British Muslims Monthly Survey for October 2000 Vol. VIII, No. 10 |
British Muslims Monthly Survey for October 2000 Vol. VIII, No. 10 |
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Women Interfaith Halal Health Mosques & Burials |
Fareena Alam tried to renew her pass- port at the British High Commission in Singapore, in April of this year. To her surprise she was refused because of her hijab in the passport photo. She turned to the Vice-Consul and got the same reply. However, unlike many women Ms Alam decided not to accept this decision and to do something about it and so by August this year a Home Office minister was involved. This story is reported in some detail by Q News.
Ms Alam started by e-mailing British Muslims and asking for their help and in return she received copies of other Muslim women’s passports with photos with hijab. She also wrote to many organisations but here she did not have a single response except the Islamic Human Rights Commission ( IHRC ). The IHRC were not new to this com- plaint as they had come across many cases where women had been told that they could not submit a photo with hijab. The chairman of IHRC, Massoud Shadjareh, said that this is "…an infringement of basic civil and human rights and above all in the British context - illegal. It’s indirect discrimination under the Race Relations Act of 1976. The problem we face is that either women do not know this and feel pressurised to take their hijab off - or they end up not travelling..." Ms Alam herself was tempted to take off her hijab but then she decided to stand her ground as a matter of principle.
IHRC’s legal advisor, Osama Daneshyar said: "Our advice in these cases is to apply in writing with a photograph with hijab, and then take the matter on from there. We have as yet to have a case where a written application has been refused. If they did refuse it would be a blatant breach of the Euro- pean Convention on Human Rights, which will be enacted via the Human Rights Act from October in this country." Ms Alam followed this advice and she was issued her passport without any further problems. However, for the IHRC the matter did not stop there.
Earlier this year the IHRC launched a report to the House of Lords, entitled "Anti-Muslim Discrimination & Hostility in the UK, 2000."It presented evi- dence of discrimination against Muslim women in the fields of employment, education, the media and the justice system. One of the authors of the report, Arzu Merali wrote to the race relations minister Mike O’Brien, on behalf of the IHRC. She put forward IHRC’s cases relating to the issue of hijab and specifically discussed Ms Alam’s case, concerning which she said "This is a very serious matter for concern, as either the officers in this particular case are deli- berately misinforming applicants such as Ms Alam, or they are ignorant of practice in the matter. If the latter is the case then such ignorance seems to be endemic within the Consulate…"
The very fact that written applications are accepted and verbal ones are re- fused shows clearly shows, according to Q News, that the staff at the British Consulate in Singapore had a policy on this and Ms Merali would like to see these refusals dealt with through a disciplinary procedure. The IHRC received a response from Barbara Roache, the minister who has responsibility for the UK Passport Agency. IHRC considered this response to be the best they had received to date. Ms Roache apologised for the conflicting advice and said, "The Passport Agency is now issuing guidance to all its offices and its call centre to remind staff that passport photographs will be accepted where head coverings are worn" She also advised that the Immigration and Nationality Directorate Travel Document Section also accepted these photographs and she went on to say that if any member of staff was found to give wrong information they would be dealt with by disciplinary procedure.
Nevertheless, Ms Merali feels that the issue does not end here. This is because women wearing niqab (face covering) come across a lot of hurdles. She said: "Whilst we appreciate the Home Office’s actions in this matter, there must be a serious attempt by all government departments to ensure that where they have jurisdiction, the culture of discrimination that exists is rooted out. At the moment we have three cases reported of women wearing niqab who were either forced to remove it or penalised for not removing it" She went on to cite an example of a mother who was told by a nursery that she could not bring her child to the nursery if she did not show her face (Q News, No 324, 01.10.00).
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Latest Home Office statistics paint a very bleak picture concerning the population of Muslim prisoners and the use of drugs in the community. One in eleven people in prison is Muslim and during the last decade the Muslim prison population has doubled to over 4,000. Over 65 percent of these are young men aged between 18 and 30. Their crimes range from petty theft to "violent and obscene attacks." Muslim Advisor to the Prison Service, Maqsood Ahmed, tells of how 1005 prisoners out 4003 have been convicted for drugs- related crimes, both consumption and distributing. This in turn means that one in four Muslim prisoners has been jailed for drug offences.
Muslim involvement in drugs does not stop at consumption. They are heavily involved in its planting, harvesting, refinement, smuggling of heroine and cannabis and its distribution to Europe. Morocco is the world’s largest cannabis exporter providing a crop of 2000 metric tonnes. The export of hashish accounts for the two thirds of its total exports or 10 percent of the gross national income. Afghanistan has now overtaken Burma as the world’s lead- ing exporter of heroin. It supplies 75 percent of the world’s heroin and 80 percent of Europe’s. When the Taliban captured Kandahar in 1994 they issued a total ban on drug production. However, this changed as soon as they realised that heroine was providing them with an "invaluable source of income" and that the ban was alienating the farmers. The head of Taliban’s anti-drugs control force in Kandahar, Abd al-Rasheed, said that though there has been a ban on hashish since May 1997, opium is permissible as it is taken by unbelievers and not by Muslims or people from Afghanistan.
Q News went on to condemn this attitude as hypocritical, stating that Pakistan has the highest addiction rate in the world. In 1999 the figure of addicts in Pakistan was five million and despite the death penalty in Iran for the use of drugs its addicts officially number 1.2 million in 1998, although off the record officials admit that three million is a more accurate figure.
