Is it a wise idea to put all the eggs in one basket?
Ken Livingston might have been very good towards muslims, but there should have been given some thought about what will be the strategy if Boris Johnson wins.
Are there any long term plans to be prepared for any type of result. This should be an eye opener for muslims that they should be ready to work with whoever gets elected.
Thanks.
Answer
Bismillah. Thanks for your question brother Mohammed. In the case of an election, there is always the chance that someone will lose and someone else will win, so it's naive to think that when we started this campaign we were 100% certain that the candidate we backed was going to win. Of course we considered the other possibility, which at most stages seemed the most likely outcome (Boris Johnson was constantly ahead in most polls before the elections). However, you when you run a campaign, you can't call on people to vote for both candidates. You have to outline the priorities you base you judgement on and choose the candidate who fulfils or meets those priorities. At the same time, our campaign never suggested that we represented all Muslims. Not at all. We think that most Muslims voted for Ken Livingstone, but we know for a fact that many voted for his opponents, from all parties. That is the nature of Muslims; they are diverse and they have the ability to choose for themselves who they see as the best for the job. We only have a duty to campaign for what we see is right and most beneficial.
Name
Cihan
- Netherlands
Profession
student
Question
Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullah dear brother,
I will be attending a prestigious 6-weekstudycourse in june about. The group of people of which I will be a part is about 25 and all non-muslims. We will be travelling to different European countries. As I am very strict on my prayertimes that means I will be in situations were I have to pray at places like airports and classrooms in public. How should I deal with this? Should I wait untill I'm alone in my for example my hotelroom or just pray at time because the prayer is most important. Because of different experience I have also noticed that this can be a possibility for dawa and a more positive image of islam.
Thank you and may Allah reward you with the highest in heaven inchallah.
Answer
Thank you for your question. However, I think this question is more suitable for the Fatwa section on Islam on Line. Otheriwse if you find no answer to your queries, feel free to write to me on my personal e-mail after this session and I will answer your question to the best of my ability In sha'a Allah.
Name
Naseema
- South Africa
Profession
Question
Salaam Alaikum Brother Anas
The former mayor was known to have had a good relationship with the Muslim community. With problems that UK Muslims have been facing, how will the election of Johnson affect the Muslim community? Also, does the UK Muslim community bear responsibility as well for the negative attitude and treatment received?
Thank you for your time. We hope to see you in South Africa again soon insha Allah.
Answer
Wa Alaykum Sister Naseema. Thank you for your question, and I too hope to visit South Africa soon In sha'a Allah. The responsibility of having a good or bad relationship with the mayor or any person in public office lies with both parties; the Muslim community as well as with the public servant in question, whether mayor, minister, Prime Minister, etc. It is wrong to assume that since the candidate whom the majority of the community did not back won the elections, it necessarily follows that the decision not to back him was ill-advised or wrong, or that the relationships will be bad in days to come. If anything, it is upon the new mayor to reach out to all those in London (more than a million) who voted for his opponent in the election, and try to win their trust, and not the other way round. Boris Johnson sounded some positive voices in his victory speech as well as in the final stage of the campaign, and now he has to prove that he was being sincere and truthful, and put words into practice.
As for the community bearing responsibility for the negative attitudes in the UK today, once again, I am a firm believer of joint responsibilities. I believe that the community has a lot to answer for, and a lot to rectify, but it would be unfair to lay all the blame at the Muslims community's doorstep. There are elements throughout society that are hostile to Muslims as well as other sectors of British society, and the government policies of late have given rise to increasing feelings of suspicion, apprehension, fear and division. If we want to correct the situation, everyone who is party to society in this country must bear responsibility and play a positive role, including of course the Muslim community itself.
Name
Muhammed Rasheed
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
Banker
Question
What is the prority of Islam in the muslim minority contries and the Govt. is there is democratic & secular
Answer
That is a very important question Brother. Thank you for posing it. I think that after a number of decades of Muslims living in the West, the priorities have evolved quite dramatically. At the beginning, the main priority was 'self-preservation' and not to lose one's identity and connection to Islam. That then developed into establishing the elements of a 'community' by constructing mosques, Islamic schools, shops that sell Halal meat, etc. etc. However, I believe that now we have arrived at a stage when we have around 2.5 million Muslims in the UK alone, and more than 30 million throughout western Europe, most of whom are now citizens of their countries, and most actually speak English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and other European languages as their first languages. These Muslims now look to actually prove that they are at the centre of their respective societies, and no longer an alien fringe marginal element that is looking to return to their homelands in the East. This requires an understanding of both Islam within a majority non-Muslim often secular context, as well as an appreciation and understanding of the societies within which they have established their homes. We emphasise on the term 'full and positive engagement', 'participation', 'positive integration' and an array of other terms that define what we are searching for and trying to achieve. It basically points to the overwhelming objective of fulfilling our role as citizens of our countries, and establishing, in fact proving, our conviction that by being perfect Muslims, we become perfect citizens, and vice versa.
Name
Mohamed...
