to coincide with the exhibition. The broadcasts are on 105.4FM from 23 June until 20 July (Daily Jang, 28.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 3]

Southall & Slough update

Further arrests have been made in connection with the Sikh-Muslim disturbances in Slough in April (see BMMS for February, April and May 1997). The fifteen Sikhs and ten Muslims have been released on police bail (Asian Age, 12.06.97, Slough & Langley Observer, 13.06.97). The Slough & Langley Express (12.06.97) reports that some Muslim young men have been lobbying Berkshire’s youth service for their own social centre as a means to reducing intercommunal tension.

A new group has been formed in Southall which aims to unite all faiths and races against communal violence and racism in the area. It is called Southall First. Spokesperson Dalawar Chaudry explained: "The far right groups like the National Front, Combat 18 and groups like that are growing strong, and they must be looking at what’s going on and laughing. We’re playing into their hands. There is no other problem in the community than this minority of idiots. I am a Muslim and I stood and fought with Sikhs, brother with brother, against the National Front in Southall. When the committee is set up it will reflect all the faiths, all parts of the community. A Christian, a Hindu, a Muslim and a Sikh will run the organisation. It’s important that it involves the white community". Details on Southall First can be obtained from 110-112 West End Road, Southall, Middlesex, UB1 1 PU (East, 02.07.97). A special edition of The London Programme on BBC1 on 27 June dealt with the gang violence between Muslims and Sikhs in Southall and Slough (Time Out Magazine, 25.06.97, East, 02.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 3/4]

Derby racist leaflets

A racist leaflet circulating in Derby has continues to heighten tensions between the city’s Muslims, who are mostly of Asian origin, and local Afro-Caribbeans, most of who are non-Muslims (see BMMS for April and May 1997). The leaflet, headed "Khilafa" purports to come from Muslims and constitutes incitement to racial hatred. Police superintendent Roy Hopkinson said: "We are trying to identify the authors, where it is being produced and who is distributing it. In the meantime the meeting [called by Muslims to publicly condemn the leaflet and disassociate the community from it] is a chance for us to say that relations between different communities are very good and we want them to say that way" (Derby Evening Telegraph, 17.06.97). The meeting encouraged all Derby’s communities to ignore the leaflet and to co-operate in combatting poverty, unemployment. A Muslim attending the meeting, Mohammed Basharat, said: "The leaflet was distributed by somebody from outside the city with the intention of damaging the good links between Muslim and Afro-Caribbean people. I hope now that the people living here can work together and look at the real issues like unemployment, which is a real mess" (Derby Evening Telegraph, 18.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 4]

Caretaker attack

London mosque caretaker Mohammed Abdul-Rahman was attacked with a hammer and a pickaxe handle and seriously injured by two workmen, Graham Jarvis and James Parker, who also insulted Mr Abdul-Rahman’s religion and shouted racist abuse. The workmen had been carrying out renovations to the block of flats in Old Brompton Road (see BMMS for May 1996), one of which was being used as a mosque. Prosecuting, Jason Dunn-Shaw explained that: "There had been an ongoing dispute between the workmen and the Muslims, who attended the flat to pray, over noise created by the workmen coming mainly from the flat directly above the mosque". The attack took place on 4 November 1996 at 4pm, when, returning to the flat used as a mosque, Mr Abdul-Rahman heard voices and feeling afraid, locked himself into the kitchen. His assailants forced the door and attacked and beat Mr Abdul-Rahman about the head. His injuries required stitches to his head and forearm. The attack only ended when a Muslim arrived to worship and raised the alarm (Sidcup & Blackfen Times, Bexleyheath & Welling Times, 05.06.97). The attackers have been found guilty of affray and assault and sentenced to 18 months prison (Daily Telegraph, 28.06.97, Q-News, 01.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 4]

Miracle tomato and other signs!

A Muslim girl from Huddersfield, Shaista Javed, sliced open a tomato and found that the lines appeared to read, "There is only one God" on one side and "Mohammed is the messenger" on the other. She said: "God made me buy that tomato. These words are a message from God. It’s a miracle". The tomato has been kept in the fridge so that people can come and see it. Shaista’s grandfather, Noor Mohammed, said: "Nearly 200 people have come from as far away as Manchester, Birmingham and London to see the tomato" (Yorkshire Evening Post, 12.06.97). Subsequently, another Huddersfield Muslim, bus driver Mohammed Akhter, discovered another tomato with a holy message (Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 13.06.97), and Nasim Akhtar of Thornton Lodge found a holy message inside an aubergine (Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 21.06.97). Similarly Rehman Rahman, chef and manager at the Taj Takeaway in Scunthorpe, found a tomato with the name of Allah inside (Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph, 18.06.97, Grimsby Evening Telegraph, 20.06.97). Other similar tomatoes have been reported as being discovered in Lidget Green, Bradford, Nottingham, Peterborough, Crewe and in the Batley area. The word Allah has also been seen in an aubergine in Stoke-on-Trent. An egg found by a Muslim shopper in Leicester also appeared to have an inscription of the name of Allah on its shell (Leicester Mercury, 26.06.97).

Q-News (15.06.97) quotes the opinion of the scholar and translator Abdul Hakim Murad on these finds: "You can’t read too much into these things. Last year CNN transmitted pictures of a nebulae which contained the face of Jesus. The law of averages says that if you cut open a million tomatoes then one of them may spell something. If Allah wants to show us a miracle he can find better ways of doing it than with a tomato. There is no evidence for this in the lifetime of the Prophet". In the past, there have been several sightings of aubergines with the name of Allah inside.

Joe Joseph, commenting in The Times (28.06.97) on these phenomena says: "Many people find it strange that, given all the modern methods of communication at God’s disposal - Western Union, fax, e-mail, Trevor MacDonald’s ‘and finally’ postscript on News at Ten - that he should still think of sending us messages hidden inside fruit and vegetables. Especially aubergines". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 4]

Coventry centre row

A dispute within the management committee of Coventry’s Muslim Community Association in Red Lane had led to the chair of the association seeking a court order banning Councillor Mohammed Asif (Labour, Upper Stoke) and three other executives committee members from the building. Councillor Asif is general secretary of the association and he explained that the members of the executive committee had passed a vote of no confidence in Mr Shabbir at a meeting in early June (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 16.06.97). However, the dispute was resolved without further recourse to the courts. A spokesperson for the association’s solicitors said: "Out of court, both sides have reached a mutual agreement to the satisfaction of every party concerned. They have agreed to work together for the benefit of the association and the community. This is a good result for the community as a whole" (Coventry Evening Telegraph, 25.06.97). The association received £430,161 from the National Lottery in December 1996 (see BMMS for December 1996). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 5]

Sangat and KMA changes

A newly-formed Keighley Muslim Association (KMA), whose spokesperson is barrister Gheias Ilyas, was formed at the end of May and has severed all links with the Sangat-based community organisation (see BMMS for February 1996; April and May 1997). The president of the new KMA is 60-year-old frozen foods and meat wholesaler, Haji Mohammed Siddique. However, Kadim Hussain, of the Sangat-based organisation, claims that the caretaker body set up last autumn following disputes over the acceptance of Lottery funding, is still in place and they have not been served with proper notice to leave their present premises (Keighley News, 30.05.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 5]

