Letter to Mosques on anti-fascism

September 2009

Dear Imam/ Mosque Chairman,

These last few months have been difficult for British Muslims, with the racist British National Party winning seats in the June European elections after campaigning against Muslims and recently the emergence of fascist groups protesting against Muslims.  Last month, we saw protests and arrests in Birmingham; last Friday, on a smaller scale, in Harrow.

In October, far-right extremists are targeting Leeds and Manchester to protest and foment trouble. On websites, there are already discussions of making Manchester a flashpoint of their numbers and a stage for their message. 

Large swathes of modern Britain do not understand Islam, nor appreciate the serenity and joy we draw from the life, love and lessons given to us by our beloved Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). If Muslims were better understood, and our own extremists less effective in peddling hatred of ‘the kuffar’, then far-right fascists would command less support (the BNP at the ballot box and others who are drawing on football networks). This should change.

Quilliam has produced a pamphlet which firmly refutes the BNP’s top ten lines of attack on Islam and British Muslims. We will circulate this to all Parliamentarians and leading media figures so they have the arguments with which to defeat the BNP. Time will tell if they have the courage to do so.

But we cannot rely on politicians and the police. Muslims must take ownership of some of the problems that have lead to recent tensions.  In order to help reverse the current surge in extremism, we urge you to do the following:

• Open your mosque to your local community to allay any suspicions by holding weekly ‘open days’ where food is served and warm invitations are extended to church leaders, trade unions, political parties, old age pensioners, local schools, colleges and others. Invite the local media to your mosque and conduct sermons in English. This will all help reassure Britain that British Muslims are an asset to this country.

• Groups that have affiliations with Hizb ut-Tahrir, Jamat e-Islami, Ikhwan ul-Muslimeen and those who support Saudi Wahhabism should not have a platform in our mosques.  Their agenda of communal separatism, politicisation of Islam, and religious radicalism has contributed to inviting far-right extremism.

• Raise money on Fridays or at Eid for your local community, not just Muslims. Show the people of this country that we belong here by giving this money to a local hospital, charity, homeless people, school, and others.

• Ensure that young Muslims do not respond to the pressure from far-right extremists through violence.

Britain’s strong secular liberal traditions allow Muslims to prosper here, build mosques and live freely as Muslims.

Let us be proud of our country.

Wishing you and your families a joyful Eid al-Fitr,

Your sisters and brothers at Quilliam.