Rochdales PUBLIC Debate and Discussion on Extremism

Rochdale finally lands it first public cross panel Discussion and Debate in a Question Time Format on the topic of Extremism, Islam and the Muslim Community. This well publicised event, organised by Majed's Blog will tread on covering a whole range of issues related to the current political Climate.



Saturday 9th February 2008- 6pm- Castlemere Community Centre

Click on Image to see the poster for the EVENT

The event will pose these issues to the panelists- Paul Rowen MP (Lib Dems) and Ali Khan (Hizb ut-Tahrir) who will endeavour to tackle these pressing issues. Oppurtunities will also be offered to the audience to raise their questions and comments and engage with the invited panelists.

The Forest Gate episode, shooting of Charles de Menezes, millions of pounds being invested by the government into the Muslim community, fingers pointed at the alleged failure of mosques, threats of banning non-violent Islamic groups, Media frenzy in the shape of press coverage, documentaries and TV shows, as well as the recent stigmatising of Rochdale Central (Idara) Mosque in the Policy exchange document titled “The Hijacking of British Islam”- All these factors have raised huge debate and discussion in the Rochdale community from all quarters- Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

How Rochdale "greeted" Musharraf on his UK visit

By Majed Iqbal- How many times have you visited a relative's home and saw you elderly engrossed in a discussion and argument about Pakistani politics over a cup of tea in the vicinity of their large traditional front room? Seems to ring a bell! Déjà vu for definite! Heated debates, full of resentment against Pakistani politicians, utter disgust at the state of affairs and that's all it's left to.



Unfortunately that's how far it will go with our community; hot air and outbursts of raw emotion. We are quick to raise the finger but have next to no thought on how to translate this into positive action.

Musharraf, whom some consider the Mugabe of South East Asia, was on his UK tour, drumming up support to place a charade over his ill seeds planted in his country, the brunt of which his nation is taking. The question on peoples minds should have been- how can we living in the UK challenge him on his failed policies, subservience to foreign interests, massacre of his own citizens, blaming terrorism instead of his own failures on the downfall of Pakistan, and being given full VIP treatment her in the UK by the British Government?

The Obesity Epidemic- Cashing in on the Problems

Published on the Asian Image and Asian News Website

By Majed Iqbal- People who are overweight could be paid to get slim, the government has suggested this week as part of its national strategy to tackle the obesity epidemic. Proposed measures include involving schools, employers, the food industry, GPs and others which are intended to encourage individuals to eat better and exercise more in part of the governments £75m campaign plans.



It is believed without action, almost nine in 10 adults and two-thirds of children will be overweight or obese by 2050 and at risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and other health problems, costing society £50bn a year, according to a recent report by scientists commissioned by the government.

The "paid to get slim" idea is a proposal to offer cash incentives to adults comes from the US, where a study last September found that the more money people were promised, the more weight they lost.

Khuda ke Liye- A Movie Review

Khuda kay liye- Dubbed as the film which heralds the revival of Pakistani Cinema was released November last year. After huge publicity from its main financer- GEO Television, a network championing the cause for Free Media and self styled chief challenger of the Musharraf regime, the film already gives away glimpses of an agenda driven project.



The movie attempts to take on the raging debates consuming the Muslim World and Muslims living in foreign lands. The plot starts somewhere in pre 9/11 timeframe and ends in late 2002 in the midst of which it follows various characters facing an array of issues in life. Racial Profiling, Forced Marriage, youth radicalisation, identity crisis for British and American Muslims, Muslim women marrying men of other or no faith, and Music.

The movie revolves around two musician brothers - Mansoor and Sarmad - one of whom transitions into "religious extremism" and the other falls victim to American Intelligence agencies and subsequently tortured.

Hazel blears launches Muslim Women "Assertiveness Courses"

Published on the Asian Image Website

By Majed Iqbal- After the joke and unsuccessful attempts of former Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly in launching her Nasiha project for imams and mosques to tackle extremism in Muslim communities, her new successor Hazel Blears has shown that she is even more far ahead than Kelly when it comes to Political entertainment.



Communities Secretary Hazel Blears is to give instructions that some of a £70 million Government fund set up to encourage "cohesion" should be used to try to bolster the confidence of women. Sounds great, sounds ambitious and what a nice way to help British women feel involved, especially after the sexual harassment received at workplaces, having been victims of domestic violence which constitute a quarter of all crimes reported yearly, the un-equality in pay which has been raging on for decades and the gender stereotypes for particular employments. Thanks hazel.

Asian Leader Article on Benazirs Assassination

The following article was published in the North West "Asian leader" Newspaper on 9 January 2008 looking into the events of the aftermath of Benazirs assassination. The article was written for the blog and then consequently submitted to the newpaper for publishing.



Click on the image for full screen display. Please click here for full text of article.

Big Brothers "POSITIVE" Contribution??

By Majed Iqbal

It's that time of year again- Its dark and gloomy outside coupled with the usual regular interval of showers, but Channel 4 will give you something to spice up your boring lives with and provide you with endless opportunities to gossip about at your school breaks, at lunchtime in the college and uni cafeteria and over the desk with your sun reading colleagues.

Yes, it's that legalized voyeurism I'm talking about which allows you to beam into the lives of a group of eccentric contestants locked in a house together and then voted out one at a time by the viewers.

Viewers wait to see the tantrums, kick offs, love triangles, shouting and screaming, house mate rivalry and break down and depression of contestants to give them their kicks and something to identify with in their lives. Its LIVE- anything can happen any moment! And that is the spirit of the show which connects with the audience- and that is exactly the ‘high standard', ‘first class' entertainment we received in last years series in the jade Goody Vs Shilpa Shetty showdown.

SLIDESHOW- After Benazir- What next for Pakistan?

Published on the Asian Image Website

By Majed Iqbal- Ever since Benazir stepped backed into Pakistan, security was the key concern for her to ensure she could kick start her Political rallying after securing her deal with the then ‘uniformed’ Musharraf. Her episode in the Karachi Rally where she narrowly escaped death re-asserted the lack of Political security offered from the state and highlighted a new phenomenon on Pakistani terrain- that of suicide bombings, something which was unheard of prior to Pakistan engaging in the War on Terror.

[slideshow id=432345564254257221&w=410&h=306]

However, last Thursday, Benazir became the new casualty in the episode of this External War which has found a front in Pakistan through the discredited military dictatorship of Musharraf. But this has not been the focus of discussion! Both national and international media have been glued to the tug of war taking place between the government and the Pakistan Peoples Party’s version of events. What exactly happened? Who was the Assassin? Where was security? Was it Bullets, Shrapnel or the bang on the head?