COMMENT- Oh Goody! Now it's Jade the Musical!

By Majed Iqbal- Jade Goody's name is once again set to 'shine' in the limelight as a new Musical venture is in the makings of her life. News about "Jade Goody: The Musical" has been revealed by Friends and family weeks after her death from cancer as a way of telling the story of her life. Already, searches are being made for auditions on who is going to play Jade

'It's going to be the story of her life and we're going to be on the search for who is going to play Jade', said Danny Hayward who runs a photographic agency and was one of the best men at Goody's wedding. He said the musical would premiere this year.

Choreographer Victoria Hayward said of the casting process "Obviously, there is nobody else I'm sure in this world quite like Jade, but hopefully we'll have a panel of not only creative experts but people that were close to Jade to be able to pick somebody that has to be able to dance and sing".

Just a snapshot of Jades life is enough for any movie, never mind a thatrical play at the West End. Introduced to drugs at an early age by her lesbian mother, she was surrounded by criminals and violence during her early days. Her father was found dead from a heroin overdose in the toilets of a KFC take-away. At the age of 17, Jade was caught stealing from Selfridges.

Death is in the air

By New Blog writer Zaythoun Suleman- I completed this article four hours before Death came to take Jade Goody's life, hearing the news of her death this morning sent chills down my spine as I truly felt that Death was in the air when I clicked the send button at around 11.30pm. I had introduced this article with the question of not knowing how long she had left in this world...



Jade had prepared for death, by requesting that she be buried in her £3,500 ivory silk wedding dress worn at her wedding to Jack Tweed and having her funeral cortege travel through Bermondsey in South London. It makes me think how long we have and what preparations we are making for our own death.

We watch others dying every day. The harrowing pictures of innocent brothers, sisters and children from Gaza murdered by the Israeli army are still imprinted on the minds of many.

Quite recently, Natasha Richardson who starred in Parent trap lost her life after a skiing accident. Wendy Richard from Eastenders lost her life to cancer and Tony Hart from Take Hart and Hartbeat (The kids programme with Morph the movable plasticine figure who lived in a wooden pencil box!) helped many kids to draw, died from fading health after suffering strokes.

We hear songs about it, one of my favourites is Ahmad Bukhatir‘s chilling "last breath". It reminds me of the loss of loved ones that leaves us with an empty space. No matter how hard we cry they cannot return. We can almost visualise the soul flying from the body as the heart monitor makes its monotonous rhythm and all that remains is the outer case. We never forget the ones who leave us; we just learn to live without them. With the loss of parents, it feels like the shade that was once there is lifted and the rain falls directly onto our heads.

Britney's 'breakdown' 'inspired' 50 Cent album

By Majed Iqbal- 50 Cent, a rapping phenomenon from US, who is trying all he can to stay on the rap media scene has used the events of Britney Spears 'breakdown' as 'lyrical' material for his new album.



He wrote a new LP "Before I Self Destruct" after watching Britney Spears' head-shaving meltdown- these scenes were showcased internationally when Britney appeared at a local hair dresser asking for her hair to be sheared off.

50 Cent has admitted that he was morbidly fascinated by the previously clean-cut star's downfall. He told OK! Magazine, "She was the greatest show on earth last year.....She was going through her issues in public... It was great to watch her spin out of control because it makes the average person feel better."

Unfortunately we live in an era and a time where ideas like Freedom give rise to selfish and materialistic pursuits- no matter if it causes happiness or misery to an individual or even society at large.

BBC and Sky's ‘impartial' coverage of Gaza come under raps!

By Majed Iqbal- Sky News and the BBC came under heavy criticism on their refusal to broadcast an emergency appeal for Gaza by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), an umbrella group of humanitarian charities including Oxfam, Save the Children and the Red Cross, in spite of renewed pressure from the public on the grounds that it would jeopardise their neutrality.



