Emdad Rahman

Black and Muslim – Oh the shame of it!

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:00:00 GMT

Should citizens of the world be startled that there is such controversy and ill hype surrounding Barack Obama’s links to the Islamic faith?

Councillor Craig’s right to oppose

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 10:12:00 GMT

Councillor Alan Craig of the Christian People’s Alliance (CPA) has been a long standing opponent of the Abbey Mills Mosque in Newham.

In defence of the Tabligh

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Fri, 25 May 2007 08:47:00 GMT

Misleading dross served up as journalism will ultimately raise awareness of the truth.

Gloriously failing the Tebbit test

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 11:11:00 GMT

Baljeet Ghale, the first ethnic minority president of the National Union of Teachers, believes that ordering schools to teach “British values” merely incites racism. During the NUT’s annual conference in Harrogate last week, she said that plans to put Britishness on the curriculum risked encouraging the "shadow of racism." Conference Professor Gus John said attempts to teach British values would be "fatuous", whilst further claiming that all schools must assume that they are institutionally racist.

Ghale pointed out during her conference speech; ‘Education Secretary Alan Johnson had described the "values we hold very dear in Britain" as "free speech, tolerance, and respect for the rule of law." Aren’t these values commonly shared by just about every nation on earth?

Once upon a time cool Britannia was the buzzword. A Brit oozed class in every sense of the word; the dress sense, poise, manners and sheer class, all through clever marketing and PR. This is a legacy still prevalent all around the globe. Years ago I remember flicking through a mainstream British newspaper and spotting a larger than normal animation depicting Mohamed Al-Fayed as a trembling dog being put to the task then home Secretary Jack Straw, who had refused to grant him British nationality. Despite his status as a giant in the world of commerce and enterprise, the caricature perfectly portrayed the degrading lengths Al Fayed was prepared to go to in his pursuit of seeking acknowledgement and acceptance into British public life.

This, remember is a man who has spent the best years of his life serving the interests of the UK. Through his investments he has contributed heavily to the government tax coffers and employed countless citizens of this great country. A man who for years was seemingly obsessed with Britishness, wearing a kilt for a photo shoot and emulating the lives of the elite and upper classes at every opportunity, Al Fayed had failed to convince the powers that be that he was a credit to the UK, though criminals and vagabonds have been accepted with open arms and prospered. Events since the death of Diana mean that the hunt for the Holy Grail will forever remain just that, a quest. Al Fayed embodied Britishness.

I didn’t have the opportunity to study beyond school so I only have a core number of teachers who I can aspire to. Baljeet Ghale was my English teacher and along with my head of history I’d like to say that she has been significant in influencing my future. My best assignment in English was about Racism in Sport and I got to study about Brian Close of Yorkshire cricket club and his derogatory comments regarding Asians representing Yorkshire. My love for the subject, nurtured and honed by the brilliant Ghale ensured I achieved top marks. Baljeet Ghale did for English what Ruud Gullit did for sexy football.

Yet the first black President of the NUT is in the line of fire for having the temerity to claim that Britishness lessons are racist. Have I missed something here because I really need someone to educate me on exactly what British values are. Would I be unpatriotic for claiming that more than general consensus around the world see being British as a means of getting pissed up to the nines in a far away land, mooning at a coach full of senior citizens, vomiting in the backstreets of a foreign nation, and after leaving a foreign cell, bitching about not having caviar after being squeezed in to a 2x2 cell with an inmate called Martha. To top it all off this inexcusable behaviour is nothing to do with the individual, and everything to do with the booze.

We live in a society where one refers to a fellow human as ‘fuckawallah’ and ‘Poppadum’ on national and international TV. Should we be surprised then, when confused citizens of the world use reality TV and Faliraki yobs as reliable yardsticks when measuring British manners and values?

In a democracy it is impossible to disagree when Ghale says that the British should not have the stranglehold on tolerance and free speech. In light of failures galore, both home and abroad, should it not be more important to look into what the British can and are offering the rest of the ‘uncultured’ world.

For the sake of enlightenment, can someone please define British values, as the far right racist British National Party are also claiming to representing true British values. Is it being, proud, white and not surrendering to the IRA? Maybe it is time I took a test.

