I feel duti-bound to write and offer some clarification following the front-page story on Tuesday's Northampton Chronicle & Echo (“Mosque hope for man who secured controversial land”) and the subsequent comments that were posted on the Chronicle website as well as those made to me in person by many people following the breaking of the story.
As someone who has lived in the town for over 20 years, my experiences and that of those who have been here (particularly from the Bangladeshi community who were some of the first contingent of immigrants in the town back in the late 50’s), is that Northampton has been a melting pot of cultures and faiths who have appreciated each others differences whilst sharing common aims and aspirations for the town.
The Muslim population in Northampton had been quite steady up until about 5/6 years ago and made up of largely Bangladeshis’ (5,000), Pakistanis’ (1,500) other (1,000). This changed with the influx of immigrants from Somalia who were predominantly Muslim. Estimates put that community at around 3-4,000.
As the largest and most established immigrant community in the town, the Bangladeshis’ have forged strong links with the town mainly through the “Indian” restaurant trade. As the population grew through the decades, the community organised itself to meet some of the social, cultural and religious needs. The first “Mosque” (none of the 4 Mosques in the town are purpose built, they are converted houses in most cases) in the town (43 Argyle Street) was started primarily by Muslims from Bangladesh by making small modifications to a terraced house. (Capacity 200-250). St. George’s Street, Northampton’s largest Mosque is also a converted terrace founded by Bangladeshi’s has undergone numerous internal modifications and currently accommodates (with a great deal of difficulty) around 1,000 people. Stimpson Avenue is also an end terrace with a capacity of around 200. Abington Avenue, a converted garage, is still undergoing internal modifications 5 years on, can accommodate around 400-500 worshippers. There are a couple of other places in the town used for prayers but are not designated Mosques. This is the current provision for Muslims in the town and we worship with a great deal of difficulty.
Some of the comments posted both on the Chronicle website as well as to me personally have concerned me as to how people view “the potential plan for a Mosque on Kingsthorpe Meadow”.
I’d like to put some myths and doubts to rest. All of the Mosques in Northampton and elsewhere in the country are paid for, bought and modified with money from the very people that worship in them. Other than a handful of Mosques in the UK which are funded by governments in the Mid-East and which comes with many strings attached, Mosques are paid for by the locals people. Mosques DO NOT access or seek PUBLIC FUNDING. Those of us that have been looking into the idea of a purpose built Mosque in the town are made up of Muslims from Asia, Africa and beyond and at meetings with MP’s Councillors and officers we have sought nothing but heir co-operation to help us identify some land in the town so that we could work together to create a landmark that will be in keeping with architectural landscape of the town (as far as is practically possible).There is no question of wanting any “gifts” or access to the public purse. Sadly much of the criticism since yesterday has been about Muslims wanting taxpayers to fund their place of worship. Things couldn’t be further from the truth. At no stage have we mentioned anything about funds or gifts other than to work with the authorities to and find ways to fit our plans with that of theirs for the town. We want to create a building that will be seen as a welcome addition (by most people) to the landscape of the town rather than an “eyesore” as some people are speculating.
Furthermore, we are looking to build a place that will be very different from the traditional mosques you find in many Muslim majority countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh. The proposals by the Northampton Central Mosques Trust is looking to create a building that will be open and accommodating of all people whilst helping to meet the needs of the Muslims. Flexible spaces, a library, mini conference facilities are some of the ideas that have been incorporated within the initial design. One of the key considerations given to the project is how “green” and environmentally friendly it should be, space for parking and future expansion as well as the surrounding area and what impact it will have on the existing local community. This isn’t simply about building a Mosque anywhere because we can buy the land or a disused building. Just like the current Mosques in the town, particular attention is paid to the relationship with the neighbours and whilst there are problems during Friday prayers when we have to accommodate more people than the spec available, they are nothing more tha the usual parking issues.
All of these plans are a pipe dream and have been for some time. At the very least, our plans will cost in excess of £2 million, money the community just does not have at the moment. We have been fundraising for a number of years and in addition to meeting the running costs of the existing places (which is a task in itself) funds are very slow in coming. After all, we are talking about some of the poorer communities in our town having to dig deep to realise a dream. For those who want to argue that we are managing, need to visit any of the Mosques in the town to realise the sacrifices people have to make with simple things like prayers and funerals. It’s easy to roll off figures off the tongue and create plans that are done more in hope than realism. Of course hope is where it starts and we have begun our journey down the long road which we hope will eventually result in the creation of a Mosque, a building in the town that everyone will be proud of but off-the cuff remarks are unhelpful.
