London, UK, November 22nd 2010 – The media sensationalism generated by tonight’s BBC Panorama [British Schools, Islamic Rules] is the latest attempt to force Muslims to adopt liberal values.
Taji Mustafa, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Britain said “the tactics are now well understood by most Muslims. You demonise aspects of Islamic beliefs and values linking them to selective quotations, distortions or misrepresentations about Islam in the hope that Muslims will denounce every aspect of Islam that contradicts secular liberal values.”
“The programme talked of ‘diagrams about the punishment for thieves’, verses from the Qur’an, and the unsurprising Islamic view that homosexuality as a sin against the law of the Creator, and presented these as evidence that such Islamic views are unacceptable and Muslims must reject them.”
“Muslims are increasingly used to seeing the myth of liberal tolerance being replaced with the truth of liberal supremacy, having seen similar attacks by some politicians and sections of the media pressurising Muslims to embrace secular values.”
“We doubt if Mr Gove, the Education Secretary, would show consistency and ban H.E. Marshall’s ‘Our Island Story’ – a favourite of conservative educationalists – from school because it talks about ‘Turks’ and ‘Saracens’ in such jingoistic and derogatory terms.”
“Muslims have been expected by the British establishment to concede they have ‘false grievances’ about the West’s foreign policy, that occupation of Muslim lands must go undefended, that attacks on the Shariah are legitimate, and that they should laugh off attacks on the Blessed Prophet Muhammad (phuh). Now aggressive liberal secularists demand that Muslims endorse same sex relationships as a natural lifestyle choice and distance themselves from Shariah punishments, the effect of which is to deter the levels of criminality all too common in Western cities.”
“Michael Gove and Panorama should perhaps concentrate more on the real problems in British education: the rising levels of attacks on teachers; the bullying of children due to their faith; and the fact that society has rising levels of teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease and antisocial behaviour.”
“It is precisely for these reasons that Muslims seek to encourage their children to chose Islamic values, so that they can be wholesome, decent, productive people, who have respect for others – especially for women and the elderly – as well as for themselves, no matter where they are in the world.”
”Despite the huge pressure on Muslims in the west to remain silent in the face of this coercive assimilation campaigns, we will continue to expose such liberal totalitarianism and urge Muslims to engage in the wider debate about the damaging effect of some liberal values on society at large.”
[Ends]
thanks 4taking pen to remind us the tough strugle ahead of us.
SubhanAllah.. How quick to respond to the attack on our Ummah, our Way of Life.. Islam! Insha’Allah we can spread the truth, and expose such tyrants.. Allahu Akbar.. JazzakAllah khair for the post!
Absolutely true article, thankyou brothers for defending islam and muslims yet again. Where are the muslim groups and mps ? It is outrageous how these people bash islam and get away with it, when we have the largest resources inthe world. Why cant we exercise some influence with it ?
Also did you see the dispatches program ?
I felt it was designed to pitch the blood of those victims of terror ( probably Xe services backed) against Islam, what do you think, please write an article on that
Your analysis is mostly reasonable BUT our faith is surely strong enough to defend our beliefs whilst still questioning aspects of Saudi doctrine which, to my admittedly limited knowledge, is not neccessarily the same as Quranic teachings as explained by our great and learned scholars. If there is some disagreement about interpretations of “modest” dress and legal punishments that should not equate with abandoning our values and embracing a liberal western interpretation of morality… We should recognise that there are culturally driven practices within the Islamic world which masquerade as religious demands…
Islam is strong and despite the onslaught of western propaganda shows no sign of weakening. Surely we follow an honourable tradition of reason and debate and will always have a line drawn in the sand overwhich we will never tread… whatever the consequences! I am not so sure we should embrace punishment amputations or the stoning of adulterous women as part of our faith or be prepared to fight to the death for such measures to become universal law. The Saudis can do as they wish of course without interference but for those of us who are not of that culture or society we may believe that being Muslim does not equate with following every Saudi practice to the letter… Please enlighten me.
