Young, Muslim and Citizen - Identity, Empowerment and Change

Transcription

UK Race &
Europe
NETWORK
Young, Muslim
and Citizen
– Identity, Empowerment and Change
Ideas, activities and resources for
parents, teachers and youth workers
UK Race & Europe Network (UKREN)
UKREN was set up in 1996 collectively by a group of six leading UK anti-racist organizations to remedy
the evident deficit of awareness and knowledge about the importance and effect of any future European
Union legislation and policy among UK-based race equality and anti-discrimination organizations, particularly grassroots organizations.
Today, UKREN is a network of around 200 organizations, ranging from small community-based organizations, trade unions, larger human rights organizations and academic departments in various universities as
well as the equality and Human Rights Commission. Since its reception, it has taken a leading role in building awareness of European policy issues as they concern race equality and anti-discrimination and pressing
for legislation both in the UK and throughout the European Union. In addition, UKREN acts as the official
UK Coordination of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR), based in Brussels.
UKREN Secretariat, c/o Runnymede Trust, 7 Plough Yard, London, EC2A 3LP
T: 020 7377 9222 F: 020 7377 6622 E: [email protected] W: www.runnymedetrust.org/projects/europe/UKREN.html
Chair: Don Flynn
Programme Director: Sarah Isal
UKREN is a formal member of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR)
ISBN: 978 1 906732 36 3 (online)
Published by Runnymede in November 2009, this document is copyright © the Runnymede
Trust
Copyright © 2009 The Runnymede Trust. The Runnymede Trust assert the moral right to be identified as author of
this work. We want to encourage the circulation of our work as widely as possible without affecting the ownership of
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this work is used, particularly outside a teaching environment, Runnymede is credited as the originator. The work must
not be resold, in any medium, under any circumstances, for financial gain.
The Runnymede Trust
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YOUNG, MUSLIM AND CITIZEN - Identity, Empowerment and Change
Young, Muslim
and Citizen
– Identity, Empowerment and Change
Ideas, activities and resources for parents,
teachers and youth workers
UK Race &
Europe
NETWORK
3
Acknowledgements
The UK Race & Europe Network (UKREN) is grateful to the following for advice, expertise and assistance contributed by those
who took part in discussions and activities leading to the publication of this pack. They included the following.
Academic consultants when the project began
Emel Abidin-Algan, formerly chair of the Islamic Women’s Association, Berlin; Tariq Modood, professor of sociology at the
University of Bristol; Tariq Ramadan, visiting fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and formerly holder of professorships at
the University of Freiburg, Switzerland and Erasmus University, Rotterdam.
Steering group
Mohammed Abdul Aziz (chair of the European Network Against Racism), Sofia Hamaz (researcher, and coordinator of the
first phase of the project), Sarah Isal (UKREN programme director and senior research and policy analyst at the Runnymede
Trust), Jessica Mai Sims and Kim Vanderaa of the Runnymede Trust, Robin Richardson (of Insted consultancy and a former
director of the Runnymede Trust) and Mariam Sheikh (project administrator). Successive drafts of this pack were compiled on
behalf of the steering group by Robin Richardson.
Roundtable
Participants included Anne Aagard Steffenson, Shahida Akram, Tülay Arslan Mohamed Baba, Karima Benbrahim, Zubair Butt,
Mariem El Hajjami, Merih Ergün, Sofia Hamaz, Malika Hamidi, Kaltoum Haoua, Saral Isal, Intissar Kherigi, Meric Körg, Adeela
Nawaz, Ali Nicolaisen, Mariem Sahraoui, Mkbulay-Tülay Suleyman, Rachid Toub, Hamza Vayani and Marianne Vorthoren.
Piloting stage
The piloting stage was organized and supervised by Maurice Irfan Coles and Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra from the Islam and
Citizenship Education (ICE) project, supported by Kim Vanderaa from the Runnymede Trust.
Focus groups, discussions and piloting
Participants included Ahmed Abdi, Sabeen Akhund, Perwaise Ayoub, Siddik Bakir, Franco Biancardo, Amirah Bowes, Somino
Fombo, Tom Hammill, Salma Hussein, Fozia Irfan, Sheikh Nagib Khan, Intissar Kherigi, Anira Khokhar, Shahana Khundmir,
Tasneem Mahmood, Raheel Mohammed, Sheikh Radwhan, Mariam Sheikh, Yasmin Sheikh, Farooq Siddique, Ahmed Uddin,
Omer Williams and Shereen Williams.
Editing and production
Mohammed Abdul Aziz, Robin Frampton, Angela Nartey, Jessica Sims and Kim Vanderaa.
Photographer
All photographs © Vijay Jethwa, 2009.
Quotations and extracts
The publishers would like to thank the following for permission to reproduce their copyright material in this resource pack:
An-Nisa Society (p. 97); BBC Radio 4 (pp. 39-40); Tariq Modood (p. 59); The Times (p. 61); Yahya Brit (pp. 58-9); Yasmin
Alibhai-Brown (BMSD) (p. 97). While every care has been taken to trace and acknowledge copyright, the publisher tenders its
apology for any accidental infringement or where copyright has proved untraceable. The publisher would be pleased to come
to a suitable arrangement in any such case with the rightful owner.
Disclaimer
It should please be noted that views expressed or implied in this pack, and any errors it may contain, are the responsibility of
the UKREN secretariat, not of any of the individuals or organizations mentioned above.
4
Contents
Foreword 7
Welcome – What this pack is about
– How to use it
8
10
CONTENTS
List of handouts
Background, Concerns and Aims
•
Tying the camel
– why and how this pack was compiled
11
•
The five guiding principles underlying this pack
16
•
Talking, listening, doing and learning
– the features of a lively session
19
•
Three readings:
– Proclaiming who we are, by Rageh Omaar
– First and foremost I’m a human being, by Sarah Joseph
– The rights of neighbours, by Abdul Waheed Hamid
23
Activities and Practical Approaches
Summary
1. Choosing and planning how to learn
25
– issues of what, why, when and how
(Please note: The material for Activity 1 contains summaries of Activities 2–18)
Identity and belonging
2. Who, what and where are we?
– thoughts and feelings, hopes and fears
31
3. Young Muslims in Britain
– differences and things in common
35
4. Not easy being British
– a citizenship test and points arising
38
5. Islam in Britain and the world
– facts, dates and numbers
43
5
Stories, incidents and experiences
6. What should I say, what should I do?
– situations, scenarios and sorting things out
50
7. Living and learning – interviews, biography and oral history
54
8. Support and guidance
– role-models and signposts from tradition
63
9. Fool, trickster, rogue or sage?
– the ways and words of Mullah Nasruddin
67
CONTENTS
Rights and responsibilities
10.The language of rights
– declarations and charters over the centuries
72
11.Human rights and human wrongs
– messages and campaigns
76
12.Supporting and assisting people in need
– a funding committee decides
79
13.Making democracy work
– telling, speaking, asking, lobbying
82
14.Every Muslim child matters
– needs and rights in mainstream schools
84
News, views and commentary
15.Items in today’s news
– critical questions to ask
87
16.Us and them, or in this together?
– ‘Islam’ and ‘the West’
91
17.Who and what’s out there?
– blogs and websites
96
18.A way to get the attention of youth?
– Muslim Hip Hop and points arising
98
Appendices
Appendix A: Citizenship and European Muslims: Summary of a roundtable discussion
Appendix B: Challenges facing British Muslims
Appendix C: Further reading Appendix D: Glossary of Arabic words
Appendix E: A selection of relevant websites and blogs
Appendix F: Islam and Citizenship Education (ICE) Project
6
102
104
105
108
109
114
Foreword
Foreword
FOREWORD
The genesis of this project goes back to two sets of events in 2001: the disturbances in northern cities in England
and the atrocities of 9/11 in the United States. As Muslims dominated the headlines in relation to both sets of
events, one debate seemed of particular interest. It was to do with British Muslim experiences of citizenship and
how they were responding to them. I had until then been involved primarily in working on the equality and
diversity agenda, particularly with regard to religion and belief, but now I felt an urgent need to focus equally
on the other side of the coin – integration. However, what was evident about this discussion on citizenship and
integration was that the Muslim voice was largely missing. The Muslim voice is important for several reasons:
a. Muslims are part of this society, having the same discussions – these discussions, even if in different
settings and language, should not be ignored.
b. Evidence on the ground shows that imposed notions of citizenship and integration from the outside
would be rejected by Muslim youth. What is required is a language of citizenship that understands them,
their heritage and aspirations but that also has currency in the mainstream.
c. In a multicultural society, the Islamic heritage has something to add not only for Muslims but to the
citizenship agenda more broadly.
The need to do something about this was sealed at a seminar organized by the Royal Society of Arts and The
Economist magazine in September 2004.1 Sadly, however, no finance was available for such work until the UK’s
own 9/11 on 7 July 2005. After all these years, then, it is gratifying to see the light at the end of the tunnel with
the final production of this pack.
This project has been made possible by an initial grant from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and two
further significant grants from the Department for Communities and Local Government. But equally, this final
product would not have been possible without the sterling work of the UKREN and Runnymede Trust staff, the
intellectual input of Professors Tariq Modood and Tariq Ramadan and Emel Abidin-Algan, the practical experience
of all our discussants at each stage of the project, the assistance of the leaders and volunteers involved in the
piloting of the pack organized by the Islam and Citizenship Education (ICE) project, and last – but not least – the
listening, research and drafting skills of members of the steering group.
The final product is much more than what was originally envisioned. Built on the experiences of practitioners with
many years of work in grassroots Muslim communities, the pack is a practical guide not only to young Muslims
being heard but also to involving them at the centre of the exercise. Handout 1, for example (pages 27–30) invites
them to take the lead on deciding what and how they should learn about the issues at the heart of this project
and pack: support for building their sense of identity and belonging, balancing their rights and responsibilities,
challenging prejudice and Islamophobia, and participating in and achieving change, all within the British context.
The pack has been designed to go beyond the organized part of the Muslim community, to reach as many
Muslim youth as possible through many channels; and, through a great range of interactive techniques, to
develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to be better Muslims and better citizens in Britain. I believe
the pack is very well timed and hope it will contribute much to the needs of British Muslims and of wider society.
Mohammed Abdul Aziz
October 2009
1 The report is available at http://www.sofn.org.uk/london/articles/Immigration%20Debate.pdf
7
Welcome
How to Use It
WELCOME
What this Pack is About
Who’s it for?
How might I use the pack?
• Teachers
• It’s for dipping into, not for reading cover to
cover
• Youth workers
• Policy-makers, teacher educators and school
improvement partners
• Parents of young Muslims
• Anyone else professionally interested in young
people growing up in modern Britain
What age-group does it have in
mind?
• 13-18 – though some of the activities can be
used with younger and older people too.
• It’s designed to be a help when you’re planning
a course, module or programme – and also
when you are planning a one-off session
• It gives ideas for activities to do with young
people
• in youth work settings
• in mosques and madrasahs, and inter-faith
events
• in citizenship education classes in schools
• a t conferences and special events for young
people.
Also, quite a lot of it is suitable for in-service training
sessions for teachers and youth workers.
Is it only about young Muslims?
• No, it’s for everyone – but from a Muslim point
of view, and with many Muslim references.
• Most of the activities, as written, assume allMuslim groups of young people – but all can be
easily adapted for mixed groups.
8
Handouts
What’s the basic message?
Can I photocopy the handouts?
• Five things –
• Yes, you are welcome to photocopy the
handouts
Muslim voices
•
Muslim views and voices about British
citizenship should be heard and attended to in
current debates.
Identity and belonging •
Each young Muslim person in modern Britain
should be supported and assisted in the
development of their sense of personal identity
and self-esteem, and of where they belong.
Duties and responsibilities •
Young Muslim citizens of the UK should be
helped to balance their various duties and
responsibilities towards others and themselves.
Challenging prejudice
•
There is an urgent need, if young people of
Muslim heritage are to play a full part in Britain
as citizens, to challenge, combat and resist
Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism.
Taking a full part
•
Young Muslim citizens should be helped to
develop political literacy and participation skills,
and skills in effecting change.
There’s further discussion of these five guiding
principles on pages 16–18.
What should I look at first?
• It’s up to you – maybe just turn over the pages
and read whatever catches your eye?
• For your convenience they can be found at
www.youngmuslimcitizens.org.uk. You can print
them directly from there, or can download them
and adapt them for your immediate purposes.
You will see that they have been formatted so
that most run to no more than one page
• Depending on the age, interests and prior
knowledge of the young people with whom
you are working, the wording in some of the
handouts may need explaining or adapting.
WELCOME
Message
• There’s a checklist of the handouts on page 10.
Background
Who’s behind this?
• The pack has been compiled by the UK Race
& Europe Network (UKREN) and production
has been funded by the Department for
Communities and Local Government (CLG).
• UKREN is a UK-wide network representing over
170 organizations, mostly in the voluntary, nongovernmental and community sectors.
• UKREN is hosted for administrative purposes by
the Runnymede Trust and maintains a formal
relationship with the European Network Against
Racism (ENAR) based in Brussels, acting as its UK
co-ordinator.
• But in particular you could look first at:
• the piece entitled ‘Tying the camel’ on page 11
• the five guiding principles on pages 16–18
• the three readings on pages 23–24
• the eighteen activities throughout the pack
• the seven views of Islam and the West 95
Website
• All the material in this pack can be downloaded
from www.youngmuslimcitizens.org.uk
9
List of Handouts
LIST OF HANDOUTS
1. Eighteen things we could do
2. Questions, interests and concerns
3. Key things about me
4. Who and what I am – likes and dislikes
5. Voices and views of young Muslims 6. UK citizenship test
7. Answers and notes on UK history and law
8. Islam in Britain and the world, a quiz
9. Answers to quiz in Handout 8
10. What next?
11. Muslim by name and nature
12. We are just people
13. On my mother’s lap
14. A lot of kids are angry
15. Full of admiration for the British
16. Responding to hostility
17. Stories from tradition
18. The ways and words of Mullah Nasruddin
19. Journey through space
20. Fairness for all – some words and dates
21. Human rights around the world
22. Projects requesting support
23. Writing to your representative, some tips
24. Reviewing a school – features to look at
25. Feelings about school – a questionnaire
26. Understanding the news – questions to ask
27. Media portrayals of Islam and Muslims
28. Stories about us and them 29. Muslims and the police, a news story
30. What’s the problem? – seven views of ‘Islam’ and ‘the West’
31. Who’s out there? – starting points for a webquest
32. Muslim Hip Hop, for and against
27
32
33
34
36
39
41
44
46
52
55
56
57
58
60
61
64
68
73
74
77
80
83
85
86
88
89
92
93
95
97
99
PLEASE NOTE
Depending on the age, interests and prior knowledge of the young people with whom you are working, the
wording in some of the handouts may need explaining or adapting.
10
Tying the camel
A famous story
There is a famous story about a certain pious
pilgrim. One evening, on his long journey towards
Makkah, he arrived slightly late at the encampment
where he was due to spend the night. The other
pilgrims were already praying. He got down
swiftly from his camel and immediately joined the
prayer. His camel meanwhile wandered around the
encampment, disturbing everyone else and generally
making a nuisance of itself.
The man’s fellow pilgrims objected. He retorted
that his personal relationship with his Creator was
a greater priority than mundane matters such as
tethering camels. ‘No,’ came the reply from the
other pilgrims, ‘First, tie your camel!’
There is a similar story from the Prophet’s own time.
One of his followers maintained it was unnecessary
to tether his camel, for he trusted in God. ‘Indeed,’
said the Prophet, ‘Trust in God – but tie your camel
first’.
to speak, that comes first – the ethical, legal, socioeconomic and administrative practicalities of relating
to, and living with, other human beings, whether
face-to-face or through the institutions of society.
It is through such tying of the camel that one truly
lives in full God-consciousness.
Be that as it may, this resource pack is about
tying the camel. Those for whom it is intended,
however – parents of young people, and teachers
and youth leaders who work professionally with
young people of Muslim background – may well
wish to integrate its use with activities that are
more obviously spiritual and religious. For example,
they may wish to integrate it with the kinds of
educational approach developed and advocated by
the ICE (Islam and Citizenship Education) Project at
www.theiceproject.com, or the Nasiha Citizenship
Foundation, created under the auspices of the
Bradford Council of Mosques (http://www.nasiha.
co.uk/).
In addition to complementing mosque-based
education, the pack is intended to complement and
contribute to citizenship education programmes in
mainstream schools.
These and other such stories have fostered a range
of reflections over the centuries, depending on the
immediate context in which they have been recalled.
Here and now, at the start of this resource pack for
young people of Muslim background in modern
Britain, they recall a rough-and-ready distinction
between consciousness of and trust in God on
the one hand and the practicalities of personal
responsibility and human relationships on the other.
Ideally, of course, these two sets of priorities should
not compete with each other, let alone lead to
conflict. On the contrary, they should be seamlessly
intertwined, each indistinguishable from the other.
Islam, it is often said, is a total way of life, with all its
parts interdependent. The fact remains, though, that
sometimes a choice between them has to be made.
When this is the case, it is often tying the camel, so
Mosque-based education and school-based
education can be pictured as two intersecting circles.
This pack is intended to support the area where the
two circles overlap. It is not intended to provide a
complete programme on its own.
11
How the pack began and was
developed
The pack was compiled by the UK Race and Europe
Network (UKREN) and was initially funded by
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and was
subsequently mostly funded by the Department
for Communities and Local Government (CLG).
Established in 1996, UKREN is a UK-wide network
representing over 170 organizations, predominantly
in the voluntary, non-governmental and community
sectors. An essential purpose of the network is to
empower community organizations by keeping them
informed of European anti-discrimination legislation,
and of new debates, developments and projects at
European levels that are relevant to their work.
In recent years UKREN has increasingly been
concerned with individuals and communities
affected by discrimination not only on grounds
of ethnicity and race but also on grounds of
religion or belief. It wishes in this connection to
engage with individuals and communities in ways
that ensure their full involvement in mainstream
active citizenship. It is hosted for administrative
purposes by the Runnymede Trust, whose groundbreaking report Islamophobia: a challenge for us
all was published in 1997, and maintains a formal
relationship with the European Network Against
Racism (ENAR) based in Brussels, acting as its UK coordinator.
Roundtable discussion between
practitioners and academics
Preparations for the pack began with a roundtable
discussion. The participants were all involved in
youth work with young Muslims and were drawn
from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the
Netherlands and the UK. Discussion was introduced
and focused by three prominent commentators
on Muslim affairs in Europe: Emel Abidin-Algan,
formerly chair of the Islamic Women’s Association,
Berlin; Tariq Modood, professor of sociology at
the University of Bristol; and Tariq Ramadan,
visiting fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford, and
formerly holder of professorships at the University
of Freiburg, Switzerland and Erasmus University,
Rotterdam.
12
Comments made at the roundtable about Muslim
responsibilities are shown below:
Victim mentality
‘The victimization mentality amongst Muslims needs
to be addressed and combated.’
Participation
‘Young Muslim people have higher levels of political
participation than young non-Muslims. Activities
include voting, organizing themselves, attending
debates, protests and demonstrations, and
approaching local MPs with concerns and opinions.’
Us and them
‘Discourse within the Muslim community that
disrespects fellow citizens needs to be tackled.
Muslims must not perpetuate a dualistic perspective
that sees a Muslim “us” and a non-Muslim “them”.’
Social contracts
‘According to Islam, one must respect the social
contracts of the structured political and social
community one belongs to.’
Margins and mainstream
‘It is not just a matter of whether Muslims are
participating in the political arena but how they are
participating and in which areas. There seems to
be more Muslim engagement with international
rather than domestic issues. If Muslims want to be
citizens in the mainstream, rather than on the cultural
and religious margins, this discrepancy has to be
addressed.’
Critical loyalty
‘To be loyal to a structure does not mean being
uncritical of it. An atmosphere of critical loyalty to
both domestic and international social and political
structures needs to be promoted.’
Responsibility to non-Muslims
‘Muslims have a social responsibility towards nonMuslims. As citizens, Muslims should ask themselves:
what do I, as a Muslim, have to offer to non-Muslim
citizens in Europe?’
Basic social problems
‘Muslim organizations in Europe need to engage
more with basic social problems such as poverty,
domestic violence and the low levels of education
amongst Muslim women. Many Islamic organizations
fail to make use of their position and power to
promote an engagement with these issues.’
Historical contexts
‘There needs to be a better understanding of the
historical contexts of Islam. These contexts are
often omitted from teaching within Muslim schools
and mosques. This has led to a situation in which
Muslims are dependent on scholars. It does not
encourage individual reflection and is therefore not
conducive to promoting active citizenship.’
There is a fuller summary of the roundtable in
Appendix A.
Focus groups with practitioners
Discussion at the roundtable, as can readily be seen
from the notes above, was largely academic and
theoretical. The next stage in the project was to consult
further with practitioners – that is, with teachers and
youth leaders who work with young Muslim citizens –
about how the theoretical points could be translated
into educational practice. Accordingly, two one-day
focus groups were organized, in Birmingham and
London respectively.
At each of these, participants were introduced to the
academic debate by being given nine quotations from
the earlier roundtable and being asked to discuss and
prioritize them. The quotations are shown above.
The three quotations which received most votes from
practitioners were these:
Us and them
Discourse within the Muslim community that
disrespects fellow citizens needs to be tackled.
Muslims must not perpetuate a dualistic perspective
that sees a Muslim ‘us’ and a non-Muslim ‘them’.
Margins and mainstream
It is not just a matter of whether Muslims are
participating in the political arena but how
they are participating and in which areas. There
seems to be more Muslim engagement with
international rather than domestic issues. If
Muslims want to be citizens in the mainstream,
rather than on the cultural and religious margins,
this discrepancy has to be addressed.
Responsibility to non-Muslims
Muslims have a social responsibility towards
non-Muslims. As citizens, Muslims should ask
themselves ‘What do I, as a Muslim, have to offer
to non-Muslim citizens in Europe?’
Mutual respect
‘An attitude of mutual respect needs to be
promoted. “Treat humans with respect and love
for they are either Muslims and your siblings
in faith or non-Muslims and your siblings in
creation.”’ (Imam Ali)
Participants in the focus groups added several further
concerns. These included:
• the attractions of modern youth culture and street
culture, and how to counteract their negative
aspects at the same time as embracing popular
culture’s potential to be constructive, creative and
positive
• the need to develop creativity in young Muslims,
so that they see and contribute to positive
representations of themselves in mainstream
popular culture – music, films, TV, magazines,
sport
• relationships with parents and elders, and how
young people can help to bridge the generation
gap and what they need for this
• the impact of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim
racism, particularly in the media, on the
confidence and self-esteem of young Muslims
• the need to build up assertiveness in young
Muslims, as distinct from passivity, apathy and
defeatism on the one hand and anger and
aggression on the other
• helping young Muslims to separate out authentic
Islamic traditions from traditions and customs that
are distinctive only of a particular national, ethnic
or regional culture
• helping young Muslims to separate authentic
Islamic teachings from radical and extremist
interpretations of Islam
• the need to build and strengthen participation
skills in young people, including skills in debate,
advocacy, communication and persuasion
• the need for forms of guidance, advice and
support for young Muslims that are not only
based on traditional Islamic principles but also
are sensitive to the distinctive contexts of modern
urban life, and to real-life situations and events.
13
The concerns expressed at the roundtable and in the
focus groups were then combined by a small steering
group into a statement of principles (see pages 16-18)
and incorporated into the activities set out in this pack.
Next, a piloting version of the pack was produced and
this was introduced and discussed at meetings which
took place in Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Leicester,
London and Nottingham. Some of the participants
in these meetings subsequently tried out several of
the activities with young people and provided written
feedback. In the light of their written and spoken
feedback, the piloting version was revised.
The structure of this pack
As shown in the table of contents on pages 5-6, the
pack has two parts. The first part contains, in addition
to this account of how and why the pack was
created, a statement of the principles which underlie
it; some notes about the practicalities of stimulating
and guiding discussion and debate in educational
settings; and three readings.
The second part describes 18 possible educational
activities. In relation to each activity there is some
stimulus material from which teachers and youth
leaders are invited to select, according to the age,
capabilities and interests of the young people with
whom they work. In addition there are notes in each
instance on rationale and objectives; the preparation
that is needed in advance; the procedures that could
be adopted; sources of further information; and ways
in which the activity could be developed. Also, in
every instance, there is a handout which teachers and
youth workers are welcome to print out or photocopy
and duplicate.
Age levels
The activities vary in the linguistic and intellectual
demands they make on young people involved in
them, and the levels of prior knowledge that they
assume. Not all are equally suitable in all settings or
with all young people, regardless of their interests,
motivation, age and intellectual ability. Most,
however, can be simplified, or else made more
demanding, according to the needs in any one
situation.
During the piloting stage mentioned above, the
activities were used with a wide range of young
people, from Year 8 (ages 12/13) to sixth form
(17/18).