What we can’t do and won’t do is simply make statements that cause suspicion and doubt amongst people. We shouldn’t play on people’s emotions because far too much is at stake. We have and continue to live peacefully (for the most part) in Northampton and anything that gives rise to unnecessary tension between us is to be avoided.
I would like to make reference to Kingsthorpe Meadow and want to stress that I am fully aware of the history of the past few years and shared the aspirations of the local people both during my time as a Councillor and continue to do so. From a land prospective, I share the common view that its unsuitable for development and given the energy the local people have invested in wishing to safeguard it in its current form, I see no reason why anything should change.
However, now that the land is under new ownership (and I don’t to go down the road as to whether the process of purchase was wholly above-board) I would be keen to hear just what their proposed purpose will be. The Mosque idea had done down like a lead dome (sorry) both in the wider community as well as the Muslim communities itself. I have no personal axe to grind with anyone who is the rightful owner of the land after all, they have a right to propose and plan what they wish. However, since the idea of a Mosque has been mooted, I am compelled to voice my views along with those of other fellow Muslims in the town because the impact of the owner’s aspirations affects us all.
I have explained the difficulties and the tough choices we hare having to make in our pursuit of a purpose built Mosque in the town. We have canvassed the views of hundreds over the past 2/3 years. Firstly, Kingsthorpe is not a location we have even considered. The reasons against the area are numerous including its geographic location. Secondly, the fact that the whole idea goes express wishes of the local people to preserve it will not be in keeping with the peaceful and accommodating approach of our project. Thirdly and more critically, this land is not fit for development.
Sadly, the story has brought Muslims and the Muslim communities in sharp focus and some people are trying to destabilise the good relations we enjoy with people in the town. I am powerless to stop anyone making a statement that affects 10,000 plus Muslims just as the rest of the population is powerless to stop a handful of ignorant bigots from stirring up tension. For as long as the vast majority of us maintain a sense of perspective, there is no reason why isolated comments should divide us.
We have embarked on what we consider to be a noble cause, that of offering fellow worshippers the chance to pray in a place that adequately meets their needs. We want to create a place for Northampton and a place we can all be proud of. Northampton Central Mosque Trust isn’t there to divide the community, we want everyone to embrace our idea and understand the value it will bring to our town. I am sure everyone will agree that Muslims are unlikely to be going anywhere any time soon and why should they; they are part and parcel of Northampton life. If we are going to have a Mosque in the town, lets have one that is capable of paying for itself, maintained and administered by local people and with local money and with the support of the people of Northampton. It’s not in anyone’s interest for any projects to spring up, funded from an unscrupulous source and managed from afar. That will not serve the interests of Muslims or the wider community.
And let us not confuse the small-minded, Mosques DO NOT use public funds nor has any attempts been made with any authority in Northampton to subsidise our place of worship with taxpayers money. I am happy to pay my taxes and pay for the running and maintenance of the churches in the town as well as paying for a Mosque because I appreciate the value religious buildings bring to our communities and society as a whole.
Thursday, 18 September 2008
Who speaks for Northampton's Muslims?
Saturday, 14 June 2008
Islam has the solution
A friend of mine came to me recently to drown his sorrows following an acrimonious divorce in which his ex-wife of 2 years walked away with a hefty six-figure settlement, not a penny of which she helped to accumulate.
It was a messy marriage from the outset and the couple spent much of their marital life living separately. So when the courts ruled that his ex-wide was entitled to a very large chunk of his hard earned cash, he realised just how unfair the current system on how marital assets should be divided when couples divorce, was.
Recently, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams caused furore when he commented that Shariah law could be introduced in the UK. Yet here is a perfect example of what he may have had in mind when he made the comments. I gave him a hard time in this blog but my friend’s misfortune led me to visit and further analyse De Williams’s comments.
Shariah law says that whatever assets a man or a woman takes into a marriage remain their own property in the event of a divorce. Any assets accumulated during the marriage remain the property of the party that earned them and the other party has no claim on them. But the husband is required to pay the wife’s living expenses for one year after the divorce and the cost of bringing up any children.
The age of gold diggers will be well and truly over in the same way as a hardworking, and successful woman can relax safe in the knowledge that what she makes will remain hers and hers only, unless she chooses to share them in the same way she promised to share life with the man she married.
Maybe we need to revisit the issue of Shariah law again Dr. Williams!
