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The Regents Park Mosque is a major London tourist attraction.
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By
Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent
LONDON,
April 16, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Despite the fallout from the 7/7
attacks on London's underground by four British Muslims, the sizable
Muslim minority in Britain still feels luckier compared to fellow
Muslims across Europe thanks to the successful integrationist policy of
the government.
"The
status of British Muslims in society is the most distinguished in
comparison with other Muslim minorities in Europe and the entire
West," Ahmad Al-Dubayan, the director of the Regents Park Mosque in
central London told IslamOnline.net.
He
said British Muslims are more represented in the lower and upper houses
of parliament than any Muslim minority in Europe.
"True
that France has the largest Muslim minority in Europe (some six million
people), but British Muslims (some 1.8 million) are well-represented in
the House of Lords and the House of Commons, and matchlessly assume
high-profile posts in the government," Al-Dubayan added.
Four
out of the 50 Muslim candidates fielded by major parties won in last
May's parliamentary elections, what was seen by analysts as a
considerable victory helping the minority play a key role in the
country's political landscape.
Mohammad
Sarwar and Khalid Mahmood were re-elected, while Sadiq Khan and Shahid
Malik became the parliament's new Muslim faces.
Multi-Culturalism
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The Islamic Bank of Britain stand as proof of London's multi-cultural mosaic.
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Al-Dubayan
said Britain is based on multi-culturalism, giving Muslims and other
minorities much more freedom.
One
cannot hardly spot a hijab-clad Muslim woman or a turbaned Sikh at the
tickets counter in Britain's largest and most famous Waterloo railway
station or Heathrow airport, says IOL correspondent.
And
at the station's historical and breathtaking Victory Arch, one can
listen to the tuneful Easter songs by a church choir.
The
Regents Park Mosque and the Islamic Bank of Britain in Edgware Road also
stand as proof of London's multi-cultural mosaic.
Last
year, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) Sir Iqbal
Sacranie joined a star-studded array of public figures led by Prime
Minister Tony Blair in presenting London's successful bid to host the
2012 Olympic Games.
MCB
spokesman Inayat Bunglawala was also picked by the government after the
July attacks as part of a taskforce of public figures to address the
roots of terrorism.
Islamic
Arts
Mayor
of London Ken Livingstone has decided to host Europe's biggest
exhibition of modern-day Islam, IslamExpo,
this summer in the splendid Alexandra Palace, London’s most stylish
and versatile venue for exhibitions, conferences, hospitality and
private celebrations.
"IslamExpo
will be held at London's most spectacular venue for conferences for four
days to shed light on the artistic and cultural faces of Islam,"
the exhibition's supervisor, Somiya Abdel Salam, told IOL.
"Our
message is that Islam can contribute to the integration process with its
arts," she said.
An
ICM survey found in February that 91 percent of British Muslims are
"loyal" to Britain and 80 percent still want to live in and
accept Western society.
The
poll showed that that 99 percent of British Muslims believed the July 7
bombers were "wrong" to carry out the atrocity.
British
Muslim leaders have, however, joined forces with senior politicians and
rights activists in opposing the recently adopted amendments to the
anti-terror bill, which made the vaguely "glorification" of
terrorism a crime and curbed personal freedoms.
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