Jul 11, 2010 | External News
This is a copy of the Friday Sermon delivered on this occaision by Dr Mustafa Ceric.
1) Say :He is God alone! He has begotten no one, nor is He begotten; and there is no one comparable to Him! (Qur’an: 112).
2) There is a couple, a man and a woman, whom from families arise, as well as tribes and peoples that are supposed to meet and recognize one another on the path of common good!
3) There are three ethnic communities in our country, which respected differences of one another since ancient times and complemented each other with similarities in the spirit of Bosnian coexistence and tolerance!
4) There are four religions and traditions: Judaism, Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity and Islam, as gifts from Jerusalem and proof of God’s will to have several religions and traditions as a means to encourage people to compete against each other in making good deeds!
5) There are five rivers: the Drina in the east, the Una in the west, the Neretva in the south, the Sava in the north and the Bosna in the middle of our country, from which we all, irrespective of our faith and ethnic background, absorb the power of life!
6) There are six indefeasible human rights guaranteed to any person: right to life, right to faith, right to freedom, right to property, right to dignity and right to a family!
7) There are seven green wheat ears that should be preserved from drying out during the seven hungry years!
8) There are eight pillars of morality: sanctity, philanthropy, patriotism, nationalism, veracity, fairness, pacifism and tolerance!
9) There are nine reasons to live and to bear up: to be a witness of genocide; to be a fighter for truth and justice; to be in Potočari on July 11th; to preserve the memory of shahid (martyrs) – one’s own relatives and brothers; to disclose war crimes, wherever they happened; to fight for the rights of the vulnerable and disempowered, irrespective of who they are; to return to your home and your homeland; and to be a proud advocates of peace and reconciliation among the people, wherever you are!
10) There are the ten Commandments of God: worship only God, be kind, honorable and humble to one’s parents, look after your neighbors, love your homeland, care for orphaned children, do not kill, do not steal, do not lie, keep promises and stay on the path of righteousness.
11) Eleventh is the day contained in each of the twelve months, which reminds us all of the day of genocide that took place on July 11, 1995 in Srebrenica!
12) There were the twelve apostles of ‘Isa, the followers whom shall we learn from all over again, trusting that their path is the only right path for all of us – the path of faith, peace and reconciliation! There is no other path to success and salvation of human kind!
13) There are thirteen ways to look after the victims of genocide: by showing them respect; by giving them hope; by not giving up on them; by offering them love and friendship; by fining them a shelter; by ensuring them the right to work and employment; by recognizing them the right to compensation for emotional pain and suffering; by saving them from offenses and humiliations; by offering them solidarity; by ensuring that in their homeland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, at any place and at any time they enjoy fundamental human rights; by ensuring that in Srebrenica they do not encounter those police officers who have killed their children; by having all states of the world to sign the resolution that condemns genocide!
We want to say it now and here. If they are honest in what they are saying, and we do not know what is in their hearts, they should forgive us our faith, our culture and our desire to have home, to have a state to protect us from genocide.
If they are honest in what they are saying, they should open the doors of ghetto and allow us to travel around Europe and the world as free citizens, without visas.
I want you all to know that, on the earth and in the sky, civilization does not start from the moment when a Bosniak is buried. The civilization starts from the moment when a Bosniak is born without the fear from genocide in the future.
I also want to say that, as people who have memory of genocide in Europe, just like Jews, we are deeply hurt and humiliated by the fact that honorable men of ours, who defended the little freedom we have, are nowadays being arrested at the European airports.
We want freedom for all, as we want it for our selves. We want to live without fear in this Europe -without the fear for our children and grandchildren.
We pray to Allah to help us all in fighting for one another, for the rights of us and the others in Europe, so that we do not experience expulsion in this century as the Jews and Muslims have experienced it on two occasions.
This is for those here, who brought us all together to this place today.
14) Rijad Gabeljić, who shall we burry today, was only fourteen when he was killed in Srebrenica genocide on July 11, 1995!
15) For fifteen difficult, sad and painful years the families of genocide victims in Srebrenica have been searching for their beloved ones. For fifteen years perpetrators of the Srebrenica genocide have been denying their crime, outraging the victims and defying the International Court of Justice. We hope that on the 15th anniversary and day after this funeral in Potočari, on July 12, we will not look again at hordes of unknown people wearing well-known symbols of hatred and terror, mocking all of us who came here to pay respect to victims of the most hideous crime since holocaust! Victims of the Srebrenica genocide must be saved from the insults and humiliations, which had happened in the middle of town of Srebrenica right after this solemn gathering, because these people know how to bear their pain and distress in a dignified manner! This is a proud and honorable people who means no harm to anyone, but also the people determined not to be subject to any mocking and humiliation!