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
Sins and Celebrtities
The Vatican has updated the list of mortal sins to include 21st century issues that are sure to make most people turn a blind eye like they do to the traditional mortal sins such as stealing, murder and adultery as contained within the Ten Commandments.
The new list, put together by the Catholic Church following discussions between the Pope and his priests include genetic experimentation, social injustice, causing poverty, excessive wealth and drug abuse. To a population that is increasingly sceptical about faith, the new list has certainly raised eyebrows. The Church, particularly the Catholic Church has had its fair share of critics in the recent past concerning the conduct of some of its members. It’s rather hypocritical to suggest that excessive wealth be included in the list given that the Vatican is one of the richest institutions in the world.
The Vatican is a highly politicised organisation with extensive links to the powerhouses of the world. Many of the causes of inequality, excess and injustice is perpetrated by the very people who work in tandem with the Church. Take Tony Blair, a “devout Christian” whose rationale for going to war was that he was guided by a need to do the right thing. Decisions made daily at all levels in the socio-economic and political spheres is often done with little or no vocal resistance or condemnation from the church.
With more than two third of f the population of this country believing that religion is the root cause many of the world’s problems, the Church needs to do more to engage the people in the very basics because the root cause of many of the new sins they have highlighted stems from people not believing in anything in particular today.
At the same time as the Vatican was updating its sin list, the Association of School and College Leaders, were telling us that bad parenting, the demise of the family meal and cult of celebrity has left children without basic skills. They say that adults were failing to teach morals and needed to rediscover what being a parent means. It’s a sad indictment that teachers have to take on the role of the family. For many children born to single parents, often a teenager herself the school is increasingly the only stable aspect of their unstable life. When society pays more attention to celebrities than church leaders and social advancement is seen as something that be bought with a lottery ticket, is it any wonder we are producing a generation of children whose void is filled by cult of celebrity?
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Dr Rowan Williams – Misunderstood or misguided?
The saying ‘all publicity is good publicity’ has not, for a rare occasion proved kind in any shape or form for one Dr Rowan Williams or the Anglican Church. Whatever Dr Williams motives were for suggesting Shariah Law was inevitable in the UK, it has backfired spectacularly. In doing so, it has also exposed the deep rooted unease about Islam and Muslims that exists today and how normal it has become to vilify a faith and all its followers without any restraint, whoever you may be.
I feel for Rowan Williams. I have always considered him to be a very intelligent man, who had, until last week, made a great deal of sense of his assessment of modern life and values. So how did he go from a respected figurehead to a loathed and ridiculed figure within a space of few days? Last Friday, I was interviewed on a radio phone-in where the Archbishop took the wrath of the Christian community and from those who masquerade as nationalists and defenders of the Union and faith behind the thin veil of racism and xenophobia.
As I stated in my comments, Dr Williams was clearly getting at something which did not quite translate in the way he had hoped. His downfall was that he assumed everyone will understand what he meant without having to offer a narrative.
His comment that certain aspects of Shariah Law either exists or is inevitable in the UK, was taken so out of context that I feel the only way this issue will be taken off the front pages is if he resigns. Increasingly, that seems to be his only option. We have seen the ugly side of many who used Dr Williams’s comments to fuel further animosity in our communities, offering petty comfort to Dr Williams by suggesting that he was confirming what they had been suspecting for a long time that Muslims were taking over.
Serial anti-Muslim voices within the church like Rev. Michael Nazir-Ali, John Sentamu and Lord Carey, Dr Williams’s predecessor, were quick to cease on the issue and express yet more divisive views. These people do not need an excuse at the best of times and Dr William’s comments offered the perfect opportunity to strengthen their positions at the expense of a colleague and in doing so, show how they have been vindicated for the warnings they have been giving about the so-called Islamisation of the UK.
This issue couldn’t have come at a better time for the likes of Sentamu and Nazir-Ali. The state of the church and its whole standing in today’s society has been of much debate and even that has been stifled by the fact that so few care about it enough to debate it. This is their opportunity to whip up some hysteria and hope it makes their message a little more attractive to the masses.
Dr Williams’s must have known the reaction his comments would generate. This is why I am even more confused that such a measured man could make this judgement of error. He has brought the attention back on the Muslims in a way that it would not afford yet again. The anti-Muslim, Islamophobic media machine is relentless and rampant and senior politicians who have so far remained tight-lipped must see this diversion from their troubles of the recent past, a godsend (excuse the pun).
Underneath all this hysteria and vilification, lies a message that in its entirety is not new or as sensational as the media would have us believe.
