APPG on British Muslim
‘A Very Merry Muslim Christmas’ Report
Dr. Mozammel Haque
All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on
British Muslims launched a Report entitled titled ‘A Very Merry Muslim
Christmas’ Report at the British Parliament on 19 December, 2017. The APPG on
British Muslims submitted its report on the untold story of British Muslim
charities which the APPG on British Muslims wants to highlight in this summary
report, drawing on oral and written evidence presented to the group during
hearings held in Parliament in November 2017.
‘A Very
Merry Muslim Christmas’ Report
Acknowledges
British Muslim Contributions
All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on
British Muslims organised a meeting at the Palace of Westminster, London, on 19
December, 2017 which presented findings of “A Very Merry Muslim Christmas”
Report highlighting ‘Faith as the Fourth Emergency Service’. This meeting was
chaired by Anna Soubry & Wes Streeting, MP. In her Opening remarks, Anna
Soubry, Member of Parliament (MP) narrated the background to APPG on British Muslims
and why it was formed. In her remarks she also mentioned a short background on
this being the first report and why such a report is so important.
Anna Soubry in her opening remarks enquired
what is Christmas. And immediately added, you Christians have completely lost
the essence of Christmas. “But Muslims have not lost – huge celebration of what
Muslims do all this time of the year.” She also mentioned about Islam the
religion which thinks of other people; this report is part of that.
The second speaker was Naz Shah MP who spoke
about the untold stories of British Muslims. She mentioned, How we are often
told about the negative stories regarding British Muslims and not those that
are just getting on and making a positive difference. She gave some examples of
positive stories from the report.
Baroness Warsi also mentioned what were the
findings? The findings of the evidence sessions, i.e. Muslims often give
because of their faith. Give with one hand without the other knowing. Lots of
groups work purely as volunteers and how most of the recipients of Muslim
donations are non-Muslims.
Report
In the Foreword
of the Report, Anna Soubry and Wes Streeting, Co-chairs of the APPG on British
Muslims, mentioned, “Too Often, Muslim charities come to our attention because
of negative media coverage of governance issues or bad practice among a handful
of individuals working in the charity sector, or because of latent fears about
charities being abused for terrorism financing, even though evidence assembled
by the Charities Commission recognises
the near non-existent level of threat of such abuse in the sector.”
Anna Soubry, Member of Parliament, also
mentioned in the Foreword, “What is
less well appreciated, and rarely celebrated, is the fantastic range of work
done by Muslim charities in the UK which evoke the very best of our British
Muslim communities: a commitment to giving to those less fortunate than
themselves, a desire to help those in need, a willingness to volunteer time,
professionalism and extend friendship to those who are simply in need of a warm
embrace, a friendly face and/or a place to go for a free hot meal.”
It was also mentioned in the Foreword: “Muslims quietly go about
charity giving in a way that is consistent with the emphasis in Islam on
discretion; of ‘giving charity so that the left hand does not know what the
right hand gives’; but this is a story which needs to be told and we want to be
the ones to tell it. Let us celebrate the benefits of a multi-faith society,
where people from different faith traditions focus their charitable activities
on helping their neighbours in towns and cities across the UK.”
“What we hear even less about is the ‘Muslim
Merry Christmas’. The soup Kitchens, the food banks, the Christmas dinners, the
New Year clean up – work Muslim charities will be busy doing during the
Christmas period,” mentioned in the Foreword.
The Foreword
clearly said, “British Muslim charities haven’t received the kind of attention
they deserve. At this time of year, when Muslim charities are working alongside
many other faith based charities to spread good cheer, peace on earth and
goodwill to all we hope our preliminary findings highlights and celebrates
their work.”
Findings of the Report
Following questions were raised when the
investigation was going on: ‘Why was it necessary to establish an inquiry into
Muslim charitable contributions to the UK? Would it even be possible to
quantify the impact of the Muslim charity sector in the UK? Would we be able to
do justice to the work of Muslim charities in the UK and in doing so, shine a
light on the myriad contributions British Muslims are making in their local
communities and on the national scene?
