LETTER- Bishop Nazir Ali's comments on Islamic Extremism

Published in the Asian News Letters Section

By Waseem Aslam- Regarding the recent comments made by Nazir Ali stating that the vacuum left by the Christian faith in British society is being filled by Islamic extremists.



I would agree that British society is godless and that religious faith plays no role in the day to day function of the society as a whole. This void has been filled by gods of the 21st Century such as Celebrity, Sports stars and designer gear. The fact that the neo-gods cause debauchery and social meltdown as is being witnessed speaks volumes for the failure of British values.

Nazir Ali naively suggests that the ideals of freedom, respect and tolerance exist in British society and that the extremism of Islam is a threat to these values. For any Muslim who have lived through the past few years in Britain it is clear that freedom is selective; the 28 day detention without charge is testament to this.

Weekly Stand for Islam Stalls In Rochdale

The stand for Islam campaign organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir has had a receptive response- a view encapsulated through Weekly stalls in Rochdale which have played a pivotal role in discussions and debates around the Campaign Call.



Literature available to mobilise people in putting forward the intellectual responses back to arguements thrown by politicians and Media has been warmly welcomed by everyone attending on the busy afternoon and evening Stall held on the Milkstone Rd Area.

Conversing with the youth in English and with the Elderly in Urdu, Punjabi and Mirpuri, discussions have been flowing week in week out with many asking how they can play a role in this campaign as well as having further discussions on the topics of Shariah, Role of Muslims living in Europe, interacting with Media, understanding the political context of Islamic Activism and having key responses for arguments about Islamic Rule in the Muslim world, hudood (punishments) and the greatly talked about "Reformation of Islam" alluded to by European Politicians and Media.