Dr William’s was making reference to the fact that in some aspects Shariah Law, which itself is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Islam next to Muslims themselves, was already being practiced here in the UK. Muslims have been eating Halal meat (a requirement of Shariah), banking under Islamic financial rules and dealing with many family issues within voluntary mediation councils.
None of these have a need to be incorporated within the UK law that governs us as they are voluntary practices. Halal food and Islamic financial services have been available for years and neither has done any harm or proved incompatible with our current system. Mediation courts like those of the Jewish community have existed in one form or another and I have often enough sat through people’s disputes without resorting to the law. In most cases it has proved a success because those who participated did so voluntarily.
Dr William’s was merely highlighting these in the context of how society governs itself today. He was not saying anything new. The reaction however suggests that we have reached a new high on our anti-Muslim feelings.
Saturday, 22 December 2007
Does Christmas come too early?
Full article featured in FineLiving magazine - October/November edition.Christmas comes but once a year - so the cliché goes. Only it doesn't, does it? It comes every nine months, starting in the shops in September and lasting until January 1. Now, some of you may feel the cockles of your traditionalist hearts warming up when you stroll down the still-summery high street in your sundress and see the holly and the Santas. Others will retreat clutching handfuls of hair.
There are still than 80 days to go to Christmas yet on a recent outing, I found businesses advertising for the festive season. For those who despair at the commercialisation of Christmas, the mid-summer has never been so bleak.
Like a lot of people, I feel the long run-up to the festive season means that Christmas is much less special when it finally arrives. Others feel there is too much commercial pressure to buy presents and an emphasis on consuming lots of food and drink.
Is it too soon to think about Christmas? Has commercialism hijacked our religious and cultural celebrations? Or do lavish Christmas stores add to the anticipation of the festive season?
The ASA has recently received complaints about advertising campaigns launched as early as mid-September saying they were "socially irresponsible" because of the financial pressures that Christmas brings to families for early on. Launching promotional campaigns so early, the complainants argue, serves to intensify and prolong this pressure.
Other complaints centre on the fact that the advertising assault represents an over-commercialisation of what is meant to be a religious festival. Several of the complainants suggested the ASA should look at setting parameters for when companies can start airing Christmas-themed campaigns. Sadly, whilst some people will find it frustrating to see advertisements for Christmas appearing so early in the year, the ASA has no power to regulate Advertisers who are able to chose when they wish to begin their seasonal advertisements.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2008.
Sunday, 16 December 2007
Eid Mubarak - Eid-ul-Adha, Wednesday 19 December
I would like to wish all Muslims a very happy Eid Mubarak. I hope that the occasion brings you much joy and happiness. May you be blessed with good health, happiness and prosperity.
Eid-ul-Adha (Celebration of Sacrifice) is the second most important festival in the Muslim calendar. It marks the end of the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca).
Eid-ul-Adha celebrates the occasion when Allah appeared to Ibrahim in a dream and asked him to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God. The devil tempted Ibrahim by saying he should disobey Allah and spare his son. As Ibrahim was about to kill his son, Allah intervened. Instead, Allah provided a lamb as the sacrifice. This is why on Wednesday 19 December, all over the world Muslims who have the means to, sacrifice an animal as a reminder of Ibrahim's obedience to Allah.
‘Christians’ spoiling Christmas for themselves
On Wednesday, 19 December, just a week before Christmas, I along with Muslims all over the world will be celebrating Eid-ul-Adha, the second major festival of the year for Muslims. These celebrations mark the period of Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.
It’s December and the time of year when gloomy, cold days dominate. Most of us look forward to a long over due break from work, oh yes and its Christmas time as well.
Even though I can’t tolerate the short, dark and bitterly cold days, I like the festive mood that Christmas brings. I like the fact that towns and cities make an effort to brighten up the days with decorations and festive lights. Whilst I disagree with the commercialisation of Christmas and the frenzy of Christmas shoppers buying things at inflated prices, I like the mood most people are in at this time of the year.
Christmas and other Christian festivals also cause a sense of unease amongst many of us from other religions during these times.
Let me say at the outset that I have been here for over 20 years and having been educated at a Church school. I am one of less that 4% of Muslims living in the UK and less than 8% of the total non-Christian faith population. So to put things in context, more than 90% of those living here in the UK today are or potentially Christian. Whether they describe themselves as belonging to the Christian faith is another matter.
So how comes every year, Christians feel uneasy about celebrating their faith and festivals? How come they feel uncomfortable and fearful of offending people of other faiths? What gives rise to this state of mind and victim mentality? This unease makes me feel even more unease easy and angry than many Christians care imagine. Christmas decorations, wordings on Christmas cards, nativity plays have all been watered down in recent years due to the perception that they offend other faiths.
