MORE Money : MORE Problems




By Majed Iqbal and Waseem Aslam

In an article published in the New Statesmen Magazine on 9th April 2007, she set out her plans for creating a British Islam for Muslims in the UK whilst at the same time setting out her plans for Mosques and Madrassas.

Ruth Kelly said "This project ensures that young Muslim students learn the true teachings of Islam and encourages them to play an active role in their local communities”.

Hence, in order to teach the Muslim community about Islam, Kelly has ploughed £100,000 into Rochdale to tackle “violent extremism”, identifying it as an area of “risk” based upon information gathered through intelligence reports. It doesn’t stop there. She has issued a new Citizenship curriculum for Madrassahs and Masjids to teach children on how to tackle 'extremism' in their communities.

Ruth Kelly said: "As a country we cannot afford to allow our young people to be intimidated and influenced by extremists' messages. Madrassahs have a pivotal role to play in winning the hearts and minds and supporting young people to reject the messages of extremist groups”.

In her campaign to show this is supposedly a grassroots initiative with majority backing up and down the country, Kelly said in a speech that 60 organisations had written an open letter and “have given support to the principles underpinning our action plan.”

The letter, titled, ‘Parallel Muslim Communities Statement to Speech of Ruth Kelly, MP, Minister of State’, dated April 5, was actually not written by the named organisations. Many weren’t even told that the letter was in support of the Government action plan. The majority had not even seen the text of the letter and were not even consulted before their names were included.

In addition to this, Bradford, the key area of launching this project and its new Citizenship curriculum titled ‘Nasiha’ was boycotted by more than half of the masjids, based upon the climate the curriculum was being introduced in; a climate of tarnishing the Muslim community as a problem community who suffers from the ills of extremism.

To further highlight the lack of support this so called “grassroots” initiative has, Rochdale community leaders in an emergency meeting early this week ridiculed the ‘Agenda’ set by Ruth Kelly, describing it as baseless, absurd, and another decoy ploy to shift the blame of UK foreign policy blunders in Iraq and Afghanistan onto the Muslim community under the guise of ‘Tackling extremism’.

So what will this new Curriculum for Citizenship aim to teach in Rochdale Masjids? These are some of the following scenarios:

A question involves the character "Ahmad" whose jihadi friends want to attack a local supermarket in retaliation for the war in Iraq . Kids will be asked: "Is it right for Ahmad to harm innocent Britons just because their government invaded a Muslim country?"

Another question to kids about what they would do if Islamic extremists sought to buy fertilizer for a bomb plot. Pupils will be asked should the shopkeeper sell it to them, even if she suspects it will be used for "holy war?"

So rather than accepting that the causes of this miniscule behaviour is related to occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and interferance in the political destiny of the muslim world, Ruth Kelly is more interested in diverting this attention and pointing fingers at the Muslim community with her new revelation of a “British” version of Islam.

So what does this “British” version of Islam mean and how will it affect us? Lets consider the following:

To create a compliant Muslim community who abandons speaking the truth on international issues for the sake of ‘National interest’ and ‘allegiance’ to the country. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said "Let not a persons fear of the people prevent him from speaking the truth if he has knowledge of it"


Forfeiting the link with the International Ummah and replacing this with a British Identity which does not worry about British involvement in Muslim lands. This is despite the fact that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said "The relationship of the believer with another believer is like (the bricks of) a building, each strengthens the other".

The curriculum states “Citizenship is about respecting other people in the place where you are. It means that you to try to make other peoples lives as peaceful and as safe as you’d like them to make yours”. How did Jack Straw’s Tony Blair’s statements that the Niqab is a sign of segregation and John Reid’s comments that Muslim parents should spy on their children help in fostering the above?

Branding and labeling Muslims into moderates- those the government can work with- and extremists- those the government wishes to silence and sideline because they don’t tow their line on international issues like Iraq and Afghanistan; by default creating divisions amongst muslims . This is despite what Allah says "And hold fast together all of you by the Rope of Allah and be not divided amongst yourselves”

Accept that Islam is no different to other religions and is a faith that does not offer detailed solutions and systems of governance to tackle modern issues; only morals and basic rules for worship. This is what Kelly alluded to when she said “the government had to stamp out Muslim schools which were trying to change British society to fit Islamic values”.

