Dr Bari's Speech at FbRN Joining-up-the-Dots Conference Thursday 02 April 2009 	
Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari  Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain  Friends House, Euston, 31 March 2009   Assalamu Alaykum,   I greet you with the Muslim greeting of Peace Be Upon You.   Firstly, I would like to begin by briefly narrating my personal journey in the East End of London and on working for the community through the MCB.   As some of you may be aware I am also currently the Chair of the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre. This is a major faith based centre providing a wide range of services to the local community, both Muslims and others, on issues of education, health, training and employment and interfaith work.   Muslim Community involvement   I can highlight our involvement, locally (in Tower Hamlets), regionally (through London Citizens) and nationally (MCB's interfaith work with IFN, ex-ICRC and in other ways) in working with other communities on issues like Census, halal/sechita etc. All this has helped us to forge better community relations across a wide range of communities.   In the context I would like to highlight MCB's work Connecting with Communities - through which we visited different cities in Britain to link up with communities, including our affiliates. Since then occasional visits and exchanges have taken place over the past couple of years.  Many of our affiliates and Muslim organisations need tangible support in capacity building, from infra-structure to social engagement. The MCB has a goodwill and thus can partner with organisations like the FbRN and others towards a common purpose.   We also believe in encouraging and facilitating Political Participation of British Muslims in the democratic process. The MCB, through its Public Affairs Committee has been working for full engagement of the Muslim community in the social and political life of Britain, especially when it comes to voter registration and voter participation. In the last London Mayoral election the MCB worked with Electoral Commission and published and distributed tens of thousands of leaflets to create awareness on participating in the election and also warn Londoners not to elect any far right candidate in the GLA. Sadly, BNP has now a member in the GLA after they crossed the threshold of 5% vote in their favour.   The MCB, as a non-partisan body, did not endorse any political party or candidate. The MCB believes that Muslim interest lies in working with all the main political parties. The Muslim community works with all mainstream political parties.   We have been working with other civil society organisations to peacefully protest on international issues, e.g., against military intervention, global inequality and climate change. In the same way we have been working with them against aspects of anti-terror laws, discrimination, racism and Islamophobia. In view of this democratic tradition within the Muslim community in Britain we feel offended when sections in the media and some right wing think tanks try to malign this Muslim participation in derogatory term such as ‘political Islamism’.   I want to make it crystal clear that the MCB, with the greater British national strategic interests in mind, will continue to criticize current British government policies and practices in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and the wider Middle East. We would also keep on criticising some of the policies, such as PVE and now CONTEST 2, that undermines the confidence of the Muslim community and creates social division rather than cohesion. They are counter-productive. Our support for and criticism of policies and strategies is based on principles that are mentioned in the Qur’an.   Faith as social capital   In today's world of disintegrating financial capital and banking system, we have a golden opportunity to create a more humane, just, equitable and more sustainable global economic order based on human needs and cooperation and not on rampant greed and self-destructive corporate competition. There is something profoundly wrong in the current economic and financial system where literally trillions of dollars can be injected to prop up a failed system, yet resources of only a few hundred million dollars can not be found to assist people with clean drinking water, or fighting diseases or even providing two square meals a day to hundreds of millions of people across the world.   Today's economic and financial crisis is a sign for all of us. We, the people of faith, who are assembled here today, have an onerous responsibility upon us as how we, ourselves, can shape our tomorrows. In the past year and half, since the autumn of 2007, we have seen how our political, economic, and financial classes have failed, as of yet, to grasp the enormity of the current crisis let alone find any solutions. So, there is no more point in hoping and wishing that some knight in shining armour will come riding with a magic wand to blow away the current crisis.   We have to take charge of our own destinies and ponder and devise ways and means as how best we can use faith as social capital. We need to share and exchange our own individual and communities' experiences and build upon those local successes. We can replicate them elsewhere so eventually, over the years, the local can become global too. I am hopeful, as I know from my understanding of the micro-credit system, how from a local village in Chittagong in Bangladesh (where I studied) it has now traversed Asia, Africa, Latin America and now has been set up in New York city, just a block away from the Wall Street, and the mid-west farming communities in the USA. And all these in just over 30 years!   Yes, miracles can happen   Islamophobia and Social harmony   I will be remiss if I do not at this stage point out how faith, particularly Islam, is treated to the detriment of social harmony. There are many external factors which are affecting our community.   The disproportionate attention and negative portrayal of the community by the media after 7/7 are eroding confidence of the Muslim community and making young Muslims more vulnerable. This, in addition to its historic under-achievement in many areas of life and prevailing prejudice because of racism and Islamophobia, is hampering the its progress. There seems to be a divisive agenda to undermine mainstream Muslim institutions and individuals from certain sections of the political and media establishments. These are big challenges we are now collectively facing. Over the past two - three years we have seen the mushrooming of groups backed and promoted by political opportunists, and often massively funded by various governmental depts. The most important and heartening fact is these fly by night operators are not in line with the mainstream pulse of our community. That is why the govt. has to constantly change horses. Thus governmental and other resources currently being poured on them are ultimately a gross wastage of taxpayer’s money. There is no value for money in this 'colonial' attempt to divide and rule.   