In Britain it would appear that since the 1980s Asians have become the main drug pushers instead of Afro-Caribbeans. It is clear from the figures that the Muslim community are by no means immune to drugs and their long-term effects. NAFAS, is a Muslim-run out- reach and educational programme based in Tower Hamlet in East London. Its aim is to target young Bangladeshi drug users. One of the activists from NAFAS, Abdur Rahman has for the last nine years worked with Muslims in the areas of crime, drugs and mental health issues. His experience has taught him that it is the Pakistani and Bangladeshi youth that are mostly involved with drugs. Lack of religious training from home and the "madrassa’s" practice of expelling disruptive children are considered to contribute. These " listless and bored" children then get together in gangs which results in "gang violence" and "turf wars". Hashish and alcohol are the most common drugs used by these youngsters. However, those who use hashish do not tend to use heroin as they view it as a "dirty drug." Despite this, 90 percent of heroin users, say that their first drug was hashish and those who use heroin will also use crack cocaine.
Local London police figures show that 50 percent of drug offenders referred to drug agencies are Bangladeshi men and of these, 90 percent are under 25 and more than 60 percent have never received help to come off drugs. Even though there are no figures for women, that is not to say that they are not involved as well. Hashish is the drug mostly used by them and that is in the home. According to Abdur Rahman a lot of these youngsters see Islam as "drab" and no fun and those who are in some sense religious find it difficult and say that the "bad environment discourages them".
The article, written by Yahya Birt, goes on to discuss factors that contribute to this state of affairs within the Muslim community. He sees neglect of spiritual training as a main cause as well the lack of secular education together with the social pressures of racism, Islamophobia and unemployment as major factors contributing towards the alarming statistics (Q News, No 324, 01.10.00).
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The Times carried an article on the reactions of both Muslims and Jews following the stabbing of a 20 year old Orthodox Jewish man, Mayer David Myers, who at the time of the article was in intensive care. He was stabbed 20 times on a bus in the Stamford Hill area of London. A man by the name of Nabil Ould Eddine has been charged and was to appear at the Thames Magistrates’ Court.
The paper reported reactions and comments from both sides of the community. A trustee of the Stamford Hill mosque, Ismail Patel, who was shocked by the attack, told the paper that his community enjoyed a "positive" relationship with the Jewish community. He said: "We have not had any incidents since we came here in 1968. We have always been supported by the Jewish community and we have always supported them…" He went on to tell the paper that there was to be a meeting with both
communities to ensure that nothing like this happens again. The victim’s parents did not want to comment as they did not want to add "fuel to fire" and are just concerned for their son. The neighbours described the family as "quiet and friendly". A close friend of Mr Myer said: "He is a very sweet person, very loving and caring. He is well-known and liked in the community. The whole community was shocked that such a person could be harmed because he was the last person to instigate any trouble.
A representative of the Stamford Hill Jewish community, Rabbi Abraham Pinter, saw this attack as a one-off incident. Nevertheless he has advised people to be vigilant. As well as the stabbing the Jewish community were "shocked and tense" by the distribution of leaflets which told Muslims "to kill all Jews". Al-Muhajiroun have been associated with the distribution of these leaflets, but they have tried to distance themselves from the stabbing. They issued a statement asking Muslims to be "disciplined" so that "innocent Jews" are not "wrongly targeted". The paper went on to say that this group has warned British Jews not to support Israel’s activities lest they become the targets of violence. Mike Whine from the Jewish Community Security Trust toll the paper that he had been pushing the Attorney-General to prosecute extremist Islamic groups for the distribution of anti-Semitic leaflets. He felt that attacks on people are the most obvious result of this kind of literature. He said : "I am sure this could happen again" (The Independent, 14.10.00).
A letter signed by Muslims and Jews entitled "Muslims and Jews" has been published by The Times newspaper. It says: "Sir: We are British Muslims and British Jews who meet and work together to promote the sort of creative partnership which people of our two faiths enjoyed for hundreds of years in Europe and the Mediterranean, when Jews lived under Muslim rule.
We are horrified by the killings of Muslims by Jews and of Jews by Muslims 4,000 miles away in the Middle East. We condemn the extremists and the provokers on both sides who distort religious teachings for political purposes. Judaism and Islam both teach respect for holy places and holy buildings. What neither tolerates is the misuse of that respect to justify violence and murder. Both have deep traditions of peaceful co-existence. The language of war cannot be the path to peace. It can only lead to more deaths on both sides. Together we do earnestly and passionately appeal to the leaders on both sides in the Middle East to stop this waste of human life" (The Times, 18.10.00).
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Community
Party for Independence day
The 53rd anniversary of Pakistan’s Independence day was celebrated by Bury’s Asian community and local politicians (See British Muslims Monthly Survey for September 2000). Bury North MP, David Chaytor attended the dinner at the Jinnah Day Care Centre and presented an inscribed paper weight in the shape of two elephants (Bury Times, 29.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10,P.3]Posters are removed and more are following
Marks and Spencer have removed their offensive poster from the billboards of Manchester, North London, Luton and Bedfordshire (See BMMS for September 2000 ). The Advertising Standards Authority said that it had received 54 complaints. Managing partner, James Murphy, of the advertising agency said that they had cleared the advert with all the religious groups and the ASA who had no objections to it. Marks and Spencer said that this advertising campaign had finished so the posters should have come down by now. How- ever, the former Manchester councillor and equality campaigner, Quassim Afzal, did not accept this and said: "I think they are just trying to cover up the fact that they have had to take it down early because of the protests."The controversy of provocative adverts has not ended here. The Gossard adverts with sexual innuendoes are now displayed on some billboards and an advert in The Guardian shows the Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz in a suggestive pose. The ASA upheld the com- plaints saying that offence was likely to be caused. The Ipswich Evening Star interviewed several members of the public for their opinion. The leader of the Ipswich Bangladeshi community, Aziz Rahman said: "Some Muslim families are strict about such things....But there are many others who accept that they are surrounded by people with very different views and they respect that as long as it has been passed by the regulators...." He went on to explain "The relaxed approach to nudity in modern society does not change how people of our religion will feel" (Manchester Evening News, 04.10.00, The Times, 05.10.00, Wolverhampton Express & Star, 06.10.00, Ipswich Evening Star, 13.10.00).