Equating Political work for the re-establishment of the Caliphate (Shariah Rule) in the Muslim world as extremism despite the visions which the prophet of Islam gave when he said “This matter (the Caliphate) will be after me in Madinah, then in Syria, then in the Jazira, then in Iraq, then in Madina, then in Jerusalem. If it is in Jerusalem , its home country is there, and if any people expel it, it will not return there for ever"

That there is a choice even to reject Islam or its rules if you want to because of Freedom of thought and ‘tolerating’ others. This can be pictured with a recent article regarding a Muslim lady from Scandinavia who describes herself as "a feminist, a democrat, and a socialist, has gay friends, opposes the death penalty, supports abortion rights, and could not care less what goes on in other people's bedrooms". Hence creating a confused personality as opposed to an Islamic one.

These are some of the issues which Kelly’s initiatives aim to create amongst Muslims in the UK. Who in Rochdale will take a "Principle Stand", see through the government agenda and boycott these plans in Rochdale- Only time will tell.

VIRGINIA TECH- Tragedy at the Doorstep of the "Liberator"



By Waseem Aslam and Majed Iqbal

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions" was the reaction of Charles Steger the President of Virginia Tech yesterday where 32 students were shot dead by what seems was a lone gunman.

Never could the word's 'monumental proportions' be more apt for any incident than this. It is indeed an indictment of the world in which we live in today that students aspiring to learn would find their lives ended in a hail of bullets.

The shootings at Virginia Tech are not an isolated incident. Ever since the Columbine High School Massacre in April 1999 where 15 High School pupils were shot dead, the number of shootings at educational and other institutes in the US has been an all too regular occurrence. In fact the term "going postal" which refers to taking revenge on your former work colleagues was coined because of a shooting incident by a former postal worker in the US.

The responses to these shootings have been quite predictable with debate over the motives for the shootings. The initial response of the police being inadequate and the gun laws in the US . In the hysteria of trying to explain this tragic incident the real debate will be forgotten and ignored.

About the shootings The Rev. Jesse Jackson said "It's one of the biggest modern day tragedies we've known. We must double our efforts to reduce easy access to guns and take more seriously the need to address mental disorders and mental depression."

There has been no evidence to suggest that the gunman was mentally depressed or that the hundreds of other shootings that occur everyday in America are all linked to some kind of mental disorder but this is an easy get out clause when confronted with incidents that shake the very fabric of the society in which you live, in reality it is the safety blanket of a failed society.

It may be fair to say that there are too many guns in America just like there are too many knives in London ; but is this the real cause for the spree of shootings that plague everyday America and the recent knife attacks in London ?

Will stricter gun laws put an end to murder and violence in modern day Western Society?
It is very interesting to observe that there is little genuine interest in trying to understand the causes for such violence. However, European Countries as well as America have been heavily engrossed into rationalizing the causes for ‘extremism’ amongst Muslims.

This has simply not been confined to research but active policies have been implemented to ‘root out’ such ‘intolerant’ views. Hence, Muslim groups and individuals have been ‘bargained’ with by governments to carry out the ‘work’ on the ground to tackle the issues with great financial rewards as well as acquiring some form of status.

Why is there not an approach to understand what ‘radicalises’ a young person with a decent up bringing, stable family and who adopts liberal values in a free and democratic society? Surely, American and British Ideals must be the best. In fact, there is so much confidence in these principles that this is what is being sold internationally to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan .

So why is there no debate in Western Societies as to what ‘radicalises’ a youth to behave in such a way?

It is time for the Capitalist societies to stop burying their heads in the sand and wake up to the fact that this self professed great liberator of man has in fact imprisoned the American people to those carrying guns.

Eliminating guns from a society can only temporarily hide the problems which lie under the surface. The American people need a coherent and consistent premise from which to solve life's problems. Where Capitalism has failed and has only created misery Islam can succeed and give hope to the American people.

A look at Muslim communities throughout the world shows that despite having a great proliferation of guns very rarely are disputes solved using them, rather more traditional values of Islam are often refereed to.

Men want more family time



By Majed Iqbal

Men are increasingly yearning for a better work-life balance and want their partners to share the role of breadwinner so they can spend more time with their children, according to a survey published today. Male Magazine FHM commissioned a study, questioning 2,000 men around the UK with an average age of 30 about their views on Work life, equality and family.

Surprisingly, findings showed that men feel women have now changed their minds and want to go back to old roles. Half of men with a baby or young children say their partner "now wants him to earn enough so she can be a full-time mother", while 38% say their partner wants them to earn enough to allow her to work part-time.

Another study, published yesterday by the government's digital information and advice service Directgov, found that almost a third of UK parents feel their greatest stress is not spending enough time with their children.

