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The Conservative Christian Fellowship and Conservative Muslim Forum are jointly hosting an Inter-Faith Reception at Conservative Party Conference in Manchester this year to thank faith communities for their positive contribution to society as well as acknowledge the social impact their work has on our local communities, across the UK and globally.

This will be a short informal afternoon reception, lasting for approximately one hour with keynote speakers and light refreshments provided.

Venue: The Barbirolli Room, The Bridgewater Hall, Lower Mosley St, Manchester M2 3WS

Date & Time: 14.00 – 15.00, Sunday 29th September

Please sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ccf-cmf-party-conference-inter-faith-reception-2019-tickets-70670245607

All welcome. No conference pass required.

We received the following reply from the Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson MP who recognises the value and support of the CMF to the Party.

We support the Governments agenda of recruiting more police officers, investing in our fantastic NHS and ensuring a first class state education system.

We will continue working with the Conservative Party and the Prime Minister to promote the Conservative party – a Party for all.

Following a clear majority win in the Conservatives leadership contest, the Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson MP has become the UK’s Prime Minister on 24th July 2019.

The Conservative Muslim Forum sends it congratulations and looks forward to working with him and his new Government.

Here is a copy of our letter.

We have also sent congratulations to the following MP’s on their appointments.

Rt Hon James Cleverly MP

Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP

Rt Hon Priti Patel MP

Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP

Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP

Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP

Ms Nusrat Ghani MP

One of the best features of the UK is our country’s openness to people of different faiths. In recent years growing numbers of Muslim organisations have started holding iftars aimed not just at Muslims but at the wider community as well.

Since 2013, Open Iftar has been inviting people from all walks of life, different faith backgrounds and none, to come together to break fast, share food & engage in inspiring conversations. Open Iftar is the flagship initiative of the Ramadan Tent Project, a community institution developing the knowledge, understanding and experience of Ramadan & fasting for all.

On 30 May 2019 they held an iftar in Trafalgar Square.

We consider that it is important for Conservative politicians to attend such events, to demonstrate their commitment to an inclusive British society.

Below is Roberto Weeden-Sanz leading the way. He is Conservative Councillor for Brunswick Park Ward in the London Borough of Barnet, Conservative London Assembly candidate for Barnet and Camden, and a good friend of the CMF.

Roberto said to us:

“It was moving to take part in the first ever iftar at Trafalgar Square as part of the Ramadan Big Tent Project Open Iftar. Over a thousand people came together to break their fast. It is moments like this which show London at its most beautiful, home to so many of us and welcoming of our diversity.”

Group photo at the iftar

On Saturday 25 May, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community organised an iftar for the wider London community at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden.

The Conservative Muslim Forum strongly believes in harmony between all religious groups, and CMF President Lord Sheikh and CMF Chairman Mohammed Amin have previously supported events at the Baitul Futuh Mosque. On this occasion, neither could attend. However the CMF was well represented.

In the photograph below, from left to right, are:

  1. Lady Sheikh, CMF Executive Member.
  2. Philip Gent, a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and our host for the event.
  3. Shaheen Thantrey, CMF Executive Secretary.
  4. Tim Kaye.
  5. Suzy Webb, CMF Executive Member.

Below is a short interview given by Suzy Webb alongside Gillian Carrick.

CMF Executive members Dr Haq Nawaz was the Conservative candidate in Peterborough North Ward for the local elections held on 2 May 2019.

Accordingly, on Saturday 27 April 2019 a team from the CMF Executive endured a freezing cold wind, and occasional rain, canvassing for Dr Nawaz.

You can see the team in the picture below. From left to right:

  1. Faruk Miah
  2. Mohammed Amin
  3. Bhatti
  4. Attic Rahman
  5. Dr Haq Nawaz
  6. Ash Zaman

Below we see the team loading up with leaflets before starting to knock on the doors of known Conservative supporters to remind them to vote the following Thursday. Their clothing tells you how cold it was!

Finally, any calories the team had burned off on the streets of Peterborough North ward were replenished in a local restaurant!

Sadly the outcome of the election was that Dr Nawaz was placed a creditable second with 786 votes, but the seat was won by the Labour and Cooperative Party candidate Ansar Ali with 1,473 votes.

One of the grimmest tasks faced all too often by the CMF is responding when appropriate to terrorist attacks in the UK, or overseas. It is important not to pre-empt any conclusions.

In the UK on Easter Sunday many of us woke up to the shocking news from Sri Lanka. We issued the tweet below:

The same text was posted on our Facebook page.

Condolences letter to Sri Lankan High Commissioner

Over the week after the attacks, much more information had emerged about the perpetrators. Accordingly our Chairman’s letter of condolences to the High Commissioner, reproduced below, was much more specific.

28 April 2019

HE Manisha Gunasekera
High Commissioner
High Commission of Sri Lanka
No.13, Hyde Park Gardens
London
W2 2LU
 
Your Excellency
 
TERRORIST ATTACKS ON EASTER SUNDAY
 
Last Sunday I awoke to the awful news of the terrorist bombings of Christians at prayer on what is for them the holiest day of the year. Since then, like so many in Britain and around the world, my heart has been heavy as we learned more about the human suffering, and the devastating losses of multiple members of many families.
 