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Mosques donate money
Batley News reported on the official opening of the Rosewood Centre, the palliative day care centre at the Dewsbury District Hospital, by the Duke of Gloucester. This was a joint project between the trust and Kirkwood Hospice and a public appeal to raise £600,000 was launched by the chairman of Dews- bury Healthcare Trust, Mr John Hemingway in March 1999. He wrote a letter of thanks to all the contributors which was published by the newspaper. Donations exceeded the target reaching a total of over £750,000. The newspaper reported on how hundreds of individuals and organisations took part in raising funds. Amongst these was a charity fun run in May 99 organised by the Dewsbury Rotarians which was started by Sir Jimmy Saville. Two major cash donations were made by the Asian communities and mosques of Dewsbury and Batley. A cheque for £22,000 was presented by the members of the North Kirklees Pakistan and Kashmir Asian community, and the mosques from Batley raised £20,000. This cheque was presented at the re-launch event called "Raise the Roof" which was not only attended by the members of the public but also received a letter of support from the Prince of Wales. The chairman of the North Kirklees Pakistan and Kashmir Asian communities, Professor Khamas Khadim told the newspaper how a lot of problems could be solved if people were to work together. He said that it was the "cardinal rule" in mosques to prepare good citizens and to teach them to live in peace and harmony and contribute positively to British society (Batley News, 28.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10,P.3]Aid stopped for refugees
The Charity Commission decided to freeze the funds of Iran Aid after allegations that their money was being channeled to terrorist organisations. Iran Aid believes that the charity was frozen to improve UK relations with Iran. People like a 65-year-old, known as "Mother Mehri" are devastated by this news. Mother Mehri, who escaped in 1992, has spent the past two years taking part in a sit-in, in North Finchley, to protest against the situation in Iran. She said: "The regime has already killed seven members of my family: my husband, daughter, son, two daughters-in-law and two sons-in-law." The rest of the family were saved by the help of the charity and so she sees the end of the charity as endangering the lives of those who are left behind. In her words: "I still have four children left and I am now afraid for them and for my grandchildren....I came here for a sit in after I learned that the details of my grandchildren were being sought by the mullahs." Iran Aid has refused to hand over its files, which are being held in North Finchley, to the Charity Commission.However, she amongst others has ended the sit-in so that money could be released and sent to the deprived in Iran. Iran Aid once raised £5 million for the victims in Iran and now they will be putting £600,000 into a new charity called Iran Aid Foundation. The urgency of this money is described by Mother Mehri: "My children were taken to safe homes operated by Iran Aid and were sending them their basic necessities on a monthly basis. This cut-off of funds put them in serious deprivation. Our children are being condemned and they say the money is going into a blackhole. The blackhole is the throats of our children" (Finchley Press, 28.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10,P.4]
New rules for cabbies and second wives
The Birmingham Evening Mail commented on the need for telling private hire cabbies to learn English. The newspaper found this amusing. The report said that, "Britain is jumping through hoops lest appearing prejudiced against the more bizarre aspects of immigration." The article then went on to the British Muslim Parliament’s announcement that it would use the Human Rights Act to ensure permission for polygamy. The paper said: "The inherent danger in this step is that it will open our island’s doors to "wives" of UK residents." This is not happening right now as the husbands are not recognised under the law. The paper continued to take the issue further by commenting that the only way these wives can be looked after is through the welfare state. They feel that the Muslim Parliament is often seen to be a militant group but that they should "be aware" that to try to call these women wives entitled to claim social benefit is not correct in the light of the Qur’an. "A man," says Islam’s holy book, "is not permitted a second woman until he can afford to keep her. Presumably that means keep her without state aid." Councillor W.H.F. Doe wrote to the Nottingham Evening Post and he sees the idea of having more than one wife as insane. He too is concerned with the financial element of polygamy. He says: "The cost alone of supporting more than one wife, along with numerous children is mind-boggling, unless of course the plan is for the DHSS to bear the brunt of the expense. He "hopes that Tony Blair will stop the European Court of Human Rights from making this law" (Birmingham Evening Mail, 29.09.00, Nottingham Evening Post, 03.10.00).[BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10,P.4]Mayor's Ramadan request
Mayor of Aylesbury, Raj Khan, advised his hosts that he will not be able to enjoy the food and beverages that will be laid on in his honour in the coming month. This is because Ramadan will start towards the end of November and this will mean no food or drink in the daylight hours. Mr Khan tells the paper his experiences of fasting, explaining that, "While I don’t plan to miss any engagements, I hope people will under- stand if I have to say no to their kind offer of sandwiches, cakes and cups of coffee." He appeals for under- standing as he believes in respecting people’s faiths. He is very happy that he appeared in the front pew on the BBC1’s Songs of Praise. "If people are able to respect each other’s faith in our lovely town of Aylesbury -and pay their respects too- then that’s a very positive step and I hope that I’m in the forefront of that" (Bucks Advertiser, 29.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10,P.4]Religious differences lead to death