***
Thus, if we really want to prevent future genocides we must do much more than sympathize with the victims. We have to comprehend the psychological depth of the perpetrators of genocide and indifference of genocide observers.
We have to learn what makes some persons, who were once normal, to hate other persons and people to the extent that they want to systematically and methodically eliminate them all! But we also need to learn about those who support genocide against innocent people or observe it from the distance! We need to learn more about them too!
We also need to learn about the holocaust and genocide not only as of historical facts but also as a means to teach our children about the dangers of racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other examples of human intolerance.
We must teach younger generations to appreciate democracy and human rights and encourage them to reject hatred, intolerance and ethnic conflicts.
Jul 7, 2010 | External News
Britain’s fight against terrorism has been a disaster, because its “flawed, neo-conservative” direction alienated Muslims and increased the chances of terrorist attacks, a former leading counter-terrorism officer has told the Guardian.
Speaking to mark today’s fifth anniversary of the 7 July attacks in London, Dr Robert Lambert said the atrocity had led the Labour government to launch not just the publicly declared battle against al-Qaida, but a much wider counter-subversive campaign that targeted non-violent Muslims and branded them as supporters of violence.
For more information, please click here
Jun 5, 2010 | News & Press
The Cordoba Foundation (TCF) welcomes the launch of the Inspired by Muhammad Campaign, featuring ordinary Muslim professionals who contribute positively to Britain’s prosperity whilst being inspired by the role played by Islam and its final Messenger, Muhammad in their lives. This Campaign comes on the back of the findings of a YouGov poll published this week, highlighting misconceptions held by large sections of the British public linking Islam with terrorism, repressing women, among other things.
The Chief Executive of TCF Anas Altikriti said ‘the YouGov findings highlight a gap in perceptions about what people think about British Muslims and what they really are. Challenging this publicly in the media is a welcome-sign since as the poll suggested; most of the information obtained by the public on Islam was from the mainstream media. That is why we support the Campaign’
TCF welcomes adverts about the campaign placed across the city in tube stations, bus stops, bill boards, and on London taxis which highlight Prophet Muhammad’s universal teachings about caring for the environment, gender equality, and social justice.
For more information, please click here
[End]
Notes to editors
- For further information, please contact Amjad Saleem, Head of Communications on 020 89913372 or media@thecordobafoundation.com
May 4, 2010 | News & Press
This documentary will reveal how and why public opinion and engagement with the political process in the United Kingdom has changed with more and more people becoming disengaged and apathethic.
The documentary will ask the question: ‘How much are Muslims and Ethnic Minorities in Britain contributing to the rise of the BNP?’
Designed to be launched on the night before the election, the documentary aims to inspire action and get people involved where they can have a voice and CAN tip the scales thereby ensuring that the sacrifices that our elders undertook to make a place for us in society is not undone.
Produced by: Tre Azam
‘We owe it to our elders, our children and ourselves to do what we can to have more of a say in the country we love and live in’
Directed by: Abid Mahi
‘People all over the world to this day are dying for the right to vote and the right to a fair and democratic society. Every year, hundreds and thousands of people including Muslim Brits choose not to vote in local and general elections, yet get angered and shocked with the rise of groups such as the BNP’
Executive Producers: The Cordoba Foundation
‘We can not be passive observers as policies and futures are shaped. Voting is one of the most important means of being at the heart of society’ (Anas Altikriti, CEO)
The documentary will be aired on 5th May 2010 at 8pm on Islam Channel (Sky 813)
For more information, please click here
Apr 30, 2010 | News & Press
The Cordoba Foundation is pleased to announce that its CEO Anas Altikriti has been selected in the inaugural issue of the Muslim Power List 2010
Commenting on his selection, Anas said ‘It is humbling to be included in such a diverse list of unique and talented individuals that are a reflection of the best that the British Muslim Community can offer. To be nominated by members of the public is an honour’
The Muslim Power List for the United Kingdom has been launched this year to demonstrate the important contribution that Britain’s Muslim community makes to the social, financial and spiritual prosperity of the UK.
For further information, please contact the Muslim Power List
Apr 27, 2010 | Views
Whatever the outcome of the election on May 7th, as HA Hellyer recently wrote on Cif, Muslims around the country are likely to play a significant role in influencing the outcome of dozens of seats. The second largest faith community, which constitutes no more than 4% of the total population, has come of age and become quite astute in dealing with the elections according to interests, priorities and concerns, many of which are shared by a majority of the British people.