It has also become clear over the week that these barbarous attacks were carried out by people who profess to practice the same religion as me. Innocent men, women and children have been slaughtered by merciless killers who had convinced themselves that they were carrying out virtuous deeds to serve the God that all of us worship. This is truly an abomination.
 
On behalf of the Conservative Muslim Forum, I am writing to ask you to convey our condolences and prayers to the bereaved and injured in your country.
 
Yours sincerely
 
Mohammed Amin

Subsequent expressions of solidarity

On 29 April 2019, a number of CMF Executive members attended the event organised in Parliament by Lord Sheikh which is summarised on our website page “Multifaith commemoration of the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka.

On 5 May 2019 three members of the CMF Executive attended the “Performance for Peace” (detaild below) at St Mary’s Church, Putney High Street, organised by the Parish of Putney and the British Sri Lankan Association which was attended by, amongst others, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner, and Nirj Deva DL MEP, Deputy Lieutenant of Greater London.

In 2014, Mohammed Amin authorised the CMF to make copies of his short guide to Islam for non-Muslims available to fellow Conservatives. At that time, we made it available on request via Conservative Campaign Headquarters.

However, we are conscious that this method in practice severely limits its distribution. Accordingly, we have made it available on this website page below. We recognise that this means it is equally available to members of other political parties. On balance, we consider that to be worthwhile rather than undesirable.

A printable PDF can be downloaded by clicking the cover image.

“A Brief Introduction to Islam for Conservative Candidates” by Mohammed Amin MBE

The Conservative Muslim Forum (CMF) has Mohammed Amin’s permission to share copies of his document within the Conservative Party for information purposes. The CMF is a political organisation, not a religious one, and has no views of its own on the content of this document.

Introduction

In politics, it is essential to understand what the voters to whom one is appealing regard as important and to appreciate how they see the world. This requires some basic knowledge of their religious beliefs where applicable. Your ability to communicate with Christian or Jewish voters would be seriously impaired if you knew nothing about what Easter or Passover meant to them respectively.

I meet many Conservative candidates. Some have very detailed knowledge of Islam, and in certain cases have lived in Muslim majority countries for several years. Others recognise that their knowledge is limited and say they would appreciate a concise source of basic information.

This document is intentionally brief, to concentrate on the key points. It sets out what most Muslims believe. For brevity and simplicity, I have not given any references, but there is a reading list for those who want to learn more. I have read all of the books listed and have no hesitation in recommending them.

When Muslims say or write the name of a prophet, we follow with words like “Peace be upon him” often abbreviated to “pbuh.” To avoid cluttering this document, I have not done that. However, the invocation should be assumed on each occasion when a prophet’s name appears. For simplicity, all dates are given using the standard Gregorian calendar used in the UK.

I am writing for English speaking readers. Accordingly, where a name occurs in the Bible, I have used the English spelling.

In English, “god” and “goddess” is used to refer to any divine being of the appropriate gender, whether believed to exist or not. Each of Jehovah, Baal and Jupiter are accurately referred to as a god.

Conversely in English “God” is specifically the personal name of the god who spoke with Moses, who caused the Virgin Mary to have a child and who communicated the Quran to Muhammad and is not the name of any other god. In Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Arabic, many different names are used for God, but all refer to the specific god mentioned in the previous sentence. The most common form of His name in Arabic is Allah, so if you obtain a copy of Genesis translated into Arabic, you will read that it starts with “In the beginning Allah created the heaven and the earth” (in Arabic). Many people who know little of Islam often incorrectly assume that the god called Allah in the Quran is a different god from God. Accordingly, for clarity I have used the single name God throughout this document except where quoting from the Quran.

While this document is copyright, I hereby give permission for it to be shared freely within the Conservative Party provided that it is not amended or abridged.

Mohammed Amin
Publisher of www.mohammedamin.com
Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum
© Mohammed Amin 2019

Islam before Muhammad

“Islam” is an Arabic word which means submission to the will of Allah (God) and anyone who lives his life according to God’s will is a “Muslim.” Accordingly Muslims, based on the Quran, refer to Abraham (for example) as a Muslim, a usage which sometimes confuses Jews and Christians. This is based upon the Quran, 22:78, Muhammad Asad translation which states that Islam was the religion of Abraham:

“And strive hard in God’s cause with all the striving that is due to Him: it is He who has elected you [to carry His message], and has laid no hardship on you in [anything that pertains to] religion, [and made you follow] the creed of your forefather Abraham. It is He who has named you – in bygone times as well as in this [divine writ] – “those who have surrendered themselves to God”, so that the Apostle might bear witness to the truth before you, and that you might bear witness to it before all mankind. Thus, be constant in prayer, and render the purifying dues, and hold fast unto God. He is your Lord Supreme: and how excellent is this Lord Supreme, and how excellent this Giver of Succour!”

Muslims themselves add to the confusion by failing to recognise that the usage of “Muslim” needs to change after Jesus. Although the word “Muslim” can reasonably be applied to anyone who lived before the revelation of the Quran and who obeyed and worshipped only God, this usage risks causing confusion if it fails to distinguish between Christians and Jews in, say, 300 A.D. since their practices differed. For periods after the revelation of the Quran, “Muslim” is only applicable to those who believe in the Quranic revelation, not to Jews or Christians even though they also worship God.