The Yorkshire Post reported on the death of a 28 year old Sikh man called Jetender Kumar Patrai. An inquest in Bradford was told that the deceased committed suicide last June, as he felt he could not live without the woman he wanted to marry. The post mortem examination revealed that he died from asphyxia due to hanging. This was because Zara Akhtar, a Muslim, told him she could not marry him as her parents were concerned for their religious and cultural differences and so he hanged himself at his home. The two had met over three years ago and had become friends. They also lived together in Keighley from time to time and had planned to marry, but the relationship faced many difficulties as Ms Akhtar explains, "These cultural differences led to the intermittent separations and difficulties..." She went on to explain that Jetender suffered from depression and was on medication because the marriage he had hoped for was postponed. However, they remained together and made a date for the wedding but on the day Ms Akhtar could not go ahead and he told her that he was so distressed that he had considered ending his life. This was three days before his death. Assistant deputy coroner, James Turnbull said in his verdict that, "It is very sad and poignant that one has to feel that if he could have got over that disappointment he had a good life before him." Another inquest in Bradford, in April of this year, was told of the death of a 20-year-old Sikh girl called Kulvinder Kaur who after telling her Muslim boyfriend, Mathab Ahmed over the phone that she loved him, hanged herself by wrapping a scarf around her neck and tying it to a window catch. As before, both their families had tried to discourage their relationship because of their religious differences (Yorkshire Post, 30.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10,P.4]Conference on Muslims and Europe
Q News reported on the "Muslims of Europe" conference, which took place at the Regents College, London. This was jointly organised by the Association of Muslim Social Scientists and the Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland. It was a two-day conference with many notable speakers including Dr Tariq Ramadan, who gave a general overview of Muslims in Europe, and Yahya Pallavicini, who spoke about the challenges facing Muslims in the new millennium. The papers were presented simultaneously in parallel groups which allowed the conference to focus on different regions such as Western and Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Balkans. There were other topics of discussion, including religious conversion, Islamophobia and the media, as well as art and architecture and the establishment of fiqh for minorities. There was light relief with a discussion by Yusuf Islam of music as part of cultural identity and a showing of the film "Andalusian Encounters" by Bensalem Bouabdallah, which was sponsored by Q News itself (Q News, No 324, 01.10.00).[BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10,P.5]Lottery money for Derby's Muslim club
Derby Asian Men’s Club and Derby Muslim Women’s Sport Club received £10,000 from the National Lottery to buy equipment and train coaches. Both sports clubs are based in Normanton and meet at the Pakistani Community Centre in Pear Tree. Both clubs were delighted with this money and had plans to spend it on training three members in cricket with the Derbyshire County Cricket Board for the men’s club and equipment for aerobics classes for the women’s club (Evening Tele- graph, 04.10.00).[BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10,P.5]Sufi visit for Bangladeshi community
Hazrat Syed Shah Sufi Taj Islam who has more than two million followers around the world, surprised the Bangladeshi community by stopping at Ellesmere Port during his tour of Britain. Members of the Bangladeshi community gathered at the Taj of Agra Fort restaurant to greet him. Hazrat Syed led prayers and blessed those who gathered to greet him. Bangladeshi Labour councillor for Whitby told the paper that, "He never dared dream the man Muslims call the "Holy Father" would visit the town" (Ellesmere Port Pioneer, 04.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10,P.5]£500,000 for Sheffield's voluntary groups
Three voluntary groups celebrated after receiving more than £500,000 in Government grants, in order to fight racial inequality. This money is for helping and providing services for the most disadvantaged people of the city of Sheffield. The Awaaz Asian women’s Training Project received £174,000. The Yemeni Community Association, who receive over 300 phone calls a year and offer advice and training to Yemeni women in order to integrate them with the society at large, received £269,293. The Pakistan Muslim Centre received £98,000 to develop their health and welfare, language and sewing classes. These grants were a part of £11 million which was distributed by the Home Office as part of the "Connecting the Communities Initiative" set up to reduce racial inequality at the grass roots. Home Office minister Mike O’Brien announced a total of 75 awards around the country. He said: "Some of the grants aim to give minority ethnic communities a real voice in the wider community, others to give people the skills they need to get jobs and others to build bridges between those communities and the police and other services" (Barnsley Star, 07.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.5]Pakistani Imam fights deportation
Imam Shafiq Ur Rehman, of Greater Manchester, who is accused of recruiting British Muslims to fight a "holy war" in Kashmir, is trying to remain in Britain indefinitely. Jack Straw ordered his deportation "on the grounds that he was involved in an extremist Islamic Group. However, Mr Rehman’s supporters claim that the reason for his deportation is his refusal to become an agent for the MI5. Nevertheless, 29 year old Mr Rehman, has won permission to go to the House of Lords to fight his case (Aberdeen Press & Journal, 10.10.00, Manchester Evening News, 10.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.5]Exeter University's Islamic talk
A lecture was to be delivered at Exeter University by Professor James Morris, entitled; "Exploring the Universal Dimensions of Islamic Thought, Political Philosophy and Spirituality" (Exeter Express & Echo, 10.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No. 10, p. 5]Markfield centre awaiting bid decision
Markfield Islamic Centre has been given permission to build a two-storey building on its site despite 132 objections from residents who were backed by the MP of Bosworth, David Tredinnick and Councillor David Wood and Councillor Rita Aldridge. Their objections were that 3,000 students would use the complex and this would cause traffic problems as well as the students themselves finding problems on the busy road. Amongst other objections was the concern that the building was only 60 metres away from the Markfield Court retirement village, and the elderly residents felt this would be a threat to their peace. Nevertheless, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council gave permission during a planning committee meeting. Councillor Sandra Franks saw that many of the complaints were "the result of scaremongering" and this was backed by the Markfield ward member Councillor Lesley Neville. The academic block will provide better facilities at the Dawah Centre in Ratby Lane (Leicester Mercury, 10.10.00 and 13.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.6]New community centre