Blackburn mosque Lottery money

A senior member of Blackburn’s Kokni Muslim community has confirmed that the donation of £300,000 from the town’s National Lottery winner will not fund worship or religious education facilities at the mosque (see BMMS for January and February 1996; May 1997). Mohammed Ulde, general secretary of the Kokni Muslim Association, told the Blackburn Lancashire Telegraph (04.06.97): "Not a single penny from this money or its profits will go to the mosque. The general body of the society decided they wanted a community centre. We need something to cater for the younger generation and women". A different point of view was put forward by Mustafa Khan, president of the Islamic Foundation for New Muslims: "...it is haram money which is unlawful and may not be used for anything to do with the Muslims. Giving haram money to charity and any earnings from a community centre would also be unlawful. These people are going against the Qur’an and the sayings of the Prophet Mohammed" (Blackburn Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 09.06.97). Mr Ulde responded to individual objectors and the anonymous ones behind the leaflet denouncing acceptance of the donation saying: "Those objecting wanted to see an Islamic centre built but they have not raised the funds to do it. There are just one or two people blowing the whole thing up" (Eastern Eye, 13.06.97). The Forest of Dean & Wye Valley Review (13.06.97) comments on the controversy: "It seems the wages of sin are just too good to resist these days". The deputy chairman of the Muslim Parliament commented: "This is not a Muslim state and so we cannot do anything about it. But there will always remain a shadow over this money" (Asian Age, 19.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 5]

Census question

On 15 June a pilot exercise of the religious question in the national Census took place (see BMMS for August and November 1996). Q-News (15.06.97) reports that one of the areas chosen was Brent, where 16,000 households received the questionnaires. The UK Action Committee on Islamic Affairs mounted a campaign to encourage Muslims to mark their religious identity on the forms and worshippers were leafleted after Friday prayers by UKACIA. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 5]

Muhammad Ali exhibition

A review of a photographic exhibition about the life the boxing champion, Muhammad Ali, appears in Q-News (01.06.97). The reviewer concludes: "For those who remember Ali, the exhibition is an opportunity to indulge in nostalgia for a bygone era, the quality of which will surely never again be repeated. For those who don’t, it is a valuable history lesson about a man who with his grace, charm, athleticism, faith, principles and power, embodied much cherished ideals". The exhibition was for the month of June only, at the Special Photographer’s Company in Notting Hill, and the photographer was Howard Bingham. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 5]

Bradford updates

Q-News (15.06.97) has two articles on Muslims in Bradford. One concerns poverty, unemployment and crime in the inner city. The other is about art galleries and exhibitions and their relevance to the city’s Muslim community. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 5]

Enfield mosque attack

A 61-year-old Muslim was seriously injured in a fight after worshippers found two men urinating against the wall of the mosque in High Street, Ponders End. The mosque-goers told the men to stop and a fight broke out, during which two of the Muslims were injured. The two white men were arrested and later released on bail. Sergeant Dick Whitehouse from Ponders Green police station said they were not treating the attack as racially motivated, but said: "The community are very upset and we are treating it very seriously" (Enfield Gazette, 05.06.97).

A few days later, police held a meeting at the mosque to talk about what steps are being taken to prevent such incidents in the future. Inspector Keith Walmsley said after the meeting: "The police and community are working together to improve security for everyone in the area" (Enfield Independent, 11.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 5]

Hajj travel

Muslims who have been on Hajj in groups organised by Moti Tours of Leicester have made complaints to Blackburn’s Fair Trading Office, alleging that the firm broke promises made in its brochure and provided sub-standard accommodation. Two pilgrims who travelled to Saudi Arabia this April allege that their rooms were infested with cockroaches, mattresses were urine soaked, their coach was not air-conditioned, and on occasions the travel firm failed to provide food and drinks. As well as the two principal complainants, 40 others have signed a petition demanding action be taken against the firm (Blackburn Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 06.06.97, 12.06.97). The head of the travel firm, Anvar Moti, met Lancashire’s senior trading standards officer, Julian Edwards, who explained his legal obligations towards his customers, in particular, the need to be fully insured. Mr Edwards said after the meeting: "He [Mr Moti] now realises that he is strictly liable for events which might seem out of his control and must be protected accordingly" (Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 12.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 5/6]

Sidmouth meets Swindon

The Islamic Educational Awareness Project, based in Swindon, made a visit to the Sidmouth Family Workshop and gave them a donation of £100. The visit was the first part of an exchange whose aim is to enable voluntary organisations to swap ideas on the management of projects. The exchange was funded by a linking-communities grant which was awarded to both groups by the former Heritage Secretary, Virginia Bottomley. The Islamic Educational Awareness Project took part in training sessions at Sidmouth college and presented the college with copies of the Qur’an, prayer mats and educational packages (Sidmouth Herald, 07.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6]

Muslims grant

Following lobbying, and the organisers having shown that their community organisations were fulfilling their aims, the funding from Redbridge Council to three local voluntary organisations has been retained. One which had been threatened with the withdrawal of funding was the British League of Muslims day centre, which will now be able to increase its opening times to four days a week (Barking & Dagenham Recorder, 12.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6]

Fife Lottery bid

The Muslim community in Fife hope to present a bid to the National Lottery for funds to help build a community centre. The proposal is backed by Fife Council, whose report found that, as regards the existing, primarily religiously oriented facilities, "all have serious limitations with regard to being able to accommodate a comprehensive range of social, educational and sporting activities" and that "Mainstream provision is not always accessible to Muslim people because of language and cultural barriers, including modesty rules for women" (Glenrothes Gazette, 12.06.97, Fife Free Press, 13.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6]

Batley centre plans

The Batley Indian Muslim Welfare Association has given assurances that, in building a sports complex in the grounds of Hyrstlands, their premises which are a listed building, they will respect the character of site. Kirklees councillor Kath Pinnock explained that this was always a requirement where listed buildings were concerned: "When we have made decisions regarding listed buildings in the past, we have insisted that the minutest details were right before we have given consent. All these buildings should be treated with the same respect" (Yorkshire Evening Post, 17.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6]

Hajj article

The Windsor & Eton Express (19.06.97) has a feature by Julie Jaleelah, information officer at the Slough Al-Nasr Centre, about Hajj. The article describes the feelings of two local Muslims, Lamaan Ball and Farooq Siddiqui, who made the pilgrimage to Makkah this year, and then gives a brief introduction to the institution of Hajj. For more information, contact Julie Jaleelah at the Centre on 01753 550788. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6]

Yusuf Ali commemorated

A seminar was held at the end of June at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, to celebrate the life of Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the translator of the Holy Qur’an, who died in London in 1953. The programme was that the seminar would be addressed by M A Sherif, author of Searching for Solace, a Biography of Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1994, Islamic Book Trust, Kuala Lumpur) and historians Abdul Wahid Hamid and Iftikhar Malik (Daily Jang, 19.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6]

Islamic book fair

An international Islamic book fair is to be held in London in July, called the London International Islamic and Middle Eastern Book Fair (Daily Jang, 20.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6]

Home from Home exhibition

The Peterborough Evening Telegraph (20.06.97) carries a review of a photographic exhibition called Home from Home: British Mirpuris in Pakistan. The reviewer writes: "My most vivid recollection of the exhibition is the photograph used on the promotional poster. The picture is of moonrise over the main Muslim shrine in old Dudial, the large town submerged by the reservoir. The picture is very reminiscent of a scene very close to Peterborough. Rutland Water, a mere few miles away, was created to provide a much-needed reservoir...A village as well as acres of farmland was flooded to provide this facility. The church at Hambleton was among the buildings submerged but, to this day, it remains partially visible. The similarity between this and the shrine at Dudial is striking". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6]

Grants to Barnet charities

The Association of Muslims with Disabilities, after considerable lobbying (see BMMS for February, March and October 1996; January 1997), has received a grant of £2,000 from the borough council in Barnet. Another voluntary organisation which helps Muslims amongst others, the Asylum Seekers Project of Homeless Action in Barnet, received £15,000. The project aims to give advice and support to the estimated 80 families and 60 individuals in the borough currently seeking asylum (Hendon & Finchley Times, 19.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6]