Apr 20, 2010 | News & Press
On the 20th of April, The Cordoba Foundation (TCF) facilitated a public meeting between the Hammersmith and Fulham Council (and related public service providers) and members of the Moroccan community, following the tragic murder of 17 year old Sofyen Belamouadden, a 3rd generation Moroccan who was stabbed to death in broad daylight in Victoria Station as part of a suspected gang ‘turf war’ battle.
TCF were invited by the community as independent facilitators to initiate a dialogue between the local authority and members of the Moroccan community who despite there being a large number living around North Kensington, feel that they are marginalised because of the ignorance about them, a fact that was further highlighted by one of the local authority officials who admitted he was unaware of the numbers.The meeting which was mainly attended by mothers (including the family of Sofyen) voiced concerns about the safety of the youths on the street.
Mothers repeatedly echoed the view that ‘they were not comfortable when their children left home because they were not sure whether their children would be stopped by the police or be attacked by gangs’.Members at the meeting highlighted the following as key concerns for them:
1) Children of Moroccan origin are over represented in the youth criminal justice system.
2) The current ‘Children & Young People Services’ were not adequate in meeting the needs of the young people.
3) The current extracurricular and youth activities were not accessible by the whole community thereby leaving youth with a lot of time on their hands and falling prey to bad elements.
4) A lack of communication between the authorities and parents due to miscommunications on both sides.
5) A lack of basic security systems (such as CCTV not working properly)
All this was leading to ‘a climate of fear in London’ according to one community outreach worker who urged ‘A government response to the problem even to the level of establishing an emergency response team to deal with the matter’.
Commenting on the meeting, the CEO of TCF Anas Altikriti said, ‘Meetings like this give you an insight into the issues faced on a daily basis by youth and their families. Understanding the failure to address concerns of services for the youth are important because these are often some of the catalysts for extremist and anti social behaviour’
The meeting came up with practical steps that would be taken by the local authority and the community (with support from organisations such as London Citizens, Street, Al Mannar Centre) to bridge the gap of miscommunication and identify ways of meeting the needs of the community including setting up mentoring programs and establishing more liaisons between the police and the community.
What was particularly striking was that though some of the concerns raised were directly related to the Moroccan community they were also generic to other parts of London.
Apr 12, 2010 | News & Press
Sheikh Michael Mumisa has seen it all before. As the general elections draw closer, the same old debates in the Muslim community start to resurface.
The debates have nothing to do with which party or candidate to vote for but with the very premise of voting and getting involved in the elections. For some Muslims voting in a Western democracy is considered to be ‘an act of apostasy’. In 2005, things were so complicated that “some Mosque ‘elders’ and Imams had their beards and turbans pulled by small groups of angry young men who argued that voting in what they believed to be a ‘kufr system’ was a ‘violation of the Shari‘ah’.” Things got to such a difficult point according to Sheikh Mumisa that he was approached to clarify the issue, releasing an article which could hopefully clarify the matter. His article, “Muslims in Britain and the Elections: What does the Shari‘a say?” was then carried by the Muslim Council of Britain amongst other organisations.
5 years on despite the debate still existing, Sheikh Mumisa is confident things are getting better. ‘At least people are less violent and moving beyond the basic arguments ’ he said as he once again addressed the issues of Muslims and elections on the 12th of April at the bi-monthly Cordoba Seminars organised by The Cordoba Foundation.
Addressing a sizeable gathering at the London Muslim Centre, Sheikh Mumisa approached the issue in a different manner. “When it comes to the question of ‘Islam and Voting’, incontrovertible textual evidence should be produced to prove that it is not permissible for Muslims in Britain to vote. We do not need proof to argue that it is permissible for them to vote since that is the asl (original state of affairs)”. By saying this, Sheikh Mumisa is confident that the detractors will at least have to think twice before trying to engage in a debate on the subject, since “the burden of proof is thus upon those who argue that voting is not permissible”.
The principle behind this is very simple. The Islamic legal maxim ‘al asl fi al-ashya’ al-ibaha’ [the doctrine that “all matters of human and social activity are considered a prioripermissible (mubah) under Islamic law unless clear and incontrovertible textual evidence from the primary sources of Islamic law (Qur’an and Sunnah) exists to prove otherwise] has historically been the basis of all acts of ijtihad (legal reasoning) within both the Sunni and Shi‘ah schools of law. Thus according to this principle, we need not look for proof from the sources of Islam to argue the case for Muslim participation in the British general elections, rather what is needed is incontrovertible proof that voting in such elections isharam (not permissible) since as a general principle “all matters of human and social activity (mu‘amalat and mu‘asharat) are originally permissible” as defined by the theory above.