A national poll shows that four out of 5 primary schools have either changed or cancelled their annual nativity plays because they are worried about the adverse publicity and possible offence they may cause others. Whether I agree with the concept of the practice or not, I am deeply offended that Christians are cancelling this in my name. I don’t recall anyone asking my views before doing so.
Other stories in recent years include towns which have decided against putting up decorations, offices cancelling Christmas parties for fear of excluding people of other faiths, and Christmas cards written without the words ‘Christmas’.
To most people this is both baffling and absolutely mad. I was asked my views by various newspapers and radio stations about the perceived offence Christmas and other festivals causes Muslims. My response is the same as it has always been. Who has done the asking and why do people just accept this?
Most, if not all Muslims, could not care less. We are all aware that this is primarily a Christian country and Christmas is part and parcel of everything it does associated with their faith. Muslims appreciate the religious freedom we enjoy here and how we are able to celebrate and practice our faith freely and without offending too many people.
As usual, my office is decorated with tinsels and Christmas trees. I will exchange cards and gifts with colleagues and enjoy a much needed Christmas break. Yet I dread the headlines that often dominate the news at this time of the year. Decisions taken by no on knows quite who, about excluding various aspects of Christmas and Easter is swiftly followed by the negative press given to other faiths especially Muslims.
We are then left to defend our positions and offer our unreserved support for Christian festivals even though we may not have a view on it at all. It is a position that makes me feel at tremendous unease and I am angry at the majority of Christians for allowing this to happen.
Christians need to stand up for themselves. They have to stand up to the do-gooders who, through the use of government agencies and institutions are creating an atmosphere of unease amongst the faith communities and who are using minority faiths and communities to slowly water down the most important festival in the Christian calendar.
I have yet to hear any Muslims or people of any other faith to say that they are offended by Christmas decorations, cards or carols to the point that they want these things banned.
As a Muslim, I am just as worried as many Christians about the way the Christian faith is treated in the media and public life. As a faith, Christianity shares many of the teachings and values of Islam and Judaism, given the origins of the faiths. With Church attendances at an all time low, I fear the liberal do-gooders and those who wish to see faith and religion vanished from life in the UK and across the Western world, gaining momentum. They are the biggest threat to Christians and people of other faiths here today. If they continue to influence and dominate the agenda, soon, Christmas and Christianity will be a thing of the past. The danger for other faiths is that if ‘they’ are able to reduce Christianity to a mere mention in the annals of history in a country with over 50 million possible followers, the rest of us will find it increasingly harder to practice our faith.
As the leaders of the three Abrahamic faiths including the Pope acknowledged recently, the biggest threat to billions of people around the world is not nuclear war but the decline of faith and the belief in a superior being.
An agenda is at play to drive people away from seeking a sense of peace and harmony and taking their moral and spiritual guidance from the belief in a creator and life hear-after. People are being blinded by the messages that religion is the root of all of the world problems. ‘They’ advocate a completely new outlook, not one based on the values and principles taught by faith but to a system based on the pursuit of happiness through financial gain, selfish attitude and ‘just having a good time’.
It is time ‘they’ were identified and wherever found, confronted. Be they in our places of work or amongst our social circles, they have to be questioned and challenged. Just like the health and safety brigade, there is very little we can do or believe in, in the future if they get their way.
Christians need to stand up for themselves and stop the trivialisation of their faith. They have to protect those things they consider sacred and make it their moral and religious duty to protect them. The rest of us are right behind you, because the rest of us it seems understand the value faith plays in people’s lives.
Christians have to stand up to those who propagate the need for ‘Christianity to change with the times’, a coded message to mean discos at Church. Christians have to sand up and oppose those who support the use of Churches as wine bars and boozers because they are not being used.
Islam has thrived and continues to do so not because it has been changed to ‘fit with the times’. Islam considers itself to be relevant for all times. The moment we go into changing things to suit our needs and desires, it is no longer a divine message. I believe Christians are finding it difficult to identify the heart and soul of their faith because so much has been changed or being changed to suit the times.
It is extremely sad that Christmas has come to define everything about Christianity for one day in the year where churches are packed for midnight mass and then empty all year round. Even Christians admit that Christmas has become commercialised and an opportunity for people to do everything but focus on the true message and significance of the occasion.
I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year and if I have offended anyone in doing so, then let me know I’d like to know who you are.