Muslim Council of Britain

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The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is an umbrella body with over 500 affiliates including the Muslim Cultural Heritage Center (Al-Manaar) in West London and the Muslim Movement for the Establishment of the Global Caliphate, and represents some national, regional, local and specialist organisations and institutions from different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds within UK Islamic society. It was established in 1997 to spread Islam, increase education about the faith, and ‘relieve poverty, sickness, distress and suffering.’ Other aims include promoting co-operation, consensus and unity on Muslim affairs in the UK.

It is associated with the MCB Charitable Foundation, a voluntary association and a registered charity (number 1084651) whose aims are given somewhat disjointedly as "To build a confident,engaged and prosperous Muslim community/to strengthen family and community institutions/to participate fully in the social and political life of Britain and the European Union and to contribute fully in the social and political life of Britain/ religious activities/arts/culture/economic/community development. The absence of an specific religious association other than in the first aim may be noted.

Contents 1 History 2 Structure 3 Campaigns and Programmes 4 Funding 5 Views 5.1 Politics 5.2 Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy 6 Support and Criticism 7 Allegations of Libel Against Hazel Blears 8 See also 9 Notes and references 10 External links

[edit] History

The MCB replaced the National Interim Committee for Muslim Unity (NICMU) after a "process of countrywide consultations ... indicated that a large majority of British South-Asian Muslims were very concerned with the lack of unity, coordination and representation and supported the establishment of an umbrella body." The name 'The Muslim Council of Britain' was chosen on 25 May 1996 and it was inaugurated on 23 November 1997 at Brent Town Hall, by representatives of more than 250 Muslim South-Asian organisations from all parts of the UK.^[1][2]

The Secretary General from 1997 to 2006, Iqbal Sacranie was awarded a knighthood in the 2005 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his long standing service to the community and interfaith dialogue^[3].

The current Secretary General is Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, who is also the chairman of East London Mosque. In 2006 more than 250 delegates at the Council's annual general meeting elected him to the position, with Dr Daud Abdullah as Deputy Secretary General and Unaiza Malik as Treasurer.

[edit] Structure

The MCB is made up of the following working committees:

Working Group
Business & Economics
Education
Europe & International Affairs
Food Standard & Chaplaincy
General Matters
Health & Medical Issues
Interfaith Relations
Legal Affairs
London Affairs Committee
Masjid & Community Affairs
Media
Public Affairs
Regeneration & Renewal
Research and Documentation
Social & Family Affairs (SAFA)
Youth

[edit] Campaigns and Programmes

• Towards Greater Understanding – Meeting The Needs of Muslim South-Asian Pupils In State Schools

A 2007 document produced by the MCB "intended to be used, as a source of reference by schools when reviewing their policies and practices in relation to meeting the needs of their South-Asian Muslim pupils." It deals with uniform, "in public boys should always be covered between the navel and knee and girls should be covered except for their hands and faces, a concept known as ‘hijab’."; beards; halal food; washing 'private parts' before prayers; fasting during Ramadan; avoiding medication and PE during Ramadan; avoiding mixed-sex sports; the right to withdraw from RE lessons; the right to study Islam at GCSE; it is not permissible for Muslims to participate in non-Islamic acts of worship; opportunities to study Arabic. The report claims to be an attempt to deal with these issues because "South-Asian Muslims are experiencing Racism & Islamophobia both personally and institutionally through forms of marginalisation, discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping.".

• Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board (MINAB)

In 2006, MCB along with other major Muslim organisations launched "Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board" (MINAB), an independent self-regulatory body to supervise mosques, train imams, set out core standards and constitutions, and promote best practice in the British mosques.^[4] The move was commended by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears.^[5]

• Islam is Peace

The MCB supported the 'Islam is Peace' advertising campaign which aimed to "break down barriers of suspicion and division, challenge stereotypes, combat prejudice, and offer an opportunity for strengthening the values of respect, tolerance and peaceful co-existence."^[6]

• Books For Schools

In 2004, the MCB launched a 'Books for Schools' programme to provide "high-quality Islamic resources" for mainstream primary schools in the UK.^[7] The material was put together by educationalists and teachers, with reference to the RE Non Statutory Framework (QCA). Resource packs include projects, objects, audio/visual items, booklets, card model kits, and posters.^[8]

• Footsteps

On May 2007, the MCB noted that: "The statistical evidence on underachievement of South-Asian Muslim students in all parts of the country is startling", and launched the 'Footsteps' campaign, designed to "identify role models for young persons to see and hear from with the aim that the experience will inspire and uplift the morale of young persons." These role models speak at secondary schools throughout the nation, primarily addressing thirteen and fourteen year olds.^[9]