The government thinks that a meaningless certificate will make an honest/ upright / God fearing (Delete as appropriate) citizen of all ethnic settlers and visitors to the UK. White English colleagues I have spoken to have been baffled by the governments ‘absolute nonsense’ stance on Ghale’s comments and yet some old timers have bravely replied; “When in Rome…”, an opinion which could also be reversed.

The government needs to take a stance on the real issues at home involving crime, education, poverty, child poverty and unemployment. I agree with the mindset calling for the promotion and teaching of human rights, equality, freedom of expression, democracy without the added tag of "Britishness". The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948 states: ‘Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.’

I have to agree with Ghale all the way and as she profoundly sized up; "If the current government was marked with an Ofsted grading it would be given a notice to improve.” The government and media are focussed their own biased version of British ideals, values being from those of the individuals it is hoping to integrate. I sometimes feel a hypocrite for telling my students to be model citizens when the appalling reality is an altogether different matter. It is not unpatriotic to oppose Britishness tests. There’s a fine line here and this is about forcefully projecting your will over another. In a democracy this is deplorable. Also the values of being a resident of the UK are not in any way restricted or monopolised by the British. These are values of all major civilisations and must be encouraged and promoted as such.

The need for a Muslim hero

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:53:00 GMT

Who is a real hero? It is often a person respected for possessing certain characteristics he/she is blessed with. Admiration for the hero could stem from an act of immense bravery. Followers of Islam around the world are yearning to proudly showcase a Muslim identity many feel is constantly under fire. What the majority of Muslims really want to do is share Islam's culture and identity with the world.

Psychologists often state that people grow up with a need for heroes, and the media repeatedly offers candidates to fill this void. But is the adoption of a hero more to do with ones own need than the standing of a particular hero?

"There is no universal hero," says sports psychologist Richard Lustberg, PhD. "Subjectively, the hero is created within you. Heroes are created as a great way to escape from whatever you need to escape from, and they can supply for you whatever you need."

It is exactly with this notion in mind that Dr Naif Al Mutawa, CEO of Teshkeel Media Group Kuwait, launched a comic book featuring superheroes with Islamic values. The 99 is the comic debut of a new legend of Muslim superheroes. Readers and adherents are now discovering the secrets of the Dar Al Hikma and the powers of the mysterious Noor stones. They meet the cunning Rughal and the powerhouse known as Jabbar and Dr Ramzi Razem the man who has devoted his life to finding The 99!

Al Mutawa grew up in a situation where Orwell’s Animal Farm was banned not because it was about totalitarianism but because there was a pig on the cover. He has described one inspiration for The 99 when he accompanied his children to a puppet show in New York City. Mutawa expecting a relaxing break spent the entire performance frenziedly taking notes of the acts, featuring Islamophobic characters and plotlines. The performance gave him a sharp lesson on the power of messages in entertainment for young adults and children.

The 99 is deeply rooted in proud Islamic history that every Middle Eastern schoolchild knows. In 1258, the invading Mongolian forces of Hulagu Khan destroyed the great libraries of Baghdad, including the Dar Al-Hikma. This attack was meant to destroy the true power of Islamic society – its knowledge and wisdom, and so to impede the culture’s progress. It is here the story of The 99 begins. Al- Mutawa is harking back to a time when Islam was at its cultural peak. During this Golden Age of Islam, Muslim cities were centres of learning and commerce. At that time there was widespread Islamic tolerance of other faiths. With this “better time” shown directly on the pages of the comics, it implies, and hopefully inspires, a time of greater peace and tolerance to come.

During his studies of psychology, Al-Mutawa found that the ideas of Joseph Campbell, ignited an interest in finding a deeper meaning for cultural products. “Tufts is where I found my echo – the voice I wanted to use,” Al-Mutawa said. Campbell’s ideas about hero archetypes show the many similarities between comic book heroes and religious leaders. Religious archetypes in entertainment, however, extend beyond comics. Movies like Waterworld that draw on religious stories but don’t use religious language or symbols are much more effective in communicating their message to audiences. “You draw on a basic idea that is already shared by millions of people within that tradition.