Muslims believe that in the beginning, God created the Heaven and the Earth. He also created the angels, animals and Adam and Eve. God commanded all of the angels to bow down to Adam, but one called Iblis in Arabic, Satan in Hebrew, refused and was cast out. Adam and Eve themselves disobeyed God and were excluded from the Garden of Eden to live their lives elsewhere on Earth. Their descendants eventually became wicked, so God caused a global flood which wiped out all humans except the family of Noah who He commanded to build the ark.

Many years later, in Ur in Mesopotamia most of the people were idol worshippers, but Abraham believed only in God. God told him to leave his home city and travel with his family to Canaan which He promised to Abraham’s descendants. Abraham’s first son Ishmael was born of Hagar, while his second son Isaac was born of Sarah. Abraham travelled far, and with Ishmael constructed a house of worship to God in Mecca at the site of the Kaaba today. The Kaaba is the approximately cube shaped building in the centre of the grand mosque in Mecca, that all Muslims face when they pray. God also tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Ishmael but intervened before he could carry out the sacrifice. Muslims remember that event every year at the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca, in the ceremony of Eid al Adha, when animals are sacrificed and most of the meat given to the poor.

Isaac’s son Jacob himself had ten children. Most of the other nine were jealous of Joseph who was Jacob’s favourite son and sold him for slavery in Egypt. There Joseph interpreted some of Pharaoh’s dreams, which enabled him to advise Pharaoh to prepare Egypt for a coming famine. Later Jacob and his other sons also sought sanctuary in Egypt from the famine and were reunited with Joseph.

A later Pharaoh knew nothing of Joseph, and enslaved Jacob’s descendants, the Hebrews. Eventually God revealed Himself to Moses and sent him with his brother Aaron to instruct Pharaoh to let God’s people go. After the plagues in Egypt, they eventually left with God parting the Red Sea for Moses, revealing the law to him at Sinai, and after many years in the wilderness the Hebrews, also known as Israelites after Jacob’s other name Israel, entered Canaan which was promised to them. In Canaan, the Israelites had periods of obeying God and periods of disobedience, with corresponding changes in their fortunes.

In addition to those mentioned above, the Quran specifically mentions the Biblical prophets Enoch, Lot, King David, King Solomon, Job, Ezekiel, Jonah, Elijah, and Elisha. The Quran tells us that much later Zechariah was the father of John (the Baptist.) The Quran also mentions other prophets before Muhammad, naming Shuayb, Salih and Hud, who are not mentioned in the Bible.

The Quran explains how God caused Mary to conceive despite being a virgin, and how devout her son Jesus was. Mary is the only woman mentioned by name in the Quran, and Jesus is mentioned 29 times. The Quran states categorically that Jesus worshipped God, and that he never asked other people to worship himself. It also states that Jesus was not crucified, although God caused those trying to crucify Jesus to think that they had succeeded.

Arabia at the time of Muhammad’s birth

At that time, the region was dominated by three empires. The Byzantine Empire was the continuation of the Eastern Roman Empire, controlling amongst other places what are now Egypt, Sinai, Palestine, Lebanon, most of Jordan, western Syria, North West Iraq and Turkey. The religion was Byzantine Christianity which later developed into the Greek, Armenian and Russian Orthodox churches.

The Sasanian Empire was centred on Iran but extended west to include Iraq north east of the Euphrates. The religion was Zoroastrianism, a religion dating back to around 600 BC which worshipped a god called Ahura Mazda.

In Ethiopia was an empire with its capital at Aksum. It also controlled the Yemen at times. The religion was Monophysite Christianity which believes that Jesus had only one nature, a divine one.

Between these empires were lesser states. To the east of the Byzantine Empire, in the region south of Damascus and south west of the Euphrates as far as northern Arabia was a region ruled by the Arab Ghassanid tribe whose religion was also Monophysite Christianity. To their east was a satellite state of the Sasanian Empire, the Arab Lakhmid princedom which practiced Nestorian Christianity. Nestorian Christianity was also found along the eastern edge of Arabia covering what is today Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Oman.

Yemen was an affluent region due to being on the trade route to India and its rich agricultural production, and at different times it had both Christian and Jewish rulers.

The central region of Arabia was inhospitable desert. That leaves the western edge of Arabia, south of the Byzantine Empire and north of Yemen, which is known as the Hejaz. It was a much poorer region than Yemen, marked by oases and by being on the caravan routes from the Yemen to the north. The population was a mixture of pagan tribes, Jewish tribes and Christians who were primarily Nazoreans (sometimes called Jewish Christians) who obeyed the laws given by Moses.

Mecca was both an important caravan staging post and a regional centre of pilgrimage for the pagan Arabs. The pagans were not unaware of Allah but regarded Him as one god amongst many in their pantheon, and the Kaaba held hundreds of idols to the many gods worshipped by the pagans. The most important tribe in Mecca was the Quraysh, and they were responsible for the upkeep of the Kaaba which generated significant income from the gifts of the pilgrims.

This was the complex, religiously mixed environment that would be totally transformed by the advent of Islam.