Salam alaykum,
Allah(swt) says “Invite to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.” [al-Qur’aan, an-Nahl'(16):125]
Your argument and response lacks wisdom and fairness. It is just a defensive remark someone would make when they are attacked. It lacks the quality of fair preaching as some secular liberal values do bring justice e.g. free healthcare for all(NHS) and economic benefits such as child benefit, etc.
You should not tar all liberal values with the same brush.
My second point is in relation to wisdom, by the style and content of your writing(i.e. making liberal values the argument) you are giving the haters more fuel to enrage their arguments against medieval extremist muslims and hence give them further justification to push their agenda.
Finally in terms of arguing with them in ways that are better , you should have mentioned the same rules on homosexuality and theft are contained in other religious scriptures (Bible, old & new testament). This is not a new religion but a continuation of the older scriptures. so why single this out? surely this smells of xenophobia?
Allah(swt) knows best
Nadeem
Assalamu alaikum,
brother Nadeem, you may need to study a little bit more about what ‘liberal values’ mean, as I’m afraid your comment in support of them are totally off the mark – as the NHS and Child Benefit are not anything to do with secularism or liberalism as ideas. Secularism means abandoning the Shariah of Allah (swt) and detaching from life’s affairs – surely you don’t support that? Liberalism in this context means the values of freedom including personal freedom as opposed to submission to Allah (swt) and His guidance, commands and prohibitions – surely you don’t support that?
Indeed Allah knows best… but most of mankind are unaware.
Your article made me extremely sad. While there might have been faults with last night’s programme, generally your anger is directed at the wrong person! Shouldn’t you be targeting Muslim schools that are delivering a wahabi, inflammatory ideology rather than seeing how much rage you can stir up on the internet? The programme highlighted that while some Muslim schools are performing excellently, others have rejected the integration agenda and are using fear, drama and filth ridden rhetoric to scare students in to submission. I am a revert, who left Christianity for these self-same practises, yet some of you seem set on continuing them, maybe because you’ve lost the facts in translation, and so fear is all you have left to build on. Frankly, as a practising Muslim, I was deeply ashamed of what I saw; money was speaking, and because Saudi chucks money randomly at these so-called schools, they blindly follow their wahabi, separatist agenda.
Every one knows what ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir is all about, I find it fascinating that you didn’t approach any more mainstream, and truly representative Muslim bodies to comment on the programme, I doubt you’ll even publish my comment! But some of us have to speak out against the disgusting impression you are creating of Muslims. Don’t turn this in to what it is not; no one last night said give up Islam, no one said we shouldn’t speak out against the violations that do exist in this society, and no one said we must sacrifice our faith! But there is a way to do it; and to be honest, I’d rather my kids learned how to be active citizens, how the law in the UK works and how they make it work for them, how to protect their environment, and above all, how to cultivate love in their hearts for Allah (SWT). Infatuating though it may be, I’m not too worried if they don’t know how to cut some one’s feet off, and though I’d love them to learn about, and appreciate fine arts, I’m sure there are other ways of doing it rather than drawing anti-Semitic pictures; after all, am I the only one that noticed the Islamic contribution to art?
Next time you write a press release, fill it with fact, would you? I’m a journalist myself, and I didn’t write this kind of stuff even in school!
Response to Roshni and Peter Brown
Inshah Allah, I hope you are well. Jazakallahu khair for your feedback.
We need not tell you that we have little truck with the Saudi regime, and your comments reflect some valid questions about the appropriateness of the curriculum for children.
However, we would caution against a few matters on this:
1. The attack made was clearly aimed at Islam and NOT on the misrepresentations of Islam or behaviour of Muslims. This is the third time (if memory serves me correctly) that a current affairs programme like Panorama, the Policy Exchange and the Conservative Party have colluded to attack Islam, mixing up real Islamic laws and beliefs with negative ‘pseudo-Islam’. Our tone of outrage was in this context, and hence appropriate.