The studies conducted highlight an attempt to understand the pressures being faced in modern British Society in tackling changing gender roles, achievement of both career goals and fulfillment, and a happy family life.

In a society modelled on commercial gain and the principles of benefit, both men and women are viewed as an economic product. The value of a person rests upon how much can be sucked out of each individual to generate wealth regardless of their gender.

It is therefore understandable why the Labour Government introduced a ''National Childcare Strategy'' in 1998 to provide thousands more child care places that would provide the mothers a place to leave their children while they pursued their careers, providing financial benefits such as the working families tax credit to make childcare more affordable.
T
his in itself creates problems expressed in the survey where 40% of those with children aged seven to nine, could not reconcile Britain's long hours working culture with family responsibilities, affecting both fathers and mothers equally.

The juggling of responsibilities for males and females has resulted in a number of problems within western societies. It has caused a strain on marriages and increased divorce due to the limited time the husband and wife spend with one another and with their children.

Even after 30 years of championing equality, women's rights, shared responsibility in the UK only 4% of judges are women, 11% are managers, and 2% of FTSE 100 directors are women.

In a book by Lisa Belkin called ''Life's Work: Confessions of an Unbalanced Mom'', she writes, ''Not a one of us seems to be able to give 100% of themselves to their job and 100% of themselves to their family, and 100% of themselves to taking care of themselves''.

Such ideals, values and visions are harmful for society and individuals and should in no way be a standard for Muslims. Islam provides its own solutions which create vibrant family structures, a source of happiness and tranquillity, and a bright future for children.

It is high time that the host population and government consider deliberating over Islamic ideals rather than continuing to force the Muslim community to integrate with a set of values which has been damaging to its own social fabric.

Allah (swt) says: ''And wish not the things in which Allah has made some of you excel others. For man is allotted from what they have earned, (and likewise) from the woman there is allotted from what they have earned'' [An-Nisa: 32].

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.

MORE Money : MORE Problems

MORE Money : MORE Problems




By Majed Iqbal

In an article published in the New Statesmen Magazine on 9th April 2007, she set out her plans for creating a British Islam for Muslims in the UK whilst at the same time setting out her plans for Mosques and Madrassas.

Ruth Kelly said "This project ensures that young Muslim students learn the true teachings of Islam and encourages them to play an active role in their local communities”.Hence, in order to teach the Muslim community about Islam, Kelly has ploughed £100,000 into Rochdale to tackle “violent extremism”, identifying it as an area of “risk” based upon information gathered through intelligence reports. It doesn’t stop there. She has issued a new Citizenship curriculum for Madrassahs and Masjids to teach children on how to tackle 'extremism' in their communities.Ruth Kelly said: "As a country we cannot afford to allow our young people to be intimidated and influenced by extremists' messages. Madrassahs have a pivotal role to play in winning the hearts and minds and supporting young people to reject the messages of extremist groups”.In her campaign to show this is supposedly a grassroots initiative with majority backing up and down the country, Kelly said in a speech that 60 organisations had written an open letter and “have given support to the principles underpinning our action plan.”

The letter, titled, ‘Parallel Muslim Communities Statement to Speech of Ruth Kelly, MP, Minister of State’, dated April 5, was actually not written by the named organisations. Many weren’t even told that the letter was in support of the Government action plan. The majority had not even seen the text of the letter and were not even consulted before their names were included.

In addition to this, Bradford, the key area of launching this project and its new Citizenship curriculum titled ‘Nasiha’ was boycotted by more than half of the masjids, based upon the climate the curriculum was being introduced in; a climate of tarnishing the Muslim community as a problem community who suffers from the ills of extremism.

To further highlight the lack of support this so called “grassroots” initiative has, Rochdale community leaders in an emergency meeting early this week ridiculed the ‘Agenda’ set by Ruth Kelly, describing it as baseless, absurd, and another decoy ploy to shift the blame of UK foreign policy blunders in Iraq and Afghanistan onto the Muslim community under the guise of ‘Tackling extremism’.

So what will this new Curriculum for Citizenship aim to teach in Rochdale Masjids? These are some of the following scenarios:

A question involves the character "Ahmad" whose jihadi friends want to attack a local supermarket in retaliation for the war in Iraq . Kids will be asked: "Is it right for Ahmad to harm innocent Britons just because their government invaded a Muslim country?"

Another question to kids about what they would do if Islamic extremists sought to buy fertilizer for a bomb plot. Pupils will be asked should the shopkeeper sell it to them, even if she suspects it will be used for "holy war?"