Plans for a new community centre in Edgeley have been given the go-ahead by local councillors. The centre will be based on a vacant motor parts shop and will also have a nursery and library facilities, as well as a communal meeting room. Some residents raised concerns about the lack of parking space but councillors agreed that the run-down premises will benefit from any use. The centre plans to open seven days a week from 11am to 8pm (Stockport Express, 13.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.6]Imam hits two boys
Mohammed Azim, aged 38, is accused of hitting two brothers, aged 11 and 13, with a cricket bat on 27 April this year. The older boy intervened to stop a fight between two young boys, one of whom was the son of Mr Azim. Mr Azim’s son went to tell his father what had happened, and he in turn approached the 13 year old and grabbed him by his shirt and is reported as saying: "You hit my son again and I will knock the hell out of you." The prosecutor, Gerry Quirke, said that Mr Azim, "..punched him in the face and then picked up a cricket bat and proceeded to hit him with that cricket bat." The boy is said to have suffered bruising to his left eye and parallel bruises on his buttock. Mr Quirke then went on to tell how another 11 year-old got involved in a "dispute" with Mr Azim’s son inside the mosque. After a scuffle between the boys the Imam punched the boy in the stomach, thumped him in the back and proceeded to hit him on the back of his head with a cricket bat. The trial continues (Wolverhampton Express & Star, 16.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.6]Protests against Israel around the UK
Protests and demonstrations have taken place in various cities across Britain. Many of the protestors are urging the British government to intervene in the plight of the Palestinians. The demonstrations have been reported by both national and local newspapers. Students from universities across the country have protested against the latest conflicts in Israel.In Birmingham, 250 Muslim men, women and children protestors demonstrated outside the Council House. This was an unplanned protest and was carried out peacefully. In Cardiff over 400 demonstrators marched through the city. This demonstration was organised by the Association of Muslim Professionals. The secretary of AMP, Saleem Kidwai, said that he wanted a peaceful march to draw attention to the plight of Palestinians. He said: "One hundred Palestinians were shot dead… but when two Israeli soldiers were killed… there was outrage and further retaliation. I’m not saying it is right that the Israeli soldiers were killed because it is not but there needs to be some kind of balance." A member of the Cardiff association, Munir Ashi, said: I have family there and they are feeling very frightened and alone. We just want to draw attention to the sort of things people like my family are going through in the hope that something can be done to stop it." Cardiff County Councillor Neil McEvoy said: "My grandfather was Yemeni, so my sympathies do lie with the Palestinian people." The march took place peace-fully and all involved in the organisation were happy with the support. In Derby, police intelligence officers planned to tighten security in order to prepare for the demonstration that was to take place by the local supporters of Al-Muhajiroun. This demonstration was to be carried out through Derby and Sandiacre and there were to be further demonstrations in Derby. Spokesman from Al-Muhajiroun, Abdullah Mohammed informed the Derby Evening Telegraph that, "Six people from our city have joined others from Leicester and Manchester to fly to the Middle East. They have all been trained in combat by the Al-Muhajiroun and will be ready to fight alongside their brothers in Palestine." In Bradford around 400 people demonstrated in Centenary Square. Though the event was reported as peaceful, there were five arrests for public order offences. Among those who made speeches at this event were Dr Andrew Rigby formerly of Bradford University peace studies department and the president of the Islamic Society of Britain, Dr Munir Ahmad. A rally in front of the Town Hall in Blackburn was also planned. The organisers, the Global Truth group, were expecting around 3,000 people to attend (The Daily Echo, 07.10.00, Birmingham Evening Mail, 14.10.00, South Wales Echo, 14.10.00, Derby Telegraph, 14.10.00, Evening Herald, 14.10.00, Derby Evening Telegraph, 13.10.00, Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 16.10.00, South Wales Echo, 16.10.00, Blackburn Telegraph, 17.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.6]
Education
New homes in place of Islamic college
The application to bulldoze the Islamic Academy Jameatul-Islamiya in Bromley Cross has been put on hold for a month. The plan submitted by the college includes 60 flats and 18 detached houses and necessitates the demolition of the 100 year old Blair hospital. These plans have been strongly opposed by community leaders and though the residents of Bromley Road are not opposing the redevelopment of the site, their concerns lie in the stretching of local resources. They are worried about traffic congestion as well as the high demand it may place on primary schools and the Turton High School. Councillor Norman Critchley from the ward of Bromley Cross, said "We are talking about 78 individual dwellings and if they all have two cars apiece, then our roads will not be able to cope." Architect Mohammed Afaq from Evo-Concepts confirmed that the plans have been put on hold and that the council has requested more information. He said: " It is possible that the plans will be ready for consideration again next month" (Bolton Evening News, 28.09.00, Bolton Journal, 05.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.6]Islamic school causes anger
County Al-Islah Girls School has received a lot of opposition from local residents who fear that the school will attract an unacceptable amount of traffic on Lambeth Street and work has come to a halt as it is said that the strict conditions attached to the planning permission are not being adhered to. A public meeting attended by many local residents took place at the Audley Community Centre and it was reported that the councillors and officials were given a "frosty reception". The meeting was chaired by councillor Peter Greenwood and it was attended by planning and highway officials, amongst others. Planning officer, Chris Livesey said: "When we looked at the planning permission we looked at the traffic issues ....Permission was granted with a string of conditions. No building work can take place until a highways improvement scheme has been submitted to the council and approved. Some work had started at the site, but the trustees have been told to stop until the highways concerns have been sorted out" (Blackburn Citizen, 29.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.7]Leicester's new academic centre
