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Leaving Islamism (pt.1?)
August 5, 2008 | Posted by Londonstani - 3:56pm | 18 Comments
Sometimes, terrible events give birth to positive changes.
The 7/7 attacks gave British Islam a good kick up the backside. It's recent development is, on the whole, a good thing for the country. Londonstani feels the need to qualify that last statement because the panoply of Muslim groups - Sufis, secular Muslims, traditional mosque leaders, British-centric Islamists, non-political Salafis - care more about personal fiefdoms and backstabbing than offering guidance on how to reconcile living as a Muslim and belonging in Britain. At times, the growing political activity of these groups results in situations that make British politics resemble its mutated and dysfunctional Pakistani relative. (if anyone is wondering why Londonstani linked to that last story, it's because he has it from a good source that the whole "Hamas links" outcry was sparked by a Muslim group that opposes the one that organised the conference)
Londonstani doesn't always agree with the arguments being thrown back and forth, but does like to see people with different outlooks engaging with each other and talking about what it means to be Muslim in Britain. It's damn sure that it's a discussion that's coming at least 20 years too late.
One of the key contributors to the debate is Maajid Nawaz, who turns up on television now and again, but his most useful contribution has been the talks he's given and discussions he's held geared primarily towards a British Muslim audience. An executive summary of his background would say, "Young British Muslim grows up angry and joins Hizb ut Tahrir, gets shut away in an Arab prison for four years where he meets more serious Islamists, witnesses the reality of Islamist thought from the inside (literally) and decides being British isn't all that bad." For the full-on version, click here.
After coming back to the UK, Nawaz's journey from Islamist firebrand to a more British-centric and inclusive approach culminated in the establishing of the Quilliam Foundation, which describes itself as a "counter extremist think tank".
The centre's ethos is summed up on the home page of the web site; "Western Muslims should be free from the cultural baggage of the Indian subcontinent, or the political burdens of the Arab world. We were born and raised in a milieu that is different from the Muslim East. As such, our future and progeny belong here. Just as Muslims across the globe have adopted from and adapted to local cultures and traditions, while remaining true to the essence of their faith, Western Muslims should pioneer new thinking for our new times."
Unfortunately, reports - from reporters who have attended their functions - say that for all the progressive talk, the Quilliam Foundation has been picking up some of that Arab and Asian baggage they were complaining about. Journalists have been prevented from asking questions at some of their events, and others have complained about not being allowed to attend debates.
Londonstani has never formally met Nawaz (although he has informally asked him for a quote from the otherside of a cage in a courtroom), but he is disappointed to hear his group might be heading towards the "don't question me. I know everything" attitude that afflicts most Muslim groups in the UK.
Londonstani attended a debate that Nawaz chaired in London some months ago. Nawaz was proposing that Muslims didn't need to adhere literally to the Islamic Sharia laws as they were traditionally understood. Others among the audience - who, although weren't Islamists - argued that the Sharia could not be so easily disregarded. The debate was frank and heated. And all in all, Londonstani thought it was a good thing.
Nawaz started it off by describing the experiences and assumptions that led him towards radical Islamism. Londonstani has decided to write out his notes of what Nawaz said to give readers - specially those not from the UK - an insight into the thinking of the young British men who feel the draw of radical Islamist rhetoric.
The following notes are not a word for word rendering of what Nawaz said, but pretty close:
"I was a 16-year-old from Essex. I felt I didn't belong. I was constantly reminded I wasn't British and I was aware that I wasn't Pakistani.
"On the international scene I saw Muslims being massacred in Bosnia for no other reason than that they were Muslims, and no one was willing to help them. These were what was referred to as "secular Muslims" and no one wanted to stop them being killed. This all happened only a few months after Britain and America and fought Saddam to free Kuwait. All the talk of "freedom and repression" that had been used to fight the Iraqis was suddenly forgotten. I was angry that this wasn't justice.
"I began to identify with my Muslim identity. I met Muslim students who offered answers for the questions i had.
"I came to believe that my Islamic identity had been stripped by the British education system. I believed that we had been denied our identity as Muslims and instead had this common bond replaced with tribal allegiances to Western colonial constructs such as Pakistan, Syria, Egypt or Saudi Arabia.
"Before this tribal identity had been forced upon us, we were one global super power. An umma that could protect its own from the kinds of things happening in Bosnia or Israel. I felt that this power had been taken from us by deliberate Western action. And, if it was taken from me, I needed to reclaim it.
"I believed that in Britain, the establishment taught me to be British because it wanted me to identify with the colonialists and not my oppressed brothers.
"I thought, 'lets looks at the Muslim world. It's a collection of tin pot dictatorships propped up by the former colonialists. Who placed these rulers in power? Of course the British. They put these incompetent leaders in place purposefully to keep my people weak.'
"I believed Islam gave me the ideology to address these problems. It came with a detailed command and control system, a judicial system. The scripture was a perfect system to assert my identity, to resist colonialisation. This was the solution to my identity problem.
"I decided it was my duty to oppose these dictatorships and be willing to sacrifice my life like the prophet and his companions to establish the Umma on the ashes of the Muslim countries."