So rather than accepting that the causes of this miniscule behaviour is related to occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and interferance in the political destiny of the muslim world, Ruth Kelly is more interested in diverting this attention and pointing fingers at the Muslim community with her new revelation of a “British” version of Islam.So what does this “British” version of Islam mean and how will it affect us? Lets consider the following:To create a compliant Muslim community who abandons speaking the truth on international issues for the sake of ‘National interest’ and ‘allegiance’ to the country. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said "Let not a persons fear of the people prevent him from speaking the truth if he has knowledge of it"Forfeiting the link with the International Ummah and replacing this with a British Identity which does not worry about British involvement in Muslim lands. This is despite the fact that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said "The relationship of the believer with another believer is like (the bricks of) a building, each strengthens the other".The curriculum states “Citizenship is about respecting other people in the place where you are. It means that you to try to make other peoples lives as peaceful and as safe as you’d like them to make yours”. How did Jack Straw’s Tony Blair’s statements that the Niqab is a sign of segregation and John Reid’s comments that Muslim parents should spy on their children help in fostering the above?Branding and labeling Muslims into moderates- those the government can work with- and extremists- those the government wishes to silence and sideline because they don’t tow their line on international issues like Iraq and Afghanistan; by default creating divisions amongst muslims . This is despite what Allah says "And hold fast together all of you by the Rope of Allah and be not divided amongst yourselves”Accept that Islam is no different to other religions and is a faith that does not offer detailed solutions and systems of governance to tackle modern issues; only morals and basic rules for worship. This is what Kelly alluded to when she said “the government had to stamp out Muslim schools which were trying to change British society to fit Islamic values”.

Equating Political work for the re-establishment of the Caliphate (Shariah Rule) in the Muslim world as extremism despite the visions which the prophet of Islam gave when he said “This matter (the Caliphate) will be after me in Madinah, then in Syria, then in the Jazira, then in Iraq, then in Madina, then in Jerusalem. If it is in Jerusalem , its home country is there, and if any people expel it, it will not return there for ever"

That there is a choice even to reject Islam or its rules if you want to because of Freedom of thought and ‘tolerating’ others. This can be pictured with a recent article regarding a Muslim lady from Scandinavia who describes herself as "a feminist, a democrat, and a socialist, has gay friends, opposes the death penalty, supports abortion rights, and could not care less what goes on in other people's bedrooms". Hence creating a confused personality as opposed to an Islamic one.

These are some of the issues which Kelly’s initiatives aim to create amongst Muslims in the UK. Who in Rochdale will take a "Principle Stand", see through the government agenda and boycott these plans in Rochdale- Only time will tell.

Tragedy at the Doorstep of the Liberator

By Majed Iqbal and Waseem Aslam

"Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions" was the reaction of Charles Steger the President of Virginia Tech yesterday where 32 students were shot dead by what seems was a lone gunman. Never could the word's 'monumental proportions' be more apt for any incident than this. It is indeed an indictment of the world in which we live in today that students aspiring to learn would find their lives ended in a hail of bullets.

The shootings at Virginia Tech are not an isolated incident. Ever since the Columbine High School Massacre in April 1999 where 15 High School pupils were shot dead, the number of shootings at educational and other institutes in the US has been an all too regular occurrence. In fact the term "going postal" which refers to taking revenge on your former work colleagues was coined because of a shooting incident by a former postal worker in the US.

The responses to these shootings have been quite predictable with debate over the motives for the shootings. The initial response of the police being inadequate and the gun laws in the US . In the hysteria of trying to explain this tragic incident the real debate will be forgotten and ignored.About the shootings The Rev. Jesse Jackson said "It's one of the biggest modern day tragedies we've known. We must double our efforts to reduce easy access to guns and take more seriously the need to address mental disorders and mental depression."

There has been no evidence to suggest that the gunman was mentally depressed or that the hundreds of other shootings that occur everyday in America are all linked to some kind of mental disorder but this is an easy get out clause when confronted with incidents that shake the very fabric of the society in which you live, in reality it is the safety blanket of a failed society.It may be fair to say that there are too many guns in America just like there are too many knives in London ; but is this the real cause for the spree of shootings that plague everyday America and the recent knife attacks in London ? Will stricter gun laws put an end to murder and violence in modern day Western Society?

It is very interesting to observe that there is little genuine interest in trying to understand the causes for such violence. However, European Countries as well as America have been heavily engrossed into rationalizing the causes for ‘extremism' amongst Muslims.