Sufi festival

A music critic in The Times (27.06.97) gives readers a foretaste of what to expect at the Sufi Music Village (see BMMS for May 1997), which is being held in the first half of July in London. He writes of Sheikh Yaseen el-Tuhamy, whom he saw performing in Cairo and who is one of the singers at the festival in London: "His music is totally improvised as Yaseen takes a phrase here, a word there, and repeats them once, twice, perhaps 20 times while the tempo rises and falls away again. It was quite simply one of the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen. There is no real Western equivalent, although on the level of improvisational vocal technique perhaps Van Morrison is the closest...Many of the other performers promise a similarly transcendental assault on the prejudices of Islamophobia. As the festival programme warns us: ‘This music could radically change your world view’". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 6/7]

Diana denies engagement

Kensington Palace has denied the rumour that Princess Diana has become unofficially engaged to a Muslim, the heart surgeon Dr Hasnat Khan (see BMMS for May 1997). According to the Daily Jang (30.06.97), reports of the engagement appeared in the Sunday Mirror on 29 June. A spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: "The Princess of Wales has not become engaged to Dr Hasnat Khan, officially or unofficially. Continuing speculation of this nature is untrue, and more importantly, disruptive to the hospitals Dr Khan works in" (Daily Jang, 30.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 7]

Bolton flags

Bolton council has accepted a sub-committee recommendation that it displays banners to wish residents a happy Diwali and a happy Eid (see BMMS for May 1997). The report said that such a measure would be part of the council’s policy of "valuing diversity" (Eastern Eye, 27.06.97, Asian Times, 01.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 7]

Nike shoe controversy

Sports shoes made by Nike which have offended some Muslims because the logo resembles the word Allah will not be going on sale in Britain, the company confirmed (see BMMS for April 1997). Following representations and a threatened world-wide boycott of Nike products by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the company agreed to withdraw the shoes from sale, not only in the US, but also world-wide. The company also promised to work with the Islamic organisation to improve Nike’s understanding of Islam, and to donate £31,000 for a playground for an Islamic school in the US (Oldham Evening Chronicle, Lancashire Evening Post, Coventry Evening Telegraph, 25.06.97, Daily Jang, Morning Star, 26.06.97). A spokesperson for Nike UK said: "We are trying to trace the shoes at the moment but none have been delivered in the UK. It’s not a recall as such in this country, but we are adhering to the US policy" (Oldham Evening Chronicle, 25.06.97). Q-News (25.06.97) and the Doncaster Star (25.06.97) are the only newspapers to date with pictures of the trainers and the offending logo, which the former concedes was redesigned at the end of last year, following concerns voiced by distributors in the Middle East. Q-News claims to have found the trainers on sale in London sports shops. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 7]

Nelson Islam exhibition

An exhibition to raise awareness about Islam has been on display at Nelson’s Civic Theatre and talks on Islam are taking place in conjunction with it. The events were organised by the town’s Qur’an and Sunnah Society, who are based at the Netherfield Road Mosque. Naeem Asghar, the project’s coordinator, said: "This exhibition goes to various universities and I had my introduction to it when I was in Leeds as a student" (Colne Times, 27.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 7]

Leicester lecture

A lecture entitled "Muslims in Europe: Between assimilation and alienation", was planned for 9 July at the Islamic Foundation’s Conference Centre at Markfield, near Leicester. The lecturer is Dr Tariq Ramadan, who teaches Islamic Philosophy and Civilisation at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland (Leicester Mercury, 23.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 7]

Charity investigation

The charity which runs the Jamia al-Karam, a boys boarding school at Eaton Hall near Retford, Nottinghamshire, is currently under investigation by the Charity Commissioners. This follows allegations that the charity’s leader, Imdad Hussain, raised money for a mosque and madrasa in Milton Keynes, which was never used for that purpose, and left the area for Retford. The Charity Commission said it was impossible to say when their investigation would be complete (Retford Times, 26.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 7]

Muslim on Mastermind

Retired engineer Shafi Ahmed recently took part on the BBC quiz "Mastermind". A practising Muslim, he chose as his special topic, the life of the Prophet Mohammed. He said: "The BBC were initially worried that the fundamentalists would take exception to me using the prophet as a subject. But I have always wanted to study the prophet Mohammed since I was a child. Looking back I’m not sorry I chose it, but it was a very heavyweight subject and some questions were very difficult". Mr Ahmed’s round will be broadcast on 21 July (Ealing & Acton Gazette, 27.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 7]

Prisoner harassed

Muslim News (28.06.97) prints a letter from a Muslim prisoner, Ilyas Rashid Mohammed, serving a sentence at HMP Camp hill, Isle of Wight, complaining that on 4 June, during a search of his cell, his copy of the Holy Qur’an was ripped and defaced. Mr Mohammed writes that, although he has made an official complaint, he has no confidence in the prison authorities to deal justly with the matter. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 7]

Call for adoptive parents

The Independent Adoption Service has renewed its appeal for more adoptive parents to come forward from minority communities, particularly Muslim communities. Aminah Sumpton, one of the IAS’s workers, explained to Muslim News (28.06.97) that: "...it is Asian and Muslim children who are increasingly ‘left on the shelf’ as there are not enough Muslim families coming forward to provide homes for them". Asked whether there were special problems in recruiting from the Muslim community, Ms Sumpton replied: "Even though in many Muslim countries, for instance Iran, adoption is incorporated as part of the legal process and is allowed in Islamic law as long as the child’s true identity is not disguised and the rights of birth children in inheritance are not compromised - something which is compatible with English legal provision - many Muslims in the UK have the perception that adoption is prohibited. This is not so". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 7/8]

Birmingham gathering

The Markazi Jamaate Ahla Sunat, UK, recently held a conference in Birmingham which was attended by over 200 Islamic scholars from the UK, Pakistan, Germany, and India. Allama Shah Ahmad Noorani, President of the World Islamic Mission, was a guest of honour at the conference (Daily Jang, 01.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 8]

Rappin’ for Islam

Time Out Magazine (02.07.97) and Q-News (01.07.97) publish previews of a Radio 1 programme, broadcast on 6 July, called "The Mic, the Star and the Crescent: Rappin’ for Islam". This was an update on a programme broadcast last year, which examined the influence of Islam, particularly the Nation of Islam, on hip hop and rap music and the role played by Muslims in such music. Arwa Haider, the music critic writing in Time Out, pointed out that the programme had a very wide scope: "...James Brown to Public Enemy and gangsta rap, and referring not only to Islam, but disparate organisations including the Nation of Islam and the Five Percenters...One glaring omission is the influence of Malcolm X. Still, as food for thought, this deserves your attention". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 8]

Education

Islamic Institute report

On 6 June the Ofsted report concerning the Islamic Institute at Flintham, Nottinghamshire, was published (see BMMS for September 1995 and January 1996). The report, which was critical of the management of the boys’ boarding school, the standards of teaching and pupils’ achievement, and several health and safety issues, was reviewed in The Times (07.06.97), TES (13.06.97), Newark Advertiser, Sleaford Advertiser (13.06.97), and East (19.06.97). The TES (13.06.97) highlighted that: "Pupils spend the mornings and evenings on Islamic studies (18.75 hours a week compared with 11.25 for secular studies) which includes learning Arabic and Urdu. Pupils were mechanically competent but lacked understanding in these languages. Pupils had little contact with non-religious literature and were not introduced to any British religious or cultural traditions outside Islam". All the newspapers reiterated the inspectors’ concerns about safety and hygiene, quoting the report, which said: "There are no proper arrangements for the disposal of rubbish, including food waste from pupils’ rooms and dormitories. This results from pupils sleeping in the same rooms as full waste bins containing smelly food waste. There is also an accumulation of such rubbish and broken glass outside dormitory windows. At the time of the fire drill, during the inspection, pupils had to walk in bare feet through this dangerous and unhygienic mess". The headmaster, Mr Luqman, told the local newspapers: "I think 95% of this report is to do with the previous management and not this one, and a lot of work has been done since the visit [three months previously]. We’re trying to get our standards higher in secular studies but the majority of parents who send their children here have done so as they want them educated in an Islamic environment and that is most important to them, but we are trying to get the balance better".