Nawaz went on to describe how his outlook changed and what he now believes. Londonstani thinks that part is a little beyond the scope of this post, but would be happy to copy the rest down if people are interested.
The 7/7 attacks gave British Islam a good kick up the backside. It's recent development is, on the whole, a good thing for the country. Londonstani feels the need to qualify that last statement because the panoply of Muslim groups - Sufis, secular Muslims, traditional mosque leaders, British-centric Islamists, non-political Salafis - care more about personal fiefdoms and backstabbing than offering guidance on how to reconcile living as a Muslim and belonging in Britain. At times, the growing political activity of these groups results in situations that make British politics resemble its mutated and dysfunctional Pakistani relative. (if anyone is wondering why Londonstani linked to that last story, it's because he has it from a good source that the whole "Hamas links" outcry was sparked by a Muslim group that opposes the one that organised the conference)
Londonstani doesn't always agree with the arguments being thrown back and forth, but does like to see people with different outlooks engaging with each other and talking about what it means to be Muslim in Britain. It's damn sure that it's a discussion that's coming at least 20 years too late.
One of the key contributors to the debate is Maajid Nawaz, who turns up on television now and again, but his most useful contribution has been the talks he's given and discussions he's held geared primarily towards a British Muslim audience. An executive summary of his background would say, "Young British Muslim grows up angry and joins Hizb ut Tahrir, gets shut away in an Arab prison for four years where he meets more serious Islamists, witnesses the reality of Islamist thought from the inside (literally) and decides being British isn't all that bad." For the full-on version, click here.
After coming back to the UK, Nawaz's journey from Islamist firebrand to a more British-centric and inclusive approach culminated in the establishing of the Quilliam Foundation, which describes itself as a "counter extremist think tank".
The centre's ethos is summed up on the home page of the web site; "Western Muslims should be free from the cultural baggage of the Indian subcontinent, or the political burdens of the Arab world. We were born and raised in a milieu that is different from the Muslim East. As such, our future and progeny belong here. Just as Muslims across the globe have adopted from and adapted to local cultures and traditions, while remaining true to the essence of their faith, Western Muslims should pioneer new thinking for our new times."
Unfortunately, reports - from reporters who have attended their functions - say that for all the progressive talk, the Quilliam Foundation has been picking up some of that Arab and Asian baggage they were complaining about. Journalists have been prevented from asking questions at some of their events, and others have complained about not being allowed to attend debates.
Londonstani has never formally met Nawaz (although he has informally asked him for a quote from the otherside of a cage in a courtroom), but he is disappointed to hear his group might be heading towards the "don't question me. I know everything" attitude that afflicts most Muslim groups in the UK.
Londonstani attended a debate that Nawaz chaired in London some months ago. Nawaz was proposing that Muslims didn't need to adhere literally to the Islamic Sharia laws as they were traditionally understood. Others among the audience - who, although weren't Islamists - argued that the Sharia could not be so easily disregarded. The debate was frank and heated. And all in all, Londonstani thought it was a good thing.
Nawaz started it off by describing the experiences and assumptions that led him towards radical Islamism. Londonstani has decided to write out his notes of what Nawaz said to give readers - specially those not from the UK - an insight into the thinking of the young British men who feel the draw of radical Islamist rhetoric.
The following notes are not a word for word rendering of what Nawaz said, but pretty close:
"I was a 16-year-old from Essex. I felt I didn't belong. I was constantly reminded I wasn't British and I was aware that I wasn't Pakistani.
"On the international scene I saw Muslims being massacred in Bosnia for no other reason than that they were Muslims, and no one was willing to help them. These were what was referred to as "secular Muslims" and no one wanted to stop them being killed. This all happened only a few months after Britain and America and fought Saddam to free Kuwait. All the talk of "freedom and repression" that had been used to fight the Iraqis was suddenly forgotten. I was angry that this wasn't justice.
"I began to identify with my Muslim identity. I met Muslim students who offered answers for the questions i had.
"I came to believe that my Islamic identity had been stripped by the British education system. I believed that we had been denied our identity as Muslims and instead had this common bond replaced with tribal allegiances to Western colonial constructs such as Pakistan, Syria, Egypt or Saudi Arabia.
"Before this tribal identity had been forced upon us, we were one global super power. An umma that could protect its own from the kinds of things happening in Bosnia or Israel. I felt that this power had been taken from us by deliberate Western action. And, if it was taken from me, I needed to reclaim it.
"I believed that in Britain, the establishment taught me to be British because it wanted me to identify with the colonialists and not my oppressed brothers.
"I thought, 'lets looks at the Muslim world. It's a collection of tin pot dictatorships propped up by the former colonialists. Who placed these rulers in power? Of course the British. They put these incompetent leaders in place purposefully to keep my people weak.'
"I believed Islam gave me the ideology to address these problems. It came with a detailed command and control system, a judicial system. The scripture was a perfect system to assert my identity, to resist colonialisation. This was the solution to my identity problem.
"I decided it was my duty to oppose these dictatorships and be willing to sacrifice my life like the prophet and his companions to establish the Umma on the ashes of the Muslim countries."
Nawaz went on to describe how his outlook changed and what he now believes. Londonstani thinks that part is a little beyond the scope of this post, but would be happy to copy the rest down if people are interested.
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