Learning objectives
In programmes of citizenship education, including
the kinds of Muslim citizenship education
outlined and proposed in this pack, young
people are expected to develop a) knowledge
and understanding, b) certain skills and c) certain
attitudes and values:
Knowledge and understanding:
othemselves, family, friends and social
networks; what they can expect from each
other and the duties and responsibilities
they have towards each other; how they
can maintain good relations and the values
and benefits of doing so
otheir own neighbourhood and community,
its history, buildings and sense of identity;
its ward councillors and other influential
figures; mosques and Muslim organizations;
and current issues of local concern
othe origins and changing nature of diverse
identities in the United Kingdom, including
national, regional, religious and ethnic,
and the concept and reality of multiple
identities, including British Muslim identity
othe ways in which Britain is, and always
has been, interdependent with the wider
world – economic, cultural, political and
ecological – and the increasing significance
of globalization; and within this context
Britain’s engagement with Muslim-majority
countries
14
othe world as a global community and
the need for supra-national debate and
decision-making on issues of shared
concern such as sustainable development,
the management of conflict and
protection of human rights; the role of
international organizations, including the
Commonwealth, the European Union and
the United Nations
ousing their imagination to consider other
people’s experiences in order to think about,
express, explain and critically evaluate views
that are different from their own
ochallenging offensive behaviour, prejudice,
bullying, racism and discrimination
assertively; taking the initiative in giving and
requesting support; helping to mediate in
disputes amongst peers
othe nature and consequences of prejudice
and discrimination in modern societies,
including Islamophobia and anti-Muslim
racism, and of racist teasing, bullying and
aggressive behaviour in young people’s own
experience; how to support those who are
at the receiving end of such incidents, and
how to challenge those who are responsible
oconsidering critically how the media present
stories, information and explanations.
othe rule of law and anti-discrimination
legislation, and the role and responsibilities
of governments
oreadiness to look critically at the communities
to which they belong, and to contribute
positively to change and development
othe principles underlying successful
grassroots campaigns, projects, movements
and struggles for justice and equality, both
in the past and the present.
ocuriosity, openness and generosity towards
others
Skills
ojustifying orally and in writing personal
opinions about issues, problems and events,
and contributing to exploratory discussions
and debates, showing respect for opinions
with which they disagree
Attitudes and values
opride in their own identity and strengths
and in the communities and groupings to
which they belong
oreadiness to take responsibility for
maintaining structures and procedures of
justice and democracy in good repair, and
for strengthening and enhancing them.
The learning objectives set out on these
pages are derived in part from documentation
on citizenship education published by the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA).
15
The Five Guiding Principles
Underlying This Pack
On the basis of the meetings and discussions
outlined in the previous pages, the following
statement of principles was compiled. In brief, five
essential principles were identified:
1 Muslim voices
Muslim views and voices about British citizenship
should be heard and attended to in current
debates.
2 Identity and belonging
Each young Muslim person in modern Britain
should be supported and assisted in the
development of their sense of personal identity
and self-esteem, and of where they belong.
3 Duties and responsibilities
Young Muslim citizens of the UK should be
helped to balance their various duties and
responsibilities towards others and themselves.
4 Challenging anti-Muslim prejudice
There is an urgent need, if young people of
Muslim heritage are to play a full part in Britain
as citizens, to challenge, resist and remove
Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism.
5 Taking a full part
Young Muslim citizens should be helped to
develop political literacy and participation skills,
and skills in effecting change.
There is further discussion of these five points below.
Principle One
Muslim views and voices on
citizenship should be heard in
current debates
There has been much talk in Britain in recent
years about British identity, British values and
British citizenship, and about the concept of
multiculturalism. The talk is in speeches by
politicians; articles by journalists; TV and radio
programmes; books and papers by academics; and
letters and messages on websites and blogs. A new
subject, ‘citizenship education’, has been added to
the national curriculum in England and Wales.
16
Muslim voices in the public debates, however, have
so far not been heard as fully as they should. One
consequence is that the debates themselves have
not been sufficiently informed. Another is that
young British Muslims are in danger of supposing
that the debates are not of importance or interest to
them, and they may in consequence be alienated by
the citizenship education lessons and programmes
that are provided in mainstream schools. This
is particularly likely in so far as the discourse of
politicians and some of the media implies that
a central purpose of citizenship education is to
control and regulate young Muslims rather than to
empower them.
It is ironic but significant and most regrettable that
much recent discourse about citizenship education
in the UK has not sought or incorporated the
perceptions, experiences and aspirations of young
Muslims.
This pack highlights a range of Muslim views
on citizenship in a multicultural society, and
seeks to encourage and empower Muslims to
contribute their voices and perspectives to
current debates.
Principle Two
Young Muslims in modern Britain
should be supported and assisted
in the development of their sense
of personal identity, self-esteem,
and belonging
Young British Muslims, in common with all other
young British people, develop their sense of identity
within a range of influences, inspirations and
pressures. Some of the influences are mutually
compatible and they therefore reinforce each other.
Others, however, are at variance with each other and
in consequence young people are pulled in opposite
directions.
Everyone is an individual and needs support and
assistance as they discover and express their
individuality amongst the competing pressures they
encounter. The pressures and influences young
British Muslims encounter, actually or potentially,
include:
•
family life, and within this expectations about
• the expectations and requirements of the
mainstream education system
• the mosque and mosque-based education, as
compared with mainstream schools
• other Muslims – the world-wide Ummah
• the world community as a whole, and issues
such as climate change, war and poverty which
require international action.
• street culture and youth culture, including drugs
and other risk-taking behaviour, and lack of
deference towards tradition and authority
All of these are important, and none takes
precedence over the others. There is a tendency
amongst some young British Muslims, however, to
acknowledge fully only some of these responsibilities
– those concerning their family and the world-wide
Ummah, for example. They may even be inclined to
suppose that activities relating to their immediate
neighbourhood and to wider British society (for
example,.voting at local or national elections) are
haram (forbidden).
• currents and strands of thought loosely
known as ‘fundamentalism’, ‘political Islam’,
‘extremism’, ‘Islamism’ and ‘radicalization’.
This pack is about the full range of
responsibilities which Muslims have towards
themselves and their fellow human beings.
This pack is about helping young Muslims
navigate their way through these often
conflicting pressures and influences, each in
his or her own way.
Principle Four
There is an urgent need to
challenge, resist and remove
Islamophobia
• new trends in Islamic theology and spirituality,
particularly as developed in Europe and the
United States
Principle Three
Young Muslim citizens should be
helped to balance their duties and
responsibilities towards themselves
and others
Mainstream Muslim literature on citizenship
recognizes that Muslims have multiple
responsibilities towards themselves and their fellow
human beings. (‘The best one of us is the one that
is most helpful to others’ – Hadith.) Six of the most
important of these responsibilities are towards:
Young British Muslims are growing up in a society
which contains much anti-Muslim hostility,
ignorance and prejudice. The hostility is expressed
throughout the media, particularly the print media,
and sometimes in physical violence and verbal
abuse in public spaces. Young Muslims may in
consequence feel that attempts they may make to
be active citizens are neither invited nor welcome.
Equally unfortunately their confidence and selfesteem may be damaged.
• one’s neighbours, friends, colleagues and
contacts – the people one meets and interacts
with on a day-to-day basis
Young Muslims need to appreciate that Islam is not
the cause of Islamophobia and they need moral,
intellectual and emotional strength to resist and
oppose it. Further, even more importantly, they need
to join with others to combat, reduce and remove it.
Amongst other things, this involves taking pride in
their heritage; refusing to see themselves as helpless
victims; and refusing to adopt an us/them view of
the world in which all non-Muslims are disrespected
as mere ‘kafirs’, ‘kuffar’ or ‘kuffs’.
• the nation state or political entity where
one happens to live, and in which one has
citizenship rights – the state’s laws, decisionmaking culture, expectations and customs
This pack contains several activities designed
to help young Muslims to understand
Islamophobia, and to challenge, resist and
remove it.
• oneself, for example one’s health and well-being
– physical, emotional, mental and spiritual
• one’s family - immediate and extended
how young people should behave towards their
elders, and expectations about gender roles
17
Principle Five
Young Muslim citizens should be
helped to develop political literacy
and participation skills, and skills in
effecting change
Young British Muslims, as indeed all young citizens,
need to develop skills in discussion, debate and
deliberation; listening respectfully and with an
open mind to others; weighing up options; acting
cooperatively with others to make their views
known; and achieving change.
Such skills need to be accompanied by relevant
knowledge about decision-making structures in the
wider world. This cluster of skills and knowledge is
18
sometimes known as political literacy.
Skills of deliberation and communication are
developed, most obviously, through involvement
in practical projects. They can also be developed,
however, through the use of activities and exercises
in educational settings – activities and exercises
which require active talking and listening in small
groups.
This pack contains many activities and
exercises which require active talking and
listening in small groups, and which are
designed to help young Muslims make their
views and voices heard, and contribute to
constructive social change.
Introductory notes
How we teach, it has been said, is what we teach –
the message is in the methodology we use as well as
in the content we present. If we wish to teach about
respect and mutual understanding and the Muslim
concept of shura (broadly parallel to concepts of
consultation and deliberative democracy) we need to
demonstrate these values in the way we operate.
Young people, it follows further, should be able to
take part in discussions and to arrive at positions
that may be different from those of their teachers.
This can be achieved by using small group work,
encouraging debate and discussion, allowing young
people to think aloud and speak their minds, and
ensuring that all views are heard and respected,
even when they are challenged.
A frequent problem when running discussions in
educational settings is that young people go off-task
– they chat rather than examine conflicting points
of view. Or else the discussion becomes over-heated.
These problems are particularly prevalent when the
subject-matter is sensitive or controversial, or both.
So the first priority, very often, is to provide a safe
space – an atmosphere of security and mutual trust.
There are reminders below of practical ways of
doing this, and in this way fostering purposeful talk
and interaction.
Getting started: one, two, four
It is often valuable to start by asking each individual
to do, decide, write or choose something on their
own. This gives them a secure base, so to speak,
from which to go out and engage with others.
Then have them talk in pairs about what they have
written or done. Then form fours or sixes, and share
further.
All the activities in Part Two of this pack can start
with an introductory activity such as this. It is
an excellent way of providing both security and
challenge.
Objects to handle
Talking, Listening, Doing
and Learning – The Features
of a Lively Session
It is often valuable for young people to work with
things that are tangible and which they can handle
and arrange. Moving their hands seems to loosen
their tongues and their minds.
For example, it is valuable to provide phrases,
statements and quotations on separate slips of
paper or cards, rather than on a single sheet
of paper. This makes material literally as well as
metaphorically easier to manage and gives young
people a sense of being in control.
Pictorial material
Also, of course, it is valuable to handle pictorial
material (for example, most obviously, postcards and
photographs) and three-dimensional objects.
Ranking games and exercises
Give young people several quotations or statements
and ask them to rank them in the order in which they
agree with them, or in the order they would put them
in if they were using them in an essay, speech or talk.
A particularly valuable kind of ranking game is the
one sometimes known as diamond nines. Young
people work in pairs or threes and each pair or three
is given a set of nine statements and asked to discuss
and agree which they consider most important. They
have a large, diamond-shaped grid on which to
place the statements. They place the most important
statement at the top of the diamond and the least
important at the bottom. There are two statements
in the second row, equal in importance, three in the
third row equal in importance and again two in the
fourth. The overall pattern is shown below. The key
point about this activity, as also about all such ranking
games or activities, is the discussion that takes place
and the way in which simple movements of one’s
hands seems to facilitate purposeful talk. When each
pair or three has agreed on their pattern they explain
and justify their arrangement to others.
3
2
4
1
3
5
2
4
3
The diamond nines ranking exercise was
devised by the World Studies Project at the
One World Trust in the 1970s, and was first
published in the project’s handbook on inservice training, entitled Debate and Decision:
Schools in a World of Change, 1979.
19
Jigsaw exercises
A jigsaw exercise typically has three stages:
1.Young people form base groups –usually
with three or four members. They are given
descriptions of the enquiry groups in which
they will be working in the next stage and they
decide amongst themselves who will go to
which enquiry group. They go as representatives
of their base group, with the responsibility of
reporting back in the third stage.
2.Young people work in enquiry groups, each
enquiry group engaging in a different task.
3.They return to their base groups and report
back on what they have done and learnt.
With nearly all the activities in this pack it is possible
and valuable to organize a jigsaw exercise. One
of the advantages of such exercises is that young
people are given responsibility for informing and
‘teaching’ each other.
Precise tasks
It is usually valuable to give precise unambiguous
instructions about the actual outcome that one
wants. For example: ‘Here are pictures of six
people. Choose the two people you would most
like to meet. For each of them write down the two
questions you would most like to ask.’
Tight and clear instructions, leading to an obvious
outcome, are liberating rather than cramping.
Vague instructions (‘discuss what you think of this’),
by the same token, can merely dissipate energy and
interest, and lead to much waste of time.
That said, it is sometimes valuable simply to say:
‘Think aloud about this.’
All the activities in this pack can involve precise
tasks.
Blind voting
When getting a sense of the general climate of
opinion in a group, it can be valuable if young
people close their eyes before raising their hands
to signify their view of the topic under discussion.
This decreases the possibility that certain individuals
20
will simply go with the crowd, or vote the way a
particular other person votes, rather than think for
themselves.
Listing without discussing
This well-known activity, traditionally known as
brainstorming, is frequently invaluable. It involves a
small group making a list without any discussion in
the first instance.
If it goes well, with everyone feeling able and willing
to contribute, existing knowledge is activated and
pooled, and an atmosphere of openness and mutual
trust is established.
Listing without discussing does not come naturally.
It can therefore be valuable and fun to practise it
with non-serious material. For example: ‘In one
minute write down objects in this room’. Then: ‘In a
further minute write down things in this room that
are unlikely to be on any other group’s list’.
The next stage, when lists are made for a serious
purpose, is to sort and prioritize the ideas that have
been generated.
All the activities in this pack can involve the making
of lists without discussion as part of the learning.
Moving around
If the physical space is suitable, it is often valuable
if young people are able to move around. For
example, they can walk around the room looking
at posters or quotations, and choosing those which
they find most stimulating.
Listening, talking, reconstructing
This is sometimes known as Dictogloss and is an
excellent way of introducing a key idea. It typically
has three stages.
First, a short text is read aloud at normal speed.
It could be an entry in an encyclopaedia, a book
review, a passage in a textbook, a newspaper article
or editorial, an extract from a guidebook, the
abstract of an article and so on. The young people
listen without making notes.
Second, the same text is read aloud more slowly and
this time young people make notes of key words
and phrases.
All the activities in Part Two of this pack can involve
the use of Dictogloss.
Cloze procedure
This is another well-known activity that is invaluable
for introducing a new piece of material.
Young people are given a piece of text in which
certain key words are blanked out. In pairs or
groups, they try to guess what the missing word
may be. When they have chosen a word to fill a gap,
they can be asked to consult a thesaurus to find a
better word, or to reassure themselves that the word
they have chosen is indeed the most appropriate.
This develops sensitivity to nuances and gradations
of meaning, and is a valuable stimulus to real
discussion as different possibilities are compared
and contrasted, and the final choice is chosen and
justified.
Reconstituting
Third, learners work in pairs or small groups,
comparing their notes and attempting to recreate
the original text as fully and accurately as possible.
Take two different texts and cut them up into their
separate sentences, and shuffle all the fragments
together. In pairs or groups, young people have
to sort the fragments into two clusters and then to
sequence them.
Or take ten quotations, proverbs or sayings and
cut each in half – again, the task is to re-constitute
them.
Such exercises can be made considerably more
demanding if the fragments are dealt out as in a
game of cards, with each person having their own
‘hand’. Each then has to read their hand to others,
rather than merely show it. The young people then
re-constitute the texts.
All the activities in this pack can involve the
reconstituting of a piece of text.
All the activities in Part Two of this pack can involve
the use of cloze procedure.
21
Committee games
It is frequently valuable to discuss material and
ideas through a simulation exercise in which groups
of young people see themselves as a committee
which has to choose between competing priorities.
Typically, decisions have to be made about
allocations of resources. It is sometimes possible to
make the game real by providing some real money
that has to be distributed.
Committee games can be made more demanding
if they involve an element of role-playing, and/or if
groups receive visits from lobbyists and applicants.
Several of the activities in this pack can involve
committee games.
Writing
It is often valuable if young people crystallize their
learning by producing a piece of writing. It is even
more valuable if they collaborate in their writing, as
distinct from each individual working on their own,
and if they draft and re-draft.
It’s worth using a variety of styles and genres,
including sentence-completion exercises, formal
letters, informal email and text messages, poetry and
captions for pictures.
Impacting on others
Other things being equal, it is often useful if young
people communicate their views and ideas outside
the four walls of a classroom or youth setting.
At the very least they can post messages and
comments on blogs and social networking sites, and
the ‘Have Your Say’ areas of news organizations.
More ambitiously, they can write to elected
representatives.
More ambitiously still, they can create exhibitions
and displays, and rehearse and perform sketches
and playlets in public places.
Groundrules
Ask young people to talk about what makes it
difficult to contribute to a group discussion. They
may come up with ‘other people dominating or
stating their opinion forcefully, being ridiculed,
being interrupted, feeling shy, feeling ignorant’.
They then draw up a charter or set of rules for
themselves. It may include references to taking turns
to speak, not making fun of others, not using putdowns, listening to others, not interrupting, trying
to seek understanding rather than consensus.
It may then be useful to provide a sample set of
groundrules prepared by others (for example, at
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/activities/
groundrules.html), and to modify and expand their
own list accordingly.
The finally agreed groundrules can be put on the
wall as a constant reminder.
All the discussion activities in this pack can be
enhanced if a set of agreed groundrules has been
adopted and is observed.
22
Reading 1:
Proclaiming Who We Are
Rageh Omaar
We, as a new generation of British Muslims, have to
learn to speak about ourselves and our lives forcefully and honestly; to proclaim who we are.
We need to explain how Islam as a living culture has
changed from our parents’ generation to ours.
We have to describe our lives not just to nonMuslims but to ourselves as well, and to our parents
who do not know the extent to which our outlook is
different from theirs and how our sense of identity
is being radically reshaped by forces they did not
experience.
We have to describe our lives to those who know
next to nothing about Islam and yet are hungry for
an honest and authentic representation of our faith
and culture today and want to understand where
we feel it belongs in the British experience.
And, perhaps most important of all, we need to explain why the many voices in national public life, in
the news media, arts, parliament, the police forces,
legal system and think tanks, who talk of ‘what
is wrong with Islam’ so proprietarily should stop
speaking on our behalf.
From Only Part of Me: Being a Muslim in Britain by
Rageh Omaar, Viking Books 2006.
Reading 2:
First and Foremost I’m a Human Being
Sarah Joseph
Three Readings
There are many communities in Britain which are Muslim.
The first generation see themselves in ethnic terms. However, young people, through being at school together, at
university, or working, don’t necessarily see their ethnic
identity as central. What you find emerging is a group of
young people who are British; who have, on the whole,
an ethnic heritage; and who, through their religion, have
a stronger identity than their ethnic one.
As Muslims we have our own individuality, our own
requirements, but every individual has that, regardless
of whether they’re Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, or not religious
at all. We carry multiple identities: being Muslim shapes
you, but first and foremost I’m a human being. I lived
16 years of my life without being Muslim, so being
human, a woman, a mother, an editor, a Londoner - all
of these things shape me. But my role as a mother is
shaped by being a Muslim; my role as an editor, my concept of being part of a community, is very much shaped
by my philosophy.
I’m British and I think like a Westerner. When I go to a
Muslim country I understand aspects of people as Muslims, but I don’t understand their culture. I’m a Westerner, so although through Islam I do feel a connection,
a shared faith, I don’t impose my rationale and my
culture on them, nor would I want their culture imposed
on me.
I think British Muslims, and Muslims in the West, have
to find answers. I also feel we have a responsibility to act
as a bridge between two worlds. Those of us who were
born here, or raised in British society, have a responsibility to explain Islam to the West and the West to the
Muslim world.
I’m a person of faith and I believe a person of faith must
be optimistic. I see young people who are involved at
every level of British society - articulate, clever, inspirational individuals who feel strongly that they have to
benefit this society and be part of Muslim society. I think
that Muslims have the capacity to give a lot. As long as
people start seeing Islam as part of the solution and not
part of the problem they will go a long way.
Interviewed by Gabrielle Procter, The Guardian, 30
November 2004. Sarah Joseph is editor of Emel, a
Muslim lifestyle magazine. She converted to Islam at
rhe age of 16
23
Reading 3:
The Rights of Neighbours
Abdul Wahid Hamid
‘Do you know what the rights of neighbours are?’,
asked the noble Prophet. And he went on to give a
list:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Help them if they ask your help
Give them relief if they seek your relief
Lend to them if they need a loan
Show them concern if they are distressed
Nurse them when they are ill
Attend their funeral if they die
Congratulate them if they meet any good
Sympathize with them if any calamity befalls
them
Do not block their air by raising your building
high without their permission
Harass them not
Give them a share when you buy fruits. If you
do not give to them, bring what you buy quietly,
and do not let your children take them out to
excite the jealousy of their children.
The hadith shows that you must at least know who
your neighbours are. In big cities nowadays there
are many people who live in blocks of flats or in the
same street who do not know one another. Moreover, in Islamic terminology, a neighbour is not just
the person who lives next door to you or in your
neighbourhood. A fellow-student, your colleague
at work or a fellow-traveller on a journey, are all
regarded as your neighbour. In terms of preferential
24
treatment, the neighbour who lives closest to you
has priority.
There is no distinction between a Muslim and a
non-Muslim as far as the human needs and rights of
neighbours are concerned.
You are not only required to have goodwill to your
neighbour but should offer practical care and help
when they are sick or in need. ‘Nobody can be a
believer’, said the Prophet, ‘if their neighbours pass
the night hungry while they themselves have their
stomach full’.
You also need to give emotional support by sharing
in their joys and sorrows. Naturally, you also need to
refrain from causing any harm or injury, any verbal
or physical or emotional stress. ‘Nobody can be a
true believer unless their neighbours feel secure from
their hands and tongue’, warned the noble Prophet.
Islam the Natural Way by Abdul Wahid Hamid,
slightly edited, published by Muslim Education and
Literary Services, London, for Muslim World League,
Makkah Mukarramah, 1989.
ACTIVITIES AND PRACTICAL APPROACHES
Activity 1
Choosing and planning how to learn
(Please note: This activity contains summaries of all the other activities in Part Two of this pack. It serves,
therefore, as an annotated table of contents for Part Two.)
Summary
Young people are given descriptions of learning
activities they themselves could engage in.
They discuss each in turn, noting the possible
advantages and disadvantages, and modify
them, if they wish, to make them more realistic,
enjoyable and relevant for themselves. They then
prioritize them, choosing the three that sound
most valuable. They give reasons for their choices
and decisions and these are written as a set of
criteria for evaluating real activities they engage
in. A possible development, of course, is for some
of the activities then to be made real, not just stay
imaginary.
Why?
The benefits that young people gain from this
exercise include the following. They:
•
see themselves as being responsible for their
own learning, and therefore have greater
motivation to engage in learning
•
feel they are respected and trusted, and recognized as having views which adults wish to
know about
•
have enhanced self-esteem
•
reflect on their preferred styles and ways of
learning
•
practise discussion skills in interaction with
each other
•
see education and learning from the point of
view of parents, teachers and youth leaders,
and in this way gain in empathy and maturity
•
gain an overview of the subject-matter that a
course on Muslim citizenship is likely to cover
– such an overview (‘the big picture’) helps
them to make sense of specific details and
prevents the course from being ‘one damn
thing after another’ (ODTAA).
A benefit for teachers and youth leaders is that
this exercise is a convenient and practical introduction to Part Two of this pack.
Preparation
You need to provide descriptions of possible activities. How many descriptions you provide depends
on the age and interests of the young people, and
on the amount of time available. A possible source
for the descriptions is Handout 1. You can use
these as they stand, or can adapt them to make
them more realistic in your particular situation.
Other things being equal, it is useful to provide
each description on a separate card or slip of
paper. This makes the descriptions literally more
manageable and easier to handle. Alternatively, if
you are meeting in an appropriate space for this,
you can print them in a large font and tack them
on the walls, or arrange them on the floor. The
young people then walk around looking at them
and gain a sense in this way that they are in control – active rather than passive.
Procedure
Give three descriptions to each individual and ask
them to rank the activities in the order in which
they would like to engage in them. Young people
then form threes, so they have nine descriptions
between the three of them. They select the six they
would most like to do, and place them in a logical
sequence.
25
Alternatively, have the young people work at the
start in pairs rather than as individuals, and to
form groups of six rather than three.
After they have made their choices and sequences,
ask them to complete either or both of the following sentences:
26
•
A valuable course on British Muslim citizenship would include these activities because …
•
A young Muslim citizen in modern Britain
needs to know how to …
Further information
Further information about the activities described
in Handout 1 on pages 27–30. See the table of
contents for page numbers.
Development
The activities in the exercise described above are
imaginary in their current form. They could, however, be made real, or can stimulate ideas for real
activities.
Identity, Empowerment and Change, Handout 1
Eighteen Things We Could Do
Summary
1.Choosing and planning how to learn
We are given descriptions of learning activities we could engage in. We discuss each in turn, noting
the possible advantages and disadvantages, and modify them, if we wish, to make them more
realistic, enjoyable and relevant for ourselves. We then prioritize them, choosing the three that sound
most valuable. We give reasons for our choices and decisions and these are written as a set of criteria
for evaluating real activities we engage in. A possible development, of course, is for some of the
activities then to be made real, not just stay imaginary.