A new educational institute had its opening in Leicester. It is the subsidiary of the Markfield Institute of Higher Education and is the first of its kind to be established under Muslim management. It will provide a range of BA and MA degree programmes as well as doctorate level studies. The Markfield Institute is closely linked to the University of Portsmouth, which validates its courses. The teaching staff at the institute consist of both residential and visiting lecturers with a wide range of expertise of subjects such as Islamic politics, gender issues and feminism. It also has Muslim and non-Muslim academics on its Inter- national Advisory Board, including Prof. Jacques Waardenburg of Switzerland and Prof. John Esposito from USA. The official opening took place on 19 September. It was made memorable by goodwill messages and speeches and was attended by a host of guests and dignitaries, among them the Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr Adnan Wazzan and councillor Barry Powell. A message was sent by the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who saw the institute as playing an "important role in promoting the values of a tolerant and civilised society by increasing the understanding of world faiths." The director of the institute, Prof. Zaghloul El-Najjar, spoke to his guests and said: "It was the Muslims who once initiated universities as seats for higher learning" and his hopes are for the Markfield Institute to carry this ethos forward in the West today (Q News, No 324, 01.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.7]Parents favouring religious schools
The New Statesman carries an article on the numbers of pupils growing in church-run schools whilst numbers are declining in the churches themselves. For example, weekly attendance at Church of England services has fallen to below a million and Roman Catholic attendees have declined by 20 percent in the last decade. This is not reflected in the church schools, however. Business there is booming and the attraction is not only for those who would appear to be coming from the Christian faith - they are also popular among the ethnic minorities who come from the non-Christian faiths. Religious schools have not been popular with government ministers and the Education Secretary, David Blunkett, is on record as saying that "he would like to bottle whatever it is that makes church schools so successful.." However, after years of "hesitation" from the Tory education ministers and "barely disguised hostility" towards Muslim schools Labour has finally allowed the Islamia School in Kilburn to be given voluntary aided status. Previously the government did not believe that Muslims would be able to follow the national curriculum as, according to the article, Muslims did not accept the representational arts, or equal opportunities for girls. However, after years of hard work by people like Yusuf Islam the goal has finally been achieved and this summer a visit was made by Prince Charles. The article goes on to discuss why there is such an attraction for church schools even though non-church schools were committed to teaching religious studies. Prof. Gerald Grace of London University’s Institute of Education has inter-viewed heads of these schools and he says it is to do with a "high level of shared values and beliefs and.…strong level of coherence and focus." The article gives the example of Bradford, where the Church of England primary schools are almost completely populated by Muslim pupils. But Graham Lane of the Local Government Association said "It’s a Pandora’s box, and we ought to go very slowly. There’s a perception that church schools are better, but I don’t think that’s backed up - it depends on the intake and the school. We don’t want to create more divisions in society" (New Statesman, 02.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.7]First state-funded Muslim secondary school
Bradford will be the first British city to get a Muslim state secondary school. Feversham College for Muslim girls has won a long struggle to become state funded. They had looked for state backing by the Conservative government in 1994 and then in 1996. The first refusal was due to the government having "doubts about viability" and the second refusal was partly due to the college losing to a health farm their bid for a disused Roman Catholic school as their new premises. The funds are conditional on provision for special needs being made available, as well as the "details of the purchase of the site". The school has 183 pupils so far and a sixth form of 27. Last year 41 percent of its pupils passed five or more GCSEs with grades A* to C. However, the funds will make expansion possible to 580 girls and a sixth form of 130. The Education Secretary, David Blunkett will be releasing more than £5 million to move the school from the independent sector to voluntary aided status, similar to that of church schools. He said: "I am satisfied that with the support of the local education authority (LEA) and its external consultants this school will provide a good standard of education." Until now the Muslim Association of Bradford have maintained the school with difficulty. How-ever, the "new state-of-the-art buildings" and land, costing £6 million, will be paid for by the Government with the MAB contributing 15 percent. There is good news for parents as they will no longer have to pay the £950.00 annual fee. The news was also welcomed by other people, such as Bradford Council leader, Margaret Eaton, who said: "This is an important step for the district as it will be the first state-funded Muslim secondary school in the country. It will widen parental choice and add to the diversity of faith schools in Bradford. If its voluntary aided status is confirmed, girls at Feversham will receive the full benefits of the National Curriculum." The Chairman of governors, Mohammed Ibrahim, said: "It is a great day for the school, and for the whole of Bradford. It is particularly good that this news has come on a Friday which has such religious significance for Muslims. Everyone who has been involved in this long-running campaign for the past eight years is very pleased at this long awaited decision" (Telegraph & Argus, 06.10.00, Yorkshire Post, 07.10.00, The Guardian, 07.10.00, Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 09.10.00, The Guardian Weekly, 12.10.00, The Times Education Supplement, 13.10.00, Bradford Telegraph & Argus, 16.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.7]Islamic values help in academic achievement
