Projecting British Muslims
-- Eyeing a more robust engagement with the wider Muslim world, a British Muslim delegation is visiting Egypt to challenge misconceptions overseas about the reality of life for the nearly 2 million Muslim minority in Britain.
"The visit is part of an effort to help the rest of the Muslim world know what is going on with British Muslims," Aftab Malik, a member of the seven-strong Projecting British Islam delegation, told IslamOnline.net in an interview.
The delegation is on a five-day visit to Egypt as part of a program sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to a range of Muslim countries and states with Muslim communities.
The visit, which started on Sunday, July 6, aims to share experience of British Muslims and engage in dialogue with political, religious and social groups and figures in Egypt.
"This is very important since there are so many incidents going on with Muslims in England," said Aftab, who is visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Culture at the University of Birmingham.
"Also, at this time we are going through, Islam the center of a debate in the West."
The delegation, which also includes writer Ed Hussein, lecturer at Middlesex University and Imam in London's Tawhid Mosque Usama Hassan and Abdul-Rehman Malik, editor at the Muslim magazine Q-News, met with students, representatives of non-governmental organizations and rights groups, lecturers, influential Muslim scholars and pressmen.
"It gives us the opportunity to meet fellow Muslims and share with them the opinion on contemporary issues and yet explain what is happening in our society," said Abdul-Rehman, a veteran activist teaching history and dramatic arts.
Although the program is sponsored by the FCO, the delegates affirm that they represent only themselves and their communities, not the British government.
"We have freedom to speak our mind any issue," says Abdul-Rehman.
"There are no scripts."
There have been 26 visits involving over 70 delegates as part of the Projecting British Islam program since 2005, to approximately across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Being British Muslim
The delegates say the program offers a unique platform for British Muslims to introduce the world to the reality of life for Muslims in Britain.
"There is obviously something important to say about Islam in the UK and about Muslims there," said Abdul-Rehman.
Abdul-Rehman, who grew up in Canada and had the opportunity to visit several countries around the world, said his experience made him cherish the kind of life British Muslims have.
"A British Muslim is somebody who have complete freedom to practice their religion … he/she has the space to express intellectual curiosity.
"As a British Muslim you are judged on how much you can contribute to the society.
"There is also, I would not say tolerance, but respect, and it is because of what the average Muslim stand for… people tend to be honest and upright.
"I am not saying life in England is like paradise because I don't think life is like paradise even for Muslims in Muslim countries. I am just saying we have a lot of advantages."
Aftab agrees, recalling that the delegation - during a visit to Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar University – was greeted with many questions by students that revealed so many misperceptions.
"Some of them had a lot of wrong assumptions," he said.
"One of the questions was 'are you allowed to be a real Muslim in England?' and I asked what you mean by a real Muslim he said 'to pray, fast for example'.
"I answered him that we can do all that… and he was like amazed," Aftab said.
"It was quite amazing that such perceptions can be changed just by discussion."
Britain is home to a sizable multi-ethnic Muslim minority of nearly 2 million.
The British Muslim delegates, however, admit that despite all the merits, there are still challenges for the Muslim community in Britain.
"For all of the advantages we have in Britain, we have so many challenges," Abdul-Rehman said, blaming both the society and the Muslim community.
"We have challenges of perception and understanding of Islam, we have socio-economic disadvantages, educational underachievement, communities that are dysfunctional."
The fallout of the 7/7, 2005 attacks, which killed 56 commuters including 4 Muslim bombers, remains one of the biggest challenges facing British Muslims.
"7/7 has changed so many things clearly," affirms Abdul-Rehman.
Wael Zubi, another member of the delegation, said the 7/7 attacks have raised questions even among Muslims.
"After 7/7, there was a debate on how to engage more with the society."
Aftab said Muslims have become under the spot since the attacks.
"There was a lot of debate about issues like halal food, Islamic schools and Shari`ah."
But Aftab remains optimistic.
"We are stake holders in this society… when there is a debate or a misconception; we try to challenge those ideas."