The decision added further to fury to many in Britain who believed that the coverage of the Gaza massacre by the BBC and Sky news amidst many other Western news Corporations leaned more favourably to viewing the whole events through Israeli lenses with considerable airtime offered to people to speak with this angle.

More than 10,000 people protested in central London against the BBC's refusal to air the DEC aid appeal for Gaza which was followed by incidents in the week where BBC buildings in London and Manchester were occupied by protesters.

John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York said "This is not an appeal by Hamas asking for arms but by the Disasters Emergency Committee asking for relief"

Divorce- Celebrity Style !

By Majed Iqbal- What started off as love in the air leading to tying the knot has now evolved into hatred in the air and tightening the noose! The Heather Mill's divorce battle over Sir Paul McCartney's reputed £825 million fortune to be decided by a High Court judge has caught attention nationally in the media and reached out world wide to audiences.



March 17th, the date set for the ruling on the epic divorce has been perfect in providing gossip material over an issue which has become part and parcel of celebrity lifestyles that we are bombarded with on a daily basis through cable, Sky, and jazzed up celeb mags.

Nobody seems to really care less at what is happening in the lives of celebs with their miss-fit marriages as long as it makes good reading and allows hardcore gossip addicts to feel that they are in the lead with what's "hot or not" in their circles giving them somewhat a false sense of leadership.

Heather, who is representing herself, is expected to repeat sensational allegations that Paul was abusive and violent after drink and drug binges and is believed to be demanding £50 million.

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.

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.

"Arrange me a Marriage!"- TV Program Review

By Majed Iqbal

A fresh new program has hit the television screens at peak prime time viewing on the BBC 2 channel. Actually, one which has taken everyone back! Titled "Arrange me a marriage" the show attempts to matchmake couples by using the principles of "Asian" arranged marriages.

Sounds interesting! Also sounds taboo! After all, such a concept of an arranged marriage seems backdated to Victorian Times for the English population. More pertinent for the host nation is the gutter press coverage of this concept which is associated with families of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin, examples of which can be found littered in Tabloid press for "good" reading. So the idea already strikes the wrong chords with many people. "We'll stick to curries" we may hear. Nobody needs anything else of Asian People.

Dubbed as the "Desi" or Asian styled version of Blind Date, Aneela Rahman replaces Cilla Black in not just hooking up two couples but two families to arrange a relationship leading to marriage. Aneela transports "Asian" traditional methods in finding the perfect partner to be by involving the family heavily. "Go through a list of all the people you know" she says to the Brothers, Sisters, Mother, father and friends of the respective 30-something individual who is finding it difficult to settle down.

WWE, Chris Benoit and Impressionable Young Minds

Jon Ronson- Guardian Newspaper (8/12/07)

It's June and my nine-year-old son, Joel, has become obsessed with WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) on Sky Sports 3. I catch glimpses of it during the moments I look up from my paper on a Saturday morning. A wrestler yells, "I spit in the face of people who aren't cool." Then he grabs his opponent by the chin, repeatedly smashes his face into the floor, kicks him in the head, takes a big bite of an apple and spits it all over him. Joel looks impressed. Suddenly, a midget (as small people are called in the wrestling world) dressed as a leprechaun emerges from underneath the ring and scurries around to the sounds of Irish pipe music. "It's Hornswoggle!" Joel squeals, clapping.

And so on. Bodybuilders beat each other to a pulp. Women in bikinis beat each other to a pulp, sometimes with midgets on their shoulders. From time to time the wrestlers lay out their philosophies for the camera. Joel recreates fights with his WWE action figures. "Take that, Undertaker," he says, whacking him with Chris Benoit. Benoit is one of his favourite action figures because of his lovable, gap-toothed smile.

MOVIE REVIEW- Rendition

MOVIE REVIEW- Rendition
RELEASED October 12, 2007



The War on Terror has allowed Many states in the world to introduce draconian, in-humane, distasteful, un-thinkable and previously illegal measures to combat the rise of "terrorism". Already thousands of Muslims internationally have become victims of 'Extra-ordinary Rendition'- being taken away to secret locations in client countries of western states for torture and confession.