Q-News (01.07.97) carries a short report of the inspection. It appears to conclude that financial problems, especially those caused by the difficulties in maintaining the building, were largely to blame for low standards, as it ends: "Headmaster Mohammed Luqman said the school had run into financial problems since it was established three years ago in a converted RAF accommodation unit". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 8]

New government welcomed

Q-News (01.06.97) has an article by Ibrahim Hewitt, development officer of the Association of Muslim Schools, which gives a cautious welcome to the new Labour government. He concludes his article: "Too many young people have not had the best education, through no fault of their own, for anyone to underestimate the importance of the task facing everyone involved in the education of our children - our future". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 8]

Nottingham weekend classes

A homework club has been set up in the Forest Fields Mosque in Nottingham, where children will receive extra tuition in core school subjects at weekends (Teletext, 05.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 8]

Calderdale education committee

Councillors have appointed Dr Tariq Umar Qazi as a non-elected member to represent Islam on Calderdale Council’s education committee. The committee had been three years without any Muslim representative (Halifax Evening Courier, 11.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 8]

Privacy in showers

The Westminster & Pimlico News (12.06.97) carries a feature article on the family who successfully campaigned to have North Westminster Community School introduce private shower facilities after PE lessons (see BMMS for May 1997). The CRE and the London Central Mosque have now taken up the campaign to make all schools have private shower facilities. Mahout Magzoub told the Westminster & Pimlico News: "When I refused to shower the teacher gave me my first ever detention and I thought it was unfair. He told me if I didn’t shower I would be banned from games. Others would pretend they’d showered by wetting their hair but I didn’t want to pretend. Before I stood up to the PE teacher I’d been showering with everybody else, but nobody likes public showers, whatever their religion. People would do anything to avoid it - like playing truant or faking injuries". His father, Mohammed Magzoub, said: "Everyone seems to be talking about us, but it’s not just about us, it’s about giving people the human right to privacy...I know this wasn’t an attack on Islam. The school was doing this out of ignorance because they were not aware of Islamic law. But I’m very happy with the school and we’ve always had cordial relations, the head is one in a million and I consider him a friend. We have many good friends here in London and I’ve never felt intimidated being black in London". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 8/9]

Glasgow classes refusal

The Jamiat Ittihad-ul-Muslimin has had their grant request of £10,000, for religious and cultural education rejected by Renfrewshire Council. Michael Burke, head of school development services, explained: "They provide facilities for people to study Islam, but I think they based it on what Strathclyde Regional Council were able to provide - we simply do not have the same resources. Our budget for these grants is less than £5,000 and we already have some long-standing commitments to meet out of that" (Paisley Daily Express, 19.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 9]

Feversham College site lost

The Roman Catholic diocese of Leeds has finally decided to sell the site of Cottingley Manor School to a consortium which plans to turn it into a health club, rather than to Feversham College (see BMMS for November and December 1995; March, September and December 1996; March, April and May 1997). The Cottingley Community Association, which had objected to Feversham College Muslim girls’ school’s plans for the building, have no objections to the health club. Their chair, John Yeadon, said: "With the proposal from the Muslim school, Feversham College, to move to the site we did express reservations about the amount of traffic that would be generated throughout the peak periods. With this new proposal for a health centre I don’t think the problem will arise. We will not be objecting to this scheme" (Aire Valley Target, 26.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 9]

Oldham madrasa to take action

The organisers of the madrasa in Clydesdale Street, Oldham have accused the local council of racism for refusing them a continuation of temporary permission to act as a school and not allowing them to use the building for prayers for adults (see BMMS for May 1996; March and May 1997). Muhammad Nawaz Sheikh, the planning applicant, was reported in Eastern Eye (27.06.97) and the Asian Times (01.07.97) as expressing the intention to continue using the building in defiance of the planning decision: "I will write to the council telling them that I am not doing this to break the law, but to allow them a chance to monitor the effects on the area. After they have monitored, we will close down and await a decision on that evidence. It is the only way we will be given a fair trial. We have been turned down simply on racial grounds. We teach 100 children. I ask the council where can they go now for their religious education". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 9]

Call for banning collective worship

Muslim News (28.06.97) reports that the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) voted at the annual conference for the abolition of the requirement that schools hold a daily act of mainly Christian worship. The conference called on the government to consult with teachers, school governors and faith communities about an alternative. According to Muslim News, however, the NAHT is opposed to the concept of separate acts of worship within the same schools for the different faith communities within those schools. Mohammad Mukadam, a lecturer and researcher on religious education at Westhill College, disagrees with the NAHT’s stance. He has supported initiatives in Islamic religious education and worship in primary schools in Birmingham, particularly Birchfield school. He said of Islamic collective worship: "...it creates a very cohesive school community because by teaching children proper religious education and collective worship, we are developing values and attitudes - such as respecting other human beings". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 9]

Southwark RE week

Southwark Park Primary School in Southwark, London, held an "RE Week", where a subject from the curriculum, in this case religious education, is explored in greater depth with the help of invited guests. The events took place from 16 to 20 June, and assemblies were led by storytellers from Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam (Southwark News, 19.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 9]

Labour and Muslim schools?

The Times Educational Supplement (04.07.97) discusses an article in Muslim News (28.06.97) which claims that it has received information that the government will refuse state funding for the Islamia Primary School in Brent on the grounds that there are surplus places in the area (see BMMS for December 1995; June, July and November 1996; January 1997). Ibrahim Hewitt, spokesperson for the Association of Muslim Schools, accused the Labour Party of hypocrisy: "Labour’s refusal would illustrate that the old Tories and new Labour were one and the same - treating Muslims as second-class citizens in educational terms. It’s a great myth that Labour looks after ethnic minorities. Tony Blair’s kids can go to a religious GM [Grant Maintained] school but Muslim parents can’t enjoy the same right" (TES, 04.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 9]

Muslim Education Forum meeting

Muslim News (28.06.97) has a report of the ninth annual conference of the Muslim Educational Forum (MEF), which met at the Islamic Foundation at Markfield, near Leicester on 10 and 11 May. The leader of the MEF, Mohammed Akram Khan-Cheema gave an update of the organisation’s links with the Teacher Training Agency. Qassim Afzal, chair of Manchester’s Muslim Education Council (see this issue of BMMS), reported on his group’s participation in the Manchester SACRE. He wanted to see the conference set up a national SACRE forum for Muslims so that "we become aware of each other’s activities and act in unity". A group of school students in Bradford told the conference how they had encouraged their teachers to participate in in-service training on Islam. Ashfaque Ali reported on the Bradford initiative to raise achievement amongst Muslim pupils (see BMMS for December 1996) by having weekend classes. Mohammed Mukadam (see this issue of BMMS) updated the meeting regarding Islamic worship and religious education at Birchfield Primary school in Birmingham. Nighat Mirza, headteacher of a Muslim school in Leeds, spoke of her experiences in a state school developing collective worship. This article also reports that, on the issue of the act of collective worship in state schools, there is: "An ongoing national consultation to consider changes to the present statutory framework...undertaken under the auspices of the Religious Education Council, the Inter Faith Network and the Culham Institute". The MEF is elaborating its response to this discussion. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 9/10]

Conference planned, Nottingham

Yusuf Islam, director and founder of the Islamia Schools, was due to speak at a conference in Nottingham aimed at improving educational standards for Muslims. The conference was planned for 6 July and hosted by Clarendon College in Nottingham. Other speakers invited included Ahmad Choonara, principal of South Notts College, and Ak Khan, a chief inspector with Nottinghamshire police (Nottingham Evening Post, 01.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 10]