Abdul-Rehman concurred.
"When we say that we are British Muslims this means that we are part of this society.
"When we see such challenges, whether in our communities or the bigger society … we challenge them and take on them."
Source: IOL
The delegation is on a five-day visit to Egypt as part of a program sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to a range of Muslim countries and states with Muslim communities.
The visit, which started on Sunday, July 6, aims to share experience of British Muslims and engage in dialogue with political, religious and social groups and figures in Egypt.
"This is very important since there are so many incidents going on with Muslims in England," said Aftab, who is visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Culture at the University of Birmingham.
"Also, at this time we are going through, Islam the center of a debate in the West."
The delegation, which also includes writer Ed Hussein, lecturer at Middlesex University and Imam in London's Tawhid Mosque Usama Hassan and Abdul-Rehman Malik, editor at the Muslim magazine Q-News, met with students, representatives of non-governmental organizations and rights groups, lecturers, influential Muslim scholars and pressmen.
"It gives us the opportunity to meet fellow Muslims and share with them the opinion on contemporary issues and yet explain what is happening in our society," said Abdul-Rehman, a veteran activist teaching history and dramatic arts.
Although the program is sponsored by the FCO, the delegates affirm that they represent only themselves and their communities, not the British government.
"We have freedom to speak our mind any issue," says Abdul-Rehman.
"There are no scripts."
There have been 26 visits involving over 70 delegates as part of the Projecting British Islam program since 2005, to approximately across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Being British Muslim
The delegates say the program offers a unique platform for British Muslims to introduce the world to the reality of life for Muslims in Britain.
"There is obviously something important to say about Islam in the UK and about Muslims there," said Abdul-Rehman.
Abdul-Rehman, who grew up in Canada and had the opportunity to visit several countries around the world, said his experience made him cherish the kind of life British Muslims have.
"A British Muslim is somebody who have complete freedom to practice their religion … he/she has the space to express intellectual curiosity.
"As a British Muslim you are judged on how much you can contribute to the society.
"There is also, I would not say tolerance, but respect, and it is because of what the average Muslim stand for… people tend to be honest and upright.
"I am not saying life in England is like paradise because I don't think life is like paradise even for Muslims in Muslim countries. I am just saying we have a lot of advantages."
Aftab agrees, recalling that the delegation - during a visit to Cairo's prestigious Al-Azhar University – was greeted with many questions by students that revealed so many misperceptions.
"Some of them had a lot of wrong assumptions," he said.
"One of the questions was 'are you allowed to be a real Muslim in England?' and I asked what you mean by a real Muslim he said 'to pray, fast for example'.
"I answered him that we can do all that… and he was like amazed," Aftab said.
"It was quite amazing that such perceptions can be changed just by discussion."
Britain is home to a sizable multi-ethnic Muslim minority of nearly 2 million.
The British Muslim delegates, however, admit that despite all the merits, there are still challenges for the Muslim community in Britain.
"For all of the advantages we have in Britain, we have so many challenges," Abdul-Rehman said, blaming both the society and the Muslim community.
"We have challenges of perception and understanding of Islam, we have socio-economic disadvantages, educational underachievement, communities that are dysfunctional."
The fallout of the 7/7, 2005 attacks, which killed 56 commuters including 4 Muslim bombers, remains one of the biggest challenges facing British Muslims.
"7/7 has changed so many things clearly," affirms Abdul-Rehman.
Wael Zubi, another member of the delegation, said the 7/7 attacks have raised questions even among Muslims.
"After 7/7, there was a debate on how to engage more with the society."
Aftab said Muslims have become under the spot since the attacks.
"There was a lot of debate about issues like halal food, Islamic schools and Shari`ah."
But Aftab remains optimistic.
"We are stake holders in this society… when there is a debate or a misconception; we try to challenge those ideas."
Abdul-Rehman concurred.
"When we say that we are British Muslims this means that we are part of this society.
"When we see such challenges, whether in our communities or the bigger society … we challenge them and take on them."
Source: IOL