The Movie "Rendition" closely examines the relationship of America who outsources torture of an American Citizen who is Muslim, to a Middle Eastern country where all forms of brutality are legitimate to make prisoners speak and confess to statements which are given in duress and compulsion.

MOVIE REVIEW- Rendition
RELEASED October 12, 2007

The War on Terror has allowed Many states in the world to introduce draconian, in-humane, distasteful, un-thinkable and previously illegal measures to combat the rise of "terrorism". Already thousands of Muslims internationally have become victims of 'Extra-ordinary Rendition'- being taken away to secret locations in client countries of western states for torture and confession.



The Movie "Rendition" closely examines the relationship of America who outsources torture of an American Citizen who is Muslim, to a Middle Eastern country where all forms of brutality are legitimate to make prisoners speak and confess to statements which are given in duress and compulsion.

The movie raises questions on the moral and legal legitimacy of these actions. Is violence the answer to further violence? How can Powerful states talk about winning hearts and minds of nations when it uses such tactics on mostly innocent people 'suspected' of 'Terrorism' based on flimsy evidence?

We must not forget that Britain is also complicit in aiding America in this cause as was widely reported last year with the use of secret jails located in Europe. The concept of the movie has huge implications for muslims livingin Britain too and should be the subject of discussion and debate with the wider society.

NEWS COVERAGE and Reportage

LAL MASJID, PAKISTAN, Iraq, Afghanistan – They’re all the same!



By Andrusha Wickremeratne (Hebden Bridge)

Commenting on General Musharraf’s decision to send troops into the Lal Masjid mosque, thereby precipitating in a bloodbath, last week’s ITN 10.30 news broadcast thus, with due gravitas and much arm waving covered the following:“……. the danger is that, like its neighbour Afghanistan, and Iraq, this could descend into something much worse than this isolated incident…….”According to this journalist, Pakistan could descend into anarchy. So that’s it. No need for history or context, or reasons of what makes people act the way they do. It’s all the same. Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan. It’s all the same.

Sadly this lumpen, lazy, ahistorical and clichéd journalism is all too typical of reporting in print and broadcast media. A listener or viewer is left with the impression that these are all one and the same people prone to irrational behaviour and live in a messy part of the world. It is a kind of reporting bereft of unique histories, sociologies, geographies and politics.

Editorial constraints notwithstanding, there are a few interrelated aspects to this type of journalism. Firstly, the journalist simply does not know enough about the area or subject he or she is reporting on, but nevertheless is fairly confident that we, the viewing, or listening, or reading public know even less, and so feels ok to draw spurious parallels and contours between one region and another, when none in fact exist.

NEWS COVERAGE: LAL MASJID, PAKISTAN,
Iraq, Afghanistan – They’re all the same!



By Andrusha Wickremeratne (Hebden Bridge)

Commenting on General Musharraf’s decision to send troops into the Lal Masjid mosque, thereby precipitating in a bloodbath, last week’s ITN 10.30 news broadcast thus, with due gravitas and much arm waving covered the following:

“……. the danger is that, like its neighbour Afghanistan, and Iraq, this could descend into something much worse than this isolated incident…….”

According to this journalist, Pakistan could descend into anarchy. So that’s it. No need for history or context, or reasons of what makes people act the way they do. It’s all the same. Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan. It’s all the same.

Sadly this lumpen, lazy, ahistorical and clichéd journalism is all too typical of reporting in print and broadcast media. A listener or viewer is left with the impression that these are all one and the same people prone to irrational behaviour and live in a messy part of the world. It is a kind of reporting bereft of unique histories, sociologies, geographies and politics.

Editorial constraints notwithstanding, there are a few interrelated aspects to this type of journalism. Firstly, the journalist simply does not know enough about the area or subject he or she is reporting on, but nevertheless is fairly confident that we, the viewing, or listening, or reading public know even less, and so feels ok to draw spurious parallels and contours between one region and another, when none in fact exist.

