ISLAAM -THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION IN THE WORLD
2006-12-28 18:25:23 UTC
Islam a Blessing to Britain
By Halima Columbo
Freelance Writer - UK
Reading the newspaper nowadays is heavy going if you are a British
Muslim. Headline after headline and opinion after opinion drive home
the message that we British Muslims are a problem. We need to work on
our "cohesion" and our "integration." Our dress code is up for public
debate. We are suspected of harboring terrorists within our midst and
of being in need of English lessons and citizenship classes in order to
ram "British values" into our suspect skulls. These values are hard to
pin down, but things like fairness, equality, and a fondness for dogs
come to mind. Our communities are deprived and lagging in aspiration
and attainment. Our religious schools are under suspicion of not
encouraging integration or respect for other faiths. Little wonder
then, that a recent headline in the Daily Mail declared that "most
Britons feel threatened by Islam," saying "increasing numbers think 'a
large proportion' of British Muslims feel no loyalty to the UK and are
ready to condone or even carry out terrorist atrocities."
Stereotypes
Under this barrage, I start to feel how Chinese intellectuals must have
felt during the Cultural Revolution when they were harangued during a
process of "reeducation" into self-loathing and conformity. But then I
catch myself - the Muslims I know do not fit this description!
Admittedly, many are not happy with British foreign policy, but that
does not mean that we condone terrorism. The media images that
stereotype us are just that - stereotypes. I know Muslims with scant
English but a great attachment to England. I even know two Muslims in
my town who love dogs so much they breed them. Maybe they would be
interested in reading the 10th-century work by Ibn Al-Marzuban called
The Superiority of Dogs Over Many of Those Who Wear Clothes. The
Muslims I know work hard, are honest, look after their families, and do
not get into trouble with the police. They do not gamble, drink, or
have affairs. In fact, you could say they exemplify traditional British
values. Let's look at some of the good things about Muslims and Islam,
which benefit rather than threaten Britain.
The biggest benefit Muslims can bring Britain is the message of the
Qur'an. The continued existence of and respect for other faiths is
enshrined within it. As for equality, the Qur'an speaks up for women's
rights, disabled people's rights, and the rights of people of every
class and nation, rich and poor, male and female. The Qur'an even has
something to say about animal rights. And it tells us Muslims to think
and study (a key strand of the citizenship curriculum) and to decide
our affairs by consultation. What other scripture has so many teachings
that are so ecumenical, so postmodern, and so compatible with "British
values"?
Islam Has the Solution
If we look at it from another perspective, and examine the major
problems affecting Britons today - such as debt, alcohol abuse,
depression, and lonely senior citizens -, it is evident that Islam
has solutions for these problems, and thus, Islam far from being a
threat, can be a panacea for what ails us.
According to research by Age Concern (self-described as "the UK's
largest charity working with and for older people"), nearly a million
older people feel isolated and trapped in their own homes. More than a
third of pensioners live alone, and a quarter of over-75-year-olds
stated that they were "more or less alone and socialise with very few
people." More than half a million old people stated that in the past
year, they felt "like no one knows they exist." Loneliness is not a
significant issue for older people within the British Muslim community,
where older people generally live with their family and feel valued, in
accordance with Qur'anic injunctions to be kind to parents.
On the other hand, among young people depression and suicide have been
rising rapidly. Adolescents are under increasing pressure. A quarter of
young people have had intercourse below the age of consent, although
the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles 2000 found that
5 out of 10 young women wished that they had waited longer before
having sex. Sexually transmitted disease (STM) rates in teenagers
doubled during the 1990s, and the UK's teen pregnancy rate was one of
the highest in Europe, with 90,000 pregnancies each year, 15,000 of
which ended in terminations. Had these teenagers been following the
teachings of Islam, these sad statistics would not have existed.
Western Lifestyle
Stress levels of people living a Western lifestyle have been rising
generally, with suicide rates more than doubling since 1970 in Britain.
Studies indicate that any religious faith has a strong protective
effect against depression, and increases the rate of recovery in
patients with depression. A case can be made that Islam can make people
happier and give them better mental health - something which many
Britons could benefit from.