Muhammad’s life and early Islamic history

Muhammad was born into the Quraysh tribe in 570 A.D.. His father Abdullah died before his birth, and his mother Aminah died when he was six. Lacking a father, Muhammad was cared for by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, but he also died when Muhammad was eight, after which Muhammad was looked after by his uncle Abu Talib.

From an early age, Muhammad travelled with the trading caravans. He was famous for his honesty, acquiring the nickname “al Amin” (the honest one.) During repairs to the Kaaba, a dispute arose regarding which clan would have the honour of re-bedding the black stone which is at one corner of the Kaaba. As a sign of the high regard in which he was held, Muhammad was asked to arbitrate. He advised bearing the stone on a cloth each of whose corners would be held by a representative of one of the clans. When Muhammad was 25, his employer a wealthy 40-year-old widow named Khadijah proposed marriage to him; the marriage lasted 25 years until Khadijah died, and during her lifetime Muhammad took no other wives.

In 610 A.D. when Muhammad was aged 40, he was meditating in a cave when the archangel Gabriel appeared and spoke to him as follows:

“READ. in the name of thy Sustainer, who has created,
created man out of a germ-cell!
Read – for thy Sustainer is the Most Bountiful One
who has taught [man] the use of the pen,
taught man what he did not know!”

[Muhammad Asad translation]

These were the first five verses of the Quran to be revealed and are now the beginning of Surah (chapter) 96.

Khadijah was the first person to believe that Muhammad had received a revelation from God. As the revelations continued, others also came to believe. This small believing community was persecuted by other Meccans because the message Muhammad was preaching was at complete variance with pagan Meccan practices such as idol worship. Muhammad sent some of the early Muslims to sanctuary in Ethiopia, but in 622 A.D. he himself fled Mecca for Medina (then called Yathrib.) which is 339 km north of Mecca. In Medina was a small community of Muslims along with several Jewish tribes as well as pagan Arabs; Medina’s internal dissensions led its people to ask Muhammad to come and be their leader. Muhammad drew up a written constitution for Medina whose text is still available today.

There were a number of armed conflicts, as well as truces, with the pagan Meccans, but gradually more people converted to Islam and in 630 A.D. Mecca surrendered peacefully to Muhammad, and the Kaaba was cleansed of idolatry.

Muhammad died in 632 A.D. and was buried in Medina. He had not named a successor. A split arose amongst the Muslims regarding who should lead the community. The majority wanted to choose the best person from within the community regardless of familial connection with Muhammad; this faction was larger, so Muhammad’s closest friend Abu Bakr became the first caliph (Arabic for “successor” or “representative.”) A minority believed that the succession should be dynastic, and therefore wanted Ali, who as his cousin was Muhammad’s closest male relative as well as being his son in law.

The Arabic word for “party” or “faction” is “shia” and the “Shiatul Ali” (usually abbreviated to “Shia”) was the faction wanting Ali to be the first caliph. This dispute is the origin of the Shia / Sunni divide in Islam. Sunnis were the faction that supported Abu Bakr’s election. However, the word “Sunni” does not itself reference that dispute; the word simply means one who follows the Sunnah (traditions) of the Prophet, which is something that both Shia and Sunni Muslims state that they do.

The theology of Islam

The theology of Islam is very simple.

God has always existed, always will exist, has perfect foreknowledge, and is solely responsible for creating and sustaining the universe. There is no other god. God gives each of us life and has laid down the rules we should follow for living a good life. These include rules for how we should treat other people, such as the requirement to be honest and kind, and rules for how we should worship God. After our deaths, He will judge us, and if we have been sufficiently good by His standards, we shall enter Paradise; otherwise we face punishment in Hell.

The five essential pillars of Islam are:

  1. The declaration of faith: “I declare that there is no god but God [Allah in Arabic], and that Muhammad is the messenger of God.”
  2. Prayer, with five set prayer times at dawn, noon, the afternoon, sunset and the evening.
  3. Fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan.
  4. A specific type of charitable giving called Zakat, which has set rules for computing how much to give and who is eligible to receive it.
  5. Pilgrimage to Mecca once in a Muslim’s lifetime if he or she can afford it and is physically able. It must be performed on specific days in the Islamic calendar, with set rites. This is called the Hajj and is distinct from visiting Mecca at any other time of the year which is called Umrah.

Islam regards itself as the continuation and perfection of the religions that came before it, Judaism and Christianity. The Quran explicitly states that Muslims believe in the earlier revelations, but also that those revelations have become corrupted over time. In the writer’s view, the most obvious example of such corruption is ascribing divinity to Jesus.

The development of Islamic jurisprudence

The Old Testament, especially within the first five books, contains a number of rules for how Israelites should live. However these rules needed significant extension by rabbinic analysis to provide a code of Jewish law for either a Jewish kingdom (for example in the Holy Land until the kingdom was destroyed by the Romans or in Yemen or Khazaria), or to govern the lives of Jews in states ruled by followers of other religions.