The Report says: “the elision in the public
imagination of Islam with violence and conflict, the perception of Muslims as
‘takers’ not ‘givers’ and the pervasive narratives which portray British
Muslims as resistant to integration in British society, seemingly preferring to
set themselves apart than be alongside their neighbours.”
“But such perceptions of British Muslims, and
of British Muslim charities in particular, are wide off the mark,” the Report
said and added, “We did so because Muslim charities are illustrative of those
facets of British Muslim lives which we rarely hear about: expressing
compassion for those less fortunate than themselves, exemplifying Islamic
teachings to give generously to alleviate poverty, hunger and to care for the
elderly, the sick and the needy. Being civic-minded and socially aware are
among the primary teachings of Islam”.
The Report finds: “It is well-known that
charity giving is integral to Islam, as it is in other great religious
traditions but what is less well known, indeed what is often wilfully ignored,
is the role Muslim charities play in bringing communities together by
facilitating integration and social cohesion through civic solidarity,
interfaith social action and crisis response.
“Muslim charities engage in such charity work
without regard for the age, gender, racial, religious or ethnic background of
the beneficiaries. They do so with a poignant focus on responding to need,” the
Report mentioned.
The Report also finds, “Another aspect that
is also unknown and largely overlooked, but which deserves much wider
attention, is the specific functions Muslim charities undertake during winter
and in the Christmas season. It is at this time, when we are reminded of peace
of earth and goodwill to all that Muslim charities come into their own.”
The Report mentioned, “British Muslims we
spoke to were keen to exude Islam’s true teachings through their charitable
works. They want the British public to recognise them for who they really are:
British Muslims. Their Islamic faith and their British identity increasingly
motivates them to respond to crises and social problems on their doorstep, from
flooding to homelessness, domestic violence and prisoner rehabilitation.”
The Report also said, “This is social
conscience, community spirit and civic engagement working together at its best.
This is only a short summary of some of the findings from the evidence sessions
held by the APPG in Parliament in November and the written submissions
presented to the group by British Muslim charities as part of our call for
evidence. This report showcases our preliminary findings. It is merely an indicative of some of the
impact made by the Muslim charities. It is in no way exhaustive of Muslim
contributions to British society.”
Key Points of the Findings of the Report
Followings are some of the key points of the
findings of the Report:
“Major festivals are a time to celebrate the
values shared between religions. Values of charity, goodwill and caring for
one’s neighbour all come to the fore during Ramadan, Eid, Christmas and other
festivals. Muslim charities do tremendous work during Christmas and winter
season by providing hot meals for the homeless, ‘Winter Warmer’ kits to keep
the elderly and vulnerable groups warm in the colder months, and through
provision of other essential items.
“Media narratives portray Muslims as
rejecting, even calling for the banning of Christmas, but as our findings
reveal, Muslims are busy preparing for a ‘Merry Muslim Christmas’ with
charities distributing food parcels, hot meals, thermal clothing and other
essential items to spread good cheer and help individuals celebrate the season.
“Some of the larger Muslim charities are
recalibrating their distribution of charitable funds to commit more money to
domestic projects and services. As the size of the young British Muslim
population grows, they are increasingly focusing more of their time and money
to charity at home.
“Muslim charities are at the forefront of
domestic crisis response. One notable example illustrated in this report is the
Grenfell Muslim Response Unit; a collaboration between a handful of British
Muslim charities that have spearheaded emergency response, food and shelter
provision, burial services and ongoing support to individuals and families
affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
“Muslim charities are increasingly responding
to social needs in innovative and creative ways whether prisoner rehabilitation
programmes or medical aid for homeless people to alleviate the strain on local
A&E services. They are stepping in where other support or service networks
are failing and in doing so demonstrate solidarity with their fellow citizens
and exemplify the best of their religion.
“Substantial models for running food banks
are being developed by Muslim charities such as UK Education and Faith
Foundation, UK Islamic Mission and iCare. There is learning in the Muslim
charity sector that is applicable to the wider charity sector.”
No comments:
Post a Comment