One of Britain's biggest problems is alcohol. About 22,000 people a
year die from alcohol-related causes, and over ten times that number
receive hospital treatment due to it. Heavy drinkers also visit their
general practitioner twice as often as others. There is a clear link
between suicide and depression, and alcohol is a factor in one-third of
accidents and two-thirds of cases of domestic assault. It is estimated
that nearly a million children live in families where one or both
parents misuse alcohol, and heavy drinking plays a role in half of all
child protection case conferences. The problem is worsening, with Judge
Graham Cottle recently complaining that drink-fueled murders were
endemic and the symptom of a "rapidly deteriorating society." As Islam
forbids the consumption of alcohol, this is another way in which more
Islam could benefit Britain.
One of the factors that drive Britons to drink and fuels depression, is
rising debt. Total consumer debt was £700 billion in 2001 and is still
rising. It is difficult to decide where to point the finger of blame
for this debt: at the interest-based financial system that has ensured
that our money supply and economy depend on debt in order to function;
at the unscrupulous lending practices of the high street banks; or at
the consumers who so easily allow themselves to be persuaded to rack up
mortgage debt, credit card debt, and personal loans. Islam believes
that transactions are better based on mutual cooperation and honesty
within a moral framework rather than on naked self-interest and
unfettered greed. Were Islamic practices to govern the British economy,
British consumers and businesses could breathe easier.
British Muslims could do no greater service to Britain than to learn
and discuss the teachings of Islam with others. In that way we can
dispel ignorance and distrust of Islam, and help Britain be a happier
place. And we must remember the Arabic saying "Ma aflaha man aflah illa
bil-adab," "No successful person is successful without good manners."
The good manners of the Muslim and the English gentleman have common
roots, in Prophet Muhammad's ethics and practices that were developed
into the chivalric code of Muslim knights and later brought to Britain
by the Crusaders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halima Columbo embraced Islam in 1990. After obtaining a bachelor's in
philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford University, she worked
as a researcher in local community and economic development, with a
particular interest in holistically interpreting and managing social
change.
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=%20%201165994195642%20&pagename=Zone-English-Euro_Muslims/EMELayout
By Halima Columbo
Freelance Writer - UK
Reading the newspaper nowadays is heavy going if you are a British
Muslim. Headline after headline and opinion after opinion drive home
the message that we British Muslims are a problem. We need to work on
our "cohesion" and our "integration." Our dress code is up for public
debate. We are suspected of harboring terrorists within our midst and
of being in need of English lessons and citizenship classes in order to
ram "British values" into our suspect skulls. These values are hard to
pin down, but things like fairness, equality, and a fondness for dogs
come to mind. Our communities are deprived and lagging in aspiration
and attainment. Our religious schools are under suspicion of not
encouraging integration or respect for other faiths. Little wonder
then, that a recent headline in the Daily Mail declared that "most
Britons feel threatened by Islam," saying "increasing numbers think 'a
large proportion' of British Muslims feel no loyalty to the UK and are
ready to condone or even carry out terrorist atrocities."
Stereotypes
Under this barrage, I start to feel how Chinese intellectuals must have
felt during the Cultural Revolution when they were harangued during a
process of "reeducation" into self-loathing and conformity. But then I
catch myself - the Muslims I know do not fit this description!
Admittedly, many are not happy with British foreign policy, but that
does not mean that we condone terrorism. The media images that
stereotype us are just that - stereotypes. I know Muslims with scant
English but a great attachment to England. I even know two Muslims in
my town who love dogs so much they breed them. Maybe they would be
interested in reading the 10th-century work by Ibn Al-Marzuban called
The Superiority of Dogs Over Many of Those Who Wear Clothes. The
Muslims I know work hard, are honest, look after their families, and do
not get into trouble with the police. They do not gamble, drink, or
have affairs. In fact, you could say they exemplify traditional British
values. Let's look at some of the good things about Muslims and Islam,
which benefit rather than threaten Britain.
