WHAT BRITISH MUSLIMS THINK - THREAT OF THE 100K?

Last night Channel 4, a British TV channel, showed a documentary called, What British Muslims Think.

The documentary was meant to shock the British public and their political and other leaders to take action to defend this secular country against what the analysis of the documentary perceives to be a grave threat to Britain's secular and liberal values.  It is the kind of documentary which is certain to cause some observers on the left of the political spectrum to be concerned that it could fuel Islamophobic sentiments in Britain, as well as giving more momentum to the government to pursue what some would consider to be ill-liberal policies to rein in Islam in Britain. 

For those on the right of the political spectrum, the findings and analysis of WBMT might be perceived as simply more evidence of what they have been saying all along; that Islam represents an imminent and major threat to British society, and is not compatible with the country's Christian and liberal heritage.

And what of British Muslims, specifically?  One can assume that the first response will probably be to view WBMT as another attack on British Muslims, with the traditional and the extremists resorting to use it to support their world view that Islam is under attack from Christians and the west in general. With further reflection and analysis, 

Muslims who appreciate the opportunity Britain offers them to live their lives to the full, and without the repressive aspects of Islam, might see this as a wake up call to stand up and be counted in their defence of 'British values.'

It does not need a sage to tell anybody that, regardless of whether one is on the right or left of the political spectrum, is Muslim, Christian, Atheist, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jewish, et al, it would be irresponsible for anybody in Britain to simply dismiss the documentary and not respond to it critically and constructively.

So, what is it about WBMT that makes it so 'shocking', to use Trevor Phillips' description?

Well, the documentary is based on a poll company carrying out a survey of 1081 Muslims and comparing their responses to set questions, to the responses of a controlled group of the general British population.

Amongst other things, the analysis of the survey found the following:

• 23 per cent of the Muslim sample would support some form of Sharia law in parts of Britain.
• 35 per cent said they would find it acceptable for a man to have more than one wife.
• 45 per cent would like to send their children to schools with strong Islamic values.
• 1 in 5 Muslims would be ok with same sex unions, as opposed to 4 out of 5 in the general population.
• 4 per cent - which could represent 100,000 of Britain's Muslim population - would sympathise with extremist violence.
• 39 per cent said a wife must obey her husband.
• 1 in 3 would not strongly condemn the stoning of people for adultery, compared to nearly all the general population strongly condemning it.

When you project the responses of the Muslim respondents as representative of the general Muslim population of Britain, and you realise that, for Muslims, as opposed to Christians, Atheists and other faiths, Islam is a way of life and not just a religion which is observed primarily on Fridays, it does paint a very worrying picture. This is probably why Trevor Phillips has concluded that "the prospect for integration does not look good", and why Alibhai Brown, the journalist, commented that "it might be too late."

Of course, it is not all British Muslims who hold the above views, but it is the case that, based on the sampling responses, these views, which, I would argue, are incompatible with the promotion of a secular, cohesive and fair society for all, are held by a sufficient proportion of British Muslims to result in probably major societal conflict in the future.  It would be extremely dangerous for Britain to become 'cantonised' or 'colonised' by pockets of 'Islamic statelets', which are sustained by their links religious fundamentalists and extremists in their ancestral countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and other Middle East countries, Asia, and Africa.

The question which needs to be answered is that of,  how can Britain - and, yes, other European countries and America - can build a society in which people of different ethnicity, ancestral cultures and religions?  

Part of the answer lies in the need for British Muslims to reform their Islamic world view so that it becomes compatible with the values their adopted country, and not attempt transplant the Islam of their ancestral homes into Britain, as it would eventually lead to the recreation of conflicts which besets many of their ancestral homes. I would content that the beginning of wisdom here, is when the rights of the individual is given priority over the rights of ones religion and culture

To be continued

Progress is about creating the future, and not recreating the past

OWOHROD