The Quran is much shorter than the Old Testament and contains very few rules of law. Accordingly, Islamic law was developed by the early religious scholars, the most prominent of whom gave their names to the four main schools of Islamic law (Shariah) amongst Sunnis:

  • – Abu Hanifa (699 A.D. – 767 A.D.)
  • – Malik ibn Anas (711 A.D. – 795 A.D.)
  • – Shafi (760 A.D. – 822 A.D.)
  • – Ahmed ibn Hanbal (781 A.D. – 856 A.D.)

 

The main school of Islamic law amongst Shia Muslims is named after Jafar ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (702 A.D. – 765 A.D.).

Unlike Roman Church law, Shariah has never been codified. Accordingly, while the schools of law agree about the fundamentals of Islam, they differ on many issues. For example, they diverge on whether a man needs to ask his first wife’s permission before he takes a second wife.

Around 770 A.D. opposition developed against the schools of Islamic law, from “the people of the tradition” (ahl al-hadith in Arabic) who rejected the logical analytical methods of “the people of opinion” (ahl ar-ray). Instead they wanted Islamic law to be based on following the traditions, namely the sayings and actions of Muhammad. This made much more significant the question of deciding which traditions were authentic and led to their formal collection in books. Until then they were circulating primarily in oral form.

The most respected hadith collection was compiled by Bukhari (died 870 A.D.) in 97 books which now form nine volumes in English translation. Five other collections regarded as canonical by Sunnis followed, from Muslim (died 875 A.D.), Abu Dawud (died 889 A.D.), Ibn Maja (died 886 A.D.), Tirmidhi (died 892 A.D.) and an-Nasai (died 915 A.D.). The founders of the schools of law mentioned above had also made hadith collections which are also valued. While the hadith compilers devoted enormous efforts into excluding inauthentic hadith, Muslims recognise that some hadith included in the collections are more reliable than others. The assessment of hadith reliability is an important part of the formal education of Islamic scholars today.

With the formal collection of hadith, gradually a synthesis developed whereby the schools of Islamic law treated hadith as the main source of jurisprudence after the Quran.

Frequently asked questions

Was Islam spread by forced conversion?

The Muslim Arabs fought against and conquered the empires around them to gain agricultural land, and other resources. They established systems of government over the conquered territories, but the inhabitants were free to retain their religions. (The exception is Arabia itself from which Jews and Christians were expelled.) Over time many of the conquered peoples converted, but the survival of large Jewish and Christian minorities into the 20’th century is evidence against forced conversion. Occasionally local tyrannical rulers did engage in forced conversion, for example the Almohad dynasty which took control of Andalusia in Spain in 1147 A.D. However, such religious oppression was relatively rare in Islamic history.

Does Islam treat religious minorities as second class?

The second caliph Umar, who conquered Jerusalem, set down rules for the treatment of Christians and Jews. Unlike Muslims, they were exempt from compulsory military service, and also did not have to pay Zakat. Conversely, they were liable to pay a poll tax, called jizyah in Arabic, had to wear distinguishing clothes, and faced some restrictions on building. Christians and Jews were called dhimmi (protected people); a category that was gradually extended to include all non-Muslim minorities.

From a 21’st century perspective, some would consider dhimmitude to be a form of second-class status. However, in almost all cases the treatment of religious minorities by Muslims was far superior to the way that Christians at that time treated religious minorities.

Why is there no separation of church and state in Islam?

Muhammad was both the leader of Islam and the head of government in Medina. After he died, both roles were taken over by Abu Bakr as caliph, although of course all prophecy ended with the Muhammad. All legal questions about what Muslims could or could not do were questions about Islamic law.

However, with the passage of time, the role of Caliph became hereditary and history records several major dynasties. As the territory controlled by Muslims increased there came to be regions which were governed independently of the historic centre in Medina. It could not be said of these regional leaders that they were all heads of the religion of Islam. Later still the Ottoman Sultans found it necessary to create laws (known as “kanun” in Turkish) by fiat which did not derive their authority from the Quran or Prophetic traditions but simply from the Ottoman Sultan himself. Today most Muslim majority countries have legal systems where legislation is made by secular legislative bodies, sometimes with exceptions for Muslim personal law as in Malaysia.

Accordingly, it is an exaggeration to say that Islam recognises no separation between church and state.

Are Muslims allowed to leave Islam?

Many Muslim scholars believe that conversion out of Islam should be punished by death. However, there are many other Muslim scholars who consider that Muslims face no earthly penalty for abandoning Islam.

What is jihad?

It is an Arabic word which means struggle. Muhammad taught that the most important form of jihad is the struggle a Muslim undertakes with himself to live his life as well as possible in accordance with God’s laws.

The second and lesser meaning of jihad is military action to defend the Muslim community against attack. This was necessary as the Muslims of Medina were regularly attacked by the pagans of Mecca. Later Islamic jurisprudence lays down a number of rules regarding jihad, including the requirement that jihad can only be declared by the head of the Muslim religious community, the caliph. As there is no caliph now, all current purported declarations of jihad are not competent.

Why do Muslims object to receiving or paying interest?

In four places, the Quran prohibits something called riba in Arabic. There are also a number of hadith which give guidance on what constitutes riba. From these sources, many Islamic scholars conclude that interest in all circumstances constitutes riba and is prohibited. Other scholars consider that interest is only prohibited as being riba when it is excessive and there is unequal bargaining power between the parties.