Identity and Belonging
2. Who, what and where are we?
We answer various kinds of questionnaire about our personal interests, and in this way reflect on our
own identities and personal qualities. We may then administer the same or similar questionnaires to
others as part of a survey, and present a report on our findings in writing, or through PowerPoint, an
interactive website, collages, an e-zine, or video diaries.
3. Young Muslims in Britain
– differences, contrasts and things in common
We are given extracts from interviews with young British Muslims. We select those which are closest
to our own feelings and thoughts and imagine ourselves contacting the people concerned, for
example through FaceBook. In our messages we make similar remarks ourselves. Also we write to
some of the people from whom we feel different. We may then develop our messages into video
diaries or other kinds of self-portrait.
4. Not easy being British
Working in small groups, we answer questions of the kind that are asked in citizenship tests. How
relevant do we consider the questions to be? If a question appears irrelevant can we nevertheless
guess why it was asked? What suggestions do we have for questions that are more relevant? More
specifically, can we come up with questions which are more appropriate for people like us? We then
go on to discuss concepts of Britishness and national identity and to compare our own views with
those of others.
27
5. Islam in Britain and the world
We work with a quiz concerning Muslims in Britain and the world. We draw on our general
knowledge and on guesswork, and also perhaps research the answers on the Internet and in works of
reference. We construct a similar quiz for ourselves and each other. We may conduct a survey to find
out the levels of knowledge amongst others, and may depict some of the correct answers in charts,
graphs and diagrams.
Stories, Incidents and Experiences
6.What should I say, what should I do?
– scenarios, situations and sorting things out
We discuss real or imagined incidents where there is uncertainty about what should happen next.
We write letters or messages to a helpline, blog or agony column, and discuss and draft possible
responses. Also, we consider where we ourselves would turn for advice, guidance and assistance on
matters such as those raised by the stories. We evaluate the real answers given on similar topics in
Muslim magazines or on Muslim websites.
7. Living and learning – interviews, biography and oral history
We are given about six short extracts from biographical writings by or about British Muslims, and
draw up lists of questions we would like to ask if we had the opportunity to meet the people who are
featured in the writings. We then convert these into real interview schedules and use the schedules to
interview certain individuals. We may then write similar pieces ourselves, or create video diaries.
8. Support and guidance
We are told, and re-tell, stories from the early years of Islam, dwelling in particular on events where
the Prophet or one of his companions acted as a role-model. We apply the stories and their teachings
to everyday life in modern Britain.
9. Fool, trickster, rogue or sage?
We read or enact a number of Mullah Nasruddin stories, and re-tell some of them using modern
contexts and references. Which stories show a foolish or ignorant person, which show a trickster,
which a rogue, which a wise person? Do some show all four? Can we summarize the teachings in the
stories with pithy sayings of our own devising?
28
Rights and Responsibilities
10. The language of rights
We work in the first instance with an imaginary scenario about a journey through space to another
planet and we draft and re-draft charters or declarations of rights. We then look at quotations from
historic declarations – the Covenant of Madina, for example, the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, and a recent statement from Northern Ireland. In the light of these we amend and add to the
charters drafted by ourselves.
11. Human rights and human wrongs
– messages and campaigns
We engage in a campaign, either as an exercise or (preferably) for real, for the protection of human
rights worldwide. We start by viewing a recent film produced by Amnesty International about
injustices surrounding Guantanamo Bay. We may continue with specific cases which we research
through the Amnesty website, or else with cases presented on the website of Cageprisoners. We may
write letters to key figures, including our own MPs and ministers, and engage in fund-raising and
publicity.
12. Supporting and assisting people in need
We are given, or we ourselves raise, a sum of money. Alternatively, we use imaginary money. We
are also given descriptions of a range of charitable projects and decide how to allocate our real or
imaginary money between them. More elaborately we can role-play the discussions, with different
individuals or groups taking on different advocacy roles. Instead or as well, we make visits to, or
receive visits from, real projects.
13. Making democracy work
We look at a selection of today’s national newspapers, either the print editions or those online, or
this week’s local papers; or at the most recently published statement of the central government’s
legislative intentions (‘the Queen’s Speech’); or at the legislative intentions of the Scottish Parliament
or Welsh Assembly. We discuss these and decide which of the issues we would like to influence,
if we possibly can. We learn how to write letters, faxes or email messages to our own elected
representatives; send various messages; and keep a record of the answers we receive.
14. Every Muslim child matters
We are given a set of statements that could feature in a report by inspectors about a mainstream
secondary school in Britain, or in a school’s self-assessment form (SEF). We add to the list and then
use it to evaluate the mainstream schools we know best. We may then proceed to write letters to the
school’s board of governors, and may propose a debate about the issues at a forthcoming meeting
of the School Council.
29
News, Views and Commentary
15. Items in today’s news
We are given a list of questions to ask about a news story on TV or in a paper, and use these with
regard to a specific cutting, or item on a website, or clip of film. On the basis of our analysis, we draft
an imaginary letter to the editor or to Press Complaints Commission. If the item is recent, we write
such letters for real.
16.Us and them, or in this together?
We consider some news stories about Islam in Britain and Islam in the world, and whether the stories
show the West and Islam as locked in inevitable conflict (a ‘clash of civilizations’) or whether on the
contrary there can be partnership and cooperation. On the basis of our reflections and conclusions
we write real or imaginary letters to the local and national media, and to local and national
councillors and MPs.
17. Who and what’s out there?
We visit a number of blogs and websites, and say what we like and dislike about them. Also, we
create scrapbooks with extracts from them and perhaps posters and wallcharts as well. Further, we
write and submit comments. We may in addition create a blog on which we post our own reflections
about things which are currently happening.
18. A way to get the attention of youth?
We listen to various Muslim rappers and visit their websites, and look at some of the debates
that have taken place, and continue to take place, within Muslim communities about whether
Islam and Hip Hop music are compatible with each other. If our judgement is that there is no
inherent incompatibility, we compose, perform and record our own work. And if we judge they are
incompatible, we will present reasoned argument for the judgement, either in speech or writing.
Published in this form by the UK Race & Europe Network (UKREN), 2009. Further information at www.youngmuslimcitizens.
org.uk
30
Activity 2
Who, what and where are we?
Summary
Young people answer various kinds of questionnaire about their personal interests, and in this
way reflect on their own identities and personal
qualities. They may then administer the same or
similar questionnaires to others as part of a survey,
and present a report on their findings in writing,
or through PowerPoint, an interactive website, collages, an e-zine, or video diaries.
Why?
• are reassured it is OK to be interested in and
to care about their own development, relationships, worries, hopes, values and ideas
• gain a sense they are not alone – there are other
people out there who have thoughts, feelings,
anxieties and aspirations similar to their own
• feel young people are respected and trusted,
and recognized as being resources from
whom they can learn
• gain therefore a preliminary sense of safety
and security
• receive permission, so to speak, to talk more
openly than they might do otherwise about
their own feelings and experiences
• are stimulated to reflect on differences and
commonalities amongst human beings,
including people broadly similar to themselves
in age and religious heritage
• develop empathy for other people
• are reminded that there is great diversity
amongst Muslims in general and British Muslims in particular
• encounter the concept of multiple identity,
and appreciate that both they and others have
a range of loyalties and places where they
belong.
Preparation
You need a selection of simple questionnaires such
as those on page 32.
Procedure
You may well wish to start with something very
simple, for example the questions in Handout 2.
Young people can jot their answers in writing, or
alternatively can use the questions to interview
each other in pairs.
Next, Handout 3, Key things about me. For this,
young people write words or phrases in the cloudboxes signifying groups to which they belong and
significant roles they play (female, Mancunian,
son, sister, and so on.) They then transfer some of
the information to the tabulation entitled Where I
am: likes and dislikes (Handout 4), and discuss and
think aloud about what they like and don’t like
about features of their identity.
The activity may finish with the creation of selfportrayals though the medium of collages, or
with self-descriptions on MySpace or Bebo, or else
through portfolios of photographs.
Comments
A youth worker who used this activity at a start of
a residential away-weekend wrote: ‘They enjoyed
listening to each other’s answers and the reasons. They were comfortable to talk in front of
everybody. They learnt about themselves and each
other, things they would not normally ask themselves or friends. The session was a simple one but
effective’.
31
Development
The same or similar questions can be used to conduct a survey, leading to a report or exhibition.
Websites containing the voices and views of young
Muslims include those of Muslim Youth, based in
London, and This is Where I Need to Be, based in
New York. The addresses are in Appendix E.
Questions, Interests and Concerns
1. When were you most happy?
2. What is your earliest memory?
3. Who or what has had the greatest influence on you?
4. What are your three favourite pieces of music?
5. What are your three favourite movies?
6. Which country would you like to live in if you couldn’t live here?
7. What do you like about yourself?
8. What do you dislike about yourself?
9. What makes you angry?
10. How religious are you?
11. Where do you like to hang out?
12. What keeps you awake at night?
13. What one thing would improve your quality of life right now?
14. Which of the following would you most like to be in 10 years time: a) rich, b) happily
married, c) famous, d) in good health, e) well travelled, f) with a fulfilling job? Can you put
these six in order of preference?
15. Has anyone ever been unkind or vicious to you because of the colour of your skin or because
of your religion?
16. If you could meet the Prime Minister, what would ask him to do?
17. Who are your heroes and heroines? If you could meet one of them, what would you like to
know about them?
18. Was either of your parents and any of your grandparents born outside Britain? If so, what
are their first memories of coming to this country?
Published in this form by the UK Race & Europe Network (UKREN), 2009. Further information at www.
youngmuslimcitizens.org.uk
32
Key Things About Me
Me
33
Who and What I Am: Likes and Dislikes
Aspects of who and where I am
Things I like about this
Things I’d like to be different
Published in this form by the UK Race & Europe Network (UKREN), 2009. Further information at www.youngmuslimcitizens.
org.uk
34
Activity 3
Young Muslims in Britain
– differences and things in common
Summary
Preparation
Young people are given extracts from interviews
with young British Muslims. They select those
which are closest to their own feelings and
thoughts and imagine themselves contacting the
people concerned, for example through Facebook
or Bebo. In their messages they make similar remarks themselves. Also they write to some of the
people from whom they feel different. They may
then develop their messages into video diaries or
other kinds of self-portrait.
You need a collection of extracts from interviews
with young people, similar to those in Handout
5. Other things being equal, it is useful to provide
each quotation on a separate card or slip of paper.
This makes the extracts literally more manageable
and easier to handle, and gives a sense of mutual
interaction as distinct from communication that
is only one-way. More elaborately than in print,
extracts can be presented through video diaries or
self-portraits on a social networking site.
Why?
Or, of course, extracts can be provided live by real
people, either rehearsed beforehand or off-the-cuff.
• gain a sense that they are not alone –
there are other people out there who have
thoughts, feelings, anxieties and aspirations
similar to their own
• feel young people are respected and trusted,
and recognized as being resources from
whom they can learn
Or the young people you are working with can
provide the extracts, perhaps anonymously.
Procedure
Working in pairs, young people do one or more of
the following:
• gain therefore a preliminary sense of safety
and security
• select three extracts which, taken together,
best summarize the identity and situation of
young British Muslims today, and arrange
them in a triangle on a wall chart with the addition of some carefully chosen images
• receive permission, so to speak, to talk more
openly than they might do otherwise about
their own feelings and experiences
• imagine and role-play a conversation or email
exchange between two of the people represented in the extracts
• are stimulated to reflect on differences and
commonalities amongst human beings,
including people broadly similar to themselves
in age and religious heritage
• make a list of the personal strengths and positive qualities of the people represented in the
extracts
• develop empathy for other people
• are reminded there is great diversity amongst
Muslims in general and British Muslims in
particular
• write a set of brief messages to the people
represented in the extracts, in the form of
‘Do’s and Don’t’s’, and make these into sayings or slogans that could appear on posters,
postcards or PowerPoint slides.
• Learn to disagree respectfully and find ways of
coping, co-existing and respecting difference.
35
Continuation
Young people may:
• create collages, using material from lifestyle
magazines, youth magazines and colour
supplements to portray themselves and their
situation
• make a podcast that mixes and juxtaposes
spoken quotations from young people with
pieces of relevant music or nasheeds
• choose a news item or feature article in their
local newspaper, and on the basis of their
consideration of the situation and identities
of young Muslim people, write a letter to the
editor for publication and/or to their ward
councillor for their attention
• on the website today of a national newspaper
or their local newspaper, and on the basis of
their consideration of the situation and identities of young Muslim people, send a message
through the Have Your Say facility.
Voices and Views of Young Muslims
Proud
‘I am proud to be a British Muslim. I didn’t used to wear a scarf. But now I follow my custom to show
how proud I am of my religion. We have free will to understand our own religion, it’s not as though
we are forced to wear the scarf. Women have a lot of freedom within Islam.’
Hina, 16
We need to come out
‘It is upsetting when you see that all Muslims are tarred with the same brush. We are all Osama bin
Ladens or something and we all want to kill everyone. And it’s not true. Sometimes you get people
looking at you funny. They assume that you are Muslim so you must be a terrorist …. For things to
change people need to go out and portray the true Islam. Muslims always go into a corner and never
come out to express their views. We need to come out and teach people about Islam. That’s the only
way people will recognize us and who we are. My parents’ generation didn’t have that opportunity,
but we do.’
Farid, 15
Way of life
Islam teaches you to be self-disciplined in the conduct of your everyday life. For example praying five
times every day, you do this at a set time. It’s a way of life. This all makes you very disciplined, you
don’t really have time to waste when you live your life according to Islamic belief. In addition, Islam
really places a high value on the pursuit of knowledge, which I wholeheartedly believe in and that’s
why I work hard at my studies.
Shahzaman, 16
36
So angry and helpless
‘It’s horrible when your own government is helping to kill Muslims. You just feel so helpless.
Sometimes I feel ashamed to be British when I go abroad …. I have been called names. I was with a
friend in East Ham once and we were both wearing scarves. An old man came up to us and shouted
that we were ‘bloody Muslims’. You just feel so angry and helpless.’
Fazeela, 15
Normal people
‘The media only shows a negative view of Islam. On television, sometimes they show Muslims, but
it’s always them doing some sort of Islamic ritual or being extremists. They don’t show us as normal
people…. If a reporter wants a nice big headline, an attractive front-page story, they aren’t going to
go to someone nice and peaceful.… I think it is quite hard for them because they don’t know about
Islam, but sometimes it feels like a conscious decision.’
Othman, 16
Stereotyped
‘People have a stereotyped view of Islam. They think Muslims are old fashioned and live in tents
with camels. They see us as people who haven’t moved with the times or technology. They compare
people to the West - the way they dress, the way they live their lives, the way they work. And they
see it as all old style.’
Yasir, 16
Angry
‘They talk about democracy and then they put men in shackles at Guantanamo Bay. Where are the
human rights? …. I don’t agree with suicide bombings. But if you are a little boy and you see your
parents killed in front of you; if you are a teenager and you see your little brother getting shot, you
are going to grow up feeling angry. But people don’t want to listen.’
Nael, 16
Source: The quotations in Handout 5 are from interviews conducted by Laura Smith in 2004 and were first
published in Islamophobia: Challenges, Issues and Action, Trentham Books, 2005.
37
Activity 4
Not easy being British
Summary
Preparation
Working in small groups, young people answer
questions of the kind that are asked in citizenship
tests. How relevant do they consider the questions
to be? If a question appears irrelevant can they
nevertheless guess why it was asked? What suggestions do they have for questions that are more
relevant? More specifically, can they come up with
questions which are more appropriate for people
such as themselves? They then go on to discuss
concepts of Britishness and national identity and
to compare their own views with those of others.
You need some questions from real or imagined
tests. The test in Handout 6 was devised by a
panel of experts convened by the BBC.
Why?
• The benefits that young people gain from this
• gain basic information about the UK’s history,
law and political system
• identify what is valuable in the teachings and
influences of others and of the past, and make
it their own
• gain in readiness to look critically at the influences and pressures they experience, and in
resilience and strength to withstand those
they consider harmful or not particularly useful/meaningful
• appreciate that concepts of Britishness, citizenship and national identity are contested,
and that there are few if any final answers
• citizenship is inherently to do with taking part
in debates, disagreements and questioning,
not in being uncritical and conformist
• gain in readiness to take responsibility for upholding structures and procedures of fairness
and democracy, and for strengthening and
enhancing them.
38
Also on the BBC website, incidentally, there is an
online quiz that is not intended to be taken very
seriously. However, it does raise some interesting
questions. It’s at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4099770.stm.
Procedure
Young people work in groups, and each group
decides the correct answer to each question. They
may also say with each question whether a) they
are confident they have the correct answer, b) they
are fairly but not wholly sure they have the correct answer, or c) their answer is based entirely or
almost entirely on guesswork.
If time and facilities are available, young people
may be asked to research the answers on the Internet or in books of reference, rather than simply
be told the correct answers.
Either way, a follow-up concern with each question is its relevance. What is the point behind each
question? Is it really reasonable to expect all British
citizens a) to know the correct answer, and b) to
appreciate the point behind it? The answers to the
questions, together with some notes about them,
are provided in Handout 7.
(Young people may be interested to know, in this
connection, that the BBC administered the test in
Handout 6 at a primary school in the Midlands. A
class of Year 6 children, working together, scored
8 out of 10. Their headteacher, however, answering on her own, scored 4!)
Young people may then proceed to surf the Internet and to collect quotations from writings about
Britishness. Which three quotations do they find
most striking?
Comment
A youth worker involved in the piloting of this pack
reported that the young people knew very few of
the correct answers. ‘But it created great debates,
which led to some good discussions. The biggest
debate on any question was number 6 [the one on
domestic violence].’
UK Citizenship Test
(As devised by BBC Radio 4, 21 January 2006. Answers and notes in Handout 7.)
1.
2.
Which king had his powers curbed by the Magna Carta?
a) Alfred the Great
b) Charles I
c) John
Which year did all women over 21 get the vote in Britain?
a) 1945
b) 1900
c) 1928
3.Which three branches of authority need to agree to a law before it can
come into force?
a) The House of Commons, Lord Chancellor and the Queen
b) The House of Commons, the Lords and the Queen
c) The Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the police
4.
Are you
a) a subject of the Crown?
b) a citizen of the Crown?
c) a defender of the Crown?
5.
Why is the Union Flag made up of its particular colours?
a) It was chosen by Henry VIII
b) It’s made up of the flags of St George of England, St Patrick of Ireland and St Andrew of Scotland
c) It’s made of the flags of England and the flags of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Mercia and
Wessex
6.Is a man allowed to punish his wife physically as long as it’s in his own
home?
a) Yes, although not with any recognized weapon
b) Yes, though only under provocation
c) No
39
7.
8.
Which English monarch broke away from the Roman Catholic Church?
a) Charles
b) Elizabeth I c) Henry VIII
Who was the only politician in British history to abolish parliament?
a) Cromwell
b) Gladstone c) Churchill
9.
What building did Guy Fawkes famously fail to blow up?
10.
a) Buckingham Palace
b) Houses of Parliament
c) 10 Downing Street
How long can a British government stay in office before a general election?
a) 4 years
b) 6 years
c) 5 years
Background: The BBC Today Programme invited a politician (Barry Sheerman MP), a historian (Andrew
Roberts), a race equality specialist (Trevor Phillips), a Muslim journalist (Sarah Joseph) and an economist
(Madsen Pirie) to devise these questions, to test the knowledge of British law, history and constitution
of potential UK citizens.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/reports/archive/politics/citizenship.shtml#
40
Answers and Notes on UK History and Law
(These notes refer to the questions in Handout 6)
1. Which king had his powers curbed by the Magna Carta?
The answer is John. His name during his lifetime, incidentally, was Jean, not John, as he was
French.
2. Which year did all women over 21 get the vote in Britain?
The answer is 1928. The decision to permit women to vote at all was made in 1918. But at
that time only women aged at least 30 were allowed to vote. Women first used their vote
on the same basis as men on 30 May 1929. It was not until 1969 that people aged 18, both
women and men, were allowed to vote.
3. Which three branches of authority need to agree to a law before it can
come into force?
The answer is the House of Commons, the Lords and the Queen. The Lords frequently make
amendments to proposed legislation, but when there is disagreement between Lords and
Commons, the view of the Commons prevails – in practice, though not constitutionally. The
role of the monarch is purely symbolic and does not involve her or him personally.
4. Are you a) a subject of the Crown, b) citizen of the Crown, or c) defender of
the Crown?
The answer is that strictly speaking the British are subjects, not citizens.
5. Why is the Union Jack made up of its particular colours?
The answer is that it’s made up of the flags of St George of England, St Patrick of Ireland and
St Andrew of Scotland. It was created in 1801. Subsequently (1923) the country now known
as Ireland (as distinct from Northern Ireland) left the UK, but the flag remained unchanged.
The correct name for the flag is the Union Flag, not the Union Jack. The latter term is derived
from sailors’ slang.
6. Is a man allowed to punish his wife physically as long as it’s in his own
home?
The answer is No. It is arguably worrying, or indeed very worrying, that the experts who
phrased this question thought it worth asking.
7. Which English monarch broke away from the Roman Catholic Church?
The answer is Henry VIII. The break occurred in the 1530s and the monarch’s motivation was
secular not religious. For example, amongst several other reasons, he wished his marriage
to be annulled. (For much fuller information, see The English Reformation at Wikipedia.) As
individuals, not all English people converted. Within the Church of England to this day, there
are individuals whose practice and beliefs are barely distinguishable from those of members of
the Roman Catholic Church. (see Anglo-Catholicism at Wikipedia for fuller information.)
41
8. Who was the only politician in British history to abolish parliament?
The answer is Oliver Cromwell (mid-17th century). The episode is a reminder that British
history has at times contained major conflicts and disruptions. So are several of the other
episodes referred to in this test – in particular numbers 1, 2, 5, 7 and 9.
9. What did Guy Fawkes famously fail to do?
The answer is that Guido Fawkes, known after his death as Guy, failed with his fellowconspirators to blow up the Houses of Parliament. The year was 1605 and the day was 5
November. Nowadays, ‘Guy Fawkes Day’ is widely celebrated by children with bonfires and
fireworks. Fawkes and his fellow conspirators were Catholics and did not want a Protestant
monarch (James I) on the English throne.
10. How long can a British government stay in office before a general
election?
The answer is five years. Most governments, however, last rather less than this. Typically, the
government of the day calls an election when it judges it has the best chance of winning –
usually after about four years.
42
Activity 5
Islam in Britain and the world
Summary
Preparation
Young people work with a quiz concerning Muslims in the UK and the world. They draw on their
general knowledge and on guesswork, and also
perhaps research the answers on the Internet and
works of reference. They construct a similar quiz
for themselves and each other. They may conduct a survey to find out the levels of knowledge
amongst others, and may depict some of the correct answers in charts, graphs and diagrams.
You need questions for a quiz. They can take
various forms. Other things being equal, it can be
useful to use multiple-choice questions. These are
more fun, and provide parameters and guidance
to prevent or limit wild guesswork. Some possible
questions are provided in Handout 8.
Why?
• gain factual knowledge about the population
of the UK, and of how many British Muslims
there are, and where they live
• gain knowledge of how many Muslims there
are in the wider world, and where they live
Procedure
It is valuable for young people to work in pairs,
small groups or teams. It may be worth providing
a small prize to the group or team that gets most
answers right.
Comment
A teacher who used this activity during the piloting stage of this pack wrote: ‘Students loved this
task, and the idea of a bus with 50 people on it. I
produced a bus diagram which they could shade
in with their ideas.’
• appreciate the diversity of Islam as well as its
unity
• gain a sense of the big picture
• situate themselves both in Britain and the
world, and in this way appreciate the wider
contexts in which they are growing up
• develop greater self-confidence.
This activity also has the potential to develop
mathematical and statistical skills, and skills in
presenting statistical data in graphs, charts and
diagrams.
43
Islam in Britain and the World, a Quiz
1. Imagine a double-decker bus containing 50 people, and imagine that, with
regard to religious background, these 50 people are a cross-section of the
whole of the UK population. How many of the 50 would be of Muslim
background?
a)
b)
c)
d)
two at the most
between 3 and 8
between 9 and 15
more than 15
2.Imagine a double-decker bus similarly containing 50 people. They are all
British Muslims and they are a cross-section of the entire British Muslim
population.
3.
How many of them would be under 16 years of age?
a)
b)
c)
d)
5
10
15
20
How many would have been born in Britain?
a)
b)
c)
d)
15
20
25
35
4. How many would have their origins in South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan), either personally or through their parents or
grandparents?
a)
b)
c)
d)
24
34
44
54
5. How many would have their origins in Pakistan, either personally or
through their parents or grandparents?
a)
b)
c)
d)
12
22
32
42
6. How many would live in London?
a)
b)
c)
d)
44
20
30
35
40
7. Here are the names of the nine English regions, including London, plus
Scotland and Wales. Arrange them in the order of the size of their Muslim
population.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
Eastern England
East Midlands
London
North East
North West
Scotland
South East
South West
West Midlands
Yorkshire and the Humber
Wales
8. There are Muslims in other European countries as well as the UK. Which of
the following has most?
a)
b)
c)
d)
France
Germany
Italy
The Netherlands
9. Arrange the countries in the previous question in the order of the size (not
proportion) of their Muslim population.
10. Here are the names of four countries outside Europe. Which has the
largest number (not proportion) of Muslim citizens?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Iraq
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
11. Here are the names of the 10 countries in the world that have the largest
numbers of Muslim citizens. Arrange them in the order of the size of their
Muslim population:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
Bangladesh
China
Egypt
Ethiopia
India
Indonesia
Iran
Nigeria
Pakistan
Turkey
12. In the previous question, 8 of the 10 countries are Muslim-majority
countries. Which two are not?
45
13. A coin minted in England contains a quotation from Islamic scriptures.
Who was monarch at the time?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Queen Anne (died 1714)
Queen Elizabeth I (died 1603)
King Offa (died 796)
King Richard I (died 1199)
Please note: the answers are provided and commented on in Handout 9.
Answers to quiz in Handout 8
Handout 8 on pages 44–46 contains a number of factual questions about Islam in Britain and the
world. The answers are shown and commented on below.
1.Imagine a double-decker bus containing 50 people, and imagine that,
with regard to religious background, these 50 people are a cross-section
of the whole of the UK population. How many of the 50 would be of
Muslim background?
An imaginary double-decker bus with 50 passengers has been chosen for this question
since it is easier for most people to visualize than a gathering of one hundred. Official
statistics, however, are always based on percentages, so on twice as many people as there
are in a full bus.
The 2001 census showed there were at that time almost 1.6 million people of Muslim
background in the UK. This was 2.7 per cent of the total population. There are presumably
more now, but they are unlikely to constitute more than four per cent. Therefore the correct
answer about the passengers on the bus is two at most. This is less, or indeed much less,
than most people imagine
2.Imagine a double-decker bus similarly containing 50 people. They are all
British Muslims and they are a cross-section of the entire British Muslim
population. How many of them would be under 16 years of age?
In 2001, 33.8 per cent of all Muslims were under 16. The proportion is presumably higher
now. If it is as high as 40 per cent, 20 out of the 50 people on the bus would be under
16. It is incidentally relevant to note that only 10 (20 per cent) of a busful of non-Muslim
people would be in this age-group.
3.How many would have been born in Britain?
The 2001 census showed almost exactly half of all British Muslims had been born in the UK. So 25 of the 50 Muslims on the bus would have been born here.
46
4.How many would have their origins in South Asia (Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, India and Pakistan), either personally or through their
parents or grandparents?
The 2001 census showed that just over two thirds of all British Muslims have their origins in
South Asia. So the answer is 34 out of 50.
5.How many would have their origins in Pakistan, either personally or
through their parents or grandparents?
Of the 68 per cent of British Muslims who have their origins in South Asia (see answer to
Question 4 above), 43 are originally from Pakistan, 17 from Bangladesh and 8 from India.
So out of a representative sample of 50 British Muslims, 22 would have origins in Pakistan.
6.How many would live in London?
Two fifths of all British Muslims live in London, so 20 out of 50. The region with the next
highest proportion of all Muslims in the UK is the West Midlands (14 per cent). There are
almost as many in the North West (13 per cent) and Yorkshire and the Humber (12 per cent).
7.Here are the names of the nine English regions, plus Scotland and Wales.
Arrange them in the order of the size of their Muslim population.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
Eastern England
East Midlands
London
North East
North West
Scotland
South East
South West
West Midlands
Yorkshire and the Humber
Wales
The answer with raw figures and percentages is shown in the table below.
TABLE 1: The English regions and Scotland ranked in the order of the size of their Muslim
population
Ranking
Region
Total population
Number of
Muslims
Percentage of
Muslims
1
London
7,172,093
607,083
8.5
2
West Midlands
5,267,309
216,184
4.1
3
North West
6,730,765
204,261
3.0
4
Yorkshire
4,900,829
189,088
3.8
5
South East
8,000,645
108,725
1.4
6
East of England
5,390,141
70,222
1.5
7
East Midlands
4,172,171
70,222
1.7
8
Scotland
5,062,011
42,557
0.84
9
North East
2,515,442
26,925
1.1
10
South West
4,928,434
23,465
0.5
11
Wales
2,903,000
22,000
0.7
Source: compiled for this publication from 2001 census results (ONS Table KS07, Religion, and Scottish Government Analysis of Religion, 2005.
47
8.There are Muslims in other European countries as well as UK. Which of the
following has most?
a) France
b) Germany
c) Italy
d) The Netherlands
The answer is France, estimated to have just over four million Muslims.
9.Arrange the countries in the previous question in the order of the size (not
percentage) of their Muslim population.
The answer is shown in the tabulation below, together with estimated raw figures and
percentages.
TABLE 2: Four countries in Europe ranked in the order of the size of their Muslim
population
Ranking
Country
Total population
Percentage of
Muslims
Number of
Muslims
1
France
58,317,450
7
4,082,222
2
Germany
83,536,115
3.4
2,840,228
3
Italy
57,460,274
1
574,603
4
The Netherlands
15,568,034
3
467,041
Source: compiled for this publication from estimates at http://www.islamicweb.com/begin/population.htm
10.Here are the names of four countries outside Europe. Which has the largest
number of Muslim citizens?
a)
Iraq
b)
Russia
c)
Saudi Arabia
d)
Somalia
The answer is shown in the tabulation below, together with estimated raw figures and percentages.
TABLE 3: Four countries outside Europe ranked in the order of the size of their Muslim
population
Ranking
Country
Total population
Percentage of
Muslims
Number of
Muslims
1
Russia
148,178,487
18
26,672,127
2
Iraq
21,422,292
97
20,779,623
3
Saudi Arabia
19,409,058
100
19,409,058
4
Somalia
9,639,151
100
9,639,151
48
11.Here are the names of the 10 countries in the world that have the largest
numbers of Muslim citizens. Arrange them in the order of the size of their
Muslim population:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
Bangladesh
China
Egypt
Ethiopia
India
Indonesia
Iran
Nigeria
Pakistan
Turkey
The answer is shown in the table below, together with estimated percentages and raw figures.
TABLE 4: The ten countries in the world with the largest numbers of Muslims, ranked in
the order of the size of their Muslim population
Ranking
Country
Total
population
Percentage of
Muslims
Number of
Muslims
1
Indonesia
206,611,600
95
196,281,020
2
India
952,107,694
14
133,295,077
3
China
1,210,004,956
11
133,100,545
4
Pakistan
129,275,660
97
125,397,390
5
Bangladesh
123,062,800
85
104,603,380
6
Nigeria
103,912,489
75
77,934,367
7
Iran
66,094,264
99
65,433,321
8
Turkey
62,484,478
99.8
62,359,509
9
Egypt
63,575,107
94
59,760,601
10
Ethiopia
57,171,662
65
37,161,580
12.In the previous question, 8 of the 10 countries are Muslim-majority
countries. Which two are not?
As readily seen in Table 4, the two countries are India and China.
13.A coin minted in England contains a quotation from Islamic scriptures.
Who was monarch at the time?
e)
f)
g)
h)
Queen Anne (died 1714)
Queen Elizabeth I (died 1603)
King Offa (died 796)
King Richard I (died 1199)
The answer is King Offa. The circumstances are not known.
There is substantial information on demographic data worldwide in Mapping the Global Muslim
Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Muslim Population, published by
the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (http://pewforum.org/).
49
Activity 6
What should I say, what should I do?
– situations, scenarios and sorting things out
Summary
Young people discuss real or imagined incidents
where there is uncertainty about what should
happen next. They write letters or messages to a
helpline, blog or agony column, and discuss and
draft possible answers. Also, they consider where
they themselves would turn for advice, assistance
and guidance on matters such as those raised by
the stories. They evaluate the real answers given
on similar topics in Muslim magazines or on Muslim websites.
Why?
• appreciate that citizenship is to do with making decisions in concrete situations and that
sometimes, or usually, there are competing
pressures, demands and principles
• have enhanced motivation to learn as a consequence of feeling that the difficulties and
dilemmas they encounter in their own everyday lives are recognized and taken seriously
• practise moral reasoning skills by listening
to, and being challenged by, each other, as
distinct from being told the correct answers
by an authority figure
they consider harmful
• are invited but not compelled to talk about
sensitive and controversial issues that they
might otherwise be inclined to avoid
• use their imaginations to consider other
50
• develop skills in giving advice, guidance and
counselling to each other
• have enhanced self-esteem and confidence
in their own abilities to learn and to make a
difference
• feel they are respected and trusted, and that
they are recognized as having views and opinions which are worth attending to
• are better prepared to deal with problems
which may arise in their own lives – ‘forewarned is forearmed’.
Preparation
You need a set of stories. These should ideally
reflect the interests and life situations of the young
people with whom you are working. It’s worth
making the stories as short as possible and to provide no more than the minimum of background
detail. Also, it’s useful to imply or state in each instance that something has got to be said or done
immediately, on the spur of the moment. What
should I say now, this moment? What should I
do now, this moment? The answer to both these
questions may, of course, be ‘Nothing!’
The selection in Handout 9 shows one possible
style to aim for.
Procedure
Working in the first instance as individuals or in
pairs or threes, young people choose which stories
they would like to discuss further, with a view to
getting clarity on what should be said and done,
and why.
Having made their choice or choices, they discuss
a story in a reasonably structured way, as follows:
• What, if anything, should be said or done immediately, on the spur of the moment?
• What should be done or said in the next few
hours and days?
• What should be done in the coming months?
• How might this situation have been avoided?
• What are the implications and action points
for real everyday life?
It may be relevant and valuable if young people
consider, in relation to each story they discuss,
who they themselves would turn to for advice if
they found themselves in a similar situation. For
example, which three of the following would they
probably turn to? Which would they definitely not
consider approaching, on the grounds that the
advice wouldn’t be of much use?
• An imam?
• A Muslim teacher or youth leader?
• A non-Muslim teacher you like and trust?
• Your parents?
• An older brother or sister?
• A Muslim friend?
• A non-Muslim friend?
• The Internet?
• A Muslim helpline?
• A non-Muslim helpline?
• Someone else?
Comment
A youth worker involved in the piloting of this pack
wrote: ‘The session was well received by the young
people. They loved the scenarios, they enjoyed the
discussions in the groups and then in the larger
groups when feeding back.... They learnt not to judge
people, that we can easily judge people on stereotypes. To think before you act … they found this really
interesting and fun, they really got into the discussion
and I enjoyed playing devil’s advocate. It was also
good to see the quieter members of the group participate. Because the discussion was mainly centred
around discrimination they all felt very passionately
about the issue, as they have either experienced this
themselves or know someone who has’.
51
What Next?
Not serving you
I’m in a newsagents when a woman comes in wearing full hijab. ‘You should not be allowed,’ says
the man behind the counter. ‘I’m not serving you. Get out of my shop.’
Pack of Islamophobes
I ask a friend if he got the job he was interviewed for. ‘No, they were a pack of Islamophobes, that’s
why.’ I ask if that was the reason they gave. ‘No, the reason they gave was a) I turned up late, b) I
let my mobile phone go off twice whilst the interview was taking place and c) I didn’t answer any
of their questions. But their real reason, no doubt about it, was Islamophobia. They just don’t like
Muslims, they won’t have Muslims working for them, and that’s that.’
You can’t go
My best friend isn’t a Muslim. A few days ago her grandmother died and the funeral is later this
week. My friend hasn’t ever been to a funeral before and she’s worried sick about it. Plus, she’s really
upset about her nan. She’s asked me to go with her. I mention this to someone else. ‘You can’t go,’
they say. ‘It’s haram.’
No help at all
I get grief from non-Muslim friends because I don’t want to do drugs and alcohol, and stuff. But
they’re friends and I like hanging out with them. I ask the imam for advice and he just says live in
peace with them, but don’t live like them. Keep yourself holy and separate. I feel this is no help, no
help at all.
A very bad Muslim
A Muslim friend of mine says all kuffars will go to hell when they die, even those who are religious
and decent. I say that I can’t believe this. I’d rather join them in hell, I say, than be separated from
them. She says, well in that case I’m a very bad Muslim.
Goes ballistic
A group of us in the school playground are talking about football. A teacher approaches. ‘What are
you boys talking about?’ she asks. ‘Don’t worry, miss,’ says Tariq, who’s always ready with a quick
answer. ‘We’re just planning the next 9/11.’ The teacher goes ballistic and says we’ve all got to go
and see the headteacher. Why do so few white teachers have a sense of humour?
Only a phase
A friend says: ‘As you know, I’m a convert, or revert, and I get extra hassle ‘cos I’m white and a
Muslim. People who aren’t Muslims make even more fun of me than Muslims do sometimes. They
think it’s only a phase and don’t take me seriously, some of my family too.’
No need to obey
My older brother is giving me a lift in his car. We come to some traffic lights, which are red. He looks
both ways, sees nothing is coming, and drives straight across with the lights still red. ‘It’s a kuff law,’
he says. ‘No need for us Muslims to obey it.’
52
A bit of teasing
A friend tells me she’s being teased by other girls. ‘We killed hundreds of your lot yesterday …
Osama bin Laden’s your dad, innit … we’re getting our revenge for what you lot did to us in
Afghanistan last week ….’ I ask if she has told her class teacher. Yes, she’s told her teacher, and her
teacher said: ‘Never mind, it’s not serious. It’ll soon pass. You’ll have to expect a bit of teasing at
times like this.’
Back door
My mother’s a school governor. She proposes, following discussions with pupils and parents, that
there should be some Islamic Awareness classes at the school on a voluntary basis. ‘We’d just be
letting Al Qaeda in by the back door,’ says the chair. The other governors all seem to agree, or
anyway not to bother.
Crying his eyes out
My next-door neighbours are white. The other day their little girl comes up to me, crying her eyes
out. She goes: ‘The Pakis are coming, the Pakis are coming’. I sit her down and calm her and get her
to explain. She refers to two aeroplanes that have flown low over our area and says she believes they
were piloted by terrorists on their way to attack our street.
Get on with your work
A Year 8 RE lesson. We’re copying pictures of Hindu gods into our books. ‘These are the people who
crashed the planes into the twin towers, aren’t they, miss?’ says someone. ‘No, Jeanette,’ she replies.
‘That was Muslims, we’re doing Hindus. Just get on with your work.’
Pakistan next month
My uncle tells me he’s paying for me to go to Pakistan next month. I’m thrilled. I haven’t ever been
there and have always wanted to go and meet my relatives, and see the beautiful land my mum and
dad came from, so many years ago. ‘Thank you so much, Chachaji.’ He replies saying that whilst
there I’m going to get engaged and there’ll probably be a nikah as well.
Anything
‘Can I tell you a secret?’ asks a friend. ‘Yes.’ ‘Promise you won’t tell anyone?’ ‘Yeah, promise.’ ‘Well,
I’ve met this amazing guy. He understands everything so well. My problems, yours, everyone’s. The
worldwide influence of Kuffars has got to be eliminated. It may sound weird to you, but it all makes
really good sense when he says it. Next week I’m going to a training camp with him. I think I’d do
anything for the Muslim cause – anything, you know what I mean?’
53
Activity 7
Living and learning
– interviews, biography and oral history
Summary
Preparation
Young people are given about six short extracts
from biographical writings by or about British
Muslims, and draw up lists of questions they
would like to ask if they had the opportunity to
meet the people who are featured in the writings.
They then convert these into real interview schedules and use the schedules to interview certain
individuals. They may then write similar pieces
themselves, or create video diaries.
You need some extracts from interviews and
biographical writings. There are examples in
Handouts 11–16. These have been included here
as reminders of the wide range of perspectives
and experiences amongst British Muslims. They are
provided for discussion and disagreement, not as
points of view which should be endorsed without
criticism.
Why?
• gain a sense of issues affecting British Muslims
at the present time
• are motivated to learn about issues affecting British Muslims by seeing them illustrated
within the lives of particular individuals
• practise listening skills, skills in understanding
views different from their own, and skills in
reaching consensus
• develop knowledge and understanding of the
teachings, values and wisdom of Islamic traditions, and appreciation of Islam’s diversity as
well as of its unity, both in the present and in
the past
they are recognized as having views and opinions which are worth attending to.
54
Procedure
Young people read one or more of the extracts
and:
• identify the three main points being made and
re-state these in their own words without saying whether they agree or disagree
• then and only then say which points they
agree with or disagree with
• find similar passages from other sources
• draw up a list of questions they would ask if
they could meet the authors face to face
• conduct some interviews with British Muslims
in their locality
• write or speak similar pieces themselves.
Muslim by Name and Nature
I’m female, 15, Black (Nigerian) and Muslim by name and nature.
I had to say both because it’s what I am, and it really gets on my nerves when you ask some people
about religion and they say ‘I’m Muslim, but I don’t pray or fast or read Quran....’ And yet, these are
the same people who take a week off school for Eid. I know myself that I’m not the perfect example
of a Muslim, especially when it comes to my dress sense, but I’m taking it step by step to become a
better Muslim and I pray that Allah continues to make it easier for me. I pray and wake up early for
Fajr (morning prayer), I fast in Ramadan, go to the Mosque when I can and I’ve been learning the
Quran from early days.
I go out, party and have fun with my friends, but I know my limits. It doesn’t make me feel left out
knowing that I can’t enjoy some of the things others are into, because I understand exactly why Allah
has prohibited some things.
When I first started wearing my headscarf, my perspective on life was slightly clearer. I became more
confident in Islam and I was more aware of how simple temptations could really mess up someone’s
life. The Hijab had an opposite and sometimes funnier effect on me than I was expecting. People
complimented me a lot and it was really strange getting more attention from random boys greeting
me on the road. Truly quite confusing (and tempting). I’ve been able to joke about my religion with
people because I’ve got a really calm but good understanding of Islam.
I’ve dressed up as my friend’s mum in a Niqqab to try and get her phone back from school, I’ve
made up funny songs with my friends and a little film with my sister about a Quran teacher who
wants to be a model.
What it means to me to be Muslim is recognizing my purpose in this life, which is to submit myself
to God alone. I believe that I have a strong relationship with Allah, which is most important to me.
I understand that this life is the test for eternal happiness with Allah, not for fun and games. I try
to confidently ask myself before I do anything whether it’s something that will please God and get
me to Al-Jannah (heaven) in the end. I think this is the reason why I don’t get jealous or intimidated
by other people because I know that I have the best gift of all - Islam - and absolutely nothing
compares.
My religion has definitely helped me through the little I’ve gone through and I have faith that it will
continue to help me deal with everything in my future – INSHALLAH!
© Fauzia Amao, 2008
Written especially for this publication. Published in this form by the UK Race & Europe Network (UKREN), 2009.
Further information at www.youngmuslimcitizens.org.uk
55
We Are Just People
My parents came from Pakistan in the 1960s. My dad first worked in a mill and then as a postal
worker until he retired. I consider myself to be a British Muslim but I don’t like to be pushed into
defining myself; it has a dislocating effect. To some, as a Muslim I am either a fanatical terrorist or a
victim of Islam, and I am neither of those; we are just people.
I became politically active within two weeks of the September 11 attacks. I was in Birmingham city
centre when this man came up and spat on me. To me, Birmingham was a great place, and I had
never experienced any racism or given it a second thought. I began to wonder, where was this all
going to lead?
We are living in challenging times. For Muslims it’s important to hold a firm and dignified line,
between not being reactive to what’s happening, but I do think there’s injustice. There is a
disproportionate response from the government and political ambitions are being put before what is
good for humanity.
As Muslims, we have to be confident and not be defensive, we have to be open and not be afraid
to say what we feel. Non-Muslims have also to look at why they are living in a climate of fear. I feel
my eyes have been opened. I was very passive before. Now I am vice-chair of Respect, the anti-war
alliance. In one sense, ignorance is bliss but I couldn’t go back to the way I was before 9/11. I would
rather live in a better world than the one we do today.
© Salma Yaqoob
First published by The Guardian, 30 November 2004. Published in this form by the UK Race & Europe Network
(UKREN), 2009. Further information at www.youngmuslimcitizens.org.uk
56
On My Mother’s Lap
I grew up reading the Qur’an on my mother’s lap. It’s an experience shared by most Muslim children.
It’s usual, once children are about four or five, for mothers to start reading the Qur’an and getting
the child to repeat the words, again and again, till they become familiar and can be easily recited
from memory.
Actually, I started a little late - when I was pushing six. In those days, we lived in a small town on the
Pakistani side of the Punjab. After dinner every Thursday evening, my mother would shout: ‘Sipara
time!’. I would stop playing, run to her, jump on her lap, and put my left arm around her neck. She
would open a slim, rather torn booklet, and start reading: Bismil-Lahir-Rahmanir-Rahim. In the name
of God, the beneficent, the merciful. I remember how she would pronounce each word distinctly and
separately. I would repeat each word after her and then she’d have me repeat them again to make
sure I pronounced each word correctly.
© Ziauddin Sardar, 2008
First published by Ziauddin Sardar in his blog in The Guardian, 5 January 2008. Published in this form by the UK
Race & Europe Network (UKREN), 2009. Further information at www.youngmuslimcitizens.org.uk
57
A Lot of Kids Are Angry
Frustrated with the direction that mainstream Hip Hop was taking, Tony ‘Bilal’ Ishola decided to set
up a magazine that would reflect a new wave of consciousness among Muslim Hip Hop artists after
9/11. He is interviewed here by Yahya Birt. The interview was published on Yahya Birt’s website
http://www.yahyabirt.com
YB: When and how did Islamic influences come into popular music in the West?
TI: It’s always been there ever since black people came to the West. They brought their culture and
their music. Hip Hop is just poetry spoken over beats really. Rhythm and poetry, that’s basically what
rap music is.
YB: Do you think there was a Muslim influence there, even if it wasn’t seen that way?
TI: Yes, there always has been. And even when Hip Hop music started with people like Afrika
Bambaataa in the 1970s, they used samples of Malcolm X. So there’s always been some form of
influence in Hip Hop.
YB: How about Muslim rappers?
TI: In the 1990s when I began to get conscious of these sorts of things, I noticed Moss Def for
example. He’s one of the best Muslim rappers that I know. Though he sings about lots of things, he
doesn’t hide the fact that he’s Muslim.
YB: When did a Muslim Hip Hop scene kick off in the UK?
TI: I’m not too aware of when it kicked off in the UK as I spent my teenage years in Nigeria. As for
those in the UK who didn’t hide their religion in their music I would say that this is something new.
It’s something that came in the 2000s. It came as a result of other people telling young Muslims
what to think about their religion. They felt they had a different opinion to express and they just
decided to use their talents to express it. It’s not just in Hip Hop, it’s in other forms of culture and art,
and in business, film and broadcasting too. Muslims are now expressing themselves more, expressing
their religion more, using whatever gifts Allah has given them for da`wah.
YB: The Muslim Hip Hop scene in the UK seems to be getting bigger.
TI: The internet has helped a lot of Muslim artists from Morocco, from Amsterdam, from America,
from the UK, from South Africa, from everywhere. People have set up various websites, and artists
have used MySpace to get their music out there. It’s out there, but it’s not been getting the attention
that it deserves, but people who are into this type of Hip Hop know where to find it.
YB: It seems that there are many different messages that Muslim Hip Hop in the UK is sending out,
particularly political ones because of the current situation. It’s quite a political, socially-conscious
form of Hip Hop isn’t it?
58
TI: Yes, yes. I’m all for freedom of speech. It’s no hidden fact that a lot of kids in the West are
angry, and they have opinions and they want to express them. I don’t think these opinions should
be suppressed. At one point I think we should all sit down and discuss our differences. That’s my
opinion. A lot of these kids have chequered pasts — some of them have been to prison, and some of
them discovered Islam while in prison. Islam has given them a different perspective on life, and a lot
of them are angry about the angle the war on terror is taking, what’s going on in Palestine and issues
like that. Muslims feel this affects them personally and these kids feel they have something to say.
Instead of meeting in secret to discuss these issues, why shouldn’t they express themselves openly so
long as they are not harming anybody? The Platform Magazine is out to encourage that sort of thing.
YB: What kind of reception has Muslim Hip Hop had from the Muslim community here in the UK?
TI: From the Muslim community in the UK, it’s been mostly positive, but you do get a few who come
up to you and say that Islam and Hip Hop shouldn’t mix. I think fair enough, no problem, fine, if you
think that Hip Hop is haram, then simply don’t listen to it. Spread the da`wah the way you know best
and I’ll do what I can do.
Source: http://www.yahyabirt.com/?p=117. The Platform Magazine has a MySpace site at <myspace.com/
theplatformag>.
59
Full of Admiration for the British
I came to Britain in 1961, full of admiration for the British. In the early days I used to fear that the
superiority and attractions of the West would prove too much for a simple-minded people and that
we sell our faith for a share in the obvious advantages of Western civilization. Thirty years on I no
longer have this fear.
Early in the 20th century Muhammad Abduh, a distinguished religious leader and scholar at Al-Azhar,
the centre of Muslim learning in Cairo, wrote after a visit to Europe: ‘In Europe I saw Islam but not
Muslims; in Egypt I see many Muslims but no Islam’.
Even today the standard of public service, rule of law, democracy, freedom to dissent and equality in
Britain far exceed anything that is found in a Muslim country, where dictatorship, brutish coercion,
bribery, nepotism and deceit are usual. Yet familiarity with the West increasingly reveals to us –
through the many stories in the media about child abuse, rape of the elderly, routine sexual greed
and exploitation – the rottenness that lies at the core of this civilization, contact with which makes us
embrace our faith with greater certitude and welcome British converts.
© M.S. Modood, 2004
This extract is from My Faith and I Rest Here (2003), privately published.
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Responding to Hostility
Extracts from an interview in The Times with Shahid Malik MP. The interview was conducted by Helen
Rumbelow and Alice Mills. It can be accessed in its full version at http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/
news/politics/article 2237461.ece/
Mr Malik’s path … has been marked, from an early age, by learning how to respond to hostility –
often racist, and on many occasions violent.
His father came to Burnley in 1965, a time and place that Mr Malik described as ‘probably the most
racist environment anybody could ever be brought up in’. He had been tempted from his post as
headmaster of a large school in Pakistan by an offer from someone at the British Embassy, who said
that Britain was looking for teachers. They lived in one of the poorest wards in the country, said Mr
Malik, who was sometimes the only non-white boy in his class. ‘That sometimes used to feel like
thirty against one,’ he said.
‘This concept of Paki-bashing was something that was in vogue and a few times a week it would take
place. Teachers were oblivious. Completely disinterested in it.’
Was he ‘Paki-bashed’? ‘I certainly was,’ he said, reeling off incidents that ranged from being beaten
‘pretty badly’ by four skinheads in his first week at secondary school, to being stabbed in the leg with
a chisel during woodwork after an argument about race. He had to go to hospital to get stitches.
‘But nothing was done – quite incredibly.’
The reaction – or lack of it – from the school authorities was ‘a real kind of eye-opener’, but so,
interestingly, was the reaction of Mr Malik. ‘You just accepted it, and looking back on it I don’t
bear any grudges towards any of those people. The truth is that they were ignorant. And so really it
wasn’t their fault, they were just children.’
Did he ever wish that he could live in Pakistan instead? ‘Never. No, I always thought of myself as very
much British, very much that this is my country . . . I still say it’s the best country in the world to live.’
It is obviously important for Mr Malik to show that he remains determinedly positive, that he tries to
tolerate and understand – or at least not to generalize about – those who are against him. The day
after he left hospital, during the unrest in 2001, he was out patrolling the streets with the police ‘to
show that the police aren’t bad’.
In the years that followed, he struggled to find a seat. During this time he was the victim of a hitand-run incident in a Burnley petrol station, his parents’ family car was firebombed and, while
walking the street, he was surrounded by 20 members of the extreme-right group Combat 18, who
said that they were going to kill him.
Although his father was once Mayor of Burnley and was appointed, in the late-1960s, on to what
was then the Race Relations Board (a precursor of the Commission for Racial Equality), his parents
wanted him to give up politics.
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They think it’s thankless. In the autumn of 2003, the family were just saying to me, ‘Listen, you’ve
been through quite a lot, just stop it. You’re not going to get a seat’. And I just thought, ‘These
people are mad. Of course I’m going to get there’.
Now, as one of the most powerful Muslims in the country, he faces attack from radical Islamists as
well as racists. ‘There are extremists who think of themselves as Muslims who see me as a hate figure,
as the enemy.’
To say that his Dewsbury constituency is divided is something of an understatement. It has the
highest British National Party vote in the country and was also the home of the leading suicide
bomber from 7 July 2005, Mohammad Sidique Khan. ‘It doesn’t matter what I do, I’m going to
annoy somebody,’ he said. ‘I have just got to do what I believe is right on these big issues, these
issues of extremism and morality.’
Once he made it to the Commons, was there an end to his racist encounters? Not quite. He
described one incident at Westminster. ‘We’re on the terrace, there was me and there were two
female colleagues, white. And one of the security guys ignored both of them and came up to me and
said, “Sir, have you got any ID?” I think you learn through experience to just be very patient and just
be very relaxed about these things . . ..’
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Activity 8
Support and guidance
Summary
Procedure
Young people are told, and re-tell, stories from
the early years of Islam, dwelling in particular on
events where the Prophet or one of his companions acted as a role-model. They apply the stories
and their teachings to everyday life in modern
Britain.
Each story can be discussed with regard to what it
says about duties and responsibilities, distinguishing between these towards:
Why?
• one’s family – immediate and extended
• one’s neighbours, contacts and colleagues –
the people one meets and interacts with on a
day-to-day basis
the past
• the national state where one happens to live,
and in which one has citizenship rights – the
state’s laws, decision-making culture, expectations and customs
• see the relevance of tradition to the problems
and practicalities of everyday life in the modern world
• practise skills in interpreting symbolic material
such as metaphors and parables
it their own
• develop attitudes of curiosity, openness and
generosity towards others
• oneself, for example one’s health and well-being – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual
• other Muslims – the world-wide Ummah
• the world as a whole – both in terms of
people and the environment.
Each story can be linked to some of the other
material in this pack. For example, what light do
the stories cast on the difficulties and dilemmas
described in Handout 10, or on the personal statements and experiences in Handouts 11–16?
Other possible activities include:
• devising a pithy and striking title for each story
reaching consensus.
• choosing some visual images to accompany
each story
Preparation
• compiling a list of maxims illustrated by the
stories.
You need a collection of stories such as those in
Handout 17.
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Stories from Tradition
God does not wish me to be apart
While on a journey, the Prophet asked his companions to prepare a sheep for food.
‘I will perform ritual slaughter on it,’ said one man.
‘I will skin it,’ said another.
‘And I,’ said another, ‘will cook it.’
And the Prophet said: ‘I will gather the firewood’.
‘O messenger of God,’ they exclaimed, ‘there’s no need for you to work. We will do everything that
needs to be done’.
‘I know,’ said the Prophet, ‘that you are happy to do all the work. But God does not wish me to be
apart from you’.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The obligations of the street
The noble Prophet came upon a group of people sitting on the street, gossiping, joking, jeering and
arguing amongst themselves.
‘You surely have better things to do,’ he said, ‘than sitting around on the street’.
‘Messenger of God,’ they pleaded, ‘we don’t have a choice. There’s nowhere else for us to go’.
‘In that case,’ advised the wise Prophet, ‘observe the obligations of the street – restraining of looks,
removal of obstructions, reciprocating greetings, enjoining good and forbidding evil’.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Let their mother be with them
A man once came to the Prophet, carrying a bundle. ‘O Messenger of God,’ he said, ‘I was passing
through the forest when I saw some young chicks. I captured them and put them in this bundle, and
ever since I have been troubled by their mother. She keeps swooping down at me and trying to peck
me’.
‘Open the bundle and put them down,’ said the noble Prophet. The man did so, and the mother
immediately joined her little ones.
‘Do not be surprised or annoyed,’ said the noble Prophet, ‘by the mother’s love for her chicks. Return
them to the place where you took them, and let their mother be with them’.
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_____________________________________________________________________________________
The body has rights
The young Abdullah, son of the famous Amr ibn al-Aas, and a companion of the Prophet, was
known for his extreme self-denial. The Prophet came to hear about the punishing regime he was
inflicting on himself. ‘I hear,’ he said, ‘that you fast all day every day, and that you stay awake all
night’.
‘Yes, O Messenger of God,’ replied the young man. ‘I love God so much.’
‘Such zeal is not required of you,’ said the Prophet, ‘breaking one’s fast is essential. Sleep is essential.
Your body has rights over you. Your eyes have rights, and so do members of your family, and visitors
who come to your home’.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The milker of the sheep is here, mother!
Abu Bakr as-Siddiq would go to the homes of the old, the widows, the weak and needy, to help
them in any ways he could. He milked the sheep of some, and kneaded flour and helped bake bread
for others. After the death of the Prophet, when Abu Bakr became the Khalifah and the head of the
Muslim state, many people feared that he would no longer be able to give them his loving care. He
overheard a widow saying ‘Today our sheep will not be milked’. He assured her that he would call at
her house later in the day to do the milking.
As soon as he could he went to her house. He knocked on the door and a little girl opened it for him.
She took one look at him and shouted to her mother: ‘The milker of the sheep is here, mother!’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The rights of the child
A man once came to Umar ibn Al-Khattah, the second Khalifah of Islam, complaining that his son
was disobedient. Umar summoned the boy and rebuked him. ‘But do not children have rights?’
asked the boy.
‘Certainly,’ said Umar. ‘A parent should show respect and love, and should teach children the Book
[the Qur’an].’
‘My father did none of these things,’ replied the boy.
Turning to the father, Umar said: ‘You have come to complain about the disobedience of your son.
But you failed in your duties towards him before he failed in his duties to you. You wronged him
before he wronged you’.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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Concern for the poor and needy
Ali ibn Abu Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed, became the fourth Khalifah of
Islam. He was particularly concerned for the poor and the needy – irrespective of their religion or
belief. He once wrote a letter to his Governors in the following words:
‘Let me remind you once again that you are made responsible to guard the rights of poor people
and to look after their welfare.Take care that the conceit of your position and vanity of wealth
may not deceive you to lose sight of such a grave and important responsibility. Yours is such an
important post that you cannot claim immunity from the responsibility of even minor errors of
commission and omission with an excuse that you were engrossed with the major problems of the
State which you have carried out diligently. Therefore, be very careful of the welfare of poor people.
Do not be arrogant and vain against them. Remember that you have to take particular care of those
who cannot reach you, whose poverty stricken and disease ridden sight may be hateful to you, and
whom society treats with disgust, detestation and contempt. You should be the source of comfort,
love and respect to them…. You should pay more attention to young orphans and old cripples.
They neither have any support nor can they conveniently come out begging. They cannot reach
you, therefore you must reach them. Each man is either your brother in religion or your brother in
humanity.’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
My Lord will question me
Umar ibn Abd-al-Aziz returned home sad and downcast after attending the funeral of his
predecessor, the Khalifah Sulayman ibn Abd-al-Malik, and began to cry. ‘Why?’ What is wrong?,’
asked his wife. ‘You are now the ruler of this land. This is not a time for tears.’
‘I am thinking of the poor and hungry, the sick and the lost, those without clothes, orphans with
no future, widows with no friends, those who are in prison, those who cannot get on with others.
There are so many such people throughout the land, I know, and I know too that on the Day of
Judgement my Lord will question me about them. I shall be asked what I did to help them and care
for them.’
Extracts from Islam the Natural Way © Abdul Wahid Hamid, slightly edited, published by Muslim
Education and Literary Services, London, for Muslim World League, Makkah Mukarramah, 1989.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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Activity 9
Fool, trickster, rogue or sage?
Summary
Young people read or enact a number of Mullah
Nasruddin stories, and re-tell some of them using
modern contexts and references. Which stories
show a foolish or ignorant person, which show a
trickster, which a rogue, and which a wise person?
Do some show all four? Can they summarize the
teachings in the stories with pithy sayings of their
own devising? Instead or as well, which pithy or
proverbial sayings, in a collection provided for
them, do they consider most relevant to summarize each story?
Why?
• have fun, since many or most Nasruddin stories are intended in the first instance to raise a
smile or a laugh
reaching consensus.
Preparation
You need a collection of tales. You may also need
to tell young people a bit about Mullah Nasruddin – a legendary Sufi figure who lived, some say,
in central Asia in the 13th century of the Common
Era. Others say he lived in Turkey at some other
time, or else in Iran, or Afghanistan, or one of
the Arab countries of the Middle East. There are
various spellings of his name in English, including Nasreddin, and in addition to Mullah his titles
include Hoca, Hodja, Afandi and Effendi. Stories
about him typically show him doing or saying
something which people in power find totally mad
but which ordinary people find delightful.
• are provoked to wonder how and why certain
fables, parables and moral tales have survived
in oral traditions over many centuries
well as of its unity
• practise skills in interpreting symbolic material, including metaphors, fables, jokes and
parables
it their own
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Procedure
With stories which are mysterious and ambiguous it’s often valuable to concentrate first on the
story itself without bothering too much about its
possible meanings. It is only after the story has become thoroughly familiar that its meanings can be
unravelled. Possible activities in this respect include
the following:
Sequencing
Cut the text into separate pieces, and have the
young people arrange them in the right order.
Interrupting
Break into the story with questions such as
‘What do you think is going to happen next?’
or ‘If you could speak to the characters in the
story at this point, what would you say?’ Make
up some additional information about some
of the characters. Imagine the scene vividly in
your mind’s eye – what can you see (colours,
movements, the background) and what can
you hear, what can you smell?
Cloze procedure
Have young people look at the text of a story with
some of the words blanked out, and ask them to
decide how the blanks should be filled in.
Choosing illustrations
Have young people select from a collection of postcards in order to illustrate an aspect of the story.
Messages
Ask the young people to make up a pithy
saying which encapsulates what the story is
about, or to select a proverb which reflects an
aspect of the story.
Re-writing
Re-write the story in a modern setting.
The essential question with all Mullah Nasruddin stories is about whether they show him as wise – a sage
– or whether he is merely a fool, trickster or rogue.
If a sage, what is his message? And why does he
communicate his messages with pranks and illogical
actions or remarks, rather than directly?
The Ways and Words of Mullah Nasruddin
Who do you believe?
One day, a neighbour went round to Mullah Nasruddin’s compound to ask if he could borrow
his donkey. Mullah Nasruddin came up with the excuse that he had already lent his donkey to his
brother, who needed it to take some wheat to the local mill.
Just as Mullah Nasruddin uttered these words, his donkey started braying in the backyard. Hearing
the sound, the neighbour said: ‘Mullah Sahib, you said your donkey wasn’t here.’ Nasruddin replied:
‘Who are you going to believe? Me, or the donkey?’
What do you want?
One day Nasruddin repaired the tiles on the roof of his house. While he was working on the roof, a
stranger knocked on the door.
‘What do you want?’, Nasruddin shouted out.
‘Come down, so that I can tell you.’
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Nasruddin reluctantly clambered down the ladder.
‘Well, what was so important?’
‘Could you give me some money? I’m very poor and hungry.’
Nasruddin started to climb back up the ladder, saying ‘Follow me up to the roof’.
When both Nasruddin and the beggar were up on the roof, Nasruddin said:
‘The answer is no, I cannot help you’.
______________________________________________________________________________________
More idiotic than they are
Mullah Nasruddin used to stand in the street on market-days, to be pointed out as an idiot. No
matter how often people offered him a large and a small coin, he always chose the smaller piece.
One day a kindly man said to him: ‘Nasruddin, you should take the bigger coin. Then you will have
more money and people will no longer be able to make a laughing stock of you’.
‘That may be true,’ said Mullah Nasruddin, ‘but if I always take the larger one, people will stop
offering me money to prove that I am more idiotic than they are. Then I would have no money at all’.
______________________________________________________________________________________
The fur coat and the soup
One day Nasruddin went to a banquet. As he was dressed rather shabbily, no one let him in. So
he ran home, put on his best robe and fur coat and returned. Immediately, the host came over,
greeted him and ushered him to the head of an elaborate banquet table. When the food was served,
Nasruddin took some soup with the spoon and pushed it to his fur coat and said, ‘Eat my fur coat,
eat! It’s obvious that you’re the real guest of honor today, not me!’
______________________________________________________________________________________
Searching in the darkness
One day Mullah Nasruddin lost his ring down in the basement of his house, where it was very dark.
There being no chance of his finding it in that darkness, he went out on the street and started
looking for it there. Somebody passing by stopped and enquired: ‘What are you looking for, Mullah
Nasruddin? Have you lost something?’
‘Yes, I’ve lost my ring down in the basement.’
‘But Mullah Nasruddin, why don’t you look for it down in the basement where you have lost it?’
asked the man in surprise.
‘Don’t be silly, man! How do you expect me to find anything in that darkness!’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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The recipe
One day Mullah Nasruddin went to the market and bought a fine piece of meat. On the way home
he met a friend who gave him a special recipe for the meat. Mullah Nasruddin was very happy. But
then, before he got home, a large crow stole the meat from Mullah Nasruddin’s hands and flew off
with it.
‘You thief!’, Mullah Nasruddin called angrily after the departing crow. ‘You have stolen my meat! But
you won’t enjoy it; I’ve got the recipe!’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Lessons
Mullah Nasruddin wished to learn how to play the guitar. He went to a teacher. ‘How much does it
cost to learn?’, he asked.
‘A hundred dirhams for the first lesson and ten dirhams for each of the others.’
‘That’s OK,’ replied Mullah Nasruddin, ‘but we’ll skip the first lesson.’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
In your hands
One day two boys decided to play a trick on Mullah Nasruddin. With a tiny bird cupped in their
hands they would ask him whether it was alive or dead. If he said it was alive they would crush it to
show him he was wrong. If he said it was dead they would let it fly away and still fool him. When
they found the wise old man they said, ‘Mullah Nasruddin, this bird we’re holding, is it alive or
dead?’
Mullah Nasruddin thought for a moment and then replied: ‘Ah, my young friends, that is in your
hands!’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Questions
‘Mullah Nasruddin, why do you always answer a question with another question?’
‘Do I?’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The sermon
Once, Nasruddin was invited to deliver a khutba (sermon). When he got on the minbar (pulpit), he
asked ‘Do you know what I am going to say?’ The audience replied ‘No’. So he announced ‘I have no
desire to speak to people who don’t even know what I will be talking about’ and he left.
The people felt embarrassed and called him back again the next week. This time when he asked the
same question, the people replied ‘Yes’. So Nasruddin said, ‘Well, since you already know what I am
going to say, I won’t waste any more of your time’ and he left.
Now the people were really perplexed. They decided to try one more time and once again invited the
Mullah to speak the following week. Once again he asked the same question: ‘Do you know what I
am going to say?’ Now the people were prepared and so half of them answered ‘Yes’ while the other
half replied ‘No’. So Nasruddin said ‘The half who know what I am going to say, tell it to the other
half’ and he left.
______________________________________________________________________________________
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Effective
Mullah Nasruddin was throwing bits of bread all around his house. ‘What are you doing?’ someone
asked.
‘Keeping the tigers away.’
‘But there are no tigers around here’.
‘Exactly. Effective, isn’t it?’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Insha Allah
Nasruddin had saved up to buy a new shirt. He went to a tailor’s shop, full of excitement. The tailor
measured him and said: ‘Come back in a week, and if God wills - your shirt will be ready’.
Nasruddin contained himself for a week and then went back to the shop. ’There has been a delay.
But - if God wills - your shirt will be ready tomorrow.’
The following day Nasruddin returned.
’I am sorry,’ said the tailor, ‘but it is not quite finished. Try tomorrow, and - if God wills - it will be
ready’.
‘How long will it take,’ asked the exasperated Nasruddin, ‘if you leave God out of it?’
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The two teachers
One day, a teacher working at Selfbury School got a new job at Otherham School. During the
holiday, before taking up her new post, she happened to meet Mullah Nasruddin. He mentioned, to
her surprise, that he knew Otherham School. ‘What’s it like there?’ she asked.
‘Well,’ said Mullah Nasruddin, ‘what’s it like at Selfbury School?’
‘Terrible,’ said the teacher. ‘The head’s a little Hitler, the children are savages, my colleagues were for
ever stabbing me in the back and the local authority officers and advisers were a pack of lifeless grey
suits. I’ll be glad to get away, I can tell you. But anyway, what’s it like at Otherham?’
‘I’m sorry to have to tell you,’ said Mullah Nasruddin, ‘that you’ll find the school you are going to is
very similar to the school you are coming from’.
The teacher went on her way lamenting. The next stage of her career would consist of one battle and
defeat after another.
During that same school holiday there was another teacher moving from Selfbury School to
Otherham. She too happened to meet Mullah Nasruddin. ‘What’s it like at Otherham?’ she asked.
‘’Well,’ he said, ‘what’s it like at Selfbury?’
‘Wonderful,’ said the teacher, ‘The head was unfailingly supportive, the children were keen to learn,
my colleagues couldn’t be more helpful and the local authority officers and advisers always knew
what to say, and what not to say. I’m really sorry to be leaving, I can tell you. But anyway, what’s it
like at Otherham?’
‘I’m pleased to be able to tell you,’ said Mullah Nasruddin, ‘that you’ll find the school you are going
to is very similar to the school you are coming from.’
The teacher went on her way rejoicing. The next stage of her life would consist of one fruitful
encounter and exchange after another.
______________________________________________________________________________________
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Activity 10
The Language of Rights
Summary
Young people work in the first instance with an
imaginary scenario about a journey through space
to another planet and draft and re-draft a charter
or declaration of rights. They then look at quotations from historic declarations – the Covenant of
Madina, for example, the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, the South African constitution and
a recent statement from Northern Ireland. In the
light of these they amend and add to the charters
drafted by themselves.
Why?
• appreciate that rights are universal, though
are expressed differently in different places
and at different times
• appreciate that rights emerge from argument
and negotiation, and as ways of resolving
conflicts by non-violent means
• appreciate that rights necessarily entail responsibilities, especially the responsibility to
respect and defend the rights of others
• practise discussion, negotiation and cooperation
skills in interaction with each other, and skills in
explaining and justifying their views and ideas
reaching consensus
• develop knowledge and understanding of
concepts such as rule of law, due process and
anti-discrimination
• develop knowledge of the principles underlying successful campaigns, projects, movements and struggles for justice and equality,
both in the past and the present
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it their own
• gain in readiness to take responsibility for
upholding structures and procedures of rights
enhancing them.
Preparation
You need an imaginary scenario about planning a
new society, for example the one shown in Handout 19 ‘Journey through space’.
Also you need some quotations from important
documents over the centuries. There is a selection
in Handout 20. The language in some of these
may well need simplifying.
When using the material in Handout 20 ‘Fairness
for all – some words and dates’, you may find it
useful – though time-consuming – to present the
dates, names and quotations on separate pieces
of paper. It is then valuable for young people to
match the various pieces of paper together.
Follow-up
Young people may write a declaration of rights
that they themselves would like to have, and of
the responsibilities they would like to embrace.
Journey Through Space
It is the year 3136. A starship is on its way from earth to colonize a distant planet. Despite advances
in astrophysics and space technology, the journey will take several generations of earth time. To
prevent ageing, the passengers are put into a kind of hibernation. They can think but all have totally
forgotten, for the duration of the journey, their name, gender, ethnicity, class, status, income, age,
level of intelligence, health and fitness, personality traits, religion, political attitudes and physical
attractiveness.
No one knows, for example, whether they will be in a minority group in certain respects, or the
majority. Nor does anyone know whether most of the other people will be cleverer or stronger than
themselves, or whether on the contrary they will be amongst the brightest, healthiest, most energetic
and most capable.
The condition of space hibernation means that everyone is in a cocoon, and cannot even debate with
others, let alone form coalitions and majorities. They can, however, all think.
You are a passenger on the starship and you spend your time wondering what kind of society you
will wish to help establish when the starship eventually arrives at its destination. What in your view
should be the guiding principles for the new society? What rights will all members of the society
have? What responsibilities?
Think about: care of children and older people; education; law and order; treatment of minorities;
personal freedoms; decision-making.
The metaphor of a spaceship in which the travellers plan a new society, but without knowing what
their own personal characteristics and interests are, was developed by Brian Wren in his book
Education for Justice, SCM Press, 1976. His purpose was to explain a key idea in A Theory of Justice
by John Rawls, first published by Harvard University Press in 1971.
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Fairness For All – Some Words and Dates
Mutual assistance and charity
The Jews shall bear their public expenses and so will the Muslims. Each shall assist the other against
any violation of this covenant. Their relationship shall be one of mutual advice and consultation, and
mutual assistance and charity rather than harm and aggression.… Charity and goodness are clearly
distinguishable from crime and injury, and there is no responsibility except for one’s own deeds.
God is the guarantor of the truth and good will of this covenant. This covenant shall constitute no
protection for the unjust or criminal.
Mithaq-e-Madina (Covenant of Madina) 622 CE
No superiority
Allah says, ‘O People, We have created you from one male and one female and made you into
tribes and nations, that you may know one another. Verily, in the sight of Allah, the most honoured
amongst you is the one who is most God-conscious. There is no superiority for an Arab over a nonArab or for a non-Arab over an Arab, nor for the white over the black, nor for the black over the
white, except in God-consciousness.
Final Sermon of the Prophet Muhammad, c. 630 CE
We shall not go against him
No free man shall be arrested or imprisoned, or deprived of his property, or outlawed or exiled, or in
any way destroyed… we shall not go against him, unless by legal judgement of his peers, or by the
law of the land.
Magna Carta, Clause 39, 15 June 1215
A civil body politick
We whose names are underwritten …, do by these presents solemnly & mutually in ye presence of
God, and one of another, Covenant & Combine ourselves together into a Civil Body Politic, for our
better ordering & preservation & furtherance of ye ends aforesaid....
The Mayflower Compact, 11 November 1620
Detained by your Majesty’s special command
Nevertheless … divers of your subjects have of late been imprisoned without any cause showed; and
when for their deliverance they were brought before your justices … and their keepers commanded
to certify the causes of their detention, no cause was certified, but that they were detained by your
Majesty’s special command … and were returned back to several prisons, without being charged
with anything to which they might make answer according to the law.
Petition of Right, drafted by Sir Edward Coke, agreed by King Charles I on 7 June 1628
Parliaments held frequently
… That the pretended power of suspending the laws or the execution of laws by regal authority
without consent of Parliament is illegal.… That levying money for or to the use of the Crown by
pretence of prerogative, without grant of Parliament … is or shall be granted, is illegal… and that
for redress of all grievances, and for the amending, strengthening and preserving of the laws,
Parliaments ought to be held frequently.
Bill of Rights Act (England) 16 December 1689
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The consent of the governed
…[t]hat all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights,
governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed….
Declaration of Independence, United States, 4 July 1776
The business of the state
You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or any other
place of worship…. You may belong to any religion or caste or creed - that has nothing to do with
the business of the State…. We are starting with this fundamental principle that we are all citizens
and equal citizens of one State. We should keep that in front of us as our ideal and you will find that
in course of time Hindus would cease to be Hindus and Muslims would cease to be Muslims, not in
the religious sense, because that is the personal faith of each individual, but in the political sense as
citizens of the State.
Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, presidential address
at the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan, 11 August 1947
Endowed with reason
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and
conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 December 1948
Sacred and inviolable
Human life is sacred and inviolable and every effort shall be made to protect it. In particular no one
shall be exposed to injury or death, except under the authority of the Law. Just as in life, so also after
death, the sanctity of a person’s body shall be inviolable. It is the obligation of believers to see that a
deceased person’s body is handled with due solemnity.
Universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights, 19 September 1981 (21 Dhul Qaidah 1401)
United in our diversity
We … recognise the injustices of our past; honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our
land; respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and believe that South Africa
belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
Preamble to the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 4 December 1996
Equality of opportunity
A public authority shall in carrying out its functions have due regard to the need to promote equality
of opportunity between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age,
marital status or sexual orientation; between men and women generally; between persons with a
disability and persons without; and between persons with dependants and persons without.
Final report of the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum, 31 March 2008
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Activity 11
Human rights and human wrongs
– message and campaigns
Summary
Young people engage in a campaign, either as an
exercise or (preferably) for real, for the protection
of human rights worldwide. They start by viewing
a recent film produced for young people by Amnesty International about injustices surrounding
Guantanamo Bay. They may continue with specific
cases which they research through the Amnesty
website, or else with cases presented on the
website of Cageprisoners. They should also look at
the Liberty website. They may write letters to key
figures, including their own MPs and ministers,
and engage in fund-raising and publicity.
Why?
• gain a deeper understanding of human rights
by getting involved in campaigns to protect
human rights of certain specific individuals
and groups
• appreciate that individuals such as themselves
can make a difference
• see themselves as citizens of the world, not
just as citizens of one country
• gain an overview of human rights – ‘the big
picture’ – and as a result are better able to
place and make sense of details that would
otherwise appear random and disconnected
concepts such as rule of law, due process and
anti-discrimination legislation
• develop knowledge of the principles underlying successful campaigns, projects, movements and struggles for justice and equality
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enhancing them.
Preparation
You need some short descriptions of real campaigns organized by an organization such as
Amnesty International. There are several examples
in Handout 21. You can use these as they stand or
you can find more up-to-date alternatives at the
Amnesty website
Procedure
Young people watch three short films produced
by Amnesty International. Informative and inspiring excerpts can be viewed on YouTube
through http://www.amnesty.org.uk/content.
asp?CategoryID=11023. The complete films can
be obtained free of charge. They are as follows.
Justice For Dad
The families of UK residents who were imprisoned in Guantanamo tell the stories behind the
campaign to close the US military prison and
get a fair trial or release for all those detained
there.
Over To You
Follow three Amnesty youth groups getting
creative as they campaign across the UK. Computer heads march through the streets of London, a Guantánamo jump-suited group stage a
school ‘take-over’ in Edinburgh, and trafficked
people for sale in shop windows bring a town
centre in Somerset to a standstill.
Human Rights, Human Wrongs
A thought-provoking studio debate with young
people, including Amnesty youth group members, discussing human rights and Amnesty
International. What are human rights? Should
everyone have the right to express their opinions? Why do we campaign to Stop Violence
Against Women, not men?
Young people then decide what they themselves
might do by way of response. The first step might
be to consider some of Amnesty’s current campaigns. Ten such campaigns are listed in Handout
21. Which of these sounds most important for the
young people themselves? Why? They could then,
at the least, write letters to key figures, as recommended and explained on the Amnesty website.
More elaborate campaigning ideas are also outlined on the Amnesty website.
Instead or as well, young people can go to the
Cageprisoners or Liberty website. The Cageprisoners website has a wealth of information about the
injustices of Guantanamo Bay and the Liberty website has information on many campaigns in the
UK. There are also suggestions on both of these
websites for what people may do in response. A
flavour of information on the Amnesty website is
given in Handout 21.
Human Rights Around The World
Cambodia
Forced evictions are one of the most widespread human rights violations affecting Cambodians in
both rural and urban areas. At least 150,000 Cambodians across the country are known to live at
risk of being forcibly evicted because of misguided development projects, land disputes and land
grabbing.
Columbia
Numerous members of trade union and human rights organizations have received death threats
against holding marches and demonstrations on International Workers’ Day
China
The Tiananmen Mothers is a group of Chinese democracy activists promoting a change in the
government’s position over the suppression of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989.
Egypt
In 2007, Egyptian blogger Karim Amer was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for the ‘crime’ of
publishing on the internet material critical of Islam and President Mubarak.
Honduras
Journalist Dina Meza, a former member of the Association for a More Just Society (Asociación
para una Sociedad Más Justa, ASJ), is at risk of attack because of her human rights work with the
organization.
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Iran
Iranian Kurdish human rights defender Farhad Haji Mirza’i is being held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, and
is believed to have been mentally and physically tortured. Reports suggest that he may have been
sentenced to death.
Macedonia
The Macedonian Government has failed to uphold the rights of Romani women and girls in
Macedonia who face double discrimination on the basis of race and gender resulting in violations of
their rights to education, to the highest attainable standards of health care, to work, and the right
to freedom from violence.
Palestine
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) considers Palestinians, especially those at the alTanf refugee camp, to be among the most vulnerable of the two million refugees who have fled Iraq.
Sierra Leone
Between 1991 and 2002, all parties to the conflict in Sierra Leone perpetrated rape, sexual slavery
and other violent crimes. The government has failed to provide reparations to the women affected.
United Kingdom
The UK has tried to justify extraditions and other transfers of individuals to Algeria, a country with a
known record of torture and ill-treatment.
Source: from the website of Amnesty International, Summer 2008
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Activity 12
Supporting and assisting people in need
Summary
Young people are given, or they themselves raise,
a sum of money. Alternatively, they use imaginary money. They are also given descriptions of
a range of charitable projects and decide how to
allocate their real or imaginary money between
them. More elaborately they can role-play the
discussions, with different individuals or groups
taking on different advocacy roles. Instead or as
well, they make visits to, or receive visits from, real
projects.
Why?
• understand that they have a responsibility
to help people who are less fortunate than
themselves, both in Britain and in the world
generally
• appreciate that one of the ways they can help
is through donating material assistance
• gain information and understanding about
the range of practical projects that may be
undertaken
• practise skills in listening and decision-making
in small groups
• gain awareness of practical projects in which
they themselves could become involved as
volunteers.
Preparation
You need a collection of projects such as those
depicted in Handout 22. Preferably, they should
be real projects. The descriptions in Handout 22,
however, are fictionalized, though based on real
projects.
Procedure
Young people are given, or they themselves raise,
a sum of money. Alternatively and perhaps preferably, they use imaginary money. If this is a sum
such as £100 or £1000 they can appropriately
work with percentages and can therefore see at a
glance a picture of their relative priorities.
They are also given descriptions of a range of
charitable projects and decide how to allocate
their real or imaginary money between them. Before making specific decisions, however, they draw
up a list of criteria they will use.
More elaborately they can role-play the discussions, with different individuals or groups taking
on different advocacy roles. Instead or as well,
they make visits to, or receive visits from, real
projects.
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Projects Requesting Support
(Please note: These projects are all imaginary, though based on projects that do exist.)
Community centre in Averton
The Averton Islamic Educational Trust is setting up a centre for use by all charities and community
groups. It will have prayer rooms for men and women, and host a prayer meeting on Fridays, but
it will not be a mosque. It will provide training courses in such things as IT, English lessons, and will
be a space for youth outreach work and conferences. The centre’s director says: ‘We want to bring
people together. It’s a model centre and a lot of people will benefit, Muslim and non-Muslim alike.
We would like to be the first with this model centre, to come up with something new and unique.
We hope this will spread to other places in the country’. The Trust was formed three years ago when
Muslims who had been living in the city for many years saw it as their duty to help new arrivals
integrate and settle. It has about 100 members, from more than 15 different nationalities.
Aid for Gaza
The Aid for Gaza Charity provides humanitarian assistance. Nearly 70 per cent of the 1.5 million
people in Gaza live on less than £165 a month, while food accounts for 60 per cent of household
expenditure. Food and fuel prices have doubled in the past seven months. Gaza remains under strict
economic sanctions which have cut off food and fuel supplies. The consequent electrical power cuts
and destruction of the already weakened economy has bought further suffering to all of Gaza’s
inhabitants. The closure of borders and inability of Gaza’s sick and infirm to travel for medical care
has caused numerous lives to be lost. Aid for Gaza’s projects include orphan sponsorships, olive tree
plantations, support for hospitals and clinics, medical equipment, and food distribution networks.
Muslims and Christians Together
Growing up in a faith community in Britain is both a joy and a challenge. Many young Christians
and Muslims find themselves torn between the culture and values of their faith and that of the
wider society. For some young people growing up is a time when they live very much within their
faith community and meet few people of other faiths. For others school or college life is a place of
diversity where meeting people of other faiths is a daily occurrence. For both groups there comes
a time when they move out of their familiar surroundings and find themselves meeting people
different to themselves. Equipping young people to live out their faith in the society they find
themselves living in is important for both our faiths. This increasingly requires that we help young
people express their faith amongst peers of different faiths.
Expressing thoughts and opinions
The Young British Citizens Project will run a workshop to be attended by a diverse range of young
people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The workshop will give them an opportunity
to discuss the issues that are facing them whether it’s gun/gang crime, the war on terror or global
warming. The participants will then split into three groups relating to whether their issues are on a
local, national or international scale and then they will make a ten minute film, documenting how
they go about tackling that specific issue. The process will not only give them the chance to learn
skills like film making, editing, sound and broadcasting, but will also give them the chance to speak
up in confidence about their concerns. 80
Education for women
More than 125 million children around the world do not have the chance of going to school, and
80 million of these are girls. There are 900 million illiterate adults worldwide, and most of these
are women. Education is the key to development and prosperity. It strengthens individuals, families
and communities. The Education for Women charity seeks to ensure access to education, even in
the most difficult circumstances and for the most vulnerable groups, refugees, women, orphans
and children from poor families. They are working at the local level to improve the quality and
accessibility of education and skills training
Advice and warnings for decision makers
Poor people are often powerless to influence decisions taken by their own governments, let alone to
make their voices heard by decision makers across the other side of the world. This is why Fairness
International seeks to make governments and influential business people aware of the impact
of their decisions on the poor we are seeking to help. Over the past year, they have tried to raise
awareness and influence opinion on events in Palestine, Kashmir, Afghanistan and Iraq.
Disaster relief
Following the recent massive earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale, more than 70 per cent
of the inhabitants of the coastal villages are reported dead and according to the Asian Development
Bank 44 per cent of the people in the province of Aceh have lost their livelihoods. At least 126,000
people died and 37,000 are missing. People have lost their loved ones and also all their earthly
possessions. They have been reduced from being poor to destitute. It will take many years to restore
normality, mentally and materially. The Emergency Aid Trust has set up relief centres, a medical
centre and new housing, and it is working with other charities and with the government to provide
relief and rescue work in the affected areas, and to rebuild people’s livelihoods.
Source: adapted from material issued in 2007–09 by a range of UK charities
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Activity 13
Making democracy work
Summary
Arrange for the young people to look at a selection of today’s national newspapers, either the print
editions or those online, or this week’s local papers;
or at the most recently published statement of the
central government’s legislative intentions (‘the
Queen’s Speech’); or at the legislative intentions of
the Scottish Parliament or Welsh Assembly. Ask them
to discuss these and decide which of the issues they
would like to influence, if they possibly can. They
learn how to write letters and email messages to
their own elected representatives; send various messages; and keep a record of the answers they receive.
Why?
• appreciate that individuals such as themselves
can make a difference
• feel they themselves are respected and trusted,
and that they are recognized as having views
and opinions which are worth attending to
concepts such as rule of law, due process, lobbying, interest groups and both representative
and deliberative democracy
• develop knowledge of the principles underlying successful campaigns, projects, movements and pressure groups
enhancing them.
Preparation
You need some current news items from the local or national media. It may in addition be very
relevant to have to hand a copy of the most recent
statement of the national government’s proposals
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for new Bills, as set out in the draft Queen’s Speech
or the actual Queen’s Speech. If elections are pending nationally or locally, it would be useful to have
copies of candidates’ and parties’ manifestos.
Procedure
Young people choose the issues that interest them
most and prepare letters to their elected representatives, or to candidates in upcoming elections. In
the case of local councillors and candidates it may
be entirely realistic to interview them face to face.
This would have two purposes: a) to lobby them
as persuasively as possible, and b) to request and
receive feedback on the young people’s advocacy
and communication skills.
The easiest way to find out who their elected
representatives are is for young people to go to
http://www.writetothem.com/. They simply have
to type in their postcode and they are then given
all the basic information they need. They can also
write from the site to their representatives.
Some guidance on letter-writing to elected representatives is provided in Handout 23.
There are frequent articles and news items in the
media about political issues facing British Muslims,
providing much food for thought. Young people
can study such article and underline or highlight the
points which they most agree with. Also, of course,
they can put crosses and question marks against
points they consider wrong or problematic. They can
then discuss the issues with a local politician, and perhaps write letters about them to their local newspaper. Articles suitable for an activity of this kind include
‘Fairness, not Favours, for British Muslims’ by Sadiq
Khan MP, The Guardian, 17 September 2008 (http://
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/17/
religion.islam). There is an extract in Appendix B.
Other commentators on British Muslim affairs
include Fareena Alam, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, Yahya
Birt, Inayat Bunglawala, Ed Husain, Sunny Hundal,
Arun Kundnani, Tariq Modood, Tariq Ramadan and
Salma Yaqoob.
Follow-up
There is a long-established tradition whereby members of the public present petitions at the door of
Number 10 Downing Street. It is now possible to do
the equivalent of this through the use of email. The
e-Petitions Service, as it is known, has been designed
to offer a modern parallel, one which is more convenient for the petitioner. Unlike paper-based petitions,
the service also provides an opportunity for Number
10 to respond to every petitioner via email. Since
their launch in November 2006, ePetitions have become a part of the landscape of debate in the UK.
Young people can formulate a petition and get as many
signatories as possible. Eventually each person on the list
will receive a reply from Number 10, and can use this for
further awareness-raising and lobbying.
Writing to Your Representative, Some Tips
On its own, your letter may not have much impact. But if quite a few other people write on the same
theme, expressing the same views, your letter will almost certainly have some effect.
It’s virtually essential to give your name and full address. Anonymous letters may be discarded, unless a
very good reason is given for remaining anonymous.
Letters should be brief, factual and polite. Take special care not to sound aggressive or offensive. By all
means, though, stress that you feel strongly.
There’s no need to use elaborate and formal words and phrases. On the contrary, the more natural your
tone and style the more your letter will seem personal.
If you use a sample letter or template suggested by someone else, make sure you introduce some
personal tweakings and references of your own. Elected representatives tend to be suspicious of letters
that appear to have been drafted centrally rather than by an individual working alone.
Write as if you take for granted that the person you’re writing to is open to reasoned argument.
Say a little about yourself if you wish, to give a sense of who you are and why you are interested.
It used to be said that representatives tend to pay particular attention to letters that have ‘been written by
someone sitting at their kitchen table’ – in other words, in handwriting. Nowadays, so many people use a
keyboard that it’s entirely OK to use typing rather than handwriting.
Indicate, as appropriate, what you expect your representative to do. For example, ask them to tell you
their own views and how they will vote. In the case of MPs you can ask them to forward a copy of your
letter to the relevant minister.
Indicate that you expect a reply. It may be useful to mention that you will be sharing your representative’s
reply with friends or contacts.
In the case of MPs, the usual way to start is ‘Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms …’ having put at the top of the letter their
full name followed by ‘MP’. If your MP is a Privy Councillor, or has been, then it is slightly different – they
are Rt Hon (Name) MP. In the case of local councillors, it is conventional to start ‘Dear Councillor (name)’.
It is usual to sign letters to elected representatives with the phrase ‘Yours sincerely’.
It is usual for letters to members of the House of Lords to start with the phrase ‘Dear Lord (surname)’ or
‘Dear Lady (surname)’. For more detailed information on conventions connected with ways of addressing
people in official positions, go to http://www.justice.gov.uk/guidance/forms-of-address.htm.
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Activity 14
Every Muslim child matters
Summary
For more information
Young people are given a set of statements that
could feature in a report by inspectors about a
mainstream secondary school in Britain, or in a
school’s self-assessment form (SEF). They add to
the list and then use it to evaluate the mainstream
school they know best. They may then proceed to
write letters to the school’s board of governors,
and may propose a debate about the issues at a
forthcoming meeting of the School Council.
Relevant publications include Understanding the
Needs of Muslim Pupils, compiled and published
by the Muslim Council of Britain in 2007, and
Every Muslim Child Matters by Maurice Irfan Coles,
published by Trentham Books in 2008.
Why?
• develop their understanding of what it means
to be young Muslim citizen, and to consider
what their rights and responsibilities are, or
should be
they are recognized as having views and opinions which are worth attending to
You need a set of statements such as those in
Handout 24. Other things being equal, it is useful
to set the statements out in a proforma, as Handout 24.
Procedure
Young people construct a questionnaire similar to
the one in Handout 24, or else use Handout 24
as it stands. They work as individuals, or else in
pairs or small groups, and apply the questionnaire
to the mainstream school they know best. In the
column headed stage of development they write
0, 1, 2, 3 or 4, using the following code:
• practise discussion, negotiation and cooperation skills in interaction with each other, and
skills in explaining and justifying their views
and ideas
0 – The feature is not present
1 – Beginning to think about it
2 – Making satisfactory progress
3 – Good
4 – Excellent
reaching consensus
They may then add up the figures in the left hand
column in order to give the school an overall rating.
• see education and learning from the point of
view of teachers and youth leaders, and in this
way gain in empathy and maturity
In the right hand column, they make notes on
what their evidence is for the assessment they
have made, and offer suggestions for what the
school should do to improve.
• develop knowledge of the principles underlying successful advocacy, campaigns, projects,
movements and struggles
• develop pride in their own identity and
strengths
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Preparation
They may then tabulate their views and suggestions in a paper which they submit to the headteacher or the school’s board of governors. In addition, or instead, they may submit a report based
on their responses to the questions in Handout 25.
Reviewing a School
Features of good practice
Stage of development* Evidence, and suggestions for development
1 Support for personal identity
Students feel that the school supports
them in their identity as young British
Muslims
2 Community contacts
There are good working relationships
with local imams, madrasahs and
mosque committees
3 Religious observance
During Ramadan, and at other times
as appropriate, the school is helpful
to Muslim students
4 Staffing
There are several Muslim members of
staff who act as positive role models
5 Controversy
There is shared staff policy and
practice on dealing with issues on
which society is divided
6 Listening
Muslim students and parents are
encouraged to give their perceptions
of the school, and account is taken of
what they say
7 Teaching about Islam
In religious and citizenship education
there is accurate and interesting
information about Islamic civilizations
8 Combating racisms
The school has a clear policy on
combating racism and Islamophobia
and has a record of dealing with
racism effectively
9 Training
Programmes of staff training and
continuing professional development
include the topics mentioned above
10 Responsibility
A senior member of staff has been
designated to have responsibility for
promoting the topics listed above.
* In the column headed Stage of development please use the following code: 0 – The feature is not present; 1 – Beginning to think about it; 2 – Making satisfactory progress; 3 – Good; 4 – Excellent. In the right hand column, write notes on a) evidence for the grade that is proposed, and b) ideas and suggestions for
further development and action.
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Feelings about School – A Questionnaire
The purpose of this questionnaire is to find out how you feel about your school. It consists of a series of
statements. Please put a tick alongside each of the following which you agree with, to show your view.
Strongly
Disagree Disagree
1. There’s at least one teacher here who
cares about me
2. By and large the teachers seem to like
me
3. I feel I’m making good progress at this
school
4. I enjoy learning
5. I expect to do well
6. I get given a lot of responsibility
7. The teachers seem to expect the best of
me
8. I have generally been treated fairly by
the school
9. The school shows respect for students of
all races, beliefs and cultures
10. I have never been bullied or insulted
because of my race, belief or culture
11. The school takes a strong stand against
racism
12. Most lessons are interesting
13. The school is a good place for Muslims
14. The teachers give me respect
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No
Opinion
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Activity 15
Items in today’s news
Summary
Preparation
Young people are given a list of questions to ask
about a news story on TV or in a paper, and use
these with regard to a specific cutting, or item
on a website, or clip of film. On the basis of their
analysis, they draft an imaginary letter to the editor or to the Press Complaints Commission. If the
item is recent, they write such letters for real.
You need some news cuttings, or else items from
websites, including the websites of broadcasting
organizations. You can easily find relevant stories
by using the Search facility. Also you can build up a
useful collection by subscribing to the regular mailings of the Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism (FAIR). Entitled Daily News Digest, the service is
described at http://www.fairuk.org/dnd.htm.
Why?
and ideas
reaching consensus
nature and consequences of racisms in society,
including Islamophobia
• develop knowledge and understanding of rule
of law and anti-discrimination legislation
• develop knowledge of the principles underlying successful campaigns, projects, movements and struggles for justice and equality,
both in the past and the present
• consider critically how the media present stories, information and explanations
strengths, and resilience in coping with the
persistent stream of anti-Muslim ignorance
and prejudice present in some of the print
media.
A specimen news item is provided in Handout 29.
Also you need some questions, in order to guide how
news items are studied and analysed. Possible lists of
questions are provided in Handouts 26 and 27.
Procedure
Young people may:
• examine a news item, and ask and answer
questions about it, along the lines suggested
in Handouts 26 and 27
• create their own newspaper-style or TV-style
reports, based on real or imaginary events in
their own school.
• sort through ten or so ‘snippets’ of news, or
about ten real or imaginary press releases, and
imagine themselves to be an editorial team
whose task is to put the items in a sequence
and to allocate space and time for each
• compare and contrast how the same story is
presented by the BBC and the print media,
and how it is treated in different newspapers
• write headlines for the same story, as they
might appear in different newspapers.
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Understanding the news – questions to ask
What is fact and what is interpretation?
Distinguish the facts whose accuracy can be readily checked from statements of opinion and interpretation.
What language is used?
Are words neutral or are they emotive and loaded? For example, how are words such as freedomfighter, terrorist and vigilante used? Or invasion and liberation? How does the report use the word
say, implying that someone is telling the truth, and the word claim, implying that someone may not
be? What choice is made between Third World and Global South?
Is the account balanced?
Is more than one point of view reported, and is each different point of view presented fairly and
neutrally?
Complexity and uncertainty
When points of view are reported is it acknowledged that the people quoted are in certain respects
uncertain, both in their perceptions of what actually happened and in their interpretations and
opinions?
Quotations
Who is directly quoted and how are they referred to? For example, are they said to be ‘experts’,
‘professionals’ or ‘representatives’? How much information is given about who they are? Does it
sometimes happen that someone is quoted anonymously, and could the quotation therefore be
fictitious?
Background
Reporters and newscasters frequently go for ‘bang bang’ items with immediate and attentiongrabbing impact rather than provide ‘explainers’, giving information about the general context and
historical background. What is the balance in the report you are looking at between explainers on the
one hand and immediate facts on the other?
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Cause and effect
Reports sometimes run two items together with words such as following, later, subsequently,
previously. They do not actually say, when using such words, that there is a causal connection
between the events. They do, however, imply such a connection. Do you see this happening in the
report you are studying?
Motivations
Are words used which imply how someone is motivated and could it be that they are misleading? For
example, the phrases Muslim terrorist and Islamic terrorist are frequently used, but the term Christian
terrorist in reports from Northern Ireland have seldom if ever been used.
Freedom to make up one’s mind
This is one of the most important questions of all. News channels claim to distinguish between
providing facts and providing interpretations. But do they in fact do this? Are you confident that
you can make up your own mind on the basis of what is reported, or can you see that you are being
subtly (or perhaps unsubtly) led to adopt a particular point of view?
What are the assumptions about the audience?
Who does the reporter think they are talking to? That is, what knowledge and understanding do they
assume the audience to have, and what predispositions and expectations?
Media Portrayals of Islam and Muslims
1 Generalizations
Are Muslims seen as basically all much the same, or are they represented as being engaged in reflective
disagreement and dialogue with each other, with a range of different views?
2 A plague on them all?
In so far as Muslims are seen as having disagreements with each other, for example between Shi’a and Sunni
or between Sufi and Political Islam, is the assumption that all are wrong, all as bad as each other? Or is there
a much more nuanced and sensitive account of differences amongst Muslims, similar to the differences,
deliberations and disagreements that exist amongst non-Muslims?
3 Two kinds of Muslim?
Are Muslims divided into two broad categories, ‘good Muslims’ (hard-working, decent, law-abiding and
‘moderate’) and ‘bad Muslims’ (mixing religion with politics, inclined to extremism and terrorism, making
unreasonable demands)? Or is the multi-faceted complexity of Islam, both in the present and the past,
recognized and attended to?
4 Like or unlike?
Are Muslims seen as totally ‘other’, separate from the so-called West, or as both similar and interdependent,
sharing a common humanity, a common set of aspirations and values, a common history and a common
space? Are there stories in the media about ‘ordinary’ Muslims, people ‘just like ourselves’?
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5 Partners or enemies?
Are Muslims seen as an aggressive enemy to be feared, opposed and defeated, or as co-operative partners
with whom to work on shared problems, locally, nationally and internationally?
6 Really religious?
Are Muslims seen as hypocritical in their religious beliefs and practices, using religion to justify things that
cannot be justified, or simply to give themselves a sense of identity, or are they seen as sincere and genuine?
7 Identity as well as belief?
Are Muslims represented as all holding certain theological beliefs, essentially, or is it recognized that being
a Muslim is for some people more to do with ethno-religious identity, or affiliation to a broad tradition and
heritage, than with holding specific beliefs?
8 Abusive language?
Is immoderate language used, for example language that compares Muslims to animals, or that claims they
are insane? Or are disagreement and criticism expressed with civility?
9 Attention to Muslim insights and arguments?
Are Muslim criticisms of the so-called West rejected out of hand or are they considered and debated?
10 Double standards?
Are double standards applied in descriptions and criticisms of Islam and the so-called West, or are criticisms
even-handed?
11 Who gets to speak?
Are Muslim voices sought out and quoted and is there a range of such voices? Are they given a fair hearing,
or are they ridiculed or sidelined? And is it shown that many non-Muslims seek and express solidarity with
Muslims on many issues?
12 Common sense?
Are anti-Muslim comments, stereotypes and discourse seen as natural and ‘common sense’, or as
problematic and to be challenged?
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Activity 16
Us and them, or in this together?
Summary
Young people consider some news stories about
Islam in Britain and Islam in the world, and whether the stories show the West and Islam as locked
in inevitable conflict (a ‘clash of civilizations’) or
whether on the contrary there can be partnership
and cooperation. On the basis of their reflections
and conclusions they write real or imaginary letters
to the local and national media, and to local and
national councillors and MPs.
Why?
• feel that they are respected and trusted, and
that they are recognized as having views and
opinions which are worth attending to
strengths.
Preparation
You need some news stories or quotations, and
two versions of the same tabulation, as for example in Handout 28. The language in this handout
may need to be simplified or explained for some
young people.
A specimen news story is provided in Handout 29.
difference
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Stories about us and them
(a) Non-Muslim perspectives
Points of contrast
Closed narratives
Open narratives
Uniformity/diversity
Muslims are all much the same
There is great diversity amongst
Muslims
Difference/similarity
Muslims are significantly different
from non-Muslims
Muslims and non-Muslims have a
great deal in common
Inferiority/equality
Muslims are morally and culturally
inferior to non-Muslims
There is both good and bad
everywhere – both in Muslims and
non-Muslims
Threat/trust
Muslims are a threat to nonMuslims
There are both real and perceived
threats on both sides
Conflict/
cooperation
There is no possibility of Muslims
and non-Muslims living and
working cooperatively together,
either in the world at large or within
individual European societies
It is both possible and urgent that
Muslims and non-Muslims should
work together on solving or
managing shared problems and
building mutual confidence
(b) Muslim perspectives
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Points of contrast
Closed narratives
Open narratives
Uniformity/diversity
Non-Muslims are all much the same
There is great diversity amongst
non-Muslims
Difference/similarity
Non-Muslims are significantly
different from Muslims
There are many commonalities
between Muslims and nonMuslims
Inferiority/equality
Non-Muslims are morally and
culturally inferior to Muslims
There is both good and bad
everywhere – both in Muslims
and non-Muslims
Threat/trust
Non-Muslims are a threat to
Muslims
There are both real and perceived
threats on both sides
Conflict/cooperation
There is no possibility of Muslims
and non-Muslims living and
working cooperatively together,
either in the world at large or
within individual European societies
It is both possible and urgent that
Muslims and non-Muslims should
work together on solving or
managing shared problems and
building mutual confidence
Procedure
Young people apply the five features of us/them
thinking in Handout 28 to various news cuttings,
or else to stories they have heard about. The
purpose is to expand the various statements in the
boxes by adding illustrative examples.
They may then look at the seven views of the
world summarized in Handout 30, and similarly
expand some of the statements with illustrative
examples. Again, the language here may well need
simplifying or explaining, and some of the historical references will need to be explained.
Muslims and the police, a news story
Scotland’s first Muslim Police Association is being created in an attempt to encourage more Muslims to join
and stay in the force.
Strathclyde Police hopes the group will also help tackle Islamophobia and improve understanding of Islam.
PC Amar Shakoor, who was Scotland’s first Muslim officer, said negativity had recently been directed towards
the Muslim community. He said the association hoped to put Islam in a more positive light.
‘We want to highlight some of the positive things Islam can provide to the communities and not just the
police services,’ he said.
According to PC Shakoor, since the 9/11 World Trade Centre attack, London tube bombings and Glasgow
airport attempted bombings, Muslims have faced suspicion and increasing scrutiny.
He said links were now more important than ever and one of the best ways to do this was to recruit more
Muslim officers.
Strathclyde Police, which has more than 7,000 officers, has only about 31 Muslim officers among its ranks.
Earlier this year, Chief Constable Steve House met Muslim officers in England who had started a similar
group. It has been quite successful, not only within the Muslim community, but also in tackling institutional
issues within their own police forces.
But a big part of what the Muslim Police Association here in Scotland hopes to achieve is to encourage
young Scottish Muslims, who might not otherwise consider a career with the police, to see it is a viable
option - somewhere they can move up the ladder and become part of the establishment.
Chief Constable House said: ‘The formation of the Muslim Police Association is a positive step’.
‘These are officers who are positive about seeing the police force as a career and want to use their
association to reach out to Muslims. They are not saying “Don’t join the police, it’s a bad career move”, they
are saying look, “Come and join, we’re happy with our career choice, come and join”.’
However, some young Scottish Muslims were not sold on the idea of becoming officers.
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I met two young men at a chip shop in Pollokshields, a largely Muslim area of Glasgow. They said they would
never join the police because their experiences with them had been largely negative.
But they supported the idea of a Muslim Police Association, especially if it meant more Muslim officers
patrolling the areas in which they live.
One said: ‘For Muslims especially, police are not our best friends. If you get a few Muslim people patrolling
the area it’d be a good thing, especially on Eid and stuff like that. They think it’s fights but really people are
just celebrating. So a lot of stuff can be misinterpreted depending on who’s patrolling the area’.
But getting more Muslim police officers in Muslim areas is easier said than done. There are only about
30,000 Muslims living in the Strathclyde region, making up just 1.5 per cent of the population so the
number of recruits per capita will always be small.
But there is another issue at play.
Chief Constable House says Muslim police officers are just that – police officers. And they do not want to be
treated any differently or be forced to police only one community.
Source: BBC Scotland, Friday, 9 May 2008.
Follow-up discussion: the concept
of open-mindedness
The journalist Peregrine Worsthorne has said
that Islam was ‘once a great civilization worthy
of being argued with’ but now ‘has degenerated into a primitive enemy fit only to be sensitively subjugated’. He makes two distinctions
in this claim, the one to do with content (‘great
civilization’/’primitive enemy’) and the other with
regard to forms of thinking and relating (‘argued
with’/’subjugated’.) To see an individual or a group
or a civilization as ‘worthy of being argued with’ is
necessarily to be open-minded towards them. The
hallmarks of open-mindedness include:
• readiness to change one’s views, both of others and of oneself, in the light of new facts
and evidence
• not deliberately distorting, or recklessly oversimplifying, incontestable facts
• not caricaturing the views of people with
whom one disagrees
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• not over-generalizing
• not being abusive when arguing, for example
not claiming that one’s opponents are evil or
insane or sub-human
• not using double standards when comparing
and contrasting others with oneself
• seeing difference and disagreement as a resource for understanding more about oneself,
not as a threat
• seeking to understand other people’s views
and standpoints in their own terms, and
where they are coming from – the narratives
and stories with which they interpret events
• not claiming greater certainty than is warranted
• seeking consensus or, at least, a modus vivendi which keeps channels of communication
open and permits all to maintain dignity.
What’s the problem? – Seven views of
‘Islam’ and ‘the West’
1. Religion
The problem is religion in general, which is merely ignorance, superstition and wishful thinking. The sooner
human beings stop being religious the safer the world will be.
2. Islam
The problem is a particular religion: Islam. It’s backward, barbaric and intolerant and supports the oppression
of women. Islam is stuck in the Middle Ages. It needs a reformation, based on science and modern thinking.
3. The hijacking of Islam
The problem is Islamism, namely an interpretation of Islam that has its intellectual roots in organizations such
as the Muslim Brotherhood founded in Egypt after the first World War and subsequently developed by Sayyid
Qutb in Egypt and Maulana Maududi in Pakistan. Alternative phrases or words instead of Islamism include
political, militant or radical Islam; Islamic activism; Qutbism; jihadism; extremism; and fundamentalism.
Islamism is a political ideology of hate.
4. West Asia/Middle East
The problem lies in the specific history of West Asia, particularly the history of Arab nations. Key events
and factors of the last 100 years include the Sykes-Picot agreement of 1916 for the dismemberment of the
Ottoman Empire, the Balfour Declaration and in due course the creation of the state of Israel, processes of
decolonization and globalization, tensions and conflicts within and between Arab countries and between
Arab countries and Iran, the Sunni/Shi’a rift, and the emergence of oil-rich economies.
5. The West
The problem is ‘the West’. From the Crusades to colonization, and from moral and military support for Israel
to the recent invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq, Western powers have oppressed Muslim
countries and cultures, and have developed forms of anti-Muslim hostility, Islamophobia and orientalism in
order to justify their own behaviour. This has provoked, understandably, much bitterness and anti-western
hostility in return.
6. Alienation
The problem lies in the alienation of young people of Muslim heritage born and educated in European
countries. They are marginalized and excluded by processes of religious and racist discrimination and some
turn to an ideology of nihilism and terrorism, intermixed with Islamism (see above), as a rhetoric of selfjustification.
7. Conflicts of material interest
The problem is not in the first instance to do with differences of culture, religion, ideology or civilization.
Rather, it is to do with conflicts of material interest. Globally, the key conflicts are around power, influence,
territory and resources, particularly oil. Within urban areas in Europe they are around employment, housing,
health and education. Such conflicts become ‘religionized’ or ‘culturalized’ – each side celebrates and
idealizes its own traditions and cultural heritage, including religion, and denigrates the traditions of the other.
Source: Derived and developed from an article by Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian, 15 September 2005.
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Activity 17
Who and what’s out there?
Summary
Young people visit a number of British Muslim
blogs and websites, and say what they like and
dislike about them. Also, they create scrapbooks
with extracts from them and perhaps posters and
wallcharts as well. Further, they write and submit
comments. They may in addition create a blog on
which they post their own reflections about current happenings.
Why?
difference
the past
it their own.
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Young people may in addition, of course, develop
and practise skills in website evaluation, construction and design.
Preparation
You need a list of websites and blogs, briefly annotated. There is a substantial list in Appendix E
of this pack. It is far from exhaustive, however.
Instead or as well, you can provide quotations
from a number of sites to give a flavour of what
they may contain, as in Handout 31.
Comment
A teacher who used this during the piloting stage
of this pack mentioned that it didn’t work quite as
planned. ‘Students seemed to believe everything
that they read on the net and couldn’t grasp the
concept of reliability and credibility of sources. We
spent quite a lot of time discussing a site one student found that was anti-Muslim though moderate in its language.’
Procedure
Young people surf the Internet and write reviews
and descriptions of the websites they find most
valuable. They may:
• submit copies of their reviews to some of the
websites under consideration, hopefully for
publication
• send email messages to some of the sites or
blogs
• post their reviews and comments on a website
or blog created by themselves.
Who’s out there? – Starting points for
webquest
Open circle for open minds
‘The City Circle promotes the development of a distinct British Muslim identity. It seeks to assist the process
of community cohesion and integration by building bilateral strategic alliances between Muslim and nonMuslim communities and harnessing and channelling the skills and resources of Muslim professionals into
practical projects, thereby facilitating and empowering young Muslim women and men to “put back in” to
the wider British community.’
http://www.thecitycircle.com/index.
Dynamic British Muslim community
‘Whilst we undertake work and develop projects that impact nationally and even internationally, we
passionately believe that we also need to foster and nurture the local community in which we live and work.’
‘So from this Centre we have regular meetings sharing our experiences with researchers, journalists and
documentary makers, professionals and others who consult us on Muslim issues. From here we also develop
creative ways to support the development of the wider and local British Muslim community. This is where we
put into practice our ideas and vision of developing a dynamic British Muslim community.’
‘This is our space. Here, we feel safe and comfortable. Young people and women tell us they find they can be
themselves here. This is a space where women, children and young people get together on their own terms.
There are very few places where Muslim women can have the freedom to think for themselves and develop
their own way of being.’
http://www.an-nisa.org/
Islam and democracy
We want younger Muslims to make choices for themselves. For far too long British Muslims have lived in a
democracy but have not matured into autonomous democrats. The expectation is that communities take
direction from community leaders and deliver block votes to political parties as if they are cash-and-carry
sacks of rice. Some Muslim leaders have, for example, ordered their flocks to vote for Ken. Disgraceful, yes,
but this is how it is on the Indian subcontinent and in Arab lands. A Muslim child is taught never to question
and to follow instructions from adults, fathers, grandparents, teachers, mullahs and political manipulators.
Respect for elders is admirable, but this excessive culture of obedience is stunting the development of Islamic
communities.
http://www.bmsd.org.uk/
The real experiences of Muslim youth
Aims to raise awareness of the different social problems that affect young Muslims and provide culturally
sensitive guidance to young people. The site encourages young Muslims to develop peer-support networks,
access specialist services and care for their social and mental well-being. By profiling the real experiences of
Muslim youth in a public forum, muslimyouth.net aims to confront the cultural stigma attached to common
social issues such as mental health, drug abuse and sexuality. The forum and chat rooms will allow young
Muslims to talk openly and anonymously about the issues that affect them without fear or community
reprisal.
http://www.muslimyouth.net/
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Activity 18
A way to get the attention of youth?
Summary
Preparation
Young people listen to various Muslim rappers and
visit their websites, and look at some of the debates that have taken place, and continue to take
place, within Muslim communities about whether
Islam and Hip Hop music are compatible with
each other. If their judgement is that there is no
inherent incompatibility, they compose, perform
and record their own work.
You need some recordings, plus a selection of
extracts from current and recent debates. Handout
32 contains a range of views on this subject that
you may use.
Why?
and ideas
the past
strengths
it their own.
They may also, of course, practise and develop
linguistic, musical and performance skills.
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Procedure
In pairs, small groups or as individuals, young
people may:
• select the pieces of music they would most
like to download themselves, and/or the artists
whom they would most like to see in performance
• write reviews of recordings or performances
• establish and use criteria for evaluating and
appreciating poetry and music
• rank and arrange viewpoints about whether
Islam and Hip Hop are compatible
• express their own opinions
• compose and perform their own work.
Continuation
It may be relevant to compare and contrast
Muslim Hip Hop with work advertised at the British Muslim Song website. ‘Here you will find,’ it
says, ‘a growing collection of beautiful songs and
sounds from the rich but little-known heritage of
British Islam. As well as timeless classics from the
age of Sheikh Abdullah Quilliam, and several new
arrangements written in the same spirit, you can
enjoy a unique cross-cultural experiment: great
songs written in English to ancient and muchloved Rumelian and Anatolian melodies. Whether
you are a music teacher, an entertainer, or simply a
lover of beautiful sounds, we hope you enjoy your
journey through this fascinating world’. http://
www.britishmuslimsong.co.uk/
Muslim Hip Hop, for and against
I love it
I love it! I listen to Soldiers of Allah, MRW, and Iron Sheik. They talk about true Islam, they criticize
our fake Islamic leaders and also the West. They speak true Islam. It is a way to get the attention
of youth, and give them Islam. It is better to have a good Islamic beat and lyric in your head than
some nasty ones in the mainstream. I do not think people like Mos Def is what I would call a Muslim
rapper... he doesn’t really rap about Islam... he does other stuff too… Islam is either all or nothing...
not some of this and some of that.
Aminah
Work in harmony
Poetry and music has been a median for spreading ‘pure thoughts’ and the belief of a divine existence
all the way from the times of poets such as Zhang Qi, Tamim ibn Bahr, Andrew of Longjumeau, Ibn
Battuta, who included accounts about the sea routes around South Asia to the Middle East. Poetry
and music work in harmony and one is not possible without the other, may it be rap about drugs,
violence and society or an emerging era of religious rap.
Tawreeda
U are mocking with it
I am a Muslim sister brought up in B’ham and I am disgusted with this idea... how can u possibly mix
the words of the lord with music? God has forbidden music - this means the use of instruments full
stop. So there is no point in saying u are spreading the message of Allah because u are mocking with it.
Sadia
The right path
There is one verse in the Koran which is used to argue that music is not allowed in Islam. The verse
explains that music could lead Muslims away from the right path. But it is important to consider the
events of the time, and this verse was relevant for that time. Today, ‘Islamic Hip Hop’ could actually
bring people closer to Islam and at the same time spread a positive message. Hip Hop, as with all
music, is art. Art has always excelled in Islam. From the very start of Hip Hop, Islam has played an
important role - from Afrika Bambaataa to Public Enemy. I hope it continues to do so.
Asif
Simple drum beat
I see this form of music as perfectly valid as long as it keeps musical instruments out. Islam has a
tradition of Islamic poetry and songs which are all considered fine by most as long as they do not
contain anything more than a simple drum beat as accompaniment. So what is wrong with Rap? OK
it is a little aggressive at times, but still isn’t rap just a form of street poetry?
Daw’ud Abdullah
Muslims themselves
I think Islamic Hip Hop is an excellent idea. It’s the modern medium with which to educate people
about Islam not just non-Muslims but Muslims themselves.
Irfan
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Alternative role model
I think it is great that music of Islamic nature is introduced to the population. In the world where
Eminem rules and Britney Spears is so popular, it is important that young Muslims have an alternative
role model to model after. It could also expand Islam and encourage non-Muslims to learn about
Islam. This could lead to greater understanding and appreciation of non-Muslims towards Muslims and
diminish the stereotype view of Muslims as terrorist. It could also influence younger Muslim generation
to learn more about their religion and to always remember the teachings of Islam. I cannot say whether
this genre of music is permitted in Islam, but I’m sure the gospel type (‘nasshid’) of music are permitted.
Haidir
Message
Music is a way of expressing one’s thoughts... and if these artists are talented enough to use their
voice to express their thoughts, I don’t see any harm in that. I think it’s absolutely appropriate to use
Hip Hop to deliver the message as long as artists don’t curse and use negativity in their songs. As a
student I barely have time in my hands, so isn’t it better to hear the message through music, then not
to receive the message at all?
Naveed
The spirit of the religion
I think Muslim rappers are great! I am a Muslim, and I firmly believe that our religion encourages
expressing creativity... Islam and rap are totally compatible. It’s an amazing way to develop spirituality,
and really shows how Muslims can assimilate into ‘Western’ society well, while still retaining their
beliefs. Anyone who believes that appropriate and uplifting music cannot be a part of a healthy
Islamic practice, is misguided about the spirit of the religion and its rules.
Nadia
No boundaries
I think people should embrace this message of Islam in Hip Hop. It’s a good way of keeping the
youth informed about their religion. At least it’s coming from credible sources and not from media
that aims to brain-wash and dull young people’s minds. Music has no boundaries and no limits;
anything should be available through music, especially spirituality and religion. At least these rappers
are rhyming about how to get closer to God and they’re sharing their joy of spirituality instead of
corrupting young valuable minds with drugs, careless sex and other nastiness. How can it be bad to
get closer to Allah through music? I think it’s a beautiful thing.
Sahar
One of love
Delivering the message of Islam via music is an age old formula. Islam was brought to the Sikhs of
India via music and great numbers converted to Islam via this format. Even today the life of the Prophet
Mohammed is expressed with such love in the forms of poetry, Nasheeds and Qawaali. If the message is
one of love for the Prophet and the invitation to discover Islam then I agree, but if it’s a tool to express
anger and incite malice then I disagree, this is not the message of Islam and would be counter productive.
Cappa
Narrower interpretations
Music is not forbidden by Islam, and for Muslims to use this as just another medium to communicate
the religious message to Muslims and non-Muslims alike is commendable and should be encouraged.
As for the more conservative Muslims who believe that music is ‘haram’ and that rapping about Islam
should be discouraged, while I respect their opinion I believe that they should express themselves by
consciously refraining from taking part - not telling other people what they should do or shouldn’t do
according to their own narrower interpretations of the faith.
Tariq
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Blasphemous
It is blasphemous and profane to mix such a vulgar and profane ‘music’ as rap with the sublime
message of Islam. Islam and rap are antithetical in their very essences, since rap reflects the
decadence and rottenness that characterize modern Western societies.
Salim
Speaks to their identity
I thought it might be worth mentioning a truly talented Danish Hip Hop group, Outlandish. The
group is made up of two Muslims and one Catholic each of whom expresses their faith in their music.
Hip Hop for them speaks to their identity as immigrants in Europe. Theirs is truly moving music to
listen to and makes me proud to be Muslim at a time when some Muslims are involved in shameful
things around the world.
Hakim
Joy
music is not banned in Islam; get your facts right. Rap is poetry, the prophet had his own poets who
praised Islam. Groups like Mecca2medina are great because they remind me of Allah. Also I became
a Muslim 12 years ago by listening to music so what do you say about that? There are many new
Muslims that have become Muslim by listening to groups like Mecca2medina and others. How can
that be wrong? Also there are many scholars who have expressed joy in hearing rappers praising
Allah.
Authordox
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/tx/documentaries/islamichiphop.shtml
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Appendix A
Citizenship and European Muslims:
Summary of a roundtable discussion
As mentioned in this pack’s introduction, work on the pack started with a roundtable
discussion involving Tariq Modood, Tariq Ramadan and Emel Abidin Algan. Appendix A
summarizes the key points that were made.
APPENDICES
Tariq Modood stressed that the British model of citizenship, as compared with the French model, allows a
pluralist approach that provides space for Muslim identity. There are different ways of being a citizen, for
example, in terms of factors such as gender, ethnicity, nationality and age. Citizenship should recognize
people as they are and as they wish to be. Citizenship should not transcend or offend these identities but
sit alongside them. It should not marginalize them and attempt to impose a new identity on them, as is
being done in a number of European contexts, such as in relation to headscarves in French state schools.
Citizenship should organize and interact with a range of identities and work to seek harmony, not uniformity,
amongst them. This pluralistic model of citizenship has to be politically fought for, especially in the current
political and social atmosphere surrounding Muslims and multiculturalism.
Tariq Ramadan similarly pointed out that the UK’s national political, legal and social framework allows
Muslims to be at the heart of the nation. That is therefore where Muslims should be instead of promoting
minority citizenship; being a good Muslim citizen is about promoting the common good. It is in fact in
the interest of Muslims to draw upon the legal framework. Otherwise cultural belonging may be used to
undermine the rights of Muslims as citizens. For example, Muslims are being cast as a minority presence
in France in order to legitimize the discriminatory implementation of laïcité. There needs therefore to be
a focus on the gap between citizenship ideals and practices on the ground. A comparison of what is said
about citizenship and participation and what is actually practised will show that the two do not match. For
example, In Britain multiculturalism is promoted as the citizenship ideal. In practice, however, the UK can be
seen to be culturally segregated.
Emel Abidin Algan spoke of the importance of understanding and contextualizing Islamic principles and
engaging with wider society as an inherent part of it, not separate from it. She stressed that there needs to be
an open dialogue within the Muslim community about social issues shared with non-Muslims, such as poverty
and domestic violence. These issues, as well as the way in which they are addressed, play an important role in
how an individual relates to other individuals and social groups. This relationship underpins active citizenship.
An open dialogue will also form part of a process of becoming aware of deficits within Muslim communities.
There is a discourse within certain Muslim circles, she continued, that reflects and expresses a lack of respect
towards people with different thoughts and life styles. This discourse needs to be addressed and its sources
should be focused on and explored in depth. Young Muslims must play a key role in this.
Other points made in the talks and subsequent discussions included the following:
• A fundamental activity, for all citizens, is dialogue and deliberation. Being critically engaged through
activities such as protest, demonstrations and campaigns is not inconsistent with citizenship. On the
contrary, contestation is inherent to citizenship and is part of its evolution. It follows that citizenship, like
dialogue, is always fluid and changing.
• To be part of this interactive mainstream dialogical activity, Muslims need to be willing to take
responsibility for contributing to the common good. Discourse within the Muslim community that
disrespects fellow citizens needs to be tackled. Muslims must not perpetuate a dualistic perspective that
opposes a Muslim ‘us’ against a non-Muslim ‘them’.
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• There is no such thing as ‘minority citizenship’. We are all equal before the law. Muslims should attempt
to engage with citizenship not from the premise of being a Muslim politician, a Muslim MP or a Muslim
citizen, but from the grounds of simply being a citizen. To prefix one’s position or status with one’s
cultural or religious belonging supports discourses that accept Muslims as ‘minority citizens’ in order to
put them outside the mainstream political debate.
• Muslims in Europe need to return to a better understanding of Islamic traditions around citizenship.
According to Islam, one must respect the social contracts of the structured political and social
community one belongs to. So being a European citizen clarifies Muslims’ understanding of Islamic
values, as also Islamic values clarify the duties and responsibilities of citizenship. The two sets of notions
neither oppose nor contradict each other.
APPENDICES
• Muslims have a social responsibility towards non-Muslims. They should ask themselves ‘What do I,
as a Muslim, have to offer to non-Muslim citizens in Europe?’ This will require a process of individual
reflection as well as an exploration of Islamic traditions and values.
• Muslim organizations in Europe need to engage more with basic social problems such as poverty,
domestic violence and the low levels of education amongst Muslim women. Many Islamic organizations
fail to make use of their position and power to promote an engagement with such issues.
• Parents have a responsibility to impart the rich and diverse Muslim heritage to their children.
Understanding and deciphering the richness of Islamic principles, and imparting them to children and
young adults, is in itself an opening into better citizenship.
• There needs to be a better understanding of the historical contexts of Islam. These contexts are often
omitted from teaching within Muslim schools and mosques. This has led to a situation in which
Muslims are uncritically dependent on historical practice; this may not be conducive to promoting active
citizenship in Britain today.
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Appendix B
Challenges facing British Muslims
Sadiq Khan MP
I did not come into Parliament to be a Muslim MP. And I have never set myself up as a Muslim spokesperson
or community leader. Just as ordinary citizens have multiple identities, so do MPs.
APPENDICES
[…]
Our priority [in the Labour Party] must be to address the major obstacles that prevent many Muslims
becoming fully active participants in mainstream civil society, while helping individuals to climb the social
ladder and take up new opportunities.
Before we can put together a good package of policies, we need a much more sophisticated political
narrative on which we can build those policies. A politics of fairness as opposed to favours. Without this,
policy measures risk being short-term, vulnerable and divisive.
In my pamphlet published by the Fabian Society, Fairness not Favours, I lay out a range of specific policies
in work, education, language and childcare which build on this new politics and aim to link communities
together through the recognition that everyone has a stake in the improvement of the life chances of the
worse off.
But there are two sides to this. British Muslims also need to step up to the plate. We need to take
responsibility for our own lives. We need to take more responsibility for our own families, ignore those who
propagate conspiracy theories, and above all we need to leave behind our victim mentality.
I challenge British Muslims to accept that as strongly as they feel about Iraq or counter-terrorism measures,
poverty and inequality have the biggest impact on the lives of the majority of British Muslims and do the
most to prevent potential being fulfilled. Even if your passion is foreign policy, your ability to help people
thousands of miles away is made much greater if you are an active citizen and player at home in the UK.
Of course, foreign policy is important to British Muslims. Not just because of our ethnic origins, but also
because of our interconnectedness with our co-religionists overseas. I argue in my pamphlet that rather than
this being a reason to fear us as fifth columnists, it gives UK plc a unique opportunity to tap into our faith
and background to improve and enhance the UK business community’s global links. Britain’s diaspora links
can also help reshape often negative perceptions of the UK and can achieve outcomes through engagement
with overseas Muslim audiences that would not be possible through formal diplomatic channels.
British Muslims will know they have understood the challenges facing them when they realize that childcare
should matter more than Kashmir. And they will know the Labour party finally understands them when they
hear politicians say that addressing the problems of British Muslims is about fairness, and not favours or fear.
At the time he wrote this article (The Guardian, 17 September 2008) Sadiq Khan was MP for
Tooting. In June 2009 he was appointed Minister of State for Transport.
104
Appendix C
Further reading
Abbas, Tahir (ed.) (2005) Muslim Britain: Communities under Pressure. London: Zed Press.
Ahmad, Imran (2007) Unimagined: A Muslim Boy Meets the West. London: Aurum Press.
APPENDICES
Ahmed, Sughra (2009) Seen and Not Heard: Voices of Young British Muslims. Leicester: Policy
Research Centre. URL: http://policyresearch.org.uk/publications_reports-SeenNotHeard.php
Ajegbo, Keith (2006) Diversity and Citizenship Curriculum Review. London: Department for
Education and Skills.
An-Nisa Society (2008) British Muslim or Wot? – An Eploration of What it Means to be Young,
Muslim and British. London: An-Nisa Society.
Ameli, Saied, Marandi, Syed, Ahmed, Sameera, Kara, Seyfeddin and Merali, Arzu (2007)
The British Media and Muslim Representation: The Ideology of Demonisation. London: Islamic
Human Rights Commission.
Archer, Louise (2003) Race, Masculinity and Schooling: Muslim Boys and Education. Maidenhead:
Open University Press.
Begg, Moazzam (2007) Enemy Combatant: The Terrifying True Story of a Briton in Guantanamo.
London: Pocket Books.
Choudhury, Tufyal (2006) The Role of Muslim Identity Politics in Radicalisation: A Study in
Progress. London: Department for Communities and Local Government.
Claire, Hilary and Holden, Cathie (eds) (2007) The Challenge of Teaching Controversial Issues.
Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
Coles, Maurice Irfan (2008) Every Muslim Child Matters: Practical Guidance for Schools and
Children’s Services. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
Coles, Maurice Irfan (2009) Islam, Citizenship and Education: When Hope and History Rhyme. A
discussion paper. URL: www.theiceproject.com
Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia (1997) Islamophobia: A Challenge for Us
All. London: Runnymede Trust.
Commission on British Muslims and Islamophobia (2004) Islamophobia: Issues, Challenges
and Action. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books for the Uniting Britain Trust.
Commission on the Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain (2000) The Future of Multi-Ethnic Britain:
The Parekh Report. London: Profile Books for the Runnymede Trust.
Commission on Integration and Cohesion (2007) Our Shared Future. London: Department for
Communities and Local Government.
105
Davies, Lynn (2008) Educating against Extremism. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.
Department for Children, Schools and Families (2008) Learning to be Safe: A Toolkit to Help
Schools Contribute to the Prevention of Violent Extremism. London: DSCF.
Department for Communities and Local Government (2007) Preventing Violent Extremism:
Winning Hearts and Minds. London: Department for Communities and Local Government.
Fekete, Liz (2008) Integration, Islamophobia and Civil Rights in Europe. London: Institute of Race
Relations.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2006) We All Came from Somewhere: Diversity, Identities
and Citizenship. Coventry: Learning and Skills Network.
APPENDICES
Fuller, Graham (2004), The Future of Political Islam. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
GfK (2006) Attitudes to Living in Britain: A Survey of Muslim Opinion. London: GfK NOP Social
Research for Channel 4 Dispatches.
Gluck, Angela (2007) What Do We Tell the Children? Confusion, Conflict and Complexity. Stoke
on Trent: Trentham Books.
Globescan (2007) ‘Global Poll Finds that Religion and Culture are Not to Blame for Tensions
between Islam and the West’. London: BBC World Service.
Gohir, Shaista (2006) Understanding the Other Perspective: Muslim and non-Muslim Relations.
London: Muslim Voice UK.
Husain, Ed (2007) The Islamist: Why I Joined Radical Islam in Britain, What I Saw Inside and Why I
Left. London: Penguin.
Hussain, Monawar (2008) Oxford Muslim Pupils’ Empowerment Programme, Cheney School,
Oxford.
Imran, Muhammad and Miskell, Elaine (2003) Citizenship and Muslim Perspectives: Teachers
Sharing Ideas. Birmingham: Tide Centre and Islamic Relief
Institute for Race Relations (2007) Working with the Media: A Guide for Antiracist
Campaigners and Refugee Rights Activists. IRR Briefing Paper No. 1. London: Institute for Race
Relations.
Jayaweera, Hiranthi and Choudhury, Tufyal (2008) Immigration, Faith and Cohesion: Evidence
from Local Areas with Significant Muslim Populations. York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation in
association with Centre on Migration Policy and Society (COMPAS), University of Oxford.
King, Edith (2006) Meeting the Challenges of Teaching in a World of Terrorism. London:
Thomson.
Kundnani, Arun (2007) The End of Tolerance: Racism in 21st Century Britain. London: Pluto Press.
Kundnani, Arun (2009) Spooked: How Not to Prevent Violent Extremism. London: Institute of
Race Relations.
Lewis, Philip (2007) Young, British and Muslim. London: Continuum Publishing.
Malik, Rabia, Shaikh, Aallyah and Suleyman, Mustafa (2007) Providing Faith and Culturally
Sensitive Support Services to Young British Muslims. Leicester: National Youth Agency.
106
Manzoor, Sarfraz (2007) Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock ‘n’ Roll. London:
Vintage Departures.
Masood, Ehsan (2006) British Muslims Media Guide. London: British Council.
Miliband, David (2009) Our Shared Future: Building Coalitions and Winning Consent, lecture at
Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, 21 May.
Mobdal, Anshuman (2008) Young British Muslim Voices. London: Greenwood World Publishing.
Modood, Tariq (1992) Not Easy Being British: Colour, Culture and Citizenship. Stoke on Trent:
Trentham Books for the Runnymede Trust.
APPENDICES
Modood, Tariq (2005) Multicultural Politics: Racism, Ethnicity and Muslims in Britain. Edinburgh:
Edinburgh University Press.
Modood, Tariq (2007) Multiculturalism: A Civic Idea. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Muslim Council of Britain (2007) Meeting the Needs of Muslim Pupils in State Schools:
Information and Guidance. London: Muslim Council for Britain.
Omaar, Rageh (2006) Only Half of Me: Being a Muslim in Britain. London: Viking.
Osler, Audrey and Starkey, Hugh (2005) Changing Citizenship: Democracy and Inclusion in
Education. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Pew Global Attitudes Project (2006) The Great Divide: How Westerners and Muslims View Each
Other. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center.
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (1998) Education for Citizenship and Teaching of
Democracy in Schools, The Crick Report, London: QCA.
Ramadan, Tariq (1997) To be a European Muslim. Leicester: Islamic Foundation.
Ramadan, Tariq (2003) Western Muslims and the Future of Islam. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Richardson, Robin and Gluck, Angela (eds) (2007) The Search for Common Ground: Muslims,
non-Muslims and the UK Media. London: Greater London Authority.
Rose, Martin (2009) A Shared Past for a Shared Future: European Muslims and History-making.
London: Association of Muslim Social Scientists and British Council.
Sacks, Jonathan (2002) The Dignity of Difference: How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations.
London: Continuum.
Sajid, Abduljalil (2004) Why Terror: Is There no Alternative? Switzerland: Caux Books.
Seddon, Mohammed Siddique, Hussein, Dilwar and Malik, Nadeem (2004) British Muslims
between Assimilation and Segregation: Historical, Legal and Social Realities. Leicester: The Islamic
Foundation.
SHM Consulting (2007) Engaging Young Muslims in Learning: Research Findings. Coventry:
Learning and Skills Council.
Van Driel, Barry (ed.) (2004) Confronting Islamophobia in Educational Practice. Stoke on Trent:
Trentham Books.
Yalonis, Chris (2005) Western Perception of Islam and Muslims. State of Kuwait: Ministry of
Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.
107
Appendix D
Glossary of Arabic words
The main text contains a number of Arabic words. The meanings are broadly as follows.
Da`wah: preaching of Islam, or making an invitation to understand Islam through a process of dialogue
APPENDICES
Hadith: stories and sayings originating from the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad.
Haram (also sometimes transliterated as haraam): forbidden, referring to anything that is prohibited by the
faith. The opposite is halal (halaal).
Inshallah: the equivalent of the English phrase God willing or If it be God’s will, or the Latin phrase Deo
volente. In Arabic speaking countries the term is used by members of all religions.
Nikah: wedding ceremony
Ummah: community or nation, commonly used to refer to all Muslims wordwide.
108
Appendix E
A selection of relevant websites and blogs
Introductory note
APPENDICES
Most though not all of the sites in this list are intended for teachers, youth workers and other adults. Many,
however, are suitable also for young people in the 12–17 age-range. The vast majority are specifically about
British Muslim identity and relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims. A few, however, are principally
about wider issues of tolerance, pluralism and mutual respect.
Adventures of Hakim
Stories directly addressing ‘the gritty reality of modern Muslim kids tackling drugs, crime, gangs and modern
life’ and aiming to inspire ‘an assured Muslim identity and a direct solution to the problems in the world
around them’.
http://theadventuresofhakim.jimdo.com/
Alliance of civilizations
Set up by the United Nations to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and
peoples across cultures and religions. Masses of information can be found on their website, in a range of
world languages.
http://www.unaoc.org/content/view/63/79/lang,english/
Amnesty International
‘We are ordinary people from around the world standing up for humanity and human rights. Our purpose
is to protect individuals wherever justice, fairness, freedom and truth are denied.’ Wide-ranging information
about current campaigns.
http://www.amnesty.org.uk/
An-Nisa
‘A space where women, children and young people get together on their own terms.’
http://www.an-nisa.org/
Anti-sectarian education
‘Don’t give it, don’t take it’: definitions and vivid practical suggestions for primary and secondary classrooms,
with a recently added section on Islamophobia.
http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/antisectarian/index.asp
Blogging the Qar’an
Scholarly but accessible discussion of the meaning and value of the Qar’an, led by Ziauddin Sardar with
comment and questions from Madeleine Bunting.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/quran/2007/12/about_this_blog.html
Blogistan
Describes itself as ‘an authentic, moderate face of Islam in Britain’.
http://www.blogistan.co.uk/blogistan/
Bradford Muslim
Commentaries on current events and trends
http://bradfordmuslim.blogspot.com/
British Muslim Initiative
Particularly concerned with events and deployments in London
http://www.bminitiative.net/
109
British Muslims for Secular Democracy
‘We want to challenge perceptions, ideas and current thinking about British Muslims.’
http://www.bmsd.org.uk/
Cageprisoners
Wealth of information about Guantanamo Bay, and many suggestions for actions by individuals and groups.
http://www.cageprisoners.com/index.php
Change the Story
‘Offers an interactive experience where users — Muslim and non-Muslim alike — can meet their neighbours,
learn about Islam and apply techniques of interfaith dialogue and action to local communities.’
http://www.changethestory.net
Christian Muslim Forum
APPENDICES
Includes material about young people involved in interfaith dialogue and activities.
http://www.christianmuslimforum.org/
City Circle
‘An open circle for open minds, providing an atmosphere where individuals are pushed to think outside the
box.’ Intended in particular for British Muslims in the 20–40 age-group.
http://www.thecitycircle.com/index.php
Cohesion Bradford
Explains and explores national and local initiatives in community cohesion in schools and provides a forum
for teachers and others to share experiences, views and good practice.
http://www.cohesionbradford.org/
Council for Arab British Understanding
Contains resources for citizenship education, particularly in relation to media literacy.
www.caabu.org/education
Engage
Commentary from a Muslim perspective on media coverage of Islam in Britain and of Muslim organizations.
http://www.iengage.org.uk/
Faith in the City
Animated film (3 minutes 42 seconds) with a soundtrack consisting of extracts from interviews with young
Muslims in London.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxfljlSdXBw
Facing History and Ourselves
Many valuable resources, including Stories of Identity: Religion, Migration and Belonging in a Changing
World, a collection of readings about globalization with a particular emphasis on relations between Muslims
and non-Muslims.
www.FacingHistory.com
Forum against Islamophobia and Racism
Valuable news service whereby subscribers receive free of charge, several times a week, a selection of links to
current news items.
www.fairuk.org
Inter Faith Week
The website provides lots of ideas for observing the week, particularly at local levels. The first such week took
place in November 2009, coordinated by the Inter Faith Network and supported in part by the Department
for Children, Schools and Families.
http://www.interfaithweek.org/
110
Islam and Citizenship Education
A wealth of activities for Muslim children and young people at Key Stages 2 and 3.
www.theiceproject.com
Islam in Europe
Join the mailing list and you will receive several news items every week, sometimes several every day.
http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/
Islam is Peace
The site’s strapline is Proud to be a British Muslim. ‘As you find your way through this site,’ says the message
on the home page, ‘you will discover that Islam is a peaceful religion. You will see that Muslims are not the
threat as often portrayed, but are members of this society trying to get on with life just as you are. You begin
to understand that these terrorists you hear about do not represent Islam.’
http://www.islamispeace.org.uk/
APPENDICES
Islam Expo
Inspiring wealth of information about Islamic culture, achievements and creative developments in modern
Britain.
http://www.islamexpo.com/
Islamic Human Rights Commission
Strong international focus as well as British.
www.ihrc.org
Islamicist
Spoof autobiography.
http://theislamicist.wordpress.com/
Islamic Society of Britain
Conferences, news and events.
www.isb.org.uk
Islamophonic
A monthly podcast: ‘News and views from the world of Islam, but not as you have heard it before’.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/series/islamophonic
Muslim Association of Britain
Comment, news, discussions and articles.
(www.mabonline.net) –
Muslim Council of Britain
Wide range of comment and useful statistics, frequently updated.
www.mcb.org.uk
Muslim Directory
Substantial lists of contacts and links.
www.muslimdirectory.co.uk
Muslim Heritage
Muslim contributions to modern science, technology, arts and civilization.
(www.muslimheritage.com)
Muslim News
Substantial archive of news items, articles and comment, and regular newsletters on current affairs.
www.muslimnews.co.uk)
Muslim Public Affairs Committee
Includes advice on complaints to the media, and provides regular newsletters.
www.mpacuk.org
111
Muslim Youth
‘The coolest online space for Muslim youth’ – Britain’s first guidance and support channel for Muslim youth.
The site is designed and managed entirely by young people who reflect the diversity of Muslim communities
in the UK, aiming to raise awareness of the different social problems that affect young Muslims and provide
culturally sensitive guidance to young people. The site encourages young Muslims to develop peer-support
networks, access specialist services and care for their social and mental well-being.
http://www.muslimyouth.net/
Nasiha Citizenship Foundation
Materials and ideas for teaching Islamic virtues and values to young British Muslims, created under the
auspices of the Bradford Council of Mosques.
http://www.nasiha.co.uk/
Our Shared Europe
APPENDICES
‘Swapping treasures, sharing losses, celebrating futures’ – this is the British Council’s response to the
growing mutual mistrust between Muslim communities and wider European society. It contains many ideas
for teachers and curriculum planning.
http://www.oursharedeurope.org/
Pixelisation
Based in Australia, but with clippings and comment from the UK as well as elsewhere.
http://pixelisation.wordpress.com/
Platform Magazine
Islamic urban music scene, ‘Dedicated to my people worldwide, struggling to keep alive … Be hopeful!’.
http://www.myspace.com/theplatformag
Poetic Pilgrimage
‘An exciting up-and-coming female hip-hop and spoken word duo performing with a live band, set to take
the world by storm with their fresh sound, intelligent lyrics and courageous characters.’
http://www.myspace.com/poeticpilgrimage
Q News
Brief summaries of key articles over the years.
www.q-news.com
Radical Middle Way
This website contains video clips of lectures, talks and conferences, and the texts of a wide range of articles
about Islam in western societies.
http://www.radicalmiddleway.co.uk/index.php
Rameez
This website provides ‘A portal for young Muslims’, with a section on current affairs.
http://www.rameez.net/
Reading Islam
Guidance on moral and spiritual questions for Muslims, particularly those who live in Western countries, with
much of interest for non-Muslims.
http://www.readingislam.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Zone-English-Discover_Islam/DIEZone
Real Histories Directory
Set up by the Runnymede Trust (see below), a resource for teachers, parents, pupils and the wider
community to support teaching and learning about cultural diversity in the UK.
http://www.realhistories.org.uk
Rolled-Up Trousers
Based in Scotland, but commenting on the whole of the UK. Lively and topical.
http://www.osamasaeed.org/
112
Runnymede Trust
Many articles and materials about ethnicity and race, including several dealing with education, one of which
is Tell Me What I Need To Know, an online resource intended for parents.
http://www.runnymedetrust.org/
Salaam
Wide-ranging data on Islam in Britain.
http://www.salaam.co.uk
Show Racism the Red Card
The national campaign against racism in football, including a new DVD on Islamophobia.
http://www.theredcard.org/
The 99
APPENDICES
Comic book about superheroes. Inspired by Islam and a desire to show Islam’s positive values and
achievements over the centuries. There are 99 heroes in the saga, each with his or her own distinctive
powers, skills and capacities. They are from 99 different countries.
http://www.the99.org
This is Where I Need to Be
‘Uncensored by a classroom teacher, unfiltered by the media newsroom, and unadulterated by social science
theory … personal moments and memories from the lives and identities of ordinary Muslim teenagers that
powerfully contest the caricatured images and voices of Muslims in post-9/11 America we are so accustomed
to hearing.’ It includes several short film clips of young people talking about their lives and identities.
http://www.thisiswhereineedtobe.com
World of Difference Institute
A project of the Anti-Defamation League in the United States. Classroom activities and lesson plans for antibias and tolerance, stimulating, imaginative and practical.
http://www.adl.org/education/edu_awod/awod_classroom.asp
Yahya Burt
Sub-titled ‘Musings on the Britannic Crescent’. Lively and thoughtful commentary on current affairs.
http://www.yahyabirt.com
Young Muslim Advisory Group
‘YMAG is here to influence government on things that really matter; through meeting ministers, attending
events, taking part in consultations and discussing policy changes.’
The website is lively and engaging, with much of interest for young people. Features include a monthly
survey and various discussion forums.
http://www.ymag.opm.co.uk/
Young Muslim Leadership Network
‘Are you Muslim, aged between 16 and 21 and wanting to help make this country a better place?’ Based at
the Citizenship Foundation, this project enables young people to question leaders in politics, the law, police
and media in order to aid their understanding of topical issues affecting young Muslims, with a view to
producing resources for their peers, teachers, police and youth workers.
http://www.citizenshipfoundation.org.uk/main/page.php?406
113
Appendix F
Islam and Citzenship Education (ICE) Project
In 2008–09 the ICE Project developed 50 lesson plans for use in mosque-based educational contexts. The
objectives of some of the lessons are briefly summarized below. All can be viewed in detail at http://www.
theiceproject.com/. The lessons are intended for the 9–14 age-range.
1. What is Citizenship?
To introduce the ICE Programme and the pupils’ role within it and learn what citizenship is.
APPENDICES
2. Guidelines for holding a dialogue
To know what a dialogue is, what makes a good dialogue, and understand that Islam encourages dialogue in
order to seek the truth and to build relationships
3. Enquiry and research
To learn that Islam encourages questioning and seeking of correct information from a range of sources
4. The Masjid, the Madrasah, the Community
To learn how we can contribute to the community through the madrasah and that working closely together in the
community is part of citizenship
5. Resolving conflict
To learn the Islamic method of resolving conflict and that good citizens deal with conflicts in a peaceful and lawabiding way, and to understand that the greater jihad is the struggle to do good and to stay away from bad
6. Community cohesion
To learn what community cohesion means, understand that different communities have valuable contributions to
make towards the betterment of society, and explore Islamic teachings regarding living and working with others
7. The Constitution of Madinah – a multifaith society
To learn about the world’s first attempt to lay down the principles for a multifaith society. and appreciate that
the Messenger Muhammad (pbuh) encouraged all people living in Madinah to exercise their rights and fulfil their
responsibilities
8. Being a British Muslim
To understand that we can be both Muslim and British
9. Volunteering and giving charity
To understand that both Islam and citizenship teach us to volunteer and give charity
10. Active citizenship
To understand the nature of active citizenship and that active citizenship is part of the Islamic way of life
11. Islam and the environment
To learn that both as Muslims and as citizens we have a responsibility for the environment, to understand that
we need to preserve earth’s resources for future generations, and to show gratitude for God’s blessings by using
natural resources wisely
12. Equality issues: roles of men and women
To understand what Islam says about the role of men and women in the modern world, and that both men and
women are equal citizens
13. Informed decisions and responsible actions
To understand that as Muslims we are required to make informed decisions and take responsible actions
14. British or Muslim, or British Muslim?
To explain that individuals have multiple identities, and we should not have to choose one identity over another,
understand there are religious, ethnic, cultural and national identities, and understand that Islam encourages us to
celebrate similarities and respect differences
114
115
Messages of support:
‘The resource pack was easy to use with lots of
different activities to do with young people. I
think that this resource pack should be used in
all Muslim organizations who work with young
people.’ - Perwaise Ayoub, Karimia Institute,
Bobbersmill Community Centre, Nottingham
‘The resource pack is very user-friendly and can
easily be used with Muslim Youth Groups, and
there are plenty of sessions which cater for
different delivery styles!’ – Yasmin Sheikh, City
Wide Specialist Youth Worker (Muslim Young
People), Children and Young People’s Services,
Leicester City Council and Federation of Muslim
Organisations
‘The pack has proved to be very useful with young
people. They have been able to actively take parts
in the various workshops, and have been able to
freely express themselves and take part in debates.
The toolkit is a well researched and well developed
way of involving young people in participating in
open dialogue.’ – Anira Khokhar, Young People’s
Coordinator, Bristol Muslim Cultural Society
www.youngmuslimcitizens.org.uk
ISBN-13: 978-1-906732-36-3
EAN: 9781906732363
116

Young, Muslim and Citizen - Identity, Empowerment and Change

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