This in itself is not such a bad thing. But the consequences of this are that the viewing public remain critically misinformed, sated as they are with why Shabnam was evicted from the Big Brother House. They are therefore ignorant of Western policy decisions, the results of which return to haunt us, sometimes horrifically so, on our own doorstep.

So the Pakistani people’s reaction to Musharraf’s actions are seen as one and the same; a reaction that, according to this journalist, risks the country being hurtled towards anarchy. Never mind that this is a country of a 168 million diverse people with different needs, aspirations and motivations. And this in turn has some connection to the hopelessness that is Afghanistan, which is itself related to people’s reaction to the chaos and death of Iraq.

So who is this homogenous mass? In the eyes and ears of a vast section of the population, they are, in the main, Muslims; a hot headed, brown skinned group of people living in dodgy areas of the world and prone to acts of violence.

All the better then for the correcting hand of benevolent British and American armies, bombs and multinationals.

Andrusha Wickremeratne is a freelance writer, independant Political analyst and a speaker at local events and media Outlets covering local, national and Internatioanl events. He is a regular guest speaker on Islam Radio's Current Affairs show (BRADFORD) and has made appearnaces on Crescent radio (ROCHDALE). He currently lives in Hebden Bridge and works in Rochdale with the local community as an Adult tutor.

The Apprentice- How far will YOU go?

By Majed Iqbal- Its Wednesday night, BBC 2, and 9pm sharp. Millions of people in the UK have been glued to their screens ready to see the Hit TV show “The Apprentice”. He is the hard-nosed businessman who learnt life the hard way. Sir Alan Sugar, the son of a tailor, who left school at the age of 16 At the age of 21 he founded Amstrad which later floated on the London Stock Exchange.



He is one of the government's team of figureheads who travel around schools and universities encouraging young people to have an entrepreneurial spirit.He’s now looking for an apprentice; someone to work for him. Fourteen contestant’s ruthlessly battle for the position.

It’s the final week now. Will it be Simon or Kristina? By now, any of us who has watched this show will have realised that its cut throat. There are no friend’s, only foes. It’s a competition out there of the Survival of the fittest. Nobody cares about the next person. You ONLY defend yourself. All the smiles are Fake, the laughter is empty and the kind gestures and nice presentation is all deception.

The Apprentice- How far will YOU go?



By Majed Iqbal

Its Wednesday night, BBC 2, and 9pm sharp. Millions of people in the UK have been glued to their screens ready to see the Hit TV show “The Apprentice”.

He is the hard-nosed businessman who learnt life the hard way. Sir Alan Sugar, the son of a tailor, who left school at the age of 16 At the age of 21 he founded Amstrad which later floated on the London Stock Exchange. He is one of the government's team of figureheads who travel around schools and universities encouraging young people to have an entrepreneurial spirit.

He’s now looking for an apprentice; someone to work for him. Fourteen contestant’s ruthlessly battle for the position. It’s the final week now. Will it be Simon or Kristina?

By now, any of us who has watched this show will have realised that its cut throat. There are no friend’s, only foes. It’s a competition out there of the Survival of the fittest. Nobody cares about the next person. You ONLY defend yourself. All the smiles are Fake, the laughter is empty and the kind gestures and nice presentation is all deception

The Work Ethic

For some people, the apprentice programme may have come as a shock’. For others, we have seen this already in our workplaces. It’s nothing new. In fact some of us may have become the victims of this type of work Culture and Work Attitudes.

Most people are very materialistic wishing to gain as many pleasures as they can. Therefore working to earn money which they can use to fulfil these pleasures is a main goal. Hence, the better job you get, the more you have to enjoy life with. All the apprentice contestants were on good jobs. In fact Katie was earning 90K while last years contestant Tuan drove a Ferrari! If they have it all, then why do they want more?