Conference planned, London

Q-News (01.07.97) reports that the Muslim Education Council (Manchester) is due to hold a conference on 17 July in the Regent’s Park Mosque. The organiser, Qassim Afzal, is hoping that a mechanism will be found whereby local and regional groups can co-ordinate national policy on some of the key issues facing Muslims in state education, such as religious education and collective worship. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 10]

Brondesbury College celebrates

Brondesbury College for Boys recently celebrated its first birthday (see BMMS for June 1996) at a ceremony which was attended by the mayor of Brent, Councillor Mark Cummins, and Yusuf Islam (Q-News, 01.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 10]

School hijab ban

Awaaz (01.07.97) carries a report of girl not allowed to wear hijab at a school in Dewsbury. There were no identifying details of the pupil or the school published, and Awaaz comments: "This matter took six months to resolve, and then only after pressure from the very top [from the LEA on the headteacher]. Further to this, it seems that the issue has been glossed over. The fact that we are bound, by the mother’s wishes, from disclosing details about this story due to a fear of any resultant treatment the child might receive is also worrying". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 10]

Politics

General election

Q-News (01.06.96) has produced maps showing the election results in the 43 constituencies where they calculate that Muslims form more than 6 percent of the electorate (see BMMS for April and May 1997). The Yorkshire Post (23.06.97) reviews recent articles in Q-News, such as that of 1 June 1997, which claimed that Muslims of Pakistani origin in Bradford voted in favour of a Muslim candidate, rather than on ethnic or party political lines. The Yorkshire Post’s article also quotes an opposing point of view from Ikhlaq Din, a Bradford researcher who studies voting patters. He said: "Most of the people I asked said they voted for Mr Riaz [unsuccessful Conservative candidate, who lost to Marsha Singh, Labour] because he was a Pakistani, not because he was a Muslim. Religion was a secondary consideration to ethnicity and nationality". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 10]

Visit to Bury mayor

Local Muslim leaders, including Liaqat Ali, chair of the Bury Islamic Centre, S H Z Hussein and Mohammed Sarwar, representing the Khizra Mosque in Radcliffe, and Zahur Ali, a business and community leader, recently paid a visit to the mayor of Bury, Roy Walker. Liaqat Ali briefed the mayor about plans to build a new mosque in the town (see BMMS for December 1996 and May 1997) and said: "He seemed very interested. We were able to exchange various views and to tell him what was going on in our community" (Bury Times, 20.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 10]

Tunisian protest

Muslim News (28.06.97) carries a very short report of a picket held in front of the Tunisian embassy in London on 18 June as a protest about abuses of human rights in that country. Unfortunately, Muslim News has put the photograph of the visit of Shaykh Tantawi, Grand Shaykh of Al-Azhar University (see this issue of BMMS), with the report of the demonstration about Tunisia, and the photo of the Grand Shaykh under the heading "Protest against torture in Tunisia". The protest, organised by the Tunisian community in Britain highlighted abuses such as: 3,000 prisoners of conscience, 70 killed under torture, wives obliged to divorce their husbands who are opponents of the government, families of detainees harassed, and women prevented from wearing Islamic dress. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 10]

Labour government prejudice?

Muslim News (28.06.97) reports that when Dr Hany Nasr, deputy leader of the Islamic Party of Britain, sent a letter of congratulations to the newly elected Prime Minister, Tony Blair, that letter was forwarded to the Immigration and Nationality Department (IND) for reply. The IND replied by sending Dr Nasr the government’s policy document on immigration and asylum, even though his letter did not mention these subjects at all. Muslim News comments: "The newly-elected minority government of the New Labour has decided that more than two million British Muslim citizens have no place in Britain. They are nothing more than immigrants. Their claim of equal opportunity is nothing more than hot air". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 10/11]

Racism

Muslims in the army

Q-News (15.06.97) has interviewed three recruits to the Army who claim to have suffered religious and racial harassment. They are Qaisar Akbar, Shazad Ahmed, and Waheed Anwar, all from east Yorkshire. The Army is conducting its own internal investigation and the three Muslims are being represented by their solicitor, Bushra Ahmed, in their case under the Race Discrimination Act. The three men are proceeding with an official complaint and are considering suing the army. Quisar Akbar said: "My confidence has been shattered by the constant racial abuse and offensive remarks about my religion". A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: "We can confirm that the allegations of assault and racial discrimination have been made and these allegations are currently being investigated by the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police" (Muslim News, 28.06.97). In addition to the elimination of bullying and harassment, Q-News wants to see the armed forces introduce prayer facilities, time off for Islamic festivals, and halal food. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 11]

Muslims and racial prejudice

Asian Age (09.06.97) and the Independent (18.6.97) both carry articles discussing racial prejudice amongst Muslims, particularly Asian Muslims, towards members of their own faith and others. The articles also look at ethnically mixed and interfaith marriages. David Rosser-Owen, president of the British Association of Muslims, stressed the need for legislation against religious discrimination: "Emphasising race perpetuates an existing situation which if left to its own devices would diminish down the generations... Constantly harping about race prevents Muslims from integrating with each other and with the British way of life". Mr Rosser-Owen, who is white, emphasised that Islam teaches the equality of all races, but: "I’ve certainly come across racism among Muslims in the same way as one does in any other community. It’s quite common for white Muslim converts to be ignored and dismissed as ‘gora’ - the equivalent of ‘honky’" (Asian Age, 09.06.97). Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, in her feature in the Independent, interviews Oona King, the new Labour MP for Bethnal Green. Ms King is the daughter of a Jewish mother and an Afro-Caribbean father. She believes that prejudices, such as those between Muslims and Jews, and between Asians and Afro-Caribbeans, can be overcome: "Given my background, I am a bridge builder. I truly believe these traditional hostilities can be overcome. I feel honoured to have been given this challenge. There is such deprivation in the area, surely that is what we must deal with, not these petty prejudices. Anyway, I studied Islam and the Qur’an at university". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 11]

Women

Muslim Women’s Helpline

The Daily Jang (12.06.97) carries an article about the work of the Muslim Women’s Helpline (see BMMS for May 1997). The Helpline was started ten years ago, by a group of women who went to a conference at the Regent’s Park Mosque. About 25 percent of calls to the Helpline are concerned with domestic violence; other common issues are forced marriages, husbands taking second wives without the consent of the first wife, and sexual abuse.

An article in the Daily Jang (13.06.97) also deals with the subject of forced marriages, condemning the practice as un-Islamic. The writer welcomes the Foreign Office leaflet (see BMMS for March and April 1997) directed at young British people of Asian descent who may be vulnerable to this type of pressure. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 11]

Women’s group grant

A Muslim women’s group in Salford, greater Manchester, have been given a grant of £300 towards Urdu literacy classes for women (Salford City Reporter & Advertiser). Spokesperson Sarwat Ahmed said: "This grant has been very beneficial. There is a great demand for the classes and we are now approaching the college on a permanent basis". Pendleton College subsequently agreed to take on responsibility for the course. More details are available from Sarwat Ahmed on: 0161 708 8388. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 11]

BT discrimination

Q-News (15.06.97) claims that British Telecom is "operating an unwritten policy of discrimination against and actively discouraging Muslim women from taking up jobs". Q-News bases its claim on an assertion that very few Asian Muslim women work in customer contact occupations, for example, serving the public in BT shops, and that what the company’s Corporate Wear Catalogue describes as "Muslim" dress is not hijab, but simply a Pakistani-style shalwar qamees without a headcovering. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 11]

