Established 1981 London School of Islamics An Educational Trust 63 Margery Park Road London E7 9LD Email: info@londonschoolofislamics.org.uk www.londonschoolofislamics.org.uk Tel/Fax: 0208 555 2733 / 07817 112 667
Crime against Humanity
To deprive a Muslim child from his/her culture and language is a crime against Humanity. Children of minority communities have the right to enjoy their own culture and to practice their own religion and language. British Muslims have been denying such rights in the field of education. Education shall aim at developing the child’s personality, the talents, mental and physical abilities to the fullest extent. Education shall prepare the child for an active adult life in a free society and foster respect for the child’s parents, his or her cultural identity, language and values. UK Government is a signatury of this convention and has an obligation to comply with this convention under UK Law.
It is absurd to say that Muslim community should demonstrate “Englishness”. They can’t. But they can be and are British. Curriculum does not reflect their needs and demands. The relationship between native teachers and Muslim children generally characterized by “conflict and fear”. We have lost three generations and fourth one is in the process of loosing its linguistic, Religious and cultural Identity. Respect and tolerance of different religions, cultures and languages are essential for positive community cohesion. Community cohesion is not just about attitudes and values. It means tackling basic inequalities at the same time. We cannot hope to have a cohesive community if some sections are so disadvantaged that they have no hope of securing a real stake in society.
The solution of all those problems is state-funded Muslim schools. More and more people are coming round to the view that an Islamic school is the best choice for their children because it strengthens and maintains their children’s faith and practice of Islam, but also offers the best chance of academic success, as GCSE results continue to confirm. Today the Muslim community is faced with situations where the morality and education is declining in schools and their children are being exposed and being entrapped into a way of life which is un-Islamic. According to a recent survey, nine out of ten Muslim parents would like to send their children to state funded Muslim schools.
The first wave of Muslims used English as an economic language and still it is not used as a social and emotional language. English could become social and emotional language if Muslims start moving in and around pubs, indulge in binge drinking, visiting night clubs and frequently changing partners. This is what the British establishment want them to be an integral part of the British society. Islam is a maker of Identity and belonging rather than a system of belief. The Imams from the sub-continent are well versed in Urdu, Arabic, and Persian on top of their mother tongue: Punjabi, Bengali or Gujrati and other regional languages. They come here to serve the spiritual, social and emotional needs of the Muslim community in their own languages. Urdu is a literary, social and emotional language of the Muslims from the sub-continent, Arabic is their religious language and English is for economic activity and prosperity. Iftikhar Ahmad
Ms Joy was disowned by her family and forced to quit her job Malaysia's highest court has rejected a Muslim convert's six-year battle to be legally recognised as a Christian. A three-judge panel ruled that only the country's Sharia Court could let Azlina Jailani, now known as Lina Joy, remove the word Islam from her identity card.
Malaysia's constitution guarantees freedom of worship but says all ethnic Malays are Muslim. Under Sharia law, Muslims are not allowed to convert.
Ms Joy said she should not be bound by that law as she is no longer a Muslim.
Death threats
Malaysia's Chief Justice Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim said the panel endorsed legal precedents giving Islamic Sharia courts jurisdiction over cases involving Muslims who want to convert.
About 200 protesters shouted "Allah-o-Akbar" (God is great) outside the court when the ruling was announced.
"You can't at whim and fancy convert from one religion to another," Ahmad Fairuz said.
Ms Joy's case has tested the limits of religious freedom in Malaysia.
She started attending church in 1990 and was baptised in 1998.
In 2000, Ms Joy, 42, went to the High Court after the National Registration Department refused to remove "Islam" from the religion column on her identity card. The court said it was a matter for Sharia courts. Tuesday's ruling marked the end of her final appeal.
Ms Joy has been disowned by her family and forced to quit her job. She went into hiding last year. A Muslim lawyer who supported her case received death threats.
Sharia courts decide on civil cases involving Malaysian Muslims - nearly 60% of the country's 26 million people - while ethnic minorities such as Chinese and Indians are governed by civil courts in the multi-racial country.