The possible traps

As we are living in a materialistic society, we too can become victims of this type of thinking. Today you will see Muslims selling Alcohol in restaurants. Go to a Muslim Newsagents, you see the father putting his daughter at the counter who ends up selling Pornography magazines to customers. All in the name of Profit and earning a living!

What is driving such people to do this? It is no different to what the contestants of the Apprentice believe in. Work has become a religion in itself. Time is limited and you need to maximise your enjoyment in this world.

Indeed there will be many challenges which face us too, especially in the workplace. They will be in different shapes and forms depending upon where you work and your profession.

Compromising situations?

It’s running busy Friday afternoon. There’ lots of work to do before close of day. Other people are working through their lunch and munching away on their sandwiches. What do you do? Do you leave for Jumma prayer or stay in and work like everyone else? The Messenger of Allah (saw) said "A person who leaves three Friday prayers consecutively, Allah puts a seal on his heart." (Ahmad, Tirmidhi and Abu Dawud)

Will we fall for the charms of women who dress seductively at work? Statistics state that many girlfriend/boyfriend relationships begin with people in close contact to you. The workplace being a perfect breeding ground for that. Katie and Paul in this series; does that ring a bell? Ibn Abbas reported that he heard the Prophet give a speech in which he said: ''No man should be in seclusion (Khulwah) with a woman except with her Mahram''

The apprentice lifestyle distances people from their close relationships. We hear about this in our own communities where sons and daughters move away and are more worried about their careers than anything else. Islam placed great emphasis on maintaining relationships with family, cousins, kith and kin. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari narrates that a bedouin came to the Prophet (saw) while he was travelling. He asked, "Tell me what will bring me near to the Garden and keep me far from the Fire." He replied, "Worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him, perform the prayer, pay zakat, and maintain ties of kinship."

Conclusion

There is nothing wrong in pursuing a career, providing you remember that there is a purpose to life which is beyond acquiring goods. We carry an understanding about life which affects the way we behave. We carry concepts and ideas like halal and haram (lawful and unlawful) which shape our attitudes, values, opinions and actions. Compare this work ethic to the contestants on the Apprentice.

Allah says "But seek the abode of the Hereafter in that which Allah has given you, and do not neglect your portion of worldly life, and be kind as Allah has been kind to you, and seek not corruption in the earth" (Surah Al-Qasas verse 77)

The last thing we want is for Allah (swt) to say to us “I’ve had enough of you, you’ve made too many excuses, you’ve gone off and done what you wanted to do, you’ve disregarded protocol and you’ve simply broken the rules of the game. It’s the end of the game for you……………YOUR FIRED

Britney Shears- Capitalism is bad for your health dear!



By Majed Iqbal And Waseem Aslam

Just last weekend the world was exposed to yet another tantrum of celebrity misfits; once again it was Britney Spears who came to the limelight, but with the least expected behaviour. Earlier last week she was reported checking into Eric Clapton’s Crossroads rehab clinic in Antigua before checking herself out 24 hours later. She flew back to Los Angeles ‘economy class’ on American Airlines and immediately drove to a hair salon and demanded that staff shave her head. When they refused, she picked up some clippers and did it herself

There are increasing fears that the shocking new look from the singer is the latest stage in an escalating pattern of wild behaviour that resembles a breakdown. The incident has grasped attention internationally with internet sites, blogs and news stations, each attempting to present an ‘explanation’ of the ‘unexplained’ incident. Gurus, psychologists, mentors have all tried to give their indepth analysis as to the mental state of the fallen former "pop diva".

Once lauded as a teenage role model for her vows to maintain her virginity until she married, she is now better known for her increasingly disturbing stunts. She was renowned as a smart businesswoman who built up an £80m fortune; she now faces a financial challenge from her estranged husband, who is seeking half her wealth in a divorce under Californian law.