• Know Your Rights and Responsibilities

In 2004, the MCB printed half a million copies of a pocketbook '‘Know Your Rights & Responsibilities’ which were distributed across Britain. According to Iqbal Sacranie, the pocketbook sought "to reassure South-Asian Muslims about their rights and remind them of the responsibilities we all share to help build a more just and cohesive society." It also encouraged British South-Asian Muslims to "participate in the mainstream political parties with a view to seeking the common good," and listed the police Anti-Terror Hotline number while describing "the averting of possible terrorist attacks as 'an Islamic imperative'."^[10] The pocketbook has since been updated and translated into the Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati & Arabic languages.

• Mosque 100

This programme, started in summer 2007, targets 100 medium sized Mosques and South-Asian Muslim organisations from across the country, aiming to "empower and capacity build within a year" by providing training and access to resources. Assessing the performance of this programme will depend on a number of criteria, including "number of voluntary and community groups assisted" and the "organisation's ability to access to information ... on specific topics."^[11]

[edit] Funding

Accounts presented to the Charity Commission say the Charitable Foundation had an income of £139,391 for the year 2006-2007; the accounts for the Foundation since it was large enough to be required to present them have typically been months overdue.

The MCB has applied (¿¿ for ??) and gained finance for projects devoted to the development of Muslim communities in Britain.^[12] The MCB received £150,000 of public money from the Government for a number of specific projects. These were: the MCB leadership development programme; the MCB leadership mentoring programme; MCB direct, a web portal for information on Islam and Muslims; a British citizenship programme, and the British Muslim Equality Programme. .^[13]

In 2006 the MCB won a grant of £300,000 from the UK Department for International Development (DFID). According to a DFID press release, projects will include (subject to final arrangements) producing teaching materials for Muslim schools and madrasahs and a website focusing on work to reduce poverty and links between Muslim communities in the UK and those in Nigeria, Bangladesh and India.^[14]

[edit] Views

The Muslim Council of Britain often issues press releases in response to political issues, especially those related to Islam or Muslims.

[edit] Politics

Following the 7 July 2005 London bombings, the MCB expressed its disgust at the events, saying: "All of us must unite in helping the police to capture these murderers." ^[15]

The Muslim Council of Britain has strongly condemned the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, which they said "highlighted a massive disconnect between public opinion - including Muslim opinion - on the one side and the political classes on the other"^[16]. The group condemns terrorism by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and has urged Muslims to help in the fight against terrorism.^[17] Following allegations that police had wire-tapped a Muslim Member of Parliament, the Council said it was vital "to hold to account the improper behaviour of senior police officers."^[18]

In February 2006, the MCB urged MPs to vote for the Lords Amendment to the Terrorism Act 2006, which removed ‘glorification of terrorism’ clause from the bill.^[19] They stated that the bill was perceived as "unfairly targeting Muslims and stifling legitimate debate".^[19] The bill was eventually passed without the amendment by 315 votes to 277.^[20]

The MCB has co-operated with trades union, for example by issuing a joint statement with the Trades Union Congress urging better community relations and encouraging Muslims to join trades union.^[21]

On 3 March 2008, the MCB criticised the Foreign Secretary David Miliband's response to Israel's killing of over 100 Palestinians in Gaza as "blatantly one-sided", and said: "If we are serious about wanting peace, we must act as honest brokers, not partisan bystanders."^[22]

When schoolteacher Gillian Gibbons was jailed in Sudan over the naming of a teddy bear, the MCB condemned the incident as "a gross overreaction" and said the Sudanese authorities lacked basic common sense.^[23]

[edit] Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy

When editorial cartoons of the prophet Muhammad were printed in the Danish daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005, the MCB saw them as reflecting "the emergence of an increasingly xenophobic tone being adopted towards Muslims in parts of the Western media" and argued that: "We should not allow our valued freedoms in Europe to be abused by those deliberately seeking to provoke hatred and division between communities". At the same time, they said they regarded "the violent threats made against Danish and EU citizens by some groups in the Muslim world as completely unacceptable."^[24]