The creation of such a comic book with such graphic visuals will promote Islam and the Muslim world better, in terms of creating further understanding in the eyes of the non-Muslim world. Images are after all, a universal language, and as the saying goes, they are worth a thousand words. This I am sure was Al-Mutawa's intention, in that he intended to use pictorial and graphic images to educate, challenge and raise awareness of the countless positive aspects of Islam.

There are some that say that superheroes make children feel worthless unless they posses supernatural powers. This is nonsense as The 99 are normal people who do good to change the world. The characters are real people with real problems that get their power from a stone. The stone triggers the power in them but it could in someone else - so there is an element of "I could be one of these special people." The villain of the piece is not one of the Superheroes - he is an enemy of Ramzi who wants to use The 99 for his own greed and grandiose fantasies of world domination. Basically, The 99, just like religion can be used for good and for bad and will raise Muslim awareness around the world.

One other interesting point to consider is that within The 99, Islam is used as an archetype, but the comics are not religious in nature. There is no mention of Muslims, Islam, Allah or prayer and are very much in the vein that Marvel and DC’s heroes are based on a Judeo-Christian archetype yet we rarely see a church or a bible in these comics. Also many Western superheroes are orphans who work alone and can do anything, in the tradition of Western individualism. In contrast, the Japanese inspired Pokemon series, each character can only do one thing well and has to be trained and paired with others, reflecting the role of teamwork in Japanese culture.

As a huge Marvel comic fan what impressed me the most is Teshkeel's move away from the frilly ' my little pony' effects littered with waterfalls, meadows and green grass. Al-Mutawa has spared no expense in creating a modern day comic by using a team of artists who worked extensively on projects like Spiderman, Superman and X-Men.

Comics and cartoons from different cultures also reflect larger ideas about the role of hero and individual. Let us be clear here. For Muslims, there are no better examples of superheroes than Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him, the Prophet of Islam as well as his companions and those who came after. Every community and nation has its own heroes, be they real or mythical. These heroes are models of admiration, emulation and adoration by certain communities.

In the words of Mahmoud Esma'il Sieny, Ph.D., Professor of Applied Linguistics Muslims have no need to look for fictitious or mythical heroes, because their history is abundant with heroes of real flesh and blood, whose acts were heroic because of their faith, and a consequence of their attitude to life and the world. In the twenty first century though, a niche has been created for fictitious heroes. We live in a world where Spiderman, Batman and Superman are used as ambassadors for their respective cultures to the point of being on my children's various items of clothing and maybe it is also time that Muslims had their own fictional ambassadors and superheroes.

Al-Mutawa is a brilliant role model; a truly talented individual who has used his innovation to promote positive Islamic ideals in an effort to encourage Muslim virtues of tolerance, peace and non-violence. Governments, think-tanks and organisations can learn much from the thirty six year old who has used creativity and artistic expression to tackle issues facing Muslim communities all over the world.

Demise of Muslim Women’s Helpline proves spirit of Scrooge is alive

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:20:00 GMT

The sorry state of the Muslim Women’s Helpline is down to the community's Scrooge-like mentality.

Obesity case is real food for thought

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 11:55:00 GMT

Eight year old Connor McCreaddie hits the scales at a mammoth 88 kilograms, almost four times the weight of a child of his own age.

World Chechnya Day – A tribute to resilience

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:57:00 GMT

The celebration of World Chechnya Day on Friday 23rd February is intended to commemorate the dignity and resilience of a people who, against all odds, refused to be erased from existence.

Should Councillors be paid to serve the community?

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:42:00 GMT

The Conservatives’ 2 month campaign to freeze Councillor Allowances reached a successful conclusion this week as Labour were forced to agree to join the campaign and not accept the proposed increases.

Politics of fear

moderator@openmindsblogspot.com — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 12:18:00 GMT

In a nutshell, it’s a bunch of fanatics who have messed things up for the rest. The rest of the Muslims were seen to be not doing enough to denounce atrocities seemingly carried out in the name of Islam, even though people like the Met Police Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur called for an independent judicial inquiry into radicalisation of young Muslims after the 7 July bombs.