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Salamu Alikum brother Anas,,,
I am one of your fans…May Allah rewards you and your initiatives…
I would like to here your expectations concerning the Conservative London…and whether or not there would be a lot of positive/negative impacts on British Muslims….?
Answer
Thank you brother Mohamed for your trust. May Allah accept from both all of us. I'm sure that there will be both positives as well as negatives in London under the new Mayor. However, which overrides which depends on how positively we approach this next phase as well as how true the new Mayor is to his words at his victory speech on Friday night. We must not see this new phase as some sort of crisis point. If anything, we should welcome the new challenge, and continue to believe in Allah's infinite wisdom and that whatever he chooses for us is always the best, and that with every challenge comes an opportunity which we must seize. There is a lot to do within the Muslim community itself, via the main organisations and the various groups that make the composition of the Muslims in London, and also much to do by the leaderships in providing that vital ingredient of 'leadership' which has been faltering of late, unfortunately. I'm quite optimistic though, and trust that we can face up to the challenge and achieve greater heights than before. However, we need to work very hard in order to attain that. Our trust in Allah is unwavering.
Name
Salman Faresy
- Belgium
Profession
Question
Salam…
I am from France, but I am really concerned with the results of the elections…we were really astonished…and the results remind us with Sarkozy's party big loss…In your opinion, what are the results indicating to when it comes to Brown popularity?
Answer
Thank you brother Salman. I'm sure you can see that there is a rising trend of support to right-wing parties throughout Europe (and maybe we will see the same in the US elections later this year). The election results in Italy recently (both presidential nd mayoral) all resulted in a return to the right, and in the case of the Mayor of Rome, the far right, France is seeing something similar and in the case of the UK, we are also seeing a rise in the support of the right. This usually happens when people become afraid. The economic situation is hurting a lot of people, social breakdown is on the rise, and we are constantly reminded that we are under the threat of terrorism. This makes people scared, and usually the result is that people begin to support Right-wing parties and politicians. The Labour party in the UK has failed on many fronts, especially in its internal policies. This has come as a result of it's failure on the foreign policy front, which brought about a sense of mistrust and lack of confidence even within the Labour party itself. When the general public see that even the Labour party members are angry with their leadership, they of course begin to lose trust themselves. I personally believe that unless there is a radical change in policy (internal and foreign) and a change of approach by the government, the next general elections will see Labour lose to the Conservatives, Wallahu A'lam.
Name
European Muslim
-
Profession
Question
How do you evualte the relationship between Muslims and Conservatives? What, are the future of Muslims in UK after the decleration of these unexpected results?
Answer
The relationship between the Muslim community and the Conservative party has not been easy in recent years. We have tried to approach the Conservatives in hope to correct some of their information, ideas and methods when dealing with the issue of Islam and Muslims, but with poor results unfortunately. The Party has been influenced largely by neo-con policies and ideas from the US, as well as by the influence of the Zionist lobby in the UK and Europe. However, that must not allow us to lose hope. There are a large number of Muslims who are members of the Conservative party, and they must play their role in trying to influence things from the inside. The Community as a whole also has a role to play in trying to prove its worth and its influence so that it remains an element of society that the Conservatives cannot avoid dealing with. We must also continue to remember that it is the main responsibility of the Conservatives themselves to reach out to those who do not trust them. Any party or government cannot be govern over just a part of society and neglect another. As in my previous answer, I believe in joint responsibility, and it is upon us all, Muslims, non-Muslims as well as the various main political parties to address the problems we all face in a spirit of mutual cooperation. Otherwise, failure will not be the fate of only one of those parties, but for all of us together.
Name
Mosatfa Saad
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
I am really worried about these results.. London used to be a multi-ethnic city…the most multi-ethnic European city…Do you think things will get worse under the Conservative party reign over London…?
Answer
We'll have to wait and see. I don't think that things will change overnight, nor in a matter of weeks. However, we may begin to see some changes over the next few months, especially if the leaders of the new Mayor administration prove to be bad selections. London will remain diverse, colourful, rich in its variations and made of people from all around the world. That's something that will not change. Therefore it is incumbant upon the new mayor to deal with the reality of London, and not the other way round. Once again, we will have to wait and see whether things truly turn for the worse in London under the new Mayor. For everyone's sake, we pray to Allah that they don't.
Name
Mosaad Fathy
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
Salam Mr. Anas,
Do you believe Muslims in London were the reason behind Livingstone's loss and what is Livingstone's future when it comes to Muslims in London?
Answer
Thank you Brother Mosaad. Of course I don't believe that Muslims in London were behind Livingstone's loss. If anything I believe that it was the effective mobilisation of Muslims (as well as many sectors of the wider London population) that reduced the margin by which Boris Johnson won. In fact, Livingstone achieved much better results in London than the Labour party did across the country. Read my post on the Guardian's commentsection yesterday: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/anas_altikriti/2008/05/we_got_out_the_vote.html
In regards with the future of Muslims in London, please see my previous answers. However, I don't think that we shall see any crisis as a result of the election results. New challenges maybe, but Muslims will continue to live and thrive as they have been over many decades, and will face the new challenges as they succeeded in facing and overcoming the previous ones, In sha'a Allah.
