To UK Nomads

[Conscious Manipulation]

asalaamu alaykum,

 

I'm sure most of you in the UK have already heard of this conference but just incase you didn't I wanted to let you know. I wish I was in the UK so I could attend but I'm hoping those of you who go will fill me and the rest of the people here in.

 

Click on the link below to watch the TV advert they're talking about.

 

salaam

 

 

British or Muslim?

 

There is a little less than a week to go until the Muslim Identity conference entitled “British or Muslim”, which is set to be held in the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham, this Sunday. The conference has been advertised in handbills, posters, Internet sites, and in this final week, will be advertised on several satellite television channels. The television advert, which is scheduled to appear on Prime TV, ARY Digital and Bangla TV throughout this week, features a young English man, expressing his concerns about Muslims and their allegiances to this country.

 

“Muslims need to take a long hard look at themselves, are they British or are they Muslim?” he asks in one scene, waving a British passport in his hand.

 

In another scene he asks, “Do they (Muslims) support British troops, do they consider them to be ‘Our Boys’?”

 

Abdul Ghadir, aged 30, is an IT professional from South London. Having embraced Islam six years ago, he has led a quiet but active life in the da’wah for Islam. Little did he realise that hundreds of thousands of Muslim’s in Britain would be tuning in to see his face on their screens.

 

Abdul Ghadir is the young man in the advert who is questioning the allegiance of Muslims. But in a clever twist, it is not initially apparent ‘who’ he is. A smartly dressed white male, in a suit and tie – he might appear to be one of the thousands of non-Muslim intellectuals or even bigots, who have a problem with Muslims not adopting the western identity. It may appear that he is questioning the Muslim loyalty to this country and its values. But at the end of the advert the tables are turned, when he explains that he is a Muslim, his allegiance is only to Islam, and that the place he chooses to live is irrelevant. Suddenly, the statements he has made in the advert take on a new meaning, and it becomes clear that he was actually questioning Muslims about their allegiance to Allah (SWT) and Islam, not to this country.

 

What Abdul Ghadir was keen to show, is that the Islamic identity and the Muslim’s allegiance to Islam transcends any stereotype and any political pressure. Speaking about the advert he said:

 

“It was good a approach, something to make Muslims think. To make them realise that they are not only being judged by this western society, but much more importantly, they are being judged by Allah (SWT)”.

 

Muslims who live in this country, regardless of whether they are born and bred here, and regardless of whether they are ethnically the same or different, are all facing the same choices. Those choices are simple, and would be the same wherever they lived. Either they swear their allegiance to Islam and Allah (SWT), or they swear it to Britain and its values and culture. Surely, no Muslim would deny that his allegiance is to Islam and Allah (SWT).

 

However, swearing an allegiance to Islam and Allah (SWT) does not mean that Muslims cannot be an active and productive part of British society. On the contrary, they can serve as excellent ambassadors for the Islamic way of life, that is unique to mankind, and that can shine as a beacon of light amongst the darkness of problems that affect British society.

 

The entire issue of the Muslim identity will be discussed at the conference, which takes place this Sunday 24th August. Speakers will address a variety of critical issues facing the Muslims in Britain, from their basic identity to economic problems that affect them, such as mortgages and housing. The problems affecting the Muslim youth, such as literacy, crime and drugs, as well as the problems affecting Muslim marriages will also be addressed. Additionally the idea of political participation in western society and how Muslims can make an invaluable contribution to it, will also be covered.

 

The television advert should run on Prime TV, ARY Digital, and Bangla TV throughout this week, and tickets can be purchased by phoning the hotline number: 0870 881 5132.

 

Coaches have been organised from major towns and cities throughout Britain, and facilities for children, prayers and food will be available at the venue.

 

The advert can also be viewed online at: http://www.1924.org/multimedia/index.php?id=641_0_12_0_C

 

To view more comments visit: http://www.1924.org/comment

[Business_Man]

I wish I could go but I am on work experience in atlanta. Will ask my pakistani muslim brothers to let me know how it was when I go back soon. Would keep u up to date if you remind me in two weeks.