Britney Spears is not the only famous icon who has been involved in such imaginative incidents dubbed as signs of depression. Ruby Wax, Mariah Carey, Stephen Fry, Stan Collymore, Paul Gascoigne, Robbie Williams; all have had their fair share of the same dosage, whilst many other celebrities showing similar signs have yet not professed, being mindful of their showbiz ratings.

Western Society, in general is spiraling into chaotic behaviour. With maxims like ''eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you die'' or ''live for today'' or ''you only live once'' have all have become common explanations of motivations for leading lives.

Anxiety, often referred to as the ‘mid-life crisis’ is when people realise that they simply do the same thing day after day, week after week and year after year. Britney’s achievements at such a young age of 25 have reached unimaginable heights. Fame, stardom, money, exposure, celebrity status, Number one chart hits, marriage, children; but whats left now?

Unfortunately, Western consumer societies (Capitalism) offer no solution to this, apart from marketing a ‘new’ multi-million industry to tackle ‘depression’. No attempt is made to re-structure people’s lives who in their blind search to fill the voids in life are experimenting with anything and everything they can. The way "filling the void" manifests itself in people will vary but the underlying problem is the same, it may be drug abuse or the pursuit of fame and fortune.
Islam offers an intellectual basis, which is built on a conviction in the Creator, Allah (swt). When faced with calamity, the Muslim would feel pain or sorrow, as would any human being. However, it would not ordinarily push him towards the depths of despair or depression. This is because Islam has lifted the burden of material failure in this life from the Muslim.

The understanding of Qadaa' (fate), Rizq (sustenance) and Ajal (lifespan) give solace to the Muslim that wealth, health, life, family and those calamities that occurred from outside his control are all from Allah (swt) and Allah (swt) will not account him in these issues. So if Allah (swt) was to reduce or remove any of these provisions, then the Muslim would accept this with patience and understand that this is from his Lord (swt).
Britney Spears is in real need to address the balance of this life with the next. Only the convincing concepts of the origin of life, what you live for, and what happens after death can only resolve the crisis being faced by her.

So Britney, Capitalism will only you dump you once you pass your sell by date. It’s seriously bad for your health. A polite request from me; please check out Islam and may God bless your soul.

BIG BROTHER- Detoxing Societal attitudes

By Majed Iqbal

The Channel 4 programme Big Brother sparked a national debate off and a minor diplomatic incident last month after Indian contestant Shilpa Shetty was subjected to allegedly racist bullying by white housemates.

Whilst certain segments of the population voiced their opposition to such behaviour to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, which took a total of 45,100 complaints and Channel 4 fielding more than 10,000, National newspapers took the opportunity to cashing into the whole discussion. The Daily Mirror's exclusive interview with the Celebrity Big Brother winner boosted sales by at least 160,000 copies daily, paying in the region of £60,000 for its exclusive interview, whilst the Sun gave away free Bollywood film DVDs of the actress.

But away from the media frenzy stood an important discussion which had surfaced from the entire debacle which even the Prime Minister was not exempt from. The Government's equality chief, Trevor Phillips attempted to home into the discussion accusing Channel 4 of failing to take responsibility for the race row. "It was prejudice, and should have no place in our society ... what took place was a noxious brew of old-fashioned class conflict, straightforward bullying, ignorance and quite vicious racial bigotry."

The Archbishop of York waved some words of wisdom declaring the Big Brother race row revealed an "ugly underbelly in society only too ready to point the finger at the foreigner".

What has come to the forefront in this episode is a mirror which reflects what modern Britain is all about. Whilst Gordon Brown paraded the Capital of India defending British Values and promoting the phone vote as a referendum on racism, actress Shilpa was posing the question "Is this what people in Britain are like?"

Over a decade of championing Multi-culturalism in communities, through National Media and setting up race relations commissions, there seems to have been minor progress. The meagre responses to the Oldham and Bradford Riots did not address the core issues at stake and still continue to be ignored. The Big Brother debate was no different. So what are the questions that are being ignored? Let’s sit back and ask ourselves, are the host population willing to accept differences in colour and creed on the shores of Britain today?