Name
Moaaz Farukh
- Austria
Profession
Question
Salam Brother Altikriti,
I would like to thank you for being here…I wonder what is your conclusion of the results.. Was it a fair election, and did you expect Livingstone's loss?
Answer
Wa Alaykum Assalam Akhi Moaaz. The elections were of course fair, and we do not have any complaints as to how they proceeded. In regards with whether we expected Livingstone to lose, I could only say that we remained hopeful until the final minute that he would win. However, most polls and surveys showed that he was behind his opponent, so we were far from being sure that he would.
As I said in a previous answer, when you enter into an election like this, you must consider the possibility that the candidate that you are backing will lose. That is the nature of elections. The results generally (throughout the country, as well as in London) show that the Labour party needs to radically change its policies and approach, otherwise we will continue to see wins for the Conservatives in future elections, Wallahu A'lam.
Name
IOL lover
- Netherlands
Profession
Question
Salamu Alikum Mr. Anis…
It is really nice to meet you here on one of our favorite websites.. may Allah bless all IOL teamwork…
I have a comment on the issue and want to hear from you…I believe London is not only UK capital... But it is considered as the center of UK, its policy has a huge reflection on the UK main policy…I am afraid this might be of a bad reflect on British Muslims whether inside or outside London?
Answer
Wa Alaykum Assalam, and thank you for your question. I agree with you that London reflects heavily on the entire country (some even argue that it reflects on areas beyond even the UK itself!). Therefore, the Mayoral elections were given prominence and attention throughout the country and not only in London. The Mayor of London is regarded as the second most powerful executive figure in the country after the Prime Minister, and therefore these elections were incredibly important. While I understand your concern about the affairs of British Muslims inside and outside London, I'd like to assure you that it's not as bad as you fear, In sha'a Allah. The Muslim community have proven immense strength and resolve in recent years, and while there still exist some areas of failure which need to be urgently addressed, I think that the community is more than capable of addressing the new difficulties and challenges In sha'a Allah. I hope that sometime soon, the brothers and sisters from IOL will invite me to a dialogue in order to discuss another overwhelming success that we have achieved here in the UK, In sha'a Allah. I remind you and all the readers to continue to pray for us.
Name
British Muslim
- France
Profession
Question
Are you planning to nominate your self in any coming official elections…? I believe you will be a wonderful representative of British Muslims…
Thanks..
Answer
That's very kind of you, and I ask Allah Almighty to make me better than you think of me, and forgive me what you do not know of my shortcomings. I don't have any immediate plans to stand for any elections in the foreseeable future, however, never say never, as the saying goes:-). Please remember to pray for me.
Name
Karmany Ahmed
- Greece
Profession
Phd student
Question
Are you affiliated to MCB, BMI, MAB…? And why did you choose this certain organization? Which of them do you believe that it really represent the right personality of British Muslims?
Answer
All the organisations that you mentioned are good and worthy organisations, but each is different to the other. Allow me to explain:
The MCB is the umbrella organisation of UK Muslim organisations. Its affiliates are organisations, and not individuals. I have very strong links with the MCB and advise them whenever called upon. The MAB is a grassroots' organisation established almost 11 years ago, and I had the honour of being amongst its founding members. I am a member of MAB and was its president in 2004, although I no longer hold a leading post within it. BMI is a political organisation founded by a group of activists in 2006. It does not have a membership, nor does it cover aspects of a British Muslim's life beyond politics (such as MAB does). I am one of the founding members, and currently spokesman for BMI. There are numerous other Muslim organisations in the UK, all of whom are good and worthy, including Islamic Forum Europe, the Islamic Society of Britain and others. My advice is that any of these organisations would provide a wonderful platform for any British Muslims. The main thing is to make sure that the individual finds in the organisation what he or she are looking for, that it fulfils his or her needs and that it fully appreciates and utilises his or her skills and talents.
Name
Ahmed Saeid
-
Profession
Question
What actually is your Phd topic...can you tell us more about it?
Answer
I'm researching on the institutionalisation of British Muslims in the aftermath of 9-11, at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, Westminster University in London. It addresses two main questions: 1) How did a particular version of Islam become the 'mainstream' version that the community, the media and the government deal with, and 2) how did the 'Muslim' identity become more prominent than nationalistic identities, i.e. why am I more likely to be labelled a British 'Muslims' than I am likely to be called a British 'Arab'? I'm looking into the impact of the main Muslim organisations, the most important texts written about this as well as the role of the media and government in possibly cementing such trends. I hope to find the time to complete it soon, In sha'a Allah :-) Pray for me, please.
Name
Radwa Khorshid
-
Profession
Question
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Answer
This session has come to an end.
We would like to thank Mr. Anas Altikriti for speaking to IslamOnline.net viewers today and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue.
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