This has been the norm adopted by classical jurists who were very much aware that texts accommodated multiple meanings and possibilities. According to Sheikh Mumisa, it is not enough to say “God says so” or “the Prophet says so.” A number of factors have to be taken into consideration such as: the context of the revelation of the text; the language of the text; the special circumstances of the addressee of the text; other texts on the same topic; the local customs (‘adah and ‘urf) of the addressee and how they may differ from the contemporary reader.
The problem as Sheikh Mumisa explained is that contemporary Muslims, particularly those now living in non-Muslim societies, have not properly explored or understood the principle. Sheikh Mumisa impressively drew on the works of a number of classical scholars like Ibn Abidin and Ibn Taimiyyah to highlight the precedents that have been set in Islamic Jurisprudence. However it is al-Shatibi, in the Sheikh’s opinion, whose work (al-Muwafaqat), makes the case that the texts of law are considered open, dynamic and subject to re-interpretation. By employing other hermeneutical tools in the study of the texts, Sheikh Mumisa argued that scholars like al-Shatibi show that the Qur’an and Sunna are not closed texts, and that interpretation is contingent upon the historical context, the cultural situation and level of development, and the philosophical presuppositions of the period in which that interpretation is taking place.
In other words, early and later Muslims jurists always treated the kulliyyat(universal principles) as the spirit and the intention of the Law-giver (qasd al-Shari‘) which could override the specific legal rulings (juz’iyyat) and other interpretations of law that were seen to be at odds with the spirit of the law. It is safe to say that according to this theory, as the Sheikh highlighted “the purpose of law in Islam is not necessarily to follow the letter of the law but to fulfil a higher goal and great purpose (maqasid):that of establishing a just society. Thus whatever moral and just method adopted to reach this goal is considered ‘Islamically’ correct”. Hence any political and legal system that fulfils the kulliyat is acceptable and considered as fulfilling the requirements of the Shari‘a. The question thus becomes, “Does the British and political systems fulfil the kulliyat as required under Islam?”. Sheikh Mumisa came to the conclusion that the British legal and political systems as they stand at the moment meet the goals of the Shari‘a.
As he concluded his speech Sheikh Mumisa warned that “Muslims will have no advantage in isolating themselves from the mainstream of political life and becoming a marginalised community”. The Muslim community would thus have to commit themselves to a system of cultural and religious pluralism within which they are free to assert their religious freedom. While maintaining their specific religious identity in the Western democratic order, they must remain conscious of their British identity
Mar 31, 2010 | News & Press
Lessons Learned
The Cordoba Foundation (TCF) welcomes the publication yesterday of the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Select Committee report on its enquiry into the Government’s Prevent program, which concluded that Prevent “stigmatized and alienated those it is most important to engage with, and tainted many positive community cohesion projects”.
Anas Altikriti, TCF Chief Executive said “the report puts credibility to what a lot of community leaders have been saying all along about rising distrust and suspicion about the Prevent program, namely allegations of spying on Muslims and the specific targeting of the Muslim community”.
After the initial allegations emerged as a result of investigations carried out by the Institute of Race Relations, TCF convened a roundtable in October 2009 at the House of Lords where prominent academics, human rights groups, community leaders and experts discussed their concerns which were later forwarded to Dr Phyllis Starkey, chair of the select committee. “We are happy that we were able to contribute some of our concerns and suggestions to the CLG Select Committee” said Altikriti. Moreover, “the proposed independent review of Prevent operations is a welcome sign and will improve confidence in the community”, added Altikriti.
TCF supports some of the recommendations that were made by the committee to the Government which includes:
- Research on risk factors for radicalization;
- Investments to tackle socio-economic deprivation;
- Avoiding interference in theological matters;
- Need for the Government to engage with those who demonstrate a desire to promote greater understanding, cohesion and integration.
In the light of the upcoming elections, it is hoped that these recommendations will be taken forward by the new Government in a bid to repair damage done to community cohesion through the Prevent program.
[Ends]
For more information about TCF’s roundtable on the Prevent Program, please click here
For more articles on the Prevent program, please click here
Notes to editors
- For further information, please contact Amjad Saleem, Head of Communications on 020 89913372 or media@thecordobafoundation.com