This has simply not been confined to research but active policies have been implemented to ‘root out' such ‘intolerant' views. Hence, Muslim groups and individuals have been ‘bargained' with by governments to carry out the ‘work' on the ground to tackle the issues with great financial rewards as well as acquiring some form of status.

Why is there not an approach to understand what ‘radicalises' a young person with a decent up bringing, stable family and who adopts liberal values in a free and democratic society? Surely, American and British Ideals must be the best. In fact, there is so much confidence in these principles that this is what is being sold internationally to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan .

So why is there no debate in Western Societies as to what ‘radicalises' a youth to behave in such a way?
It is time for the Capitalist societies to stop burying their heads in the sand and wake up to the fact that this self professed great liberator of man has in fact imprisoned the American people to those carrying guns.

Eliminating guns from a society can only temporarily hide the problems which lie under the surface. The American people need a coherent and consistent premise from which to solve life's problems. Where Capitalism has failed and has only created misery Islam can succeed and give hope to the American people.
A look at Muslim communities throughout the world shows that despite having a great proliferation of guns very rarely are disputes solved using them, rather more traditional values of Islam are often referred to.

Men want more family time !

By Majed Iqbal- Men are increasingly yearning for a better work-life balance and want their partners to share the role of breadwinner so they can spend more time with their children, according to a survey published today. Male Magazine FHM commissioned a study, questioning 2,000 men around the UK with an average age of 30 about their views on Work life, equality and family.



Surprisingly, findings showed that men feel women have now changed their minds and want to go back to old roles. Half of men with a baby or young children say their partner "now wants him to earn enough so she can be a full-time mother", while 38% say their partner wants them to earn enough to allow her to work part-time.

Another study, published yesterday by the government's digital information and advice service Directgov, found that almost a third of UK parents feel their greatest stress is not spending enough time with their children.

The studies conducted highlight an attempt to understand the pressures being faced in modern British Society in tackling changing gender roles, achievement of both career goals and fulfillment, and a happy family life.

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.

Forest Gate Misadventure

FOREST GATE, The IPCC and the Muslim community

On Tuesday 13th February 2007 the long awaited Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) report into the Forest Gate incident of 2006 was finally released. Although given much media fanfare the report fails to address the key issues which the Muslim Community not only in Forest Gate but throughout the UK want answered. In short the IPCC report found that the Metropolitan Police had a failing of intelligence, that there needs to be better conditions for suspects being held at Paddington Green for longer periods, that the Police must wear better markings to identify them as Police and that there must be a direct apology to the Families involved in the Forest Gate raids.The fact that the police briefed the media about certain aspects of the investigation such as the presence of a "bomb factory" in Forest Gate, the plan create a "Chemical Suicide Vest" and a "Plot to attack fans watching the World Cup" has been conveniently ignored by the IPCC.

Also ignored is the wider political agenda under which these raids took place; an agenda which is making the Muslim community the scapegoat to hide foreign policy failings in Iraq and Afghanistan . What better way to hide the failings of an illegal war then to create a demonic monster on your very own door stop; the monster being the Muslim Community.

We as a community mustn't see incidents such as Forest Gate in isolation but must understand the wider context of these failed terror raids and failed intelligence. There is a deliberate and systematic attempt to create a sense of fear amongst the Muslim Community where one Muslim will suspect the other of being a terrorist, where as John Reid requested, Father spies on Son and Son spies on Father, where the growing of a beard is seen as a sign of impending radicalisation in our Youth.

The following points are worth considering:

• The Muslim community as all other communities in the UK want to live in peace and security


• Muslims have on numerous occasions condemned acts of terrorism in the UK and abroad as having nothing to do with Islam. Both Media and government have ignored this and continue to play the scaremongering and blame game.


• Despite what has happened and a recommendation from the IPCC for a direct apology to the family involved in the Forest Gate incident, the Metropolitan Police have failed to do this for over 8 months.This speaks volumes for the government calls for integration when it is clear the Muslim community are not even given the dignity of an apology for being beaten, falsely accused and even shot.


• The governments 'latest adventure' of plowing £5 Million into Muslim areas across the UK in the hope of "rooting out Extremism" is nothing more than a ploy in attempting to convince Muslims of a problem that doesn't exist, whilst at the same time shielding the government from criticism of it's foreign policy.

One has to question the sincerity of any action taken by the Police, Media or Government vis a vi the Muslim community, whilst the Police have a duty to protect the public they have a greater duty to at least accept failings when injustice is done. When it comes to the Muslim community there seems to be no willingness to accept responsibility.

Is it little wonder that some would call this country a "Police State" for the Muslims?