The bleak concept of Multiculturalism has long been dissolved, despite efforts to formulate different meaningful identities for people such that people fit into British life. Attempts to show more 'Asian' movies on TV, organising 'cultural melas' or encouraging participation in politics, all have failed in making people with alternative values, ideals, principles and skin colour feel accepted in Britain.

Shilpa is not the only one who has taken the brunt of Britishness. Tony Blair has repeatedly singled out the Muslim community time and time again, claiming that Muslims are not integrating enough with the ideals and values which make Britain today. But what ideals is he referring to? Those ones which were demonstrated by the very celebrities in Big Brother whom millions of British people idolise? It may be a far fetched statement, but British people require integrating into Britain first before minorities and religious groupings are coerced into doing so. British Society by in large is in a need for a state of reflection on societal attitudes, ideals and values.

The fabric to glue people from diverse backgrounds; different beliefs, customs and races has not been more aptly demonstrated than the Islamic Caliphate System (Khilafah). Citizenship under this state was not subject to creed or colour and no one was forced to adopt ‘shared values’ or swear allegiance to the ruler; the proof of which can be symbolised by the presence of large Christian and Jewish communities in the Muslim world even till today.

Imam Qarafi (Classical Islamic Scholar) summed up the responsibility of the Caliphate to the non-Muslim Citizen (dhimmi) when he said: “It is the responsibility of the Muslims to the People of the Dhimma to care for their weak, fulfill the needs of the poor, feed the hungry, provide clothes, address them politely, and even tolerate their harm even if it was from a neighbour, even though the Muslim would have an upper hand. The Muslims must also advise them sincerely on their affairs and protect them against anyone who tries to hurt them or their family, steal their wealth, or violates their rights.”

Whilst similar scenes of discrimination are being imaged throughout Europe and stretching as far and wide to Australasia’s and the Americas, it is high time that Muslims and non-Muslims put forward the case for what creates ideal societies and leads to balance that can harmonise relationships between people from all walks of life.

The beginning of this debate may offer the remedy to 'detoxing' societal attitudes.

Britney SHEARS in Trouble

By Majed Iqbal- Just last weekend the world was exposed to yet another tantrum of celebrity misfits; once again it was Britney Spears who came to the limelight, but with the least expected behaviour. Earlier last week she was reported checking into Eric Clapton’s Crossroads rehab clinic in Antigua before checking herself out 24 hours later.

She flew back to Los Angeles ‘economy class’ on American Airlines and immediately drove to a hair salon and demanded that staff shave her head. When they refused, she picked up some clippers and did it herself

There are increasing fears that the shocking new look from the singer is the latest stage in an escalating pattern of wild behaviour that resembles a breakdown. The incident has grasped attention internationally with internet sites, blogs and news stations, each attempting to present an ‘explanation’ of the ‘unexplained’ incident.

BIG BROTHER Issue

By Majed Iqbal- The Channel 4 programme Big Brother sparked a national debate off and a minor diplomatic incident last month after Indian contestant Shilpa Shetty was subjected to allegedly racist bullying by white housemates. Whilst certain segments of the population voiced their opposition to such behaviour to broadcasting watchdog Ofcom, which took a total of 45,100 complaints and Channel 4 fielding more than 10,000, National newspapers took the opportunity to cashing into the whole discussion.

The Daily Mirror's exclusive interview with the Celebrity Big Brother winner boosted sales by at least 160,000 copies daily, paying in the region of £60,000 for its exclusive interview, whilst the Sun gave away free Bollywood film DVDs of the actress.But away from the media frenzy stood an important discussion which had surfaced from the entire debacle which even the Prime Minister was not exempt from.

The Government's equality chief, Trevor Phillips attempted to home into the discussion accusing Channel 4 of failing to take responsibility for the race row. "It was prejudice, and should have no place in our society ... what took place was a noxious brew of old-fashioned class conflict, straightforward bullying, ignorance and quite vicious racial bigotry."