Fatimah Khan, who is 15 and her sister Razia Khan, 12, both received the David Blunkett Excellence in Education Award. Fatimah was the recipient two years ago, at the Star SuperKids ceremony for gaining an A* in Urdu GCSE after just returning from Pakistan. Razia received her award last year for gaining top grades in her school and was also awarded a scholarship to Sheffield High School. Fatimah and Razia’s parents, Saduf and Asif Khan, met in this country when they were both students and were married when Mrs Khan was just 17. They decided to move to Pakistan when she was 19 years of age. Mrs Khan who was born in Bolton to an English family, found that because of her young age she could adapt easily. She learnt to speak Urdu and can understand Punjabi and found the people to be very loving, she said: When I arrived in Pakistan I was given a lot of love. I never felt left out by anyone..." The family decided to move back to Britain after India and Pakistan carried out their nuclear testing in 1998. This raised the temperature in summer to 42-48C. Together with this, Mrs Khan was six months pregnant and mother of five other children. She worried what effect this would have on her family and so Mr and Mrs Khan decided to return to Britain. Mrs Khan prefers the Islamic family lifestyle. She said: "There is much more respect-after your parents you have to respect your teachers and elders. How can you learn anything if you don’t respect anyone?" She explains why her daughters have been so successful in their academic achievements: "In Pakistan there’s a strong emphasis on studying, attitudes are very different. Over there, everyone wants their child to become something. One thing I don’t like in England-and something I noticed when I was at school-is that if you were clever you got called names. In Pakistan, it’s the other way round. You get called names if you don’t study." The family are settling in to life in Britain but the young girls miss their life and friends in Pakistan. However, Mrs Khan says that, "..you have to speak up for yourself and mix with people. It’s very important to be sociable" (Barnsley Star, 17.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.8]
Politics
Weaknesses in Human Right's Act
Even though the Human Rights Act was widely welcomed it almost immediately sparked off calls from pressure groups for extra measures to further strengthen rights. As well as this, the Institute of Directors warned that it could be "bad for business." Head of Policy at the institute, Ruth Lea, said: "The compensation culture is already damaging business competitiveness and tying businesses up in legal red tape." The Islamic Human Rights Commission has reported being disappointed with Article 13. The right to an effective remedy was not incorporated and it would force public authorities to rectify the breach of human rights. A spokes-man said: "Jack Straw’s contention that human rights are not absolute increases our worries that, like its predecessors, the Act will be interpreted in a discriminatory manner by the same judicial system that has interpreted Muslims out of the equation as far as equal opportunities and civic rights are concerned" (Yorkshire Post, 02.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.8]Fears of Islamic terrorism in London
The Week carried a small article called "London - a magnet for terrorists". In this Heidi Kingstone comments on British politics and London’s position, in particular, with regard to the activities of "militant Muslim groups". She speaks of Britain as having a very "enviable reputation for political and civil liberty" and says that for centuries it has provided security for those escaping repression. However, she sees the result of this as earning Britain a negative reputation "as the global hub of international Islamic terrorism." She sees London as the "world centre for the free Arabic press" as well as a "magnet" for militant Muslim groups. She claims that the one million British Muslims donate approximately £27 million which goes into the pockets of "fundamentalist organisations" though clarifying at the same time that most of the time Muslims do believe that the money is being used by charities. She claims that at least one preacher in the North London area is "known to support terrorist groups" in Algeria and Egypt, and the person known as the "Tottenham Ayatollah" has links with Osama Bin Laden. According to Ms Kingstone the Government has know-ledge of this growth in "extremism". The Government is planning to extend the anti-terrorist laws so that they will incorporate the promotion of religious or "idealogically inspired violence." She says that Britain must find a solution to this problem which is a "threat on their doorstep" while retaining the "historic respect for political freedom" (The Week, 06.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.8]
Women
Volunteer awards presented by EastEnders actress
Leila Birch, who played Teresa De Marco in EastEnders took time out from her pantomime rehearsals to congratulate volunteers from Dartford and Gravesend at a ceremony which was organised by Kent County Council. She was invited to inspire young people to become more involved in their local communities. The awards were presented at The Great Danes Hotel in Maidstone and among the recipients were Dilbear Binning from Dartford and Ilaxi Patel from Gravesend. The Kent Volunteer Awards for Volunteering Excellence marked the end of the events held throughout the week for the county volunteers, called CLIK. More than 350 individuals and groups were nominated and nine awards were received by people and groups in Dartford and Gravesend. These included the Gravesham and Dartford Muslim Women’s Group and the Dartford and Gravesend Building Preservation Trust (Dartford Times, 05.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.9]Gravesend "Day of Islam"
The Dartford Messenger, carried an article on the Day of Islam that was organised by Farida Usman and Rifet Purveen of the Gravesend Muslim Women Group. This was specifically for the students of Fort Pitt Grammar School for Girls in Chatham and St George’s School in Gravesend. There were many activities and the aim of the day was to help the students understand the great variety of Islamic culture and experience some of it themselves. The activities included cooking, fashion and working on traditional Islamic patterns with the use of henna. The students learnt that there was no specific way of dressing: it differed from county to country for men and women. Ms Usman and Ms Purveen also went to Snodland School to talk about Indian language and culture (Dartford Messenger, 11.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.9]
Interfaith
Interfaith meeting of young people
