Dawah in the UK: Challenges, Opportunities, Outcomes

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله وعلى آله وصحبه أجمعين،

Bismillah ar-Rahman ar-Raheem. Alhamdullilahi Rabil alameen

wasalatu wasalamu ala sayidina Muhammad wa 'ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmaeen.

 

CONTEXT - Muslims in West at a Crossroads

How do we live by Islamic values in our daily life? What should be our relationship with the non-Muslims we live, interact and work with? How do we fulfil our duties towards the Muslim Ummah?

The path forward for us is not isolation from society. It is also NOT assimilation and the loosing of our Islamic values (modesty, living by the Islamic rules, having strong families, respect for women, care for our Ummah and being ambassadors for Islam. Our path in the West must be interaction with non-Muslims and the wider society, as directed by Islam, as ambassadors, as was the example of our beloved Prophet (saw) in Makkah.

لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ))

((لِّمَن كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الْآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا

"You have a good example in Allah's Messenger for whoever hopes for Allah and the Last Day, and remembers Allah often." [Al-Ahzab: 21]

As a member of Hizb ut Tahrir in Britain, I want to share with you some of our experiences working with Muslims and non-Muslims in Britain. What are some of the challenges and opportunities and some results we managed to achieve by the grace of Allah (swt), Alhamdulillah. There are several aspects to Hizb ut Tahrir's work in the UK.

Supporting the Work for Khilafah "Caliphate" in the Muslim world

How can we contribute to the work to re-establish the Khilafah "Caliphate" in the Muslim world.

¨     The reality in the West is that Muslims in UK, Denmark, France and elsewhere are concerned by the disastrous situation in the Muslim world (occupation of Afghanistan and Palestine, drone attacks, poverty in Somalia, oppressive regimes that abuse their citizens, etc.

¨     Muslims in the West are connected with the Muslim world and they visit relatives in Muslim lands.

¨     Muslim Rulers visit London seeking support from their masters

¨     London is a media centre for global media so messages can be projected back home

When these Muslim treacherous rulers visit, we sometimes mobilise Muslims and have demonstrations outside their embassies in order to expose their treachery and call for the re-establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" in the Muslim world.

Alhamdulillah, we were able to do this when rulers from Pakistan, Egypt, Bangladesh, and several other countries visit.

Being a Voice for Our Oppressed Ummah

We live in the UK which has sent soldiers to invade, occupy and fight our Muslim brothers and sisters in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. These governments also support the Zionist occupation of Palestine and their governments are part of the war on terror. We live in the kitchen where the plans and false justifications are cooked up. Such as the lie that Iraq was a threat so it must be invaded. What did we do?

We launched a campaign to challenge the lies and false arguments. We organised protests, public talks and detailed and well researched reports cutting through their lies and showing the Khilafah "Caliphate" as the alternative. We issued press releases, and did TV interviews. We emailed opinion formers and distributed a dossier outside parliament.

As a result, some of their thinkers better understand our arguments and are in a better position to challenge the government's lies. Also, some Muslims became motivated to speak out against the government's policies - utilising our arguments. So Muslims are able to be a voice challenging the war on terror of western governments in Muslim lands.

Combating the Assimilation Agenda

After 9/11, as western governments started sending troops to fight against our brothers and sisters, they noticed that Muslims were not silent about that, that we didn't say, "I'm British, that's OK". They found Muslims standing speaking up and marching against such policies. So now, western governments, some western media and some politicians now say that Muslims are a threat because they believe in the concept of Ummah. They say Islam is a threat and that that Muslims must abandon Islamic concepts like Shariah, Khilafah "Caliphate", Ummah and Jihad if they want to live in the West.

So we see an aggressive assimilation agenda targeting Muslims.

• They are trying to form a 'British version of Islam' (no Jihad, Ummah, Khilafah "Caliphate")
• They have proposed Madrassa curricula, and training for Imams
• They tried to give communities money to spy on other Muslims and promote this British form of Islam.

We have worked with other Muslims to mobilise to reject these Madrassa curriculum and other government plans against the Muslim community have become discredited. Assimilation can be challenged by an aware community.

Hostile Attacks on Islam by some Politicians and Media

The British government and media have led hostile campaign towards Islam in the media.

Intimidating Muslims to leave their values; so we saw the

¨     France hijab ban 2004, now niqab ban raging across Europe

¨     Blair, Brown, Cameron, attacked Islam saying: Islam is evil ideology, barbaric, backward

Hizb ut Tahrir launched a ‘Stand for Islam' campaign to empower Muslims with arguments with which to respond. This is our proactive agenda of carrying the ideology. To stand for Islam and expose the weakness, corruption, hypocrisy and damage of Capitalism, secularism and liberal values

• They say "Islam oppresses women"; lets discuss status of women in western societies, where men in the fashion and other industries exploit and demean women
• Through articles sent to thinkers, press releases, booklets and reports we try to expose the Capitalist finance system, democracy, the family breakdown, neglect of elderly and rampant individualism
• Our sisters took up the argument on the women's issues challenging Peter Holobone MP and Nigel Farage MEP to a debate, he declined

These arguments have helped Muslims to be able to debate with those who attack Islam and better explain Islam to the masses

Conclusion

• These are some of our actions and achievements in the UK, Alhamdulillah.
• I raise these examples to highlight what is possible when we mobilise, unite and engage with society in an Islamic manner.
• We need to continue to strive to build a strong Muslim community that holds unto the impressive and noble values of Islam and serves as an ambassador for Islam in the West.

((يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِن تَنصُرُوا اللَّهَ يَنصُرْكُمْ وَيُثَبِّتْ أَقْدَامَكُمْ))

"O you who believe! If you help in the cause of Allah, He will help you, and make your foothold firm". [Muhammad 47:7]

• We have many new challenges in the West, especially in recent years with the rise of the far right, calls by Gert Wilders for the banning of the Qur'an, Danish cartoons insulting Prophet Muhammad (saw) and colonial wars launched from the West.
• The way to stop many of these actions is actually by having a strong Khilafah "Caliphate" state in the Muslim world which stands up for Islam and Muslims,
• So we actually look to you here in Indonesia and across the Muslim world to work to re-establish the Khilafah "Caliphate". The return of the Khilafah "Caliphate" will give a strong voice to the Ummah and affect even the situation of Muslims in Europe.
• We need you to keep up your efforts and ask Allah (swt) to reward this Ummah soon with the re-establishment of the Khilafah "Caliphate" in the Muslim world.

 

Taji Mustafa

Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in Britain