Can the faith make itself heard abroad?

The United Kingdom has expressed its dissatisfaction, no, its lack of trust, in returning to a left-of-centre political model, in a humiliating result for Rishi Sunak’s Conservative party. It is almost ironic that a knight of the realm, ‘Sir’ Keir Starmer led the Labour resurgence, just twisting the knife just a little more within the echo of Big Ben.

However, as the dust settles on an election that was such a foregone conclusion there was no drama at all in the event, an opportunity has arisen to ask what the future under the new Prime Minister holds for the UK’s four million Muslims, and how they can positively influence their communities and societies.

This, in a world where sectarian and cultural diversity have been seen for decades as having only disruptive and self-serving ideologies that have about as much political and social effect as a mosquito on a dinosaur, which is, when you think about it, as an apt metaphor for the political duopoly of successive Labour and Conservative governments that have shamelessly neglected the needs of their constituents.

Muslim bloc voting initiatives are by no means a new idea. Indeed, there have been several iterations over the years seeking to harness the power of a collective voice to engage tactically with an electoral system designed to exclude dissent and maintain a political status quo.

Khadijah Elshayyal, writing in the Middle East Eye, is of the opinion that, “the media and political establishment have attempted to portray independent campaigns more generally, and Muslim voters in particular, as sectarian and separatist or as boorish and barbaric.” She alludes to an entrenched fear of organised ‘resistance,’ as being something to be feared, as in Islamaphobia, the topic of a parliamentary debate on the 20th of March this year.

Seeking a definition of Islamaphobia from the incumbent Conservatives, Debbie Abrahams, the Oldham East and Saddleback MP (Lab), questioned the “indifference to fear, discrimination, and hatred, that thousands of Muslims experience,” which, on the face of it, appears to be itself to be coming from its own latent extremist perspective.

That word ‘hate’ just seems motivated, and un-necessary, and almost inextricably linked to a very ‘British’ unease, not maybe of the faith, but a fear of Islamists evolving to become a valued socio-political entity, with a legitimate contribution to the nation. It will not be easy, but the alternative is to see Elshayyal’s ‘Muslim bloc’ become, like every other minority throughout history that goes from being relevant and heard today, to gone tomorrow.

Again, we could ask why? It is hesitation that will emasculate the voice of Islam in Britain because the other 96.4 per cent of the population is being educated, not to know or understand your faith, but to hesitate every time it confronts them. They do not see every Muslim as a terrorist, any more than they see every doctor as Harold Shipman, who killed fifteen of his elderly patients, or every nurse as the murderer of seven infants, Lucy Letby. But they will hesitate, because they do not know your goodness of heart. They do not understand that through sincerity – al ikhlas -, honesty – al sidq -, and goodwill – al nasihah, relative to Allah, and those around them, which guide them through the mundane to the exotic, the banal to the spiritual, and from joy to love.

I believe the Islamic entity will never become as strong as it needs to be in the UK. However, it is in good company. After all, the most recent iteration of a socio-political entity, the environmental lobby has been encouraged towards social disobedience, to the extent that their lunatic fringe believes it has a legitimate right to deface priceless national treasures and artworks, and that will stop oil exploration!

Their credibility, their voice, and ultimately, their message, is consequently being lost to those they profess to represent because of their misguided extremism. They still have a presence, but their voice is lost in the noise of the machine.

Not only in the UK however, Islam is frequently marginalised across Europe, and at a time when many of us seek legitimate alternative lifestyles, and coherent answers to life’s most challenging questions...that noise is so loud!