The biggest benefit Muslims can bring Britain is the message of the
Qur'an. The continued existence of and respect for other faiths is
enshrined within it. As for equality, the Qur'an speaks up for women's
rights, disabled people's rights, and the rights of people of every
class and nation, rich and poor, male and female. The Qur'an even has
something to say about animal rights. And it tells us Muslims to think
and study (a key strand of the citizenship curriculum) and to decide
our affairs by consultation. What other scripture has so many teachings
that are so ecumenical, so postmodern, and so compatible with "British
values"?
Islam Has the Solution
If we look at it from another perspective, and examine the major
problems affecting Britons today - such as debt, alcohol abuse,
depression, and lonely senior citizens -, it is evident that Islam
has solutions for these problems, and thus, Islam far from being a
threat, can be a panacea for what ails us.
According to research by Age Concern (self-described as "the UK's
largest charity working with and for older people"), nearly a million
older people feel isolated and trapped in their own homes. More than a
third of pensioners live alone, and a quarter of over-75-year-olds
stated that they were "more or less alone and socialise with very few
people." More than half a million old people stated that in the past
year, they felt "like no one knows they exist." Loneliness is not a
significant issue for older people within the British Muslim community,
where older people generally live with their family and feel valued, in
accordance with Qur'anic injunctions to be kind to parents.
On the other hand, among young people depression and suicide have been
rising rapidly. Adolescents are under increasing pressure. A quarter of
young people have had intercourse below the age of consent, although
the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles 2000 found that
5 out of 10 young women wished that they had waited longer before
having sex. Sexually transmitted disease (STM) rates in teenagers
doubled during the 1990s, and the UK's teen pregnancy rate was one of
the highest in Europe, with 90,000 pregnancies each year, 15,000 of
which ended in terminations. Had these teenagers been following the
teachings of Islam, these sad statistics would not have existed.
Western Lifestyle
Stress levels of people living a Western lifestyle have been rising
generally, with suicide rates more than doubling since 1970 in Britain.
Studies indicate that any religious faith has a strong protective
effect against depression, and increases the rate of recovery in
patients with depression. A case can be made that Islam can make people
happier and give them better mental health - something which many
Britons could benefit from.
One of Britain's biggest problems is alcohol. About 22,000 people a
year die from alcohol-related causes, and over ten times that number
receive hospital treatment due to it. Heavy drinkers also visit their
general practitioner twice as often as others. There is a clear link
between suicide and depression, and alcohol is a factor in one-third of
accidents and two-thirds of cases of domestic assault. It is estimated
that nearly a million children live in families where one or both
parents misuse alcohol, and heavy drinking plays a role in half of all
child protection case conferences. The problem is worsening, with Judge
Graham Cottle recently complaining that drink-fueled murders were
endemic and the symptom of a "rapidly deteriorating society." As Islam
forbids the consumption of alcohol, this is another way in which more
Islam could benefit Britain.
One of the factors that drive Britons to drink and fuels depression, is
rising debt. Total consumer debt was £700 billion in 2001 and is still
rising. It is difficult to decide where to point the finger of blame
for this debt: at the interest-based financial system that has ensured
that our money supply and economy depend on debt in order to function;
at the unscrupulous lending practices of the high street banks; or at
the consumers who so easily allow themselves to be persuaded to rack up
mortgage debt, credit card debt, and personal loans. Islam believes
that transactions are better based on mutual cooperation and honesty
within a moral framework rather than on naked self-interest and
unfettered greed. Were Islamic practices to govern the British economy,
British consumers and businesses could breathe easier.
British Muslims could do no greater service to Britain than to learn
and discuss the teachings of Islam with others. In that way we can
dispel ignorance and distrust of Islam, and help Britain be a happier
place. And we must remember the Arabic saying "Ma aflaha man aflah illa
bil-adab," "No successful person is successful without good manners."
The good manners of the Muslim and the English gentleman have common
roots, in Prophet Muhammad's ethics and practices that were developed
into the chivalric code of Muslim knights and later brought to Britain
by the Crusaders.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Halima Columbo embraced Islam in 1990. After obtaining a bachelor's in
philosophy, politics, and economics from Oxford University, she worked
as a researcher in local community and economic development, with a
particular interest in holistically interpreting and managing social
change.
http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=%20%201165994195642%20&pagename=Zone-English-Euro_Muslims/EMELayout