Can Muslims marry non-Muslims?

The Quran permits Muslim men to marry Jewish and Christian women. However, there is no equivalent religious permission for Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men.

What does halal mean?

Halal means pure, lawful and permissible for Muslims. The most common usage of the word today is in connection with food, particularly food from animals.

Some animals are inherently forbidden for eating, for example pigs, except when it is a life or death emergency. Other animals, for example cows, can be eaten but must be slaughtered in the prescribed manner. This entails the throat being cut by a Muslim slaughter-man who says a specific invocation with the blood then being drained from the animal. Most Muslims believe that the animal should not be stunned before being killed.

What is Eid?

Eid is a religious festival. The two main Eid festivals celebrated by all Muslims are:

  1. Eid ul Fitr which celebrates the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.
  2. Eid ul Adha which commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Ishmael. This festival takes place at the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj.

Many Muslims also celebrate Muhammad’s birthday, which is called Eid Milad un-Nabi, while many others do not.

Why do Shias flagellate themselves?

Ashura is the tenth day of the month of Muharram, which is the first month of the Muslim calendar. On that date in 61 A.H. (680 A.D.), Hussein, the younger grandson of Muhammad was killed at Karbala in present day Iraq along with his son and supporters by the army of caliph Yazid. His death is regarded as a tragedy by all Muslims. Shias in particular mark the day by lamenting his martyrdom and the failure of their ancestors sufficiently to assist him, leading some to flagellate themselves.


Further reading

“The Qur’an” (Oxford World’s Classics) translated by Muhammad Abdel Haleem

I recommend this as the first Quran translation for English speakers to read, because of the clarity of its modern translation. Also, it has very few footnotes to break up your reading of the text itself.

“Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources” by Martin Lings

The late Martin Lings was an English convert, and this very readable biography is highly regarded.

“The message of the Qur’an” – translated and explained by Muhammad Asad

This translation by a Polish Jewish convert to Islam is also quite modern, and benefits from the translator’s extensive footnotes. During his varied life, the translator became Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Electronic copies can be found free on the internet.

“A Textbook of Hadith Studies: Authenticity, Compilation, Classification and Criticism of Hadith” by Mohammad Hashim Kamali

This book provides an excellent introduction to the way that Muslims have collected and evaluated hadith.

“Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence” by Mohammad Hashim Kamali

The author provides a detailed introduction into the way that Muslims developed Islamic law and along the way tackles a number of important questions such as the extent to which parts of the Quran may have been abrogated (superseded) by later Quranic revelations or hadith.

“To Be a European Muslim” by Tariq Ramadan

The author is one of the leading Islamic scholars in Britain and analyses what Quranic and hadith sources say about how Muslims in Europe should live.

“Muslim Civilization: the Causes of Decline and the Need for Reform” by Muhammad Umer Chapra

This short book provides a very readable and insightful view on why Muslim civilisation declined after being far ahead of Europe.

“Islam – Past, Present & Future” by Hans Kung

This 700-page book is by one of the world’s leading Roman Catholic theologians and completes a 25 year trilogy of books alongside Kung’s books on Judaism and Christianity. Both Muslims and non-Muslims can learn from Kung’s respectful Christian perspective.

On Monday 29 April 2019 Lord Sheikh, who is President of the CMF, hosted a commemoration event in the River Room in the House of Lords for the terrible terrorist attacks that took place in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday.

The event was extremely well attended by politicians, members of the armed forces, clerics, and civil society representatives. The CMF was represented by:

  • Chairman Mohammed Amin
  • Deputy Chairman Ash Zaman
  • Executive Member Lady Sheikh
  • Executive Member Tahara Amin
  • Executive Secretary Shaheen Thantrey
  • The above photograph shows Lord Sheikh in conversation with the Sri Lankan High Commissioner HE Manisha Gunasekera while people were assembling before the speeches.

    The following people spoke:

    1. Lord Sheikh
    2. H.E. Manisha Gunasekera, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka
    3. The Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
    4. Bishop of Westminster, Bishop John Wilson
    5. Reverend Hudson-Wilkin, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons
    6. Lord Dholokia, Co-Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Peers
    7. The Rt Hon. the Lord Paul
    8. Venerable Seelawimala Bogoda (Buddhist Leader)
    9. Rabbi David Mason, on behalf of the Chief Rabbi
    10. Dr Al Dubayan, Director General of the London Central Mosque Trust and The Islamic Cultural Centre in Regent’s Park
    11. Catherine West MP
    12. Seema Malhotra MP
    13. Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP, former Minister of State (Department for International Development) (Joint with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office)
    14. Virender Sharma MP
    15. Krishan Kant Attri Hindu Chaplain (Army)
    16. Reverend Father Sudham Perera
    17. Dr Richard Sudworth, Advisor to the Archbishop of Canterbury
    18. Imam Qasim, founder and chairman of Al-Khair Foundation
    19. Afzal Khan MP, Shadow Minister (Home Office) (Immigration)

    Former Metropolitan Police Commander Mak Chishty acted as the MC and gave the vote of thanks to the speakers.

    Alistair Burt’s speech

    Alistair Burt’s speech was recorded by one of the audience and uploaded onto YouTube. Accordingly we have embedded it below.