A conference organised by the Scripture Union was to be held in the last weekend of September at St Paul’s Centre in Bordesley Green in Birmingham. The aim was to encourage young people of different faiths to attend and get to know one another. Christians and Muslims were going to come together to discuss and help each other understand their faith and to talk about what their faiths said about each other and the pitfalls of stereotyping. Senior lecturer at Wolverhampton University, Zahid Pervez, who established the Young Muslims organisation in the 1980s and was also the National President of the Islamic Society of Britain till 1998, together with the Bishop of Aston, John Austin, were to attend and talk and listen to the young people (Birmingham Evening Mail, 29.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.9]
Halal
Farmer jailed for cruelty
Norfolk farmer, Mark Gothercole, was sentenced to a 12 weeks prison sentence on the 9 October. (See BMMS for September 2000) Mr Gothercole, 36, was found guilty of setting up an illegal slaughterhouse, where hundreds of sheep suffered "a slow and painful death". He went on to sell the meat at a premium price claiming that it was halal. Despite Islamic slaughter regulations requiring that the animal be killed by one quick stroke with a razor sharp knife, Mr Gothercole is said to have hacked at the throats of his sheep with blunt instruments. This would have caused the animal "unimaginable pain." The RSPCA raided the farm after a tip-off from an undercover animal welfare investigator from Frettenham’s Hillside Animal Sanctuary. Mr Gothercole bought his sheep cheaply from Wales and then trans-ported them back to his slaughter- house at Flyburn Farm. The RSPCA inspectors were confronted by horrific sights of blood stained walls, rotting carcasses and crippled sheep and they found that half of the 100 sheep there were thin or lame as a result of the way they were transported. The sheep also witnessed the other sheep’s slaughter. According to Malcom Plummer, who was speaking in mitigation: "This wasn’t a quick profit to live the high life. It was a last ditch attempt to save the farm. His compassion for the animals was put on the backburner." Since the prosecution started, Mr Gothercole has been forced to sell his farm in order to pay off his debts and the Magistrates have banned him from keeping sheep and goats for life. Mr Gothercole has launched an appeal and was released on bail until his case is heard. (West Norfolk & Fens Eastern Daily Press, 10.10.00) [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.9]
Mosques & Burials
Burnley burial
In 1996 the Muslim community of Burnley Borough Council asked for the provision of weekend and bank holiday burials. The request was for the funeral and burial to take place within 24 hours, or as soon as possible, after the death. This application was granted the following year. Nevertheless, since that time only one funeral has taken place on a Saturday. Making the service available is proving to be very costly and Burnley Borough Council’s Parks Service Manager, Simon Goff asked the members of the Recreation and Leisure Committee if they wanted to "waste £7,800 each year paying for two grave diggers and one administration worker" to be on call every weekend, throughout the weekend just in case a funeral needed to take place. Councillor Mozaquir Alib asked Simon Goff if he would look into ways of providing the service at a minimum cost and he agreed to look into this and would report back at a future meeting (Burnley Express, 29.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.10]London Mosque
Shaykh Abdul Rahman al-Sodias officially opened the new mosque in west London on 16 August. It is named the "Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre" and is aiming for a new approach. Its director, Abdul Karim used words like "accountability and transparency" in his speech and promised that the centre’s annual reports and the trustees meetings would available to anyone. He spoke of regular surgeries which would give anyone the opportunity to air their concerns regarding the management of the mosque. The Cultural Heritage Centre wants to bring back the concept of the mosque being more than just a place to worship. They want to make it a place of cultural activities and youth projects for the community and to run courses in subjects such as Information Techno-logy in their computer room which is said to be "hi tech". It is hoped that it will live up to expectations as it is situated amongst council flats and local residential estates. It is said to have a "beautiful exterior" in contrast to its surroundings and symbolises the Muslim community (Q News, No 324, 01.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.10]London, Regents Park
On Tuesday, 12 September, Tory councillor, Henry Smith together with the Pound Hill dignitary Sue Knight MBE and local dentist Azima Marrs visited the Central Mosque in Regents Park. They were given a "first class tour" and Mr Smith said he was given "a warm welcome". He discussed issues that were of importance to the Muslims of Crawley as well as the whole community. "The visit has highlighted to me to repeat the call I made earlier this year to establish a community centre in which all of Crawley’s diverse peoples can benefit for the continued strength of our town" (Crawley Observer, 27.09.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.10]Southend, West Rd
In April of this year, The Muslim Community Resource Centre in Westcliffe, was launched at the Southend Mosque. Its aim is to cater for the 2,000 Muslims who live in the area. The Government has given a grant to the centre which they have used to establish their volunteer- run "Share-IT" programme. Amongst their other programmes and activities in the scheme, they are concentrating on the issues of health, exercise and diet. The mosque houses its own exercise machines and during the sessions they run videos which show lectures from dieticians and physicians. A member of the Share-IT steering committee, Nadeem Khan, who is also a civil engineer, told the Southend Evening Echo, how they run classes teaching people to cook traditional foods with less fat and less frying. He said: "These classes are aimed at women and men-but we like to get men involved more because they tend to be more lazy cooks than women." The other major programme within the scheme is education, focusing on getting the young into "good universities and professional jobs." The centre also provides sewing classes and teaches dress-making skills so that men and women can wear their traditional outfits, which are not always readily available in shops. The centre also runs single sex classes on certain evenings allowing for segregation. Mr Khan went on to tell the paper how they are now hoping to start a newsletter and run more classes (Southend Evening Echo, 10.10.00 and Southend Standard, 13.10.00). [BMMS October Vol. VIII, No.10, P.10]