[edit] Support and Criticism

• Between 2001 and 2007, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) expressed its unwillingness to attend the Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony and associated events, due to the "ongoing genocide and violation of Human Rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere". It also objected to the inclusion of the Armenian genocide and the recognition of gay victims of the Holocaust^[25] At the same time, Sacranie stated that the MCB were "one with fellow members of the British Jewish community in their pains and anguish over this savage and shameful event in recent history." This policy was criticised by Labour MP Louise Ellman and Terry Sanderson of the British National Secular Society, among others. In later years they called for the day to be replaced by a "Genocide Memorial Day". On 3 December 2007, the MCB voted to end the boycott. Assistant General Secretary Inayat Bunglawala argued it was "inadvertently causing hurt to some in the Jewish community". It drew criticism for this from some, for example Anas al-Tikriti, who said: "rather than a mere remembrance of victims of one of the most heinous crimes in history", Holocaust Memorial Day has "become a political event" which "glorifies the state of Israel, turning a collective blind eye to the immeasurable suffering of Palestinians at the hands of Israelis every single day."^[26]

• On 3 January 2006, Iqbal Sacranie told BBC Radio 4's PM programme he believes homosexuality is "not acceptable" and denounced same-sex civil partnerships as "harmful". He was criticised for this stance by gay rights campaigners, such as Peter Tatchell, who called for a "dialogue" between the MCB and gay organisations.^[27][28] In April 2007, the MCB formally declared its support for the Equality Act, which outlaws discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. It was commended for this move by some, for example Brian Whitaker, who said: "the Muslim Council of Britain has begun to move towards accepting homosexuality".^[29]

• The opposition of the Council to the ‘glorification of terrorism’ clause in the Terrorism Act 2006 and to British policy in Iraq was subject to both praise and criticism. Sunny Hundal wrote in an exchange with Sir Iqbal Sacranie: "In order to defeat violent extremism, we must understand what motivates these people and what turns them into killers. What puts them in that frame of mind? The Iraq war alone is not enough." He also criticised what he saw as close links between the MCB and the Labour Party. Sacranie conceded that "propaganda literature may well play a role", but emphasised: "such propaganda can only be effective because of the conducive atmosphere we have helped create."^[30]

• The MCB has been criticised by Martin Bright, among others, for failing to be truly representative. He said, in response to an article by Madeleine Bunting: "any body that represents itself as speaking for the Muslim community must demonstrate that is entirely non-sectarian and non-factional. The MCB has consistently failed in this area and the Government should consider cutting all ties until it has thoroughly reformed itself." ^[31] Madeleine Bunting disagreed, saying: "To the extent that the government over-relied on the MCB, it was due to the laziness of the government wanting only to hear one voice". She said it would be "absurd to exclude the MCB, the biggest Muslim organisation in this country and the one that has achieved the greatest degree of non-factionalism and non-sectarianism."^[32]

[edit] Allegations of Libel Against Hazel Blears

In March 2009, the Observer newspaper reported ^[33] that individuals including Daud Abdullah, the Deputy Secretary General of the MCB, had signed what has become known as the Istanbul Declaration (not to be confused with the 2004 Istanbul summit) in January of that year. This was in relation to opposition to Operation Cast Lead, the Israeli military action in Gaza of December 2008 and January 2009.

As reported, the Declartion implored the "Islamic Nation" to oppose by any means thought necessary all individuals deemed supportive of the "Zionist enemy" (cf. Israel). At the time of signing, foreign political leaders, including the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown had suggested providing peacekeeping Naval forces to monitor arms-smuggling between Gaza and Egypt ^[34].

An open letter ^[35] from the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears was subsequently published in the Guardian newspaper in which she stated that no further dealings would be conducted by the British Government with the MCB until it distanced itself from Dr. Abdullah's remarks and he resigned. In a response, also published in the Guardian newspaper, Dr. Abdullah called her remarks a "misguided and ill-advised attempt to exercise control" ^[36] stated his intention to remain in position. Subsequently, he announced his intention to sue Hazel Blears, in respect of her office, should she not retract her letter and issue an apology by 15 April 2009^[37].

A letter from the Treasury Solicitors, acting on behalf of Hazel Blears and HM Government, to Dr. Abdullah's solicitors revealed their willingness to continue with such a course of action ^[38]. It closed with the statement, "It follows, of course, that your offer of settlement is rejected". No further reports of attempts to pursue a libel case by Dr. Adbullah or the MCB have been heard.

[edit] See also

• Islam in the United Kingdom
• Mosques & Imams National Advisory Board
• Festival of Muslim Cultures
• Islamic Society of Britain
• Muhammad Abdul Bari

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Comment is Free articles by Inayat Bunglawala, Assistant Secretary-General at the MCB