    Lord Sheikh’s speech

    Lord Sheikh has given us a copy of his speech with permission to publish it here.

    Your Excellency, my Lords, Honourable Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

    At the outset, I would kindly ask you to be upstanding, to observe a minute’s silence to mark the victims of the Sri Lankan attacks.

    Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

    Our prayers and thoughts go to the relatives of the deceased persons and those who have been injured.

    May God Almighty bless the souls of the deceased and restore health to the people who have been injured.

    I am a friend of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankans.

    I have met the leadership of the country and built connections with the present and previous High Commissioners as well as the Sri Lankan diaspora in the UK.

    I was indeed devastated and very upset by the unhuman and cruel attacks on churches and hotels resulting in deaths, injuries and carnage.  

    On Easter Monday, I telephoned Her Excellency, Manisha Gunasekera and subsequently wrote to her.

    I also went to the Sri Lankan High Commission to sign the Book of Condolences.

    We must stand by our Sri Lankan friends in times of tragedy and, in fact, at all times.

    We must all totally condemn the actions of the perpetrators and what they have done should not result in any division or animosity within the communities in the UK, Sri Lanka and in fact, throughout the world.

    We must all unite and join hands to face evil and establish solidarity against bigotry, extremism and terrorism of any sort wherever it may occur.

    I understand that the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism command has sent a team of specialist officers to help with security and intelligence activities.

    I also understand that family liaison officers are in Sri Lanka to support families of British victims.

    It would seem that the perpetrators of these evil actions are Muslims who belong to a group called NTJ.

    What these people have done is totally against the principles of Islam.

    They are absolutely wrong and are misled in their beliefs and actions.

    Islam is indeed a religion of peace and does not allow any form of suicide attack or terrorist activity.

    It is written in the Holy Quran “Whoever kills an innocent person it is though he has killed all mankind, and whoever saves a life it is as though he has saved all mankind”.

    Unfortunately, Roman Catholic churches were targeted.

    I would like to emphasise that Muslims regard Christians as people of the book.

    The books of Allah are the Holy Quran, the Torah, the Gospel of Jesus and the Psalms of David.

    The Roman Catholics pay a great deal of reverence to Mary, Mother of Jesus.

    I would like to state that in the Holy Quran, there is a chapter titled ‘Sura Maryam’ which means ‘Chapter on Mary’.

    This chapter refers to the birth of Jesus by Maryam.

    Maryam or Mary, the mother of Jesus, is regarded by the Muslims as one of the most righteous ladies in the Islamic tradition. 

    In the Holy Quran, no other lady is mentioned more times than Maryam.

    Unfortunately, hotels were also targeted, resulting in deaths and injuries to tourists and other foreigners.

    Unfortunately, this will adversely affect tourism.

    If the perpetrators are under the fallacy that they are waging jihad when they committed these evil actions, I would stay that this is not jihad, as jihad does not mean that you kill innocent people.

    If the perpetrators were helped by Isis, then I would like to say that I am totally against what Isis say and do.

    Their evil ideology is totally against the principle of Islam.

    Isis has to a very large extent been defeated in Iraq and Syria, but we must bear in mind that their evil ideology is still prevalent, and we must combat this evil ideology whenever or wherever it manifests.

    If these acts in Sri Lanka were a revenge for the New Zealand massacre, then I believe that this was totally out of order as two wrongs do not make a right.

    I would like to emphasise that what has happened in Sri Lanka was not in my name.

    I am actively involved in promoting interfaith dialogue and fostering harmony between people.

    I am also involved in combatting radicalisation and extremism.

    I have prepared reports on these subjects and spoken at various mosques and centres.

    In fact, I was speaking last Saturday at the Islamic Cultural Centre and London Central Mosque on Muslim issues.

    Dr Al Dubyan is a Director General of the Centre and he is with us today and we would ask him to say a few words later.

    I would like to add that I am working with Mak Chishty to set up an initiative to combat radicalisation and extremism worldwide.

    I would like to say that I am very concerned about the ill treatment of Christians around the world and we must take note of the review being undertaken by the Bishop of Truro and look at the support we can provide to the Christians.

    I hope that this meeting enables us to speak with one voice, to condemn and unite under one umbrella.

    We must work together to prevent a reoccurrence of what happened in Sri Lanka.

    Finally, I would like to thank you all for showing your solidarity with Sri Lanka at this meeting.

    Thank you.

    The CMF Executive considers it essential for the UK to introduce “name blind recruitment”.

    LEGAL BACKGROUND

    For many it has been illegal to discriminate when making recruitment decisions. The current law is set out in Equality Act 2010. EqA 2010 section 4 specifies nine protected characteristics, which are:

    1. age;
    2. disability;
    3. gender reassignment;
    4. marriage and civil partnership;
    5. pregnancy and maternity;
    6. race;
    7. religion or belief;
    8. sex;
    9. sexual orientation.

    EqA 2010  does not number the characteristics, but we have done so for ease of reference.

    Discrimination is defined in EqA 2010 Chapter 2. In particular, in EqA 2010 s13(1):

    “A person (A) discriminates against another (B) if, because of a protected characteristic, A treats B less favourably than A treats or would treat others.”