I am happy to mention that the more conscious sections of the British society are becoming ever more aware of this divisive agenda. Last year I was invited as a keynote speaker at the Cambridge University's Institute of Faith in Society in St Edmund’s College where I found the very select and distinguished audience of senior academics both aware and concerned about the aforementioned relentless media, and on occasions, political onslaughts on our community.   Islam's universal message   Collectively we need to show the strength of will and courage to overcome hurdles of difference and get to know one another. To stand in support of one another when our basic religious beliefs are attacked or our practices threatened. We believe in unity in our diversity, for diversity in humanity is the message of Islam. Contrary to assertions that religions have been used to foster hatred and sow destruction, the essential message in the Qur’an is the unity of humankind and its potential as a positive force for harmony and cooperation. Rather than regarding diversity as a source of inevitable tensions, the Qur’an states that human variety is indispensable when defining common beliefs, values and traditions in community life:   “O human kind, We have created you male and female, and appointed you races and tribes, so that you may know one another. Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is the most God-fearing of you. God is All-knowing, All-aware.” (Quran 49:14)   Our diversity is like a multi-coloured flower garden where every one and every community is important. By diversity however we certainly do not mean isolation, segregation or insularity for that surely defeats the whole purpose of diversity.   Naturally, as Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain, I feel confident that faith can bring about a solution rather than a problem. The Muslim community with its root in Islamic teachings has many common values to share with other fellow citizens. The teachings of Islam had been instrumental in creating cohesive, peaceful and prosperous societies in Andalusia, Ottoman Balkans and Mughal India in their inspirational days. Sadly Muslims as a community are floundering more recently, but Islam retains the same spirit in encouraging its followers to contribute significantly to a better Britain. How? I will mention a few areas where Muslims can share their religious teachings with others for the good of all.   The first one is the importance our faith places on those around us, the neighbours. Just as the Bible teaches us to ‘serve thy neighbour ‘, it is incumbent on Muslims to care for our neighbours, irrespective of faith.   The second example centres on the universality of family and family values that is weakening under the strain of modern life. In Britain the number of marriages is now at an all time low. Marriage based family life has been the bedrock of Islam and indeed the whole of human civilisation. Thus strengthening the institution of family and the values that contribute to it, could be a wonderful joint endeavour of Muslims and other citizens to bring back more happiness in our life.   The third example, and concern, centres on the plight of children. UNICEF published a report on children’s happiness in February 2007 and it painted a sad state of affairs for Britain. This is an area where we all can work together. I was part of ‘Good Childhood Inquiry’ panel formed by one of Britain’s major Charities, the Children’s Society, and we published in February this year a book named ‘A Good Childhood: Searching for values in a Competitive Age’.   The fourth is looking after weak and vulnerable. The sign of a civilised society is how it looks after them. Elderly people have wonderful life experiences to share with the younger generation, they can provide loving care to their grandchildren and help families in economic difficulty as well. In return, they get the company they need and feel valued. This is an area where religious values can really play a major role.   The fifth one is the concept of Khidmah or service to human beings. In life some are abler than others, but the abler ones have a social responsibility towards the disadvantaged. ‘And in their wealth there is a rightful share for the needy and destitute – says the Qur’an 51:19.   The sixth example is about how faith has and should now speak up about the custodianship of our environment. We have transgressed and created havoc to our environment. Our uncontrolled greed for profit and power has on the one hand created an unequal world and climate disaster on the other. Our religion teaches us to remain measured, from individual level to state level, and look after God’s creation, as human beings have trusteeship over earth (Qur’an 2: 29-30).   Lastly, the need for a spiritual equilibrium. In our over commercialised and over sexualised world peace and happiness have become a far cry. Fear of and phobia of others is costing communal peace and harmony. It is time we reclaim our spiritual root.   Way forward   Religion, after all, calls for the common good and emphasises the value of life. We collectively have a duty to foster a culture of peace and build a partnership aiming to promote equality of opportunity for all in society. We strive towards a Britain where all are at peace and ease with one another, where our differences are respected. We have a duty to make sure all have an equal opportunity to excel and contribute to the common good of our nation. Each individual and every community has its obligation in it.   The war that need be waged is a war against our common enemies: racism, discrimination, inequality, injustice and climate change. As a Muslim, I feel the message of compassion and social justice needs to be flagged up even more today as we in the world currently face a catastrophic crisis of greed driven capitalism and global warming. Now more than ever, the world needs a spiritual message that enables societies to heal human suffering and protect religion from the perversion of cruel fanaticism. Faith communities have a duty to foster a culture of peace and build a partnership aiming to promote equality of opportunity and justice for all in the society. We strive towards a Britain where all are at peace and ease with one another, where our differences are respected and we all have an equal opportunity to excel and contribute to the common good of our nation and the humanity at large.   I thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you. Peace Be Upon You.