Universities flourish with radical ideas, falter with bigotry
Transcript: Keynote Speech by Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari Tuesday 12 March 2013 Organised by LSE Students Union on ‘Campus Extremism, Freedom and Security: Working top promote Cohesion in British Universities’ Chair, distinguished guests, colleagues, students: It is my pleasure and privilege to be able to talk tonight about three issues which dominate our headlines...
The War on Terror Is Dead … Long Live the War on Terror?
Last March in an article titled Time for an Inclusive politics I wrote of my optimism surrounding the impending demise of the War on Terror. President Barack Obama himself had declared the war finished in 2010. Here in Britain we were looking forward to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee as well as the Olympics. For once,...
Reviving the spirit of fasting & Ramadan
Religion and religious practice is for a higher purpose; to lift the status of human beings. When it comes to Islam it is about the spirit and message of the oneness of God and the stewardship of human beings on earth. Islam is essentially about one’s wilful submission to God to become His worthy vicegerent;...
Read!
‘Read’ – the road to success Among the signs of developed and successful societies are two practices that stand out prominently – their government’s higher investment in education and skills and the high level of reading habits from their citizens. These societies are dynamic and their people are disciplined. Even ordinary citizens generally keep themselves...
Ramadan and the Majestic Qur’an: Part 1
Fasting and the blessed month of Ramadan The month of blessings, forgiveness and salvation from Hell-fire, the month of Islam’s first victory over the pagan Arabs, and above all, the month of Al-Qur’an, has a distinctive significance for Muslims all over the world. Allah, in His infinite mercy upon the Muslim ummah, has awarded this...
Ramadan and the Majestic Qur’an: Part 2
The Book that shaped the world! The month of Ramadan is the one in which the Qur’an was sent down as guidance for mankind, with clear signs containing guidance and criterion…. (Al-Qur’an 2:185). At a time when the world sank to its lowest and humanity deviated from its elevated position of Allah’s vice-regents into the...
Our Mosques, Our Hope
The key to the success of a Muslim community anywhere in the world is for its members to emulate the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him*) in both the individual and communal spheres of life. Mosques should be at the heart of community development and should provide the community with knowledge, skills and experience, fellow-feeling,...
Generation and Culture gap within Muslim Communities in Britain
The demographics of the Muslim community in Britain has significantly increased in the past decade – there are now 2.4m Muslims, with a high percentage being under 4 yrs old, according to ONS in 2008. A recent study by the Young Foundation (Valuing Family, Valuing Work: British Muslim Women and the Labour Market, October 2008)...