    EqA 2010 Part 5 applies to ‘Work’ and protects a wide range of individuals and corporate members within the field of work (employment, occupation and vocational training). Within that Chapter 1 applies to employment, section 39(1) states:

    “An employer (A) must not discriminate against a person (B)—

    1. in the arrangements A makes for deciding to whom to offer employment;
    2. as to the terms on which A offers B employment;
    3. by not offering B employment.”

    There is of course much more detailed legislation in EqA 2010. These provisions are similar to those found in the previous discrimination legislation, meaning that old case law remains relevant. The one main change is that the provisions do not refer to discrimination in relation to employment at “an establishment in Great Britain“: they are silent as to their territorial scope.

    THE PERSISTENCE OF DISCRIMINATION

    Despite discrimination in employment being unlawful, it persists.

    To quote then Prime Minister David Cameron from his Conservative Party Conference 2015 speech:

    “But let’s be honest. For too many people, even a good education isn’t enough. There are other barriers that stand in their way.

    Picture this. You’ve graduated with a good degree. You send out your CV far and wide. But you get rejection after rejection. What’s wrong? It’s not the qualifications or the previous experience.

    It’s just two words at the top: first name, surname.  Do you know that in our country today: even if they have exactly the same qualifications, people with white-sounding names are nearly twice as likely to get call backs for jobs than people with ethnic-sounding names?

    This is a true story. One young black girl had to change her name to Elizabeth before she got any calls to interviews. That, in 21st century Britain, is disgraceful.

    We can talk all we want about opportunity, but it’s meaningless unless people are really judged equally. Think about it like this.

    Opportunity doesn’t mean much to a British Muslim if he walks down the street and is abused for his faith.

    Opportunity doesn’t mean much to a black person constantly stopped and searched by the police because of the colour of their skin.

    Opportunity doesn’t mean much to a gay person rejected for a job because of the person they love.

    It doesn’t mean much to a disabled person prevented from doing what they’re good at because of who they are.

    I’m a dad of two daughters – opportunity won’t mean anything to them if they grow up in a country where they get paid less because of their gender rather than how good they are at their work.

    The point is this: you can’t have true opportunity without real equality.  And I want our party to get this right. Yes us, the party of the fair chance; the party of the equal shot……the party that doesn’t care where you come from, but only where you’re going……us, the Conservatives, I want us to end discrimination and finish the fight for real equality in our country today.”

    Many experiments have been done, where employers are sent identical CVs, but with different names at the top of the CV. Names that suggest the applicant is a Muslim, or of foreign birth, or of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity, are much less likely to lead to an interview than names which imply that the sender is white British.

    The evidence is overwhelming. We have listed just a few sources below:

    8 August 2015 — New Study Confirms Depressing Truth About Names And Racial Bias

    6 February 2017 — Is it easier to get a job if you’re Adam or Mohamed?

    23 May 2017 — Here’s why you didn’t get that job: your name

    13 September 2017 — A New Study On Name Discrimination Suggests Names Signaling Race Are Also Linked To Social Status

    6 February 2019 — Employers’ Replies to Racial Names

    WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?

    Accordingly, one needs to consider what measures can be taken to stamp it out.

    Legal action against employers who discriminate is of course important. However, it should not be the only remedy. We need practical measures that both make a difference directly, and also assist employers in their legal duty not to discriminate.

    We consider that one practical change that should be introduced is “name blind recruitment.”

    Under this, people applying for jobs would not disclose their names on the initial job application form or the CV sent with the initial job application.

    Today more and more initial job applications are made online, and it would be a straightforward matter for the job application website to eliminate the requirement for the applicant’s name. The computer system could generate an identification number to allow the application to be uniquely identified in future.

    For applications made by postal mail, the applicant would give a return postal address as at present, but without a personal name. For residences where many people receive post in the same letterbox, arrangements  using, what are clearly pseudonymous names such as “John Doe” (the classical name used in US legal judgements) could be used. This is one practical arrangement which can be easily implemented into a working practice..

    Name blind recruitment would not, of itself, eliminate discrimination in the recruitment process. Such discrimination may well occur later in the process, for example after the interview has taken place. However, it forms the part of a new narrative and positive approach against discrimination.

    It would also have two further important benefits:

    1. It would make discrimination during the initial screening of job applications much less likely, since the main identifiers used by people who discriminate would have disappeared.
    2. The job application process being name blind would be a continuing reminder to all people involved in recruitment that discrimination is legally prohibited, as well as in virtually all cases being a violation of their organisation’s written recruitment policies.

     

    IMPLEMENTATION

    We consider that the Government should begin by mandating name blind recruitment for all public sector jobs. Section 149 of the EqA 2010 created a single public sector equality duty covering all strands of discrimination law. Therefore, public authorities are already required to have regard to (amongst other things) “eliminating conduct that is prohibited by the EqA 2010, including breaches of non-discrimination rules in occupational pension schemes and equality clauses or rules

    The Government should go further and publish guidance notes for employers based on its practical experience of using name blind recruitment.

    In due course, the Government can take account of the outcomes, and hopefully legislate to make name blind recruitment mandatory for all UK employers.