Body Shop hijab case

Amna Mahmoud, who was sacked from her job as sales assistant at the Hounslow Body Shop after she started to wear hijab (see BMMS for January and February 1997), has been awarded an undisclosed sum of compensation in an out of court settlement. In addition, the company which runs the Hounslow franchise and four other Body Shop outlets, Sitestone Ltd, has agreed to a far-reaching dress code permitting religious dress. Blair Palesee, spokesperson for the Body Shop, commented: "We do not control the dress policies of our franchises but we would hope that they are interested in the same goals that we are as a company. We’re happy to hear that they have settled this and made some changes. Although we specify very clearly to our franchises what we would like to encourage whether they take it up is a matter for them". Daniel Fenwick, Ms Mahmood’s solicitor, said: "This clarification of policy should benefit any Muslim employees who wish to wear hijab in the future. We hope that other employees adopt the same enlightened approach" (Q-News, 01.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 11]

Interview with Faz Hakim

Q-News (01.07.97) publishes an interview with Faz Hakim, one of Tony Blair’s political secretaries. She was born in London 28 years ago and her parents are Muslims from India. She gained a BA in Sociology and Psychology from Stirling and she was the first person in her family to have a university education. When asked about the reasons for her success - she is the youngest person on the Prime Minister’s political staff - she replied: "Hard work and commitment. I believe anybody who adopts the right attitude and is prepared to push for it can make it - particularly in New Labour. this is true for everybody - regardless of whether you are a woman, an Asian, a Black or a Muslim. New Labour is about merit and dedication to an agenda and vision drawn up and agreed upon by the majority of members up and down the country". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 11/12]

Pension denial

On 26 June, three Appeal Court judges ruled that a Muslim woman was not entitled to a National Insurance widow’s pension because she was not her husband’s only wife (Evening Standard, 26.06.97, The Times, 27.06.97, Q-News, 01.07.97, East, 02.07.97). Fuljan Bibi of Saltley, Birmingham, married Suhab Ali in 1964 in Bangladesh. As he was entitled to under Islamic law, Mr Ali married again five years later in Bangladesh in 1969. He came to Britain in 1958, found work in a factory and registered as a British citizen three years later. He settled permanently in Britain with his first wife in 1986. His second wife remained in Bangladesh with her family. Lord Justice Ward stated that: "The hallowed definition of marriage in English law is the voluntary union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others". Rejecting Mrs Bibi’s claim for a widowed mother’s pension, the judge said: "Here the deceased had married for a second time, and his second wife was alive at the date on which he died. I have come to the conclusion that Mrs Bibi was not the widow of the deceased". Ann Parsonage, Mrs Bibi’s solicitor, said the ruling would have serious implications for others in polygamous marriages: "It just doesn’t make any sense. Here is a man who came over here to work, paying National Insurance contributions, but at the end of the day nobody stands to gain anything in terms of a widow’s benefit". Interviewed in Q-News (01.07.97), Aina Khan, a solicitor who specialises in Islamic family law, was also concerned that this ruling might set a precedent: "Usually the courts take a kind view of polygamous marriages and just regard the second wife as a cohabitee with the first wife retaining all the normal rights. This ruling affects thousands of people in Britain. Polygamy is becoming more common here than it is even in parts of the Muslim world. The average man seems to want to exercise his religious right to marry more than once although in my experience they want to do so without taking on any of the attendant responsibilities". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 12]

Domestic violence

Three newspapers, the Cardiff South Wales Echo (26.06.97), Manchester Evening News (26.06.97), and Awaaz (01.07.97), discuss family violence towards women, abductions and forced marriages. The cases discussed, and the long letter to Awaaz, are all anonymous to protect the victim informants. The Muslim woman in Cardiff was brought back from Bangladesh, where her parents had taken her against her will and attempted to force her to marry, was brought back to Britain by refuge workers from Welsh Women’s Aid. The Black Association of Women Step Out continues to support her and she now lives with her boyfriend. She says of her parents who violently abused her: "I love them and I miss them. They are my family. I want to see them, to be part of their lives, and them a part of mine. But I still fear them. I trusted them once and now they’ve broken that trust. I don’t think things can ever be what they were before. They said they were only trying to protect their reputation. But what’s more important, your family’s reputation or the happiness of your child?" (Cardiff South Wales Echo, 26.06.97). Some of the women featured in the Manchester Evening News (26.06.97) article, whose problems included the husband taking a second wife, violence from parents and husbands, incest and childhood sexual abuse, and loneliness following divorce, had been helped by the Muslim Women’s Helpline. Their numbers are: 0181 908 6715 or 0181 904 8193. This article also recommends the advice and information contained in The Muslim Marriage Guide by Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood. The writer of the letter to Awaaz (01.07.97) argues that as well as help for the female victims of domestic abuse, "Asian men need help in controlling their abusive and aggressive behaviour which they take out on women...Mosques and other holy places could be encouraged to give talks to men, teaching them to be non-violent. Is this too much to ask? It could prove very effective as e.g. imams in authority are likely to have more influence on the community. Community centres could be used to hold talks or help with campaigns targeted specifically at men". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 12]

Asian girls’ bill of rights

Growing up female in the UK, a report of research carried out by the Women’s National Commission, an independent advisory body to the government, called for a Bill of rights for Asian girls and young women. The researchers interviewed girls from six Birmingham schools, of which four were predominately Muslim, two Scottish schools, and 1,000 members of the Girl Guide Association. Asian Age (27.06.97) reports that the research found that: "The majority of Muslim girls knew that their marriages would be arranged by their families but hoped that it would be later rather than sooner...Arranged marriages were also seen as a ‘controlling strategy’ for girls who, according to their families, got out of control and disgraced the family name...Southall Black Sisters were reported as saying... young women facing forced marriages and abduction contributed to the higher rate of suicide and attempted suicide among Asian girls". The commission wanted British consulates to be given guidelines on taking firmer action to help women who have been abducted and are already abroad, including those who hold dual nationality. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 12]

Marriage ends in violence

The Northern Echo (02.07.97) reports on the case of Jamal Akhzam, originally from Morocco, who was jailed for ten weeks and ordered to pay £500 in compensation for assaulting his wife, Elizabeth Akhzam. In May of this year he assaulted her, causing eye, head, rib and jaw injuries, because he felt that his early morning prayers were disturbed when she switched on the radio. The couple, who had met when Elizabeth went on holiday to Morocco, frequently argued about whether she should become a Muslim. The prosecutor at Richmond magistrates court added: "The more he immersed himself in his religion, the more irrational he became. The defendant believed it was his duty to have a Muslim wife and it was part of that purpose to teach her to do as he told. He told her he could beat her to remove the evil spirits he felt she had". Mr Akhzan has served his sentence whilst on remand and is now seeking a divorce. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 12/13]

Youth

Youth worker threats

As well as continuing to support the Asian woman youth worker who has received death threats from an extremist Muslim group who say they are acting in this way because she is a lesbian (see BMMS for February, April and May 1997), Bradford City Council has restated its equal opportunities policy. The chair of the council’s services to young people sub-committee, Bridget Maguire, said: "We want to reiterate the council’s commitment and support to the service’s staff as well as the young people they work with...Incidents such as the recent attack on a member of staff only affirm the rights of employees and young people, regardless of their race, gender, disability and sexuality" (Yorkshire Post, 18.06.97).