2. The allegations on Panorama are just that – allegations. Indeed, we have been made aware that some of their arguments were inaccurate and clearly sensationalist. I do not trust the BBC in their presentation of anything to do with Islam, unless verified authentically.
3. That being said, if they were accurately reported there may be some valid self-reflection that some educational establishments may have to make.
Below is a leaflet distributed widely after Friday prayers which I think you will see explains the issues further.
http://www.hizb.org.uk/press-releases/bbc-panorama-another-cowardly-attack-on-islam
Wassalam, Abdallah
alhamdulillah.
alhamdulillah, great article as always.
I watched this program. The funniest bit was when the presenter said something like: “we traced it back to this house where we found the shelves were filled with… text books!!”
When he said “text books” there was scary music in the background.
lol
In Christianity if you dont believe Jesus is God or th saviour then you’ll burn in hell for eternity, they dont critisize Christians but will only critisize Muslims, clearproof that the war on terror is a war on Islam.
The oppression of Muslims in Britain will grow, history will repeat itself. The whole of the Meccan period will be here soon.
Regarding the BBC1 Panorama – British Schools, Islamic Rules
The programme showed Arabic text from a Saudi text-book which was mis-translated and was in turn highlighted by the presenter as damning evidence.
The text was visible and the translator read it in Arabic, then gave a wrong translation. He said that it means ‘the jews look like monkeys and pigs’. In fact the passage should read ‘Allah punished the people of the sabbath by transforming (Arabic word Maskh) them into monkeys and pigs’.
It is in reference to a verse in the Qur’an
“Ask them concerning the town standing close by the sea. Behold! they transgressed in the matter of the Sabbath. For on the day of their Sabbath their fish did come to them, openly holding up their heads, but on the day they had no Sabbath, they came not: thus did We make a trial of them, for they were given to transgression. When some of them said: “Why do ye preach to a people whom Allah will destroy or visit with a terrible punishment?”- said the preachers:” To discharge our duty to your Lord, and perchance they may fear Him.” When they disregarded the warnings that had been given them, We rescued those who forbade Evil; but We visited the wrong-doers with a grievous punishment because they were given to transgression. When in their insolence they transgressed (all) prohibitions, We said to them: “Be ye apes, despised and rejected.” (Al-Baqra:65-66)
Nowhere in the passage nor in the Qur’an are ‘The Jews’ said to look like monkeys or pigs. It is a specific historical incident and not general to all Jews.
Although the interview with Professor Neal Robinson alluded to the whole lesson being about the historical incident, no attempt was made to correct the damaging mis-translation.
In my opinion, a seperate Panorama show should be devoted to an expose of how sloppy and biased BBC journalists rely on incorrect translations to hype up their stories. This is not the first such incident.
“This is not the first such incident”.
Sadly, nor will it be the last; as it’s impossible to teach an old dog, new tricks.
It is predisposed to be the official mouthpiece for the anti-Islam government of the day.
its a war on islam dere jelous of us. we dont have problemz like them young pregnancy and all theiz dirti thingz
This deviant process of reformation has long been in the colonial system of oppression commanding simpletons through British Raj’s salaried Imams only preach what conforms to the British whiter-white curriculum and nothing else will do. Jihad related verses in Qur’an be avoided or face prison. British administration did propose to stick with ‘panjsura’ there is no need for studying the whole Qur’an, teach for peaceful existence and be good.
Permitted were mosque building, frequenting masjid 5-times a day, fasting, hajj and Zakat but talking about Jihad was offensive and punishable treason.
After the quasi distant independence British left behind its Federal system of governing imposed by the colonial masters directly contributed to division of society and the country a precursor of divide and rule.
I think it is fair to say that blood circulation effect of colonial subjugation still remains in the thoughts and secular outfit visibly seen among the Muslims living life unaware of the goal prescribed by the Allah (SWT).