I came to know that most of the imams in the UK does not have a functional command of English language nor do they know the culture and society of UK. Thus they cannot connect with the young generation and guide them properly. If this is true, what does the Masajid guide say about this, and is there any long term planning to rectify this situation.
Answer
Salamu Alikum,
Yes many imams do not have functional command of the English language. This is one of the areas the Advisory body can work together with its constituent members to address. this can be done through the organizing of training courses and also to help imams with a better command to play a more active role in the mosques.
Name
Salma Berrton
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Do you consider this guide a good initiative to gather UK Muslims all over one common guide? And what are your plans concerning having the same guide for all the European Mosques?
Answer
Salamu Alikum,
What has been achieved so far from our consultations are two draft documents; a constitution a draft of core standards. We hope through a process of consultation to refine these to meet the needs of the diverse sectors of British Muslim community. If our friends and colleagues in other parts of Europe recognize any value in our experience and work they are free to benefit from it and we would be ever willing to help.
Name
Abed Alrahman
- Australia
Profession
A newly convert
Question
Salamu Alikum,
Do you have any extra plans for the coming future that would help British Muslims over come the mosques problems specially the new one in the east that has been raising a lot of disputes over its founding procedures?
Thank you so much
Answer
Salamu Alikum,
The MINAB is not an executive agency. It is an advisory body and will give its best counsel for the common good, Muslims and non-Muslims. We have no evidence that the mosque you refer to had broken any of the rules laid down by the charity commission regarding fund raising.
Name
Samy Salama
- Denmark
Profession
Student
Question
What exactly are the goals of this guide as they are not clear enough? JAK
Answer
Salamu Alikum,
The constitution and core standards have earmarked among our priorities to increase skills and competencies of imams, develop mosques as centers of worship as well as social cohesion, strengthen mechanisms of accountability, create greater access for women and young people.
Name
Moataz ramy
- Sweden
Profession
Question
You have recently said that Britain is a free and democratic country and every citizen has the right to speak his/her mind out, do you think those words are still logical after the new study that was published by a right-wing think-tank claiming that there are a lot of extremist literature spread around Britain's mosques?
Answer
Yes we hold this view. There are many in the society who espouse racist, xenophobic and Islamophobic views. Their access to the media makes their number seem greater than it really is. There are many in the legal profession for example who opposed many of the tough pieces of legislation contemplated by the government, there are similar sympathetic forces in the trade union movement and other civil society bodies. We will work with them for our common good.
Name
Mosa Ali
- Austria
Profession
Question
Salamu Alikum,
I would be grateful if you could please tell us as MCB's representatives, what exactly are the obstacles that do face British Mosques and Muslims right now, and is there any ways to tackle them?
Answer
Salamu Alikum
I prefer to address the matter from the challenges' viewpoint rather than obstacles. These are to ensure the mosques become centers of excellence as places of worship, learning and social guidance. That entails the best use of our resources, many of which are yet to be fully and positively exploited such as our youth and women .
Name
Mohanad
- France
Profession
Question
Do you see British Muslims are representing Islam in its true meaning or destroying its image?
Answer
Salamu Alikum,
British Muslims try to be good representatives of Islam. We are not a community of angels and sometimes things go wrong.
Name
United Kingdom Muslims
-
Profession
Question
Are you against or pro Muslims in UK, and what are the roles that they are supposed to be playing towards Islam?
Answer
Salamu Alikum,
We are for the good of British Muslims, who are an integral part of the British society. We seek the good of the wider society as well and as such we will work with all those who share this aspiration. we will do so in a manner constant with our faith and the law of the land.
Name
Amana Ismail
- France
Profession
Question
Do you think this guide has something to do with the image of Islam in UK and all over the world, and was this one of your goals?
Answer
Salmu Alikum,
The main focus and prime concern of the body is the condition of British Muslims. We are well aware that Muslims in other parts of Europe face similar challenges. We hope that our experience would benefit them. the mission of developing our mosques into places of excellence is not an option. It is an imperative. We are told by our beloved Prophet (saw) whoever engages in an Endeavour should perfect it.
Name
Sohayeb Said
-
Profession
Question
Will this guide be published in the British Mosques or available, and are they going to be for free or what?
Answer
Salamu Alikum,
The draft constitution and core standards guide will be circulated to over 1000 mosques in the UK. They would be invited to contribute their own views on its content, relevance and format. Through consultation we hope both documents will be refined into veritable points of reference for the future.
Name
Doaa Said
- Egypt
Profession
Question
What is the role of the MCB towards the new immigration regulations? In details pl z
Answer
Immigration is one of the most hotly contested issue today on the British political scene. The MCB does not accept the claim that immigration is putting a strain on the infrastructure of the country or that it affects the labor market negatively. There is an argument that immigrants take the jobs of locals. Much of these claims have not been substantiated by evidence so we in the MCB to not accept them. On the contrary we have much evidence to suggest that the immigrants have brought much needed skills and expertise from which the economy has benefited. It should be said that most of the immigrants who came in the last decade came from eastern Europe with the enlargement of EU. They are entitled to stay and work. Most of the Muslims who came during the same period were refugees and asylum seekers, categories which are different from immigrants. Their ability to remain and integrate is much more difficult. The MCB supports a policy that offers equal opportunity based on merit.
Name
Fadel
- Austria
Profession
Question
I feel unpleased with this idea, as I guess no need to ask Muslims to pay for a service like this, why don’t you just post it online through islamonline may be?
Answer
We believe that the MINAB should be chosen by members of the community, that it works for the community and is accountable to the community. It should be independent, self-regulating and self-financing. While we would accept financial help for specific projects we believe that in order to preserve our independence our core funding must come from the community. In other words the institution must be owned by the community.
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
This session has come to an end.
We would like to thank Dr. Daud for speaking to IslamOnline.net viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue.
We apologize for not being able to accommodate any further questions. We request our readers to join us in the upcoming sessions.