Several newspapers report that, over four months after the start of a campaign against the youth worker, those responsible for the campaign have still not been traced (Yorkshire Post, 26.06.97, Independent, Yorkshire Post, 28.06.97, Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 30.06.97). The Independent and the Yorkshire Post report that the woman and her female partner have had to move to another city in Yorkshire and that her supporters have formed a group called Challenge Homophobic Injustice Now (CHIN). A spokesperson for CHIN said: "The so-called MAC [Muslim Awareness Campaign, who have organised the harassment of the youth worker] have condemned this worker because of her sexuality...in order to sensationalise and attack the empowering work being done with young Asian women, both lesbian and heterosexual, throughout the city of Bradford". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 13]

Muslim Brownies

With help from the Muslim Network, which is part of the Guide Headquarters in London, the first Muslim Brownies have been recruited to the St Augustine’s first unit in Halifax. The Muslim Network is hoping to encourage more girls to join the Brownies in the area. More information is available from Pat Imeson, the West Yorkshire county advisor for community development, on 01422 356018. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 13]

Duke of Edinburgh’s visits

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, in his role as patron of the London Federation of Clubs for Young People, recently made a series of visits to five youth clubs in Hackney. Amongst them was the North London Muslim Community Centre in Cazenove Road, Stoke Newington. The director of the centre, Ismail Bawa, said of Prince Philip: "He was very interested in carom, an Indian board game, which is a popular pursuit at the club" (Hackney Gazette, 19.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 13]

Youth group grant

The Islamic Youth Group of Battersea, which runs a youth club five days a week, has been given a grant of £860 by Wandsworth Council towards the cost of installing a security system. The grant covers 75 percent of the cost of installing a centrally-monitored alarm (Putney News, 20.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 13]

Interfaith

Christian leaflets

Following the distribution of anti-Islamic Christian fundamentalist leaflets to households in Huddersfield, (see BMMS for April 1997), the Huddersfield Dawah Centre has started to distribute its own leaflets to counter the misinformation (Q-News, 15.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 13]

Prince Charles and Christianity

Q-News (15.06.97) carries an article by Faisal Bodi, one of their staff reporters, which examines Prince Charles’ relationship to Christianity, particularly the Church of England. The author maintains that there are individuals and sectors within the Church who believe that the Prince should devote less time and interest to Islam, and more to Christianity. One such critic is the Rev Tony Higton, a member of the General Synod, who said of Prince Charles: "His attempts to show he’s a good Anglican at heart, bless him, they’re very incompetent. Frankly, if he has got advisors he should have sacked them yesterday. He can swan off to Saudi Arabia with all its atrocious treatment of Christians and say nothing about this. He should be standing up for human rights". The article also contains information on the constitutional aspect of relationships between the Church, the monarchy, and parliament, largely taken from Vernon Bogdanor’s book, The Monarchy and the Constitution. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 13]

Inter Faith Network celebrates

The Inter Faith Network recently held a meeting to celebrate its tenth anniversary, reports the Catholic Herald (26.06.97). Celia Blackden, from the Committee for Other Faiths of the Bishops’ Conference was optimistic about the future, saying there was "a growing interest in Catholics about interfaith relations. From a very early stage, Catholics were involved very early on as a result of Nostra Aetate (Vatican II document); there is a groundswell of opinion moving that way". Bradford priest Mgr William Steele, however, had a pessimistic view: "On the tenth anniversary of founding the Inter Faith Network for the UK, and a year after the Bradford riots, relations between Muslims and Christians have improved little and may even have deteriorated. A great deal of effort was put in by the Churches to improve relations with Islam, but to little avail". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 13]

Methodist rejection

Methodists have rejected calls for their churches and other premises to be used for worship by other faiths (The Times, 02.07.97, Yorkshire Post, 02.07.97). The decision was not unanimous and was reached only after an hour-long debate. It reiterates a position adopted by the Methodists 25 years ago and adopts the position advocated by a recent working party that "church premises may be used by people of other faiths for informal events but not for formal acts of worship" (Yorkshire Post, 02.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 13/14]

Halal

Prisoner complaint

Prisoners at Maidstone Prison in Kent have complained that they have been fed haram food. One of the inmates, a Mr Khan, has written a formal complaint to the prison governor. In reply to one such complaint, the prison authorities have stated that when sausages are served, "the vegetarian diet is made available to Muslims" (Muslim News, 28.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 14]

Health

Brent awareness day

A day to raise awareness amongst Muslim and refugee families about health care was planned for 7 June at Brent Adult College. Activities included workshops on Shiatsu massage and relaxation techniques, and information on nutrition, women’s health services and heart disease prevention. For more information, contact: 0181 863 3377 (Wembley, Kenton & London Recorder, 29.05.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 14]

Cousin marriages

Dr Mohammed Walji, a GP in Sparkbrook, Birmingham, and worshipper at the Clifton Road mosque, has been trying to show that the Prophet Mohammed and various Muslim saints were not in favour of cousin marriages. From his work as a family doctor, Dr Walji is convinced that cousin marriages carry a higher risk of passing on disorders such as thalassaemia. He told a recent meeting in Birmingham on infant mortality: "In the last six months, I have seen five babies die - all from marriages where the parents were cousins. We found documents of sayings of the Prophet to discourage cousin marriages, and the incidence of them has dwindled at our mosque, which has possibly been achieved by going to the mosques and talking to the people" (Birmingham Evening Mail, Black Country Evening Mail, 07.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 14]

Employment

Prince’s Trust assistance

A taxi driver in Oxford, Sajid Khan, has received £4,000 from the Prince’s Youth Business Trust (PYBT), the charity set up by Prince Charles, to buy a vehicle to use as a private hire taxi. Mr Khan said: "I’m really happy that the PYBT chose to help me - buying my own car has helped me to become my own boss" (Asian Times, 10.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 14]

Mosques & Burials

Blackburn burials

Work is due to start soon to alleviate problems caused in part by large Muslim funerals at Blackburn’s Pleasington Cemetery (see BMMS for May 1996; March, April and May 1997). A spokesperson for the Blackburn and Darwen Council said: "After the meeting with the Muslim community, another meeting was held with funeral directors. They were in agreement with what is planned. A programme of works has been agreed and the contractors have been instructed to begin within one month". The works include a temporary extra car park, widening the gates of the cemetery, and introducing a one-way traffic system. The council indicated that, should more funding become available, they would carry out more improvements to ease congestion (Blackburn Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 24.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 14]

Bletchley, Duncombe St

Milton Keynes councillors meeting to consider an application for the expansion of the Bletchley Mosque, based at 52 Duncombe Street, were advised that the application was the subject of a serious dispute within the local Muslim community. Council officers have declined to make a recommendation, with the exception of the county highway engineer, who has recommended refusal on the grounds of increased traffic. The mosque has been based at 52 Duncombe Street since 1977 and was previously granted permission to expand into number 54, but was unable to acquire the property. The present application is in respect of a move into number 50, a move opposed by the mosque’s legal owners (Milton Keynes Citizen, 26.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 14]

Bolton burials

The chapel in Heaton Cemetery, dating from 1880 and now derelict, may be handed over to the local Muslim community to hold funeral prayers. An application has been made to the council by local Muslims regarding the building, repairs for which are estimated to cost £56,000, which the council cannot afford. The council acknowledge that the building would be suitable for Muslim rites, but are insisting that the exterior of the building must remain the same (Bolton Evening News, 01.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 14]

Bradford, Upper Nidd St

Plans to build a mosque on a site currently used as playing fields by a Roman Catholic primary school have met with opposition from the school authorities. The original proposal was to build the mosque on the lower tier of land, adjacent to St Peter’s School, Upper Nidd Street (see BMMS for May and June 1996). The chair of the governors, Father John Abberton, explained that the school was against the construction of any large building on that site, not only a mosque, but that they had no objection to the mosque being built on the upper tier, further away from the school. He said: "We are simply concerned about the needs of our children. We do not want them to be disrupted and distracted in their education. the school is there, the mosque isn’t so the needs of those children must have priority in the interests of natural justice". the chair of the mosque committee, Aman Ullah Khan, said: "We are reasonable people and we want to live in peace and harmony in society. We don’t want to force our ideas on others and if it helps we will shift our plans away from the school" (Bradford Telegraph & Argus 26.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 14]

Cheltenham, High St

Planning permission has been granted for a 30ft minaret for Cheltenham’s new mosque (see BMMS for May 1997). The minaret will be at the front entrance to the mosque on the High Street, but the mosque itself will be at the rear of the buildings (Cheltenham News, 29.05.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 14/15]

Chorley, Charnock St

Councillors in Chorley have unanimously agreed to plans for a new mosque (see BMMS for January and May 1997) in spite of some objections from local residents about parking and traffic problems (Chorley Guardian, 28.05.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15]

Hinckley burials

In spite of objections from the parish council of Higham, a neighbouring village, plans for a mausoleum in the grounds of Hijaz University at Higham-on-the-Hill, near Hinckley, north Warwickshire, are to go ahead. The white marble monument is to be in honour of the founder of the college. Nuneaton’s planning committee chair, David Bill, said the design was not a valid reason for refusal and that he did not believe the mausoleum would become a focus for pilgrimages. He added that if such activity were likely, the applicant would have to apply for change of use permission (Heartland Evening News, 26.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15]

Hounslow, Staines Rd

Temporary permission for the Muslim community to use their premises in Staines Road will expire in December and there is concern that the new, purpose-built mosque might still not be ready by then. Mosque trustee Salah Udinbutt said: "We’ve had a meeting with council leader John Chatt, who assured us the temporary planning permission will be OK until December. Hopefully we will be in the new mosque by then. Of course, if it isn’t ready, then there may be problems. We will have to approach the council to sort something out if that is the case". A spokesperson for the council said that they felt that the applicants for temporary permission to continue to use the old premises had been given sufficient time to move to the more suitable new premises (Eastern Eye, 04.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15]

Ilford, Belgrave Rd

Redbridge Council planning officers have recommended to the planning sub-committee that they reject the application from the Islamic Education Centre in Belgrave Road, Ilford to use their premises for prayer. the reasons given are possible nuisance to nearby residents from noise at unsocial hours and extra traffic. Cranbrook Residents Association and 10 individual home-owners in the local area have lodged objections, giving these reasons and saying that if the education centre becomes a mosque, it would devalue property values (Ilford Recorder, 19.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15]

Leeds, Bilal Mosque

At the end of June the small domes were put in place on the roof of the Bilal Mosque in Leeds (see BMMS for April 1997). The mosque is now nearing completion (Yorkshire Evening Post, 25.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15]

London, Pentonville Prison

The official opening of Pentonville Prison’s Mosque took place on 24 June (Q-News, 01.07.97, Highbury & Islington Express, 27.06.97). Opening the mosque, Richard Tilt, director general of the Prison Service, said: "It’s not the first mosque in a prison but it is one of a very few". John Ship, head of activities at the prison, said: "In Pentonville the Muslims are the second or third highest religion proportionally. At one stage there were more Muslims in prison than Catholic inmates. Muslims at that time had to pray in an abandoned and disused workshop. I felt that just wasn’t appropriate. I was happy to set aside a room for the mosque" (Highbury & Islington Express, 27.06.97). Prayers are held three times a week in the mosque, which was jointly funded by the Islamic Cultural Centre and the Prison Service. Q-News (01.07.97) reports that it is hoped that the imam, Bishara Muradadeen, will become Britain’s first full-time Muslim prison chaplain. [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15]

London, Whitechapel

The East London Mosque in Whitechapel is collaborating with Telco (The East London Communities Organisation) in acting as a job centre to find work and training in the local construction industry for worshippers. Mueenuddin Chowdhurry, vice-chair of the mosque admitted the decision to use the mosque in this way had caused some controversy amongst worshippers, but: "I have explained to people that the mosque is not only a place of worship. It has been a vibrant community centre since the days of the Prophet Mohammed. We are concerned about housing and unemployment among our people and we realise that the only way we can do something about it is if local institutions find common cause. If not, we will continue to be marginalised and ignored" (Independent, 17.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15]

Loughborough, King St

A campaign to stop the public call to prayer once a day from the King Street mosque in Loughborough (see BMMS for May 1997), has caused comment in the national press (Eastern Eye, 06.06.97, East, 12.06.97, Q-News, 15.06.97). There have been letters to the editors of the Loughborough Echo (12.06.97) on the subject. One letter in support of the mosque, from Dr David Nicolle, who writes that he worked as a teacher in the Middle East, says: "...no sound that I can recall has ever had the calming and inspiring impact of the muezzin’s call to prayer, whether it came from a single minaret in a distant village,...or from dozens of minarets, each muezzin apparently picking up the call from his neighbour rather as songbirds do in the dawn chorus...At first it will probably sound alien to non-Muslims, but after a while it will become part of the townscape". [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15]

Peterborough

The fire at the Gladstone Street mosque on 27 May (see BMMS for May 1997) was definitely an accident, according to the investigations of the fire and police services (Eastern Eye, 13.06.97, Asian Times, 17.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15]

Rochdale, Lower Sheriff St

In spite of some objections on the grounds of increased traffic, planning permission has finally been granted for a new mosque on the site between Sheriff Street and Holland Street in Rochdale (see BMMS for August 1996 and May 1997). Clifford Holt, chair of the College Bank Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, was very annoyed at the decision. He said: "The applicants claim there aren’t going to be more people using the new mosque, but if that is the case why are they building a bigger one?". Councillor Abdul Chowdry, who worships at the Golden Mosque, found the objections unreasonable. He responded: "All we want to do is to build a better looking building, which will be an asset to the community. The new mosque will be an improvement to the area, not a detriment and will reduce the disturbance to residents" (Rochdale Observer, 04.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 15/16]

Stoke-on-Trent, Shelton

The Muslim community in Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent is hoping to buy the old Repertory Theatre in Beresford Street to convert it into a mosque and madrassah. It will cost about £55,000. Nashir Din, a trustee of the existing mosque in Ashfors Street, explained that there was insufficient space for children’s religious classes. He added: "I do not expect any problems [regarding planning permission] as there will be no real changes to the outside. When the building was a theatre there was a major problem caused by people from outside the area parking. Those using the mosque will be local and walk" (Stoke-on-Trent Sentinel, 13.06.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 16]

Trowbridge, Longfield Rd

As Trowbridge’s first purpose-built mosque nears completion (see BMMS for May 1996), the secretary of Trowbridge Islamic Association, Hassan Morrison, expressed his hope that it could be used to inform non-Muslims about Islam. He said: "The education authority may be able to take advantage of the facilities to let school children learn about Muslims. With our mosque in Swindon, we have visits from schools that could be extended to Trowbridge..." (Eastern Eye, 04.07.97). [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 16]

Wolverton and Milton Keynes

Ayaz Khan, a member of the New Bradwell Al-Karam Mosque and Riaz Akhtar, a worshipper at that same mosque, have written letters of clarification and complaint to Milton Keynes on Sunday (22.06.97). The letters of complaint concern that paper’s reporting of a dispute within the New Bradwell Al-Karam Mosque, which the newspaper appears to have assumed is the same as the Wolverton Central Mosque in Church Street, Wolverton.

Both correspondents maintain that the dispute was purely within the New Bradwell Al-Karam Mosque, and centred around the underpayment and eventual dismissal of the imam of that mosque. Ayaz Akhtar of Wolverton writes: "It is common knowledge among the members of the New Bradwell al-Karam Mosque that the Imam was dismissed due to the fact that he had made a demand for a wage increase prior to his departure to Pakistan, as announced by the Action Committee on 23 May. I, as a member of the Milton Keynes Muslim community and as a member of the New Bradwell Al-Karam Mosque, feel ashamed that our action committee employed an imam on the understanding that he would be allowed to claim benefit on agreeing to accept a low wage for his services to the mosque." [BMMS June 1997 Vol